Voicemail Greeting Tips

Basic Elements of Good Voicemail Greetings

• Greeting
• Your Name
• Your Company Name and/or Department Name
• Statement that you cannot take their call right now
• Invitation to leave a message
• When they can expect a return call
• Who they can contact for immediate assistance (if applicable)
• No longer than 20-25 seconds
• Avoid giving out too much information and making an overly long greeting

Examples of External Voicemail Greetings

• Hi. This is John Smith with Betenbough Homes. Unfortunately I cannot take your call right now. Please leave a message, and I will return your call as soon as I can. Thanks.
• Hello. You have reached John Smith at Betenbough Homes. If you would leave me a message, I will give you a call back as soon as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please call (806)797-9494. Thank you for calling.
• Hi. This is John Smith with Betenbough Homes. Your call is very important to me, but I can’t answer the phone at this time. If you would leave me a message after the tone, I will return your call as soon as I am able.

Examples of Temporary or "Out of Office" Greetings

• Hello. This is John Smith with Betenbough Homes. I will be out of the office until Wednesday, September 3rd. If you need immediate assistance, please call my associate Jane Doe at (806)797-9494. Otherwise, please leave a message and I will return your call when I return. Thank you for calling.
• You have reached the voicemail of John Smith with Betenbough Homes. Today is Wednesday, August 31st and I am out of the office. I will be returning tomorrow, September 1st. If you would like to leave a message, I will return your call then. If this is an emergency, please call (806)797-9494. Thank you.
• Hi. You have reached the voicemail of John Smith at Betenbough Homes. I am currently out of the office and will return on September 1st. I will be checking my voicemails occasionally throughout the day. So please leave me a message and I will return your call as soon as possible. If you need additional assistance, please call my assistant, Jane Doe, at (806)797-9494. Thanks.