A professional voicemail greeting is essential for your communication strategy. Keeping your business relationships intact in your absence will be much easier to have a creative voicemail greeting that sustains callers on the line and encourages them to leave a brief message after the beep.
Your voicemail is your first sales pitch. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most neglected marketing opportunities in any business.
If it lacks details or makes the caller feel as if they are not necessary, it can be a lead maker or breaker. However, it can also fall short if it is too personal, not personal enough, or highly unprofessional in quality.
In addition, professional voicemail greetings can increase client engagement, establish rapport and leave a memorable first impression. This article lists 25 effective professional voicemail greetings you can use to engage your callers.
What is a Good Voicemail Greeting?
A good voicemail greeting is brief and professional, notifies callers that you will contact them, and encourages them to engage with a call-to-action.
However, when designing a creative voicemail greeting, you should keep humor and personal touches to a minimum. For example, here is a small voicemail greeting sample:
Hi, this is [your name]. I’m either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and message. I’ll get back to you soon. Thank you.
You can win deals from prospects and customers even when you cannot speak with them immediately with a great professional voicemail greeting.
When you inform customers that you will call them if they provide a name, number, and message, they can trust your professionalism and competence.ng
Why is Having Business Voicemail Messages so Important?
It is evident from a business perspective how effectively these voicemail systems are routing telephone calls.
Below are four benefits of voicemails that businesses can benefit from:
Improves Customer Retention
Businesses that fail to communicate effectively are more likely to lose customers. Customers can become frustrated with brands they follow when they can’t resolve their problems, leading them to stop buying from them.
As a result, the businesses will not be able to retain their customers, adversely affecting their revenue.
(Source: Justcall)
As a result of voicemail systems, businesses can retain customers by ensuring that when customers reach out to them by phone, and there is no customer representative available to answer right away, they may leave a message.
After receiving the message, a customer representative can contact them with answers to their questions or solutions to their problems.
Streamlines The Customer Experience
Setting up voicemail for your business saves customers time. It is impossible for customers to wait on hold indefinitely or to keep trying to call you all day. In such situations, voicemail lets them leave a message, and you can return it. Also, keep the greeting brief — but detailed enough that callers have all the necessary info.
Ensures Accuracy
Due to the comfort of sending messages whenever needed, customers are more comfortable communicating via channels such as email, messages, and social media than by calling in. In addition, voicemail ensures accuracy because it is a digital recording of the caller’s voice.
As a result, agents are unlikely to misunderstand the voice message. Moreover, customer support representatives can offer better support if they understand the context of the issue before calling back, so customers can rest assured that you will listen to their problems accurately and resolve them quickly.
Enhances Business Efficiency
The voicemail systems improve business efficiency in several ways. First, they integrate call routing capabilities that allow customers’ issues to be transferred to the appropriate personnel.
(Source: Leadsquared)
As a result, customers save money on call costs that would otherwise have been incurred holding onto phone calls while waiting to be addressed.
The voicemail system saves customers the time they would otherwise have to spend trying to reach the company simultaneously.
For example, when a customer calls the company for the first time and it goes unanswered, they can leave a message and do other things while they wait for the company to respond.
How to Set Up Business Voicemail
Sometimes, small businesses use landlines or mobile numbers to manage their calls. However, they do not allow you to set up a proper creative voicemail greeting or properly work business calls. Using a business phone service will enable you to manage business calls effectively.
(Source: LinkedPhone)
Business virtual phone numbers are popular among small businesses because they allow them to manage business calls effectively without sacrificing their privacy. Unlike landlines and mobile numbers, virtual business phone numbers utilize the internet to handle calls. The official name for this technology is business VoIP phone service (Voice over Internet Protocol).
Also, you should consider the message you send to callers when you cannot take their call. A greeting can either make or break a caller’s experience with you. Here’s what you should say in a voicemail greeting (whether professional or personal):
- A small greeting
- Your name
- Your company’s name
- The reason you missed the call (e.g., you’re on vacation or away from the phone)
- An estimated timeframe for getting back to the recipient
- Alternative contact information (if you’re out of the office)
- An alternative mode of contact (email or text)
- Call-to-actions such as “Leave a message” or “Email me at name@xyz.com”
Creative voicemail greetings have a simple structure. The wording can vary based on the situation, but your greeting should be professional overall.
