Top 10 Best Professional Voicemail Greetings

First impressions matter.

The lasting power of first impressions is so well known; it is almost a cliché.

We know this when it comes to job interviews, to making a presentation or sales pitch, to going on that first date.

In each case, people will evaluate you quickly and possibly even unconsciously.

Your clothing, your posture, your appearance, your voice - all will provide cues that will evoke trust and confidence, or the opposite.

And first impressions often set the tone for the relationship that will be difficult to change.

In these busy times, your voicemail greeting might be the first thing a potential customer or client hears.

It follows that you want to make sure that your company's voicemail greetings are going to leave the right impression.

And what is the right impression?

Generally, you want your greetings to be professional and courteous.

That is the minimum requirement.

But did you know that your voicemail greetings can do so much more?

Your voicemail greetings give you an excellent opportunity to give your brand a personality and provide you with opportunities to make callers aware of special promotions or new products.

The trick, of course, is to get your message across in a clear, concise, and professional manner.

You need to be concise and clear, so that means your script needs to be crafted with care.

You need the right tone of voice, and if you are reading from a script, you want to make sure that your voice does not sound robotic or monotonous - you want your company's brand to have a personality.

So, as you can see, your company's voicemail greeting can be an excellent opportunity to put your best foot forward with customers and promote your business in the process.

Of course, many things can go wrong, leading to a bad first impression and possibly the loss of business.

By now, we hope you agree that professional voicemail greetings matter, and deserve some investment of time and effort.

But this need not be a stressful process.

In this post, we will provide you with ten examples of professional voicemail greetings to make you stand out in a positive way.

Each example addresses a specific - and common - scenarios and to enable you to leave a message that will create an excellent first impression.

Remember, your professional voicemail greeting recording can be an excellent opportunity to put your best foot forward with customers and promote your business in the process.

We have collected 10 of the best voicemail greetings for business applications that we could find.

Our goal is to demystify this tricky form of communication, which we detail at the end of this post.

But first, it will be useful to go over some general suggestions to keep in mind if you plan to write a voicemail greeting for your business.

Best Practices for Voicemail Greetings

Before we reveal our sample scripts, we think it is imperative that you understand the concepts underlying them.

Since you will likely change your business voicemail greeting regularly, it is good to know what to include and what to leave out.

Here are a few things we have found most helpful to keep in mind when recording business voicemail greetings:

Be Clear and Concise

It is essential to keep your business voicemail greeting brief and on point.

No one wants to listen to a lengthy voicemail greeting.

Sometimes, the person calling will have a grievance, and the last thing that you want is to make that worse by trying their patience.

In your greeting, get to the point, and keep it concise.

A Little Humor Goes a Long Way

If your greeting displays a lighthearted warmth, that is great as it puts a personal spin on your business and lends personality to your brand.

But make sure that your humor is professional and appropriate.

Sell Your Products or Services

Remember to promote your services, current specials, or a bit of backstory in your voicemail greeting.

Take care to do this sparingly; you do not want it to sound like a full-blown commercial.

Think of your professional voicemail greetings prime audio real estate and opportunities for building your brand.

Still, be brief, but a well-placed phrase about current promotions can keep your customers engaged when they call.

Ask for Details

Remember the purpose of a voicemail message!

You need to know who it is that is calling, why they are calling, and what they would like or need from your company.

Make sure you ask callers to include all these things and any other relevant information in their messages.

Of course, this includes their return contact information - your team will need to be able to reply to their message.

Avoid Clichés

Do not say, "Your call is important to me/us."

Customers have heard this line since the dawn of business voicemail greetings.

It rings false.

Use the "show don't tell rule" by making your greeting clear, concise, and informative you show the customer that they matter.

If the call were that important, it probably wouldn't have gone to voicemail in the first place.

Avoid sounding stilted or robotic.

You might want to think about hiring a voice actor and investing in professional voice overs for your voicemail greetings for business to ensure that you make the most of this vital opportunity to present your brand.

Professional voice overs ensure that the message will have the right tone.

Reading from a script is essential if you want to ensure a clear and concise message, but not everybody can deliver the right performance for the tape.

10 Voicemail Greeting Scripts

Now that you know the principles of our voicemail greeting philosophy, it is time to take a closer look at some standard and best-practice examples you can use for your business.

Not all of these example scripts serve the same purpose.

