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Business voicemail greeting generator

Type a few details about your business and get your voicemail greeting, after-hours message, holiday message and the line you answer with, in English or Spanish. Free, no sign-up, ready in seconds.

Updated 22 October 2026Prices checked 30 September 2026We may earn a commission

Free · no sign-up · English and Spanish · ready in seconds

Free, no sign-up. An AI writes the greetings from what you type; we don't keep it unless you ask us to email them. See what happens to what you type.

What a good business greeting says

Every good greeting answers the caller's questions before they ask them. Four parts cover it:

  1. Who they reached: your business name, and your own name when a person answers.
  2. What to leave: their name, number and reason for calling, plus anything you need to act, such as an address for a repair or an order number for a store.
  3. When they'll hear back: a promise you keep, like "within the hour" or "by the next business day".
  4. Another way to get help: your hours, your website, or an emergency line for problems that can't wait.

Record in a quiet room, speak a little slower than in conversation, and change the message the day your hours change.

Which message plays when

Most businesses need four messages, not one. The generator writes all four, plus an opening for an AI receptionist.

Decision diagram of which message a caller hears. If you are open and someone can pick up, the caller hears your greeting from you or an AI receptionist; if no one can pick up, your voicemail greeting asks for their name, number and reason and says when you call back. If you are closed for a holiday, the holiday message gives the day you reopen; otherwise the after-hours message gives your hours and any emergency line.
The four messages the generator writes, and when each one plays. Most phone systems let you set them separately; see the set-up table below.

Business voicemail greeting examples

Examples for six kinds of business, written to be read aloud. The names and numbers are made up; numbers that start 555-01 are reserved for fiction.

Plumbing company

When you answer

Thanks for calling Rivera Plumbing. This is Ana. How can I help you today?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached Rivera Plumbing. We're with a customer right now. Please leave your name, your number, your address and what's going on, and we'll call you back within the hour.

After-hours message

Thanks for calling Rivera Plumbing. We're closed right now. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, 8 am to noon. For a burst pipe or flooding, call our emergency line at 512-555-0142. For anything else, leave a message and we'll call you back first thing in the morning.

Heating and air conditioning

When you answer

Northside Heating and Air, this is Mike. Are you calling about heating, cooling or a maintenance visit?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached Northside Heating and Air. Our whole team is out on calls. Leave your name, your number and the address of the system, and tell us if you have no heat or no cooling. We return every call the same day.

After-hours message

Thanks for calling Northside Heating and Air. Our office is closed and opens again at 8 am. If you have no heat, call our on-call technician at 555-0187. Otherwise, leave a message and we'll call you back in the morning.

Law firm

When you answer

Thank you for calling Carter and Lane Law. This is Sarah. How may I direct your call?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached Carter and Lane Law. Please leave your name, your phone number and a short description of what you're calling about. We return calls by the end of the next business day.

After-hours message

You've reached Carter and Lane Law after business hours. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Please leave your name, number and a short message, and we'll return your call the next business day.

Restaurant

When you answer

Maple Street Kitchen, this is Jordan. Are you calling for a reservation or a takeout order?

During a busy service

Thanks for calling Maple Street Kitchen. We're busy serving guests right now. You can book a table or order takeout on our website, or leave your name and number and we'll call you back shortly.

After-hours message

Thanks for calling Maple Street Kitchen. We're closed right now. We're open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 10 pm. You can book a table any time on our website.

Property management

When you answer

Oak Grove Property Management, this is Lisa. Are you a resident, an owner, or looking for a rental?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached Oak Grove Property Management. Please leave your name, your address and unit number, and your phone number. For a repair, tell us what's wrong and whether someone will be home. We return calls within one business day.

After-hours message

Thanks for calling Oak Grove Property Management. Our office is closed. For a maintenance emergency, such as flooding or no heat, call our emergency line at 555-0163. For anything else, leave a message and we'll call you back the next business day.

Online store customer service

When you answer

Thanks for calling Harbor Home Goods. This is Sam. Do you have your order number handy?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached Harbor Home Goods customer care. Please leave your name, your order number and your phone number, and we'll call you back within one business day. You can also track your order on our website.

After-hours message

Thanks for calling Harbor Home Goods. Our team is here Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern. Leave your order number and phone number, and we'll call you back the next business day.

Fill-in templates for any business

Replace the words in [brackets] and read it aloud once before you record it.

When you answer

Thanks for calling [business name], this is [your name]. How can I help you?

Voicemail greeting

You've reached [business name]. Sorry we missed your call. Please leave your name, your number and the reason for your call, and we'll call you back [when].

After-hours message

Thanks for calling [business name]. We're closed right now. Our hours are [days and hours]. Leave a message and we'll call you back [when].

Holiday message

Thanks for calling [business name]. We're closed for [holiday] and reopen on [date]. Leave a message and we'll call you back when we're open.

Spanish voicemail greetings

If many of your callers speak Spanish, a Spanish greeting tells them they can leave a message in Spanish and be understood. Here is the plumbing example in Spanish, using the polite "usted":

Al contestar

Gracias por llamar a Rivera Plumbing. Le habla Ana. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?

Buzón de voz

Se ha comunicado con Rivera Plumbing. En este momento estamos atendiendo a un cliente. Por favor, deje su nombre, su número de teléfono y el motivo de su llamada, y le devolveremos la llamada en menos de una hora.