Voicemail Greeting Examples
While missed calls aren’t ideal, having the best voicemail greetings will let your caller know you’re still there for them. Your customers (and potential customers) need to understand why you aren’t available and how to get in touch with you.
Also, they are brief and to the point. If you want callers to stop hanging up halfway through, keep your greetings between 6 and 24 seconds long.
Professional Voicemail Greeting Examples For Your Business Phone Number
The practice of having each team member have their business phone number is a good one. However, several reasons prevent them from using their unique cell number for business, so you should give them their phone number through your VoIP provider.
Here are examples of professional and personal best voicemail greetings for your direct business line.
- “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [XYZ company]. Sorry I missed your call. It’s an extremely busy day for me today, but if you can leave your name, number, and a brief message, I’ll get back to you by the end of the day. Chat soon!”
- “Thanks for calling [your name] at [XYZ company]. Please accept my apologies for sending you to voicemail, but I am either on the phone with another client or on the move. Please leave your name, number, the reason for your call, and the best time to call you back. I’ll speak with you shortly!”
- “Hey, it’s [your name] at [XYZ company] – thanks for giving me a call! I look forward to chatting with you. Please leave your name and number & I will contact you as soon as possible. Feel free to send me a text with the best time to reach you and the reason for your call. We look forward to hearing from you.”
Now that text communication is becoming much more prevalent, suggest that your caller texts you if they have a question you can answer more easily via text. Who knows, they might prefer to send you a text over a phone call.
- “Hey, this is [your name] at [XYZ company]. Right now, I’m on vacation and won’t be back in the office until [month]! Feel free to leave me your name, phone number, and reason for calling, and I will call you as soon as possible. If it is an urgent matter and requires immediate assistance, please send an email to [company email] and one of the team members will reach out to you. Thank you and have a great day.”
Business Voicemail Greetings Examples
(Source: ZoomInfo)
You need a professional voicemail message to welcome callers if your main business phone number is shared with customers or publicly listed. Here are some samples for ideas on how to craft your greetings.
- “Hi! Thanks for calling [XYZ company]. Please tell us your query, and we’ll call back in the next 10 minutes. Thank you, and have a nice day!”
- “Hi! We’re glad you called [XYZ company]. Our team is happy to help, but we are either on the phone with another client or in the middle of another project! Please provide your name, number, and reason for your call today. Our team will call you right back once we are available. Thanks!”
- “Hello! You’ve reached [XYZ company]. Unfortunately, our agents are busy at the moment. Let us call you back! It would be helpful if you left your name, phone number, query, and the best time for a call back, so we do not miss another opportunity to speak with you. Talk to you soon.”
- “Thanks for calling [XYZ company]. We are looking forward to speaking with you. Kindly leave your name, contact information, and the reason for your call so we can call you back soon. Have a nice day.”
- “Hi, you’ve reached [XYZ company]. We can’t take your call now but will call you back as soon as we’re available. You can leave your name, number, and the reason for your call, and we will do our best to reach you at the time that works best with your schedule, so please leave a few times that work best for you. Have a great day.”
- “Thanks for calling [XYZ company]. Our new [new product, deal, offer here] must have caught your attention. We are pretty excited about it as well. So leave us your name and number, and we will follow up with your inquiries. Have a great day!”
- Hello, you’ve reached [company]. If you’re looking for information on [a product, etc.], please check out our [company app or website]. If you want more information about [Y], look at [website URL, YouTube channel link, etc.]. Still have more questions, or do you want to chat with an executive? Tell us your name and number, and we’ll return your call within [one, two, three] business day[s].”
Voicemail Greetings For Calls Received After Hours
(Source: OpenPhone)
Not all businesses answer calls 24/7 (unless you’re serving clients globally and they expect 24/7 support), so for calls after business hours, use the voicemail examples below:
- “Thanks for contacting us! You’ve reached [company name] after-hours, so please leave your name, number, and best time to reach you and we’ll get in touch when our office is open.”
