Business voicemail greetings to copy or generate
A good business voicemail greeting is short, says who you are, and tells the caller what happens next. Make one for your business below, or copy one of the examples. If you’d rather the caller didn’t hit voicemail at all, Memobell can answer those calls for you.
Updated by Ramy Khuffash
Set it up from your Google listing
Free to set up. No card needed.
What makes a good greeting
- Say your business name in the first few words
- Tell callers when they’ll hear back
- Give one other way to reach you, such as your website
- Keep it under 20 seconds
Voicemail greeting generator
Pick the situation and fill in your details. You get a full version and a short one, ready to record.
Your voicemail greeting
Full · about 11 seconds
Hi, you’ve reached our business. We can’t get to the phone right now. Leave your name, number and a short message, and we’ll call you back today.
Short · about 7 seconds
You’ve reached our business. Leave your name, number and a short message and we’ll call you back today.
Read it slowly and smile while you record; callers can hear it.
Examples you can copy
Standard business greeting
“Hi, you’ve reached Harbor Street Plumbing. We can’t get to the phone right now. Leave your name, number and what you need, and we’ll call you back today.”
After hours
“Thanks for calling Juniper Hair Studio. We’re closed right now; our hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 9 to 6. Leave a message and we’ll call you back when we open, or book online at juniperhair.com.”
Holiday closure
“Hi, you’ve reached The Copper Kettle. We’re closed for the holiday and back on Tuesday at 8. Leave a message and we’ll get back to you then.”
Busy, on another call
“You’ve reached Northside Dental. We’re helping other patients right now. Leave your name and number and we’ll call you back within the hour.”
Out of office
“Hi, you’ve reached Maya Okafor at Brightline Accounting. I’m out of the office until Monday the 14th. Leave a message and I’ll call you back when I’m back, or email the office at [email protected] for anything urgent.”
Lunch break
“Thanks for calling Fernwood Vet Clinic. We’re closed for lunch until 2. Leave your name, number and your pet’s name, and we’ll call you back this afternoon.”
Short and general
“You’ve reached Lakeside Auto Repair. Leave your name and number and we’ll call you back today.”
Emergency line
“Thanks for calling Ridgeline Heating. If you have no heat or a gas smell, press 1 to reach our on-call technician. For anything else, leave a message and we’ll call you back first thing.”
Or answer the call instead
Some callers won’t leave a message. They hang up and try the next business. Memobell picks up instead: it answers their question, takes the message or books the appointment on the spot, and you get a one-line summary. You can still set a different greeting for when you’re closed.
Questions
What should a business voicemail greeting say?
Your business name, that you can’t answer right now, what to leave (name, number, reason) and when they’ll hear back. Add your hours if you’re closed.
How long should a voicemail greeting be?
Around 10 to 20 seconds. Callers stop listening after that.
Do I need a voicemail greeting with Memobell?
Not for the calls it answers. It can use a separate greeting when you’re closed, so callers still hear your hours.
Related
- After-hours answeringAn after-hours answering service for nights, weekends and holidays. Answers questions, takes messages, books appointments and puts real emergencies through to you.
- AI receptionistAn AI receptionist that answers your business phone, website chat and texts, learns from your Google listing, takes messages and books appointments. 7 days free.
- Virtual receptionistA virtual receptionist for your business that answers right away, day and night, and costs a fraction of a staffed service. Priced per call, not per minute.