With all the new ways for customers to reach you, it’s easy to forget about your business voicemail greeting. But despite the rise of popularity in email and social media customer service, phone calls aren’t going anywhere. That’s why it’s important to have a polished, helpful voicemail message.
No matter what size your business is, your business phone should have voicemail set up. But what do you say on the recording? We’ve got some ideas you’re free to use!
Let’s get into it:
- Why you need a voicemail greeting
- What makes a great voicemail greeting
- 10 business voicemail greeting examples
- BONUS: How to use voicemail for customer service
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Why you need a voicemail greeting
Making and managing calls can be hard to do during upticks and busy call times, so a voicemail is critical to reaching those callers who were unable to connect at the time. Customer experience is more important than ever and providing a voicemail option shows the customer that you care about their question or concern and have a plan in place to reach back out to them.
Your voicemail can be the first point of contact for the caller, and you want it to be a positive one. Some larger companies like Coca-Cola are moving away from voicemail entirely, so having an effective voicemail message can be a way to set your small business apart and show that you value customer and B2B interaction.
It is still good etiquette to have a voicemail on a business phone and can be an important point of contact with both your business community and your customers.
What makes a great voicemail greeting
A good voicemail greeting is professional, short, and to the point. The most important part of your voicemail strategy should be to have a well-defined plan in place to answer all voicemails in a timely fashion. Your voicemail greeting should indicate that the call will be returned, and then you should follow through and return the call.
The message should also be personalized to your business, so don’t be afraid to let your brand personality shine through.
10 business voicemail greeting examples
Stumped for what to say on your voicemail? We’ve got you covered. Here are ten examples of great voicemail messages you can record today. Feel free to use the one that appeals to you most!
Example 1: “Hi, you have reached [business]. We are sorry to have missed your call but we promise to get back to you as soon as we can. Please leave your name and number and we look forward to speaking with you soon.”
Example 2: “Hi, this is the voicemail of [business]. No one is available now to take your call, but it is very important to us. If you leave your name and number, someone will get back to you just as soon as we possibly can.”
Example 3: “Thank you for calling. You have reached [name], [position at company]. I am either speaking with another client, or I am away from my desk. If this is an emergency, please call my answering service at [number]. Otherwise, please leave a detailed, confidential message after the tone, and I will return your call as soon as possible.”
Example 4: “Hello, you’ve reached [business]. We value your call, so please leave your name, contact information, and reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.”
Example 5: “Hi, this is [your name] at [business]. If you’re calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I’ll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s].”
Example 6: “Hi, you’ve reached [name] at [business]. If you need a quick response, please shoot me an email at [insert email address] and I’ll be in touch by the end of day tomorrow. If it’s not urgent, leave me a message with your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day.”
Example 7: “Hello, this is [your name] at [business]. Thanks for calling. Please leave your name, number, and the reason you’d like to chat, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.”
Example 8: “Hi, you’ve reached [business]. Unfortunately, we’re currently unavailable. But we want to talk to you — so please leave your name and number, as well as your reason for calling, and someone will call back ASAP.”
Example 9: “Hi, you’ve reached [business]. We’re available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] Monday through Friday and from [hour] to [hour] on the weekends. You can also contact us by going to our website, [URL], and live-chatting or emailing us. If you’d like us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the tone.”
Example 10: “Hello, you’ve reached [business]. If you’re looking for information on [topic A], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [topic B], take a look at [C page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] If you still have more questions, or just want to chat with our team, leave your name and number, and we’ll return your call as soon as we can.”
Voicemail done right is a great way to build customer connections. Be sure to record your voicemail professionally, and return calls within the timeframe you have specified in your message.
BONUS: How to use voicemail for customer service
There are two easy ways to use your voicemail to serve your customers:
- Pair your voicemail with smart call routing to help your customers connect with the right person the first time. This improves your first call resolution rate, which is good for everyone!
- Use interactive voice response (IVR) to let callers help themselves. You can include all kinds of information they might need while keeping your team free for more complex customer needs (e.g.,”Press 1 for store hours, Press 2 to check your balance,” etc.).
The good news: the right business phone system will come with these features built-in! It’s a good idea to look for an all-in-one cloud communications platform that lets you set up your voicemail easily within a desktop or mobile app. RingCentral offers these features and a whole lot more for your business phone. Take a look:
You’ve got (voice)mail. Now what?
Connecting with your customers today doesn’t end with phone and voicemails. If you are looking for even more ways to connect with your customers, RingCentral can help. Check out business text messaging to see how texting could take your customer service to the next level.
Originally published Mar 10, 2022, updated Sep 26, 2024
