Voicemail greetings are the short recorded messages callers hear when a business cannot pick up. A good business voicemail greeting confirms the caller reached the right company, says when someone will call back, tells them what to leave, and points to a faster option, such as a website, an emergency line or an AI receptionist that answers live.
Below are 33 original, ready-to-use scripts grouped by scenario and industry, including bilingual English/Spanish and English/Hindi lines. After them: what to include, how to record, how AI voicemail greeting tools work, and when to answer calls with AI instead.
What should a business voicemail greeting include?
A caller wants four answers fast: Did I reach the right place? When will someone call me back? What should I leave? Is there a faster way? Nextiva's 2026 guide to business voicemail greetings lists the same core elements (business name, when you'll return the call, instructions and a thank you) and recommends 15 to 30 seconds.
| Element | Why it matters | Example line |
|---|---|---|
| Business name (and your name or team) | Confirms the caller dialed the right number | You've reached [Business Name], this is the front desk. |
| Why you can't answer | Sets expectations without long excuses | We're helping other customers right now. |
| Callback window | The most useful promise in any greeting | We return messages within two business hours. |
| What to leave | Gets you a usable message on the first try | Please leave your name, number and the reason for your call. |
| Faster route | Lets simple or urgent requests skip the wait | To book online, visit [website]. |
| Thank you | Ends on a human note | Thanks for calling. |
Leave out long menus, filler such as "your call is important to us", promises you can't keep, personal mobile numbers and dates that will go stale. The Google Voice app accepts greetings of up to three minutes, but that limit is not a target: if a script runs past 30 seconds read aloud, cut a line.
Professional voicemail greeting examples for general and small business
Replace the bracketed fields and keep the callback window honest.
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 1. Standard main line | Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message, and we'll return your call within one business day. |
| 2. Main line with self-service | Hello, you've reached [Business Name]. Leave your name, number and the reason for your call, and the right person will call you back today. For answers to common questions, visit [website]. |
| 3. Personal direct line | Hi, you've reached [Your Name], [Job Title] at [Business Name]. I'm on another call or away from my desk. Leave your name, number and a short message, and I'll call you back by the end of the day. |
| 4. Owner-operator small business | Hi, this is [Name] from [Business Name]. I'm probably with a customer. Leave your name, number and what you need, and I'll call you back within [time frame]. Thanks for supporting a local business. |
| 5. Small shop or studio | You've reached [Business Name]. We're a small team helping customers in person right now. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back before we close at [closing time]. |
After hours, weekend and holiday voicemail greetings
If some calls cannot wait, put the emergency or on-call number first, before your hours and the request for a message.
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 6. Standard after hours | Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Our office is closed. Our hours are [days], [open time] to [close time]. Please leave your name, number and a brief message, and we'll call you back on the next business day. |
| 7. After hours with an emergency line | You've reached [Business Name] after hours. If this is an emergency, please call [emergency number]. Otherwise, leave your name, number and a short message, and we'll call you back when we open at [time]. |
| 8. After hours with online booking | Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed for the day, but you can book an appointment any time at [website]. Or stay on the line, leave a message, and we'll call you back tomorrow morning. |
| 9. Weekend closure | Hello, you've reached [Business Name]. We're closed for the weekend and back on Monday at [time]. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back first thing Monday. |
| 10. Saturday hours, closed Sunday | Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're open Saturdays from [time] to [time] and closed Sundays. Please leave a message, and we'll call you back during our next opening hours. |
| 11. General holiday closure | Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We're closed from [date] to [date] for the holidays and reopen on [date] at [time]. Leave a message and we'll call you back when we return. Happy holidays. |
| 12. Thanksgiving or Christmas | Happy holidays from everyone at [Business Name]. We're closed on [holiday] and reopen on [date]. Please leave your name, number and message, and we'll call you back once we're in the office. |
| 13. New Year | Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed for New Year's Day and reopen on [date]. Leave a message and we'll call you back. Wishing you a happy new year. |
| 14. Diwali or another festival closure | Thank you for calling [Business Name], and happy [festival]. Our office is closed from [date] to [date]. Please leave a message, and we'll call you back when we reopen on [date]. |
Answer, book and route calls at night, on weekends and on holidays instead of sending them to voicemail.
Out of office and busy-line greetings
Name a backup contact when you're away, and offer a callback rather than asking busy-line callers to keep trying.