Fuera de horario

Gracias por llamar a Rivera Plumbing. En este momento estamos cerrados. Nuestro horario es de lunes a viernes, de 7 de la mañana a 6 de la tarde. Si tiene una tubería rota o una inundación, llame a nuestra línea de emergencias al 512-555-0142.

On a shared line, many businesses add one sentence to the English greeting: "Para español, oprima dos" ("For Spanish, press two"), which needs a phone menu. The bilingual answering services guide compares the ways to answer those calls live.

How to set up your greeting on common phone systems

Where to change the greeting on the phone systems small businesses use most, from each provider's own help pages. Menus move, so if a step looks different, check the provider's help page, listed under Sources.

Phone systemWhere to set the greetingSeparate after-hours or holiday greetingTyped text read aloud
iPhonePhone app: Voicemail, then Greeting (classic layout), or Calls, Edit, Edit Voicemail Greeting (unified layout); tap Custom, then Record. Not every carrier supports a custom greeting.Not mentionedNot mentioned
Google Voicevoice.google.com: Settings, Voicemail, Record a greeting. Greetings run up to 3 minutes (1 minute if recorded in Safari), and you can keep 10 and switch between them.With a Workspace auto attendant (Voice Standard or Premier): an after-hours greeting and holiday closuresAuto attendant greetings
RingCentral (RingEX)App: Settings, Voicemail, Voicemail greeting, Custom (record, have it call you, or import a WAV or MP3). Company greeting: Admin Portal, Phone System, Company Call Handling.Holiday rules can play their own announcement or voicemail greeting; closed hours have their own call settingsPhone menu prompts
GrasshopperAdmin portal: Call management, Greetings. Record by phone or computer, upload an MP3, MP4 or M4A file up to 5 MB, or order a recording from Grasshopper's Voice Studio.Yes: an away greeting on an open and closed schedule, plus vacation schedulesNot mentioned
Zoom PhoneWeb portal: Profile, Zoom Phone, Settings, then Greeting & Leave voicemail instruction under Business Hours or Closed Hours. Upload an MP3 or WAV under 10 MB, record, or type it.Yes: business-hours and closed-hours greetings; auto receptionists add holiday hoursYes
Microsoft Teams PhoneTeams: Settings, Calls, Manage voicemail, then Record a greeting, or type one.An out-of-office greeting for each user; auto attendants have after-hours and holiday call flowsYes
Nextiva (NextOS)Voice portal: upload the greeting under Company & Locations, Locations, Voice Settings, Audio Files, then choose it in the auto attendant's Business Hours menu.Yes: an After Hours menu with its own greeting; a holiday schedule overrides the regular oneNot mentioned
Ooma Officeoffice.ooma.com: Settings, your Virtual Receptionist, then the Business Hours Menu or the After Hours/Holiday Menu tab.Yes: after hours and holidays share a menu; separate holiday handling comes with Pro PlusYes, up to 150 words
DialpadAdmin Settings, Office, Main Line, Business Hours & Call Routing: the Open Hours Welcome Greeting and the Voicemail Greeting. A recorded voicemail greeting can run up to 45 seconds.Holiday routing can have its own welcome and voicemail greetingsNot mentioned
800.comSettings, Greetings, Add Greeting (you type what callers hear), then Numbers, Manage, and turn on voicemail.Yes: different voicemail greetings by day or timeNot mentioned

From each provider's help pages, read 22 October 2026 and listed under Sources. Plans and menus differ, so check yours.

When voicemail isn't enough

A voicemail greeting only helps if callers leave a message. When they hang up and call the next business instead, the fix is having the phone answered: an AI receptionist answers every call with your greeting, takes the details and can book the job or transfer an urgent call, while a live answering service does the same with people.

What happens to what you type

When you press the button, the details you typed go to an AI text service that writes the greetings and sends them back to this page. We don't store your business details, and the service doesn't use them to train its models. We count how many greetings are made and for which kinds of business, with nothing that identifies you. If you ask us to email the greetings, we keep your email address and business name so we can send them, and only email you again if you tick the box. The details are in our privacy policy.

Questions owners ask

How long should a business voicemail greeting be?

Short enough that callers wait for the beep. The voicemail and after-hours examples on this page run 30 to 54 words. Read yours aloud and cut anything a caller doesn't need: who they reached, what to leave, when you call back and, after hours, your hours or an emergency line. Some systems set a limit: Dialpad's recorded voicemail greetings can run up to 45 seconds (Dialpad) and Google Voice greetings up to 3 minutes (Google).

What should an after-hours message say?

That you're closed, when you open, how to leave a message and when you'll call back. If you have an emergency line, give the number and say which problems it's for, as the plumbing and property management examples do.

Should I record my own voice or use text-to-speech?

Either works. A recording in your own voice sounds like your business; some phone systems can read a typed greeting aloud instead, which makes changes quick. The set-up table shows which systems offer that.

Can an AI receptionist use these greetings?

Yes. The generator writes an opening line and short instructions for an AI receptionist: what to ask callers and when to take a message or transfer the call. Paste them into the receptionist's greeting and instructions settings. Our hands-on reviews show where those settings are in four AI receptionists.

How do I make a Spanish voicemail greeting?

Tick "Also write them in Spanish" and the generator writes every message in neutral Latin American Spanish, using the polite "usted". Have a fluent speaker record it, or use a phone system that reads Spanish text aloud. Our bilingual answering services guide covers answering Spanish-speaking callers live.

Is the generator free?

Yes, with no sign-up. To keep it fast for everyone, each connection can make a limited number of greetings an hour and a day.

Sources

The examples and templates on this page are our own; the businesses in them are made up.