You will want to pick the one that best fits your needs at the moment, whether you're going away for the holidays or doing a big marketing push.

Between them all, we have no doubt you'll find one that serves you well, especially if you want a professional to record it.

Take a look at each to determine which best suits your needs.

Then read them out loud, record them, and listen for yourself if you need to.

You might also want other members of your staff to provide input or suggestions, especially those members of your team who are on the frontlines of customer service calls.

1. "Hi. You have reached [your name] at [your business' name]. I am sorry I missed your call. If you are hearing this message, I am unusually busy today, but I will return your call as soon as I can. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message letting me know how I can help you. Thank you!"

The "especially busy" in this greeting lets the caller know that you are working hard but that you still prioritize their message.

2. "This is [your name], the [your title] at [your business' name]. I am either busy assisting other customers, getting ready for our [sale name or season] sale, or [performing an activity that involves your company's products or services]! Leave a message, and I will call you back as soon as possible. Thanks for your business!"

Our second example illustrates a natural way to mention current promotions and organically promote specific products or services you would like to highlight.

3. "You have reached the general mailbox for [your business' name]. We are located in [you city] at [business address], [specific street directions or landmarks]. We are ready to serve you [your business' open days] from [your business' hours]. For more information on our products and services, visit [your business' website address]. For answers to all other questions, please leave a message, and we will return your call shortly."

In this example, we see an all-purpose message to use when your receptionist or administrative assistant is out of the office. It communicates all the general information a caller would need to guide their search for assistance.

4. "You've reached [your business' name]. Due to [specific circumstances], we were forced to [specific action]. We understand that this was disappointing to many of our customers, and we are disappointed ourselves. Rest assured, we are in the process of [specific action to make up for the disappointment]. If you would like to receive updates to this situation, please visit [your business's website] and sign up for our newsletter or leave a message, and we will get back to you as quickly as we have further details. Again, we apologize and thank you for your understanding."

Use this greeting in the case of unfortunate circumstances to help you with damage control.

5. "You have reached [your business' name]. All of our sales representatives are currently serving other customers, but we would like to return your call as quickly as possible. For current pricing or to check the status of an order, please visit us at [your business' website]. Otherwise, please leave a message with your name, number, and order details after the tone."

This message is especially helpful for facilitating the sales process.

When your reps call back, they can do so with all the pertinent information already at hand.

That way, the sale goes smoothly, and they can move on to other business quickly.

6. "You have reached [your business' name]. We are currently closed. Our normal hours of operations are [your business' hours] from [your business' open days]. We are closed on [your business' closed days]. Please leave us a message with your name, number, and any other necessary information, and we will return your call when the office reopens. Thank you for calling."

As you can see, this professional voicemail greeting is similar to the absent receptionist greeting but more inclusive.

Use this greeting when nobody at all is in the office.

7. "You've reached [your business' name]. We are happy to announce that we were recently given [name of award] by the [awarding organization]! We pride ourselves on providing the best [services or products] in the area. We are sorry we are unable to take your call right now. Please leave a message, and we will get back to you promptly."

This message allows you to boast of recent accomplishments and awards.

8. "You can also reach me via text, email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or the contact form on our website."

You can include as many alternate forms of contact in a voicemail greeting as you are comfortable with providing!

9. "You have reached [your name] at [your business' name]. Thank you for calling. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I will return your call promptly."

This greeting is short, sweet, and a little apology adds a personal touch.

10. "Hi, you've reached [your name], [your title]. If you are calling to inquire about [specific issue], you can find that information by [specific instructions]. Due to [specific reason], it is not possible to respond directly to everyone with questions about this issue. For additional information, please review the FAQ page on our website. If you have a question that our website does not answer, please call back and dial [extension] for immediate assistance from the receptionist. You can also leave a message, and I will return your call. Thank you."

Our final sample voicemail greeting for business is the one to use when you want to discourage someone from leaving a message, for example, when you are fielding inquiries from job applicants.

We hope that you have found these voicemail greetings for business informative, if not outright usable for your purposes!

If you're looking to take the next step in voicemail professionalism, check out our pricing for voice recording services.

Getting your voice overs and voicemail greetings for business has never been easier.

Get a no-obligation instant quote now.

Still not sure which voicemail greeting is best for you? Please visit our article about professional voicemail greetings to discover how you can word a professional and unique voicemail greeting for your company.

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