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 15. Out of office with a backup contact | Hi, you've reached [Your Name] at [Business Name]. I'm out of the office until [date]. For anything urgent, please call [Colleague Name] at [number]. Otherwise, leave a message and I'll call you back when I return. |
| 16. Traveling or at a conference | Hello, this is [Your Name]. I'm traveling this week and checking messages once a day. Leave your name, number and a short message, and I'll call you back within [time frame]. |
| 17. All lines busy | Thanks for calling [Business Name]. Our whole team is helping other callers right now. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back within [time frame]. |
| 18. Queue overflow with a callback | Sorry for the wait. Every line at [Business Name] is busy. Rather than hold, leave your name, number and the reason for your call, and we'll call you back in the order messages arrive. |
Voicemail greetings by industry: healthcare, real estate, legal, sales and support
Healthcare and dental
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 19. Medical office | You've reached [Practice Name]. If this is a medical emergency, hang up and call 911 or your local emergency number. To book or change an appointment, leave your name and a callback number, and we'll call you back today. |
| 20. Dental office after hours | Thank you for calling [Practice Name]. Our office is closed. For a dental emergency, call our on-call line at [number]. To book a visit, leave your name and number, and we'll call you back when we open at [time]. |
| 21. Clinic patient line | You've reached the [Clinic Name] patient line. We return messages within one business day, so please don't leave urgent concerns here; call 911 or your local emergency number instead. Leave your name, a callback number and the best time to reach you. |
Real estate, law firms, sales and customer support
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 22. Real estate agent | Hi, you've reached [Agent Name] with [Brokerage]. I'm probably showing a property. Leave your name, number and the address or listing you're calling about, and I'll call you back within [time frame]. |
| 23. Brokerage after hours | Thanks for calling [Brokerage]. Our office is closed, but you can browse listings and request a showing at [website]. Leave your name, number and the property you're interested in, and an agent will call you tomorrow. |
| 24. Law firm main line | Thank you for calling [Firm Name]. Please leave your name, number and a brief description of your matter, without confidential details. Leaving a message does not create an attorney-client relationship. Our intake team will call you back within one business day. |
| 25. Attorney direct line | You've reached [Attorney Name] at [Firm Name]. I'm in court or with a client. Existing clients, please leave your name, number and case name, and I'll call you back by end of day. New clients, please call [intake number]. |
| 26. Sales team line | Thanks for calling the sales team at [Business Name]. Leave your name, company, number and what you're looking for, and a specialist will call you back within [time frame]. |
| 27. Sales rep direct line | Hi, it's [Your Name] at [Business Name]. Sorry I missed you. Leave your number and the best time to reach you, and I'll call you back today, or book a time with me at [booking link]. |
| 28. Customer support line | You've reached [Business Name] support. Leave your name, number and your order or account number, and we'll call you back within [time frame]. Many answers are also in our help center at [website]. |
| 29. Support during an outage | Thanks for calling [Business Name] support. We know about an issue affecting [service] and are working on it. Updates are posted at [status page]. If your issue is different, leave a message and we'll call you back. |
Bilingual voicemail greetings: English/Spanish and English/Hindi
If many callers prefer another language, say the essentials in both. US Census Bureau tables released in June 2025 (2017 to 2021 American Community Survey data) show 22 percent of people aged five and older spoke a language other than English at home, about 61 percent of them Spanish. In India, English plus Hindi, or Hinglish, is the natural pairing. Lead with the language most of your callers use.
| Use it when | Script |
|---|---|
| 30. English/Spanish main line | Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Please leave your name, number and a brief message, and we'll call you back within one business day. Gracias por llamar a [Business Name]. Por favor, deje su nombre, su número de teléfono y un breve mensaje, y le devolveremos la llamada dentro de un día hábil. |
| 31. English/Spanish after hours | Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed now and open again at [time]. Leave your name and number, and we'll call you back. Gracias por llamar a [Business Name]. Estamos cerrados y abrimos a las [hora]. Deje su nombre y número, y le devolveremos la llamada. |
| 32. English/Hindi main line | Thank you for calling [Business Name]. Please leave your name, number and a short message, and we'll call you back within one business day. नमस्ते, [Business Name] में कॉल करने के लिए धन्यवाद। कृपया अपना नाम, नंबर और संदेश छोड़ें, हम एक कार्यदिवस के भीतर आपको वापस कॉल करेंगे। |
| 33. Hinglish after hours | Namaste, [Business Name] mein call karne ke liye dhanyavaad. Abhi office band hai, hum kal subah [time] baje khulenge. Apna naam aur number chhod dijiye, hum aapko call back karenge. Thank you. |
How to record a voicemail greeting that sounds professional
- 01Write the script, read it aloud and time it. Trim until it fits comfortably inside about 30 seconds.
