An after-hours voicemail greeting is a recorded message callers hear when you're closed — it should say your business name, when you're back, what to do in an emergency and what to leave so you can call back ready.
What should every after-hours greeting include?
- Your business name, so callers know they reached the right place.
- Your hours, or when they'll hear back.
- What to do in an emergency, if your business handles emergencies.
- What to leave: name, number, address and what they need. Details let you call back with an answer instead of a question.
- Keep it under 30 seconds. Long greetings make people hang up.
General small business
"Thanks for calling [Business]. We're closed right now; our hours are [hours]. Leave your name, number and what you need, and we'll call you back first thing [next business day]. Thanks!"
Plumber
"You've reached [Business]. We're out on calls or closed for the day. If water is actively leaking, shut off your main water valve, then leave your name, address and what's happening and we'll call you back as soon as we can. For everything else, leave your details and we'll call you [next business day]."
HVAC
"Thanks for calling [Business]. We can't take your call right now. If you have no heat or no cooling, say so at the start of your message along with your address, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. For estimates and maintenance, leave your name and number and we'll call you during business hours, [hours]."
Roofer
"You've reached [Business]. We're up on a roof or closed for the day. If you have an active leak, tell us your address and where the water is coming in. For inspections and estimates, leave your name, address and the best time to reach you, and we'll call you back."
Electrician
"Thanks for calling [Business]. If you smell burning or see sparks, turn off the breaker if it's safe and call 911. Otherwise, leave your name, address and what's going on, and we'll call you back as soon as we can."
Property manager
"You've reached [Business]. Our office is closed. If you have a maintenance emergency, like flooding, no heat or a lockout, leave your name, property address and unit number and describe the problem, and we'll respond as soon as possible. For anything else, we'll get back to you on the next business day."
Towing
"Thanks for calling [Business]. If anyone is hurt or in danger, hang up and call 911. Otherwise, leave your exact location, your vehicle and where it needs to go, and the best number to reach you, and we'll call you right back."
Salon or groomer
"Hi, you've reached [Business]. We're with clients or closed right now. Leave your name, number, the service you'd like and a few days and times that work, and we'll call you back to book. Thanks!"
What's the problem with even a great voicemail greeting?
A voicemail greeting only works if the caller leaves a message. Many after-hours callers hang up and dial the next business instead. If night jobs matter, have a person or Riley pick up live.
Riley answers the calls you miss in your business's name, takes the same details these greetings ask for, flags emergencies and tries to reach you when a caller needs a person. $149.99 a month flat, everything included.
When a great greeting still loses the job
The after-hours scripts on this page assume the caller stays on the line. Many callers will not. Those callers hear a beep and dial the next listing.
A hang-up is not a wording problem. A hang-up is a channel problem. A greeting cannot answer. A greeting can only instruct the people who wait.
- Keep every greeting under 30 seconds. Time it.
- Lead with the emergency instruction on trade lines. Name and number come second.
- Record in a quiet room. Truck noise makes people hang up.
If after-hours jobs matter, have something pick up. A person. Or Riley. The greeting is the free version of that. It is not the same thing.
Time every script once
Read the greeting out loud. If the recording passes 30 seconds, cut. Start with the emergency line. End with what to leave.
Record in a parked truck with the radio off. Or a bathroom. Echo is better than a mower.
A perfect greeting still loses the caller who already hung up. That is the ceiling of this page.
Riley sits above that ceiling. She answers. She asks. She texts you. $149.99. Cancel anytime.
Official docs I used
- Apple: change your iPhone voicemail greeting — Official steps to record a custom iPhone greeting instead of the carrier robot
- AT&T: set up call forwarding on a wireless line — AT&T's **61* / **67* / ##004# codes from the carrier, not a recap blog
