Voicemail greetings · Electricians
Voicemail greetings for electricians
An electrician's voicemail greeting is what callers hear when you are in a panel. Lead with safety: if the caller smells burning or sees sparks, they shut the breaker if it is safe and call 911. Then take the address and whether power is out in the whole house or one room. Panel-upgrade callers shop the same afternoon.
Notes and scripts from Will Caraway. / .
Links I opened while writing
- Verizon: how to use call forwarding — Verizon's own *71 / *73 codes for sending unanswered calls off voicemail
- Google Voice: change your voicemail greeting — Google's own greeting-recording steps for a Voice / Android mailbox
What should an electrician's greeting say about safety?
Five electrician recordings. Safety is sentence one. The project type is sentence two.
“Thanks for calling [Business]. If you smell burning or see sparks, turn off the breaker if it's safe to do so and call 911. Otherwise, leave your name, address and what's going on, and we'll call you back shortly.”
“You've reached [Business]. We're on a job right now. Leave your name, number, address and what you need done, and we'll call you back today.”
“Hi, you've reached [Business]. For panel upgrades, EV chargers or other projects, leave your name, address and what you're planning, and we'll call you back to set up an estimate.”
“Thanks for calling [Business]. We're closed for the day. If you've lost power or have an electrical emergency, say so and leave your address. Otherwise, we'll call you back during business hours.”
“[Business]. Leave your name, address and the problem, and we'll get back to you.”
The one safety line worth saying out loud, even if it costs you ten seconds
I've heard people cut the "call 911 if you smell burning" line out of an electrician greeting because "it scares customers." The line does not scare a serious caller — the line tells the caller the shop takes smoke seriously. For the one caller a year who actually smells smoke, those ten seconds are not an inconvenience. Keep the line.
Keep the 911 line even if it costs ten seconds
Some owners cut "if you smell burning, call 911" because it sounds alarming. Keep it. The one caller a year who smells smoke is not an inconvenience.
An electrician greeting should ask whether power is out in the whole house or one room. The whole-house vs one-room split changes the truck you send.
- Sparks, smoke, or a burning smell: safety first, then a message.
- Panel upgrades, EV chargers, and generators: high-ticket, shopped the same day. Call those back first.
- A fixture install can wait until morning. A dead panel cannot.
Project callers are comparing electricians today. A beep loses that race. A live answer or Riley keeps you in it.
Panel-upgrade callers shop the same afternoon
EV chargers and 200-amp upgrades are planned jobs. They are also compared. The caller is talking to two other shops today.
Ask for the address and the project. Call those back before the outlet that will not hold a plug.
Safety still leads. Sparks and smoke go to 911 first. Then a message. Then you.
A fixture swap can sit until morning. A dead panel with a freezer full of food cannot.
What a panel-upgrade caller is doing while you are in a panel
They are calling two other electricians. EV chargers and 200-amp upgrades are planned jobs and shopped jobs. The shop that calls back first gets the walkthrough.
Ask for the address and the project on the beep. Call those back before the outlet that will not hold a plug. Safety still leads: sparks and smoke go to 911 first.
Keep the 911 line even if it costs ten seconds. The one caller a year who smells smoke is not an inconvenience. Cutting that line to sound calmer is the wrong edit.
A greeting cannot take two calls at once. A dead panel and a fixture swap in the same hour need a live answer or Riley. The mailbox is one caller deep.
What do you lose when a panel-upgrade caller hits voicemail?
Panel upgrades, EV chargers and generator installs are the highest-ticket calls you get. They're also shopped — the caller is dialing three electricians today. Riley catches those calls and texts you the project type so you can call back inside the hour, not the next day.
What makes a electricians greeting work?
- Lead with safety; it protects the caller and you.
- Ask if the power is out in the whole home or one area.
- Project calls (EV chargers, panels) are high value; call them back first.
How do you record a new greeting?
- iPhone: Phone app → Voicemail → Greeting → Custom → Record.
- Android: Phone app → menu → Settings → Voicemail → Greeting (wording varies by phone), or dial your voicemail and follow the prompts.
- Office or VoIP line: look for “greeting” in your phone system's settings or voicemail menu.
Running a electrical contractor? See how Riley handles calls for electricians.