- “Hi, Thanks for giving us a call! We’re sorry, but we’re closed at the moment. So please leave your name, number, and the best time to reach you and we’ll call you back soon. Thank you.”
- “Hi, you’ve reached [company name]. We’re sorry you just missed us! We’re open from ([hour] to [hour] [time zone]) Monday through Friday [optional: hour to hour on the weekends]. Also, you can get in touch with us through live chat, text, or email [email address] through our website [website URL], or you can leave us a message after the beep, and we’ll call you later today.
Holiday Voicemail Greeting Examples
(Source: Inperium)
Some people call during the holidays, even though they should not. So if you’re out for the holidays, create a creative voicemail greeting that conveys the season’s cheerfulness while remaining professional.
- Hi, you’ve reached the office of [your name, XYZ company]. Currently, the team is out of the office, but we will return on [date]. Please provide your name, number, and your query. Have a great holiday!
- Hi, you’ve reached the office of [your name, XYZ company]. We will be closed until [date]. Let us know your name, query, and phone number so that someone can get back to you ASAP. May you have a happy, safe [New Year’s Day, Christmas, etc.].
- “Hi, thanks for getting in touch with us! Unfortunately, we are closed now and will contact you when we return. If your issue is urgent, please contact [emergency contact] via [email address]. Wishing you a happy holiday season.
- “Thank you for calling [company], We are closed between [date] and [date]. Please leave a message, and we will contact you next business day. Have a happy holiday season!”.
- Hello! Thank you for contacting [company]. We are closed today for a holiday and will reopen tomorrow. We will call you back if you leave your name, number, and a brief message. Thanks again, and have a good day.”
- “Happy Holidays from [XYZ company]. Our hours are a little different this holiday season. We hope it’s no emergency, but if it is, we’ve got you covered. If you would like to communicate with us, please email us at [company email] and we will get back to you in [one, two, three] business day[s]. If you have any other questions, we will contact you once we are back from vacation. Happy Holidays.”
Short Voicemail Greetings 
(Source: Cloudtalk)
No one has a lot of time, not even your clients. The following short voicemail greetings will help you get to the point quickly and invite your customers to leave a message.
- Hello, this is [your name]. I am either on another customer call or away from my desk. Feel free to leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I will get back to you soon.”
- “Hello, this is [your name] at [company]. Hello, this is [your name] at [company]. I would truly appreciate it if you would leave your name, number, and why you would like to chat, and I will be in touch as soon as possible.”
- Thanks for calling [your name]. Unfortunately, I’m unable to answer right now. However, if you tell me your name, number, and a short detailed message, I will get back to you as soon as possible.”
- Thanks for getting in touch. Please leave your name, number, and query. I’d be happy to return your call.”
- “Hi, This is [your name]. I’m not available right now. If it’s urgent, please send me a text, and I’ll get back to you within a few hours. Have a great day!”
Keep Your Customers Engaged Even When You’re Away
Businesses rely heavily on voicemail greetings because they turn potential customers into actual customers and dramatically increase sales. To generate a good professional or work voicemail greeting, you must be natural, short, informative, and promise to call back later.
It can be challenging to create best voicemail greetings, but it will be easier with the scripts mentioned above. You don’t have to practice — just put your name, company name, and other details, and you’re good to go. A professional greeting will nurture prospects even if you don’t pick up the phone.
FAQs:
What to Say in a Voicemail Greeting?
Here’s what to say in a voicemail greeting:
- A small greeting,
- Your name
- Your company’s name
- The reason you missed the call
- An estimated timeframe for getting back to the recipient
- Alternative contact information
- An alternative mode of contact
- Call-to-actions such as “Leave a message” or “Email.”
Why does your business need professional voicemail greetings?
Voicemail greetings play an essential role in your marketing strategy, as they can increase engagement, build rapport, and leave a positive impression when unavailable.
What is the proper voicemail greeting for business?
When making a professional voicemail greeting, You should consider a few guidelines. A proper small business voicemail greeting should be professional but a little personal. Let callers know what to expect from you and your company. Keep the greeting brief — but detailed enough that callers have all the necessary information.