- 02Record in a quiet, soft-furnished room, close to the microphone, with notifications and fans off.
- 03Speak a little slower than usual, and slower still for phone numbers, web addresses and hours.
- 04Record two or three takes, then call your own line from a mobile phone to hear what callers hear.
- 05Keep a greeting ready for each scenario. Google Voice, for example, lets you record up to 10 greetings and choose which one is active.
- 06Schedule changes instead of relying on memory. Microsoft Teams auto attendants, for example, support separate business-hours, after-hours and holiday call flows, each with its own greeting.
- 07Review greetings whenever hours, staff or web addresses change, and remove holiday greetings the day you reopen.
How do AI voicemail greeting tools work?
AI voicemail greeting tools use text-to-speech (TTS): you type the script, choose a voice and language, and the software generates the audio. Many business phone systems do this natively. Microsoft's documentation for Teams auto attendants offers two options: upload a recording (WAV, MP3 or WMA, up to 5 MB) or type up to 1,000 characters that the system reads aloud in your selected language. It doesn't translate, so write the text in that language.
Developer platforms work the same way. Twilio's documentation for its Say verb lists free basic voices alongside Standard, Neural and Generative voices from Amazon Polly and Google, with SSML tags to control how numbers and dates are pronounced.
| Recorded by a person | Generated with text-to-speech | |
|---|---|---|
| Changing hours or holiday dates | Re-record the greeting | Edit the text and regenerate |
| Consistency | Depends on the speaker and the room | Same voice and volume every time |
| Other languages | Needs a fluent speaker for each | Choose a voice per supported language |
| Best for | Owner-led businesses and personal lines | Multi-location, multilingual or frequently changing greetings |
AI voicemail also covers the other end: Google says Google Voice transcribes voicemails to text automatically, which speeds up triage. But a transcribed voicemail is still a message waiting for a callback.
How TTS turns written scripts into natural-sounding speech.
Why AI call answering is the step beyond voicemail
Voicemail still gets heard. In a July 2020 Pew Research Center survey of 10,211 US adults, 67 percent said their general practice is not to answer unknown numbers but to check the voicemail if one is left, and only 14 percent said they generally ignore voicemails. But 80 percent don't generally answer unknown numbers, so when you return a message, your callback may land in their voicemail and phone tag begins.
An AI receptionist removes that round trip. It answers at any hour, understands natural speech, answers common questions from information you approve, books appointments into your calendar and transfers urgent calls to a person with context. Voicemail stays available for callers who prefer it.
| What the caller needs | Voicemail greeting | AI receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| A quick answer (hours, prices, directions) | Waits for a callback | Answered during the call |
| An appointment | Leaves a request, then phone tag | Books a slot during the call |
| Something urgent | Hears an emergency number | Transferred to an on-call person with context |
| Help after hours | Message until morning | Same service as during the day |
How AI receptionists differ from voicemail and phone menus.
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Live answering services, auto attendants and AI receptionists compared, with 2026 pricing.
Sources
- Nextiva, 24 Best Business Voicemail Greeting Examples With Templates and Tips, updated 27 July 2026: nextiva.com/blog/business-voicemail-greeting.html
- Google Voice Help, Set up or change a voicemail greeting, accessed 28 October 2026: support.google.com/voice/answer/115069
- Google Workspace, Google Voice plans and features, accessed 28 October 2026: workspace.google.com/products/voice
- Microsoft Learn, Setup - Auto Attendant - Microsoft Teams, accessed 28 October 2026: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/aa-cq-setup-auto-attendant
- Twilio Docs, TwiML Voice: Say, accessed 28 October 2026: twilio.com/docs/voice/twiml/say
- Pew Research Center, Most Americans don't answer cellphone calls from unknown numbers, 14 December 2020: pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/12/14/most-americans-dont-answer-cellphone-calls-from-unknown-numbers
- US Census Bureau, New Data on Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and the Ability to Speak English, 3 June 2025: census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/2017-2021-acs-language-use-tables.html
Frequently asked questions
What is a good professional voicemail greeting for a business?
How long should a business voicemail greeting be?
What should an after hours voicemail greeting say?
What should a holiday voicemail greeting include?
Can AI generate a voicemail greeting?
Do people still listen to voicemail?
What is the difference between AI voicemail and an AI receptionist?
Should a business voicemail greeting be bilingual?
Priya is part of the Vaami team and writes about recruitment, customer service and healthcare.