9 script sets · UK & US versions · every script timed
Voicemail greeting scripts written for the ear, not the eye
Most voicemail greeting scripts read fine on the page and sound terrible out loud. While building BoltNum's AI greeting generator, we wrote and voice-tested dozens of them — and most of what we wrote first sounded awful performed. These are the scripts that survived, each one annotated with how long it actually takes to say.
The short answer, if you want it now: a good business voicemail greeting is 45–65 words — roughly 20–25 seconds spoken — covering your business name, one line of context, what to leave, and when you'll ring back, with any press-1 urgent option as the final sentence.
By Chris Rowe, founder of BoltNum · Published 18 July 2026
Three rules we learned by listening
Every script below follows three rules that came out of hearing greetings performed rather than reading them. None of them appear in the big script roundups.
1. How long should a greeting be? 45–65 words — about 20–25 seconds
The mainstream advice is loose: Indeed suggests keeping greetings between 10 and 30 seconds, Nextiva says 15–30. Our voice-testing kept landing in a tighter band: performed aloud, under 20 seconds sounds clipped, like you can't wait to be rid of the caller, and past 25 the greeting starts to ramble. You want long enough to sound like a real business, short enough that nobody is waiting on the beep. English speakers in the United States average about 150 words per minute in conversation (National Center for Voice and Speech), so the arithmetic is simple:
| Script length | Spoken at ~150 wpm | How it lands |
|---|---|---|
| 40 words | ~16 sec | Fine, slightly curt |
| 55 words | ~22 sec | The sweet spot |
| 75 words | ~30 sec | Starts to ramble when performed |
| 110 words | ~44 sec | The length of some templates you'll find elsewhere |
2. Should "press 1" come first or last? Last — always
We built BoltNum's press-1 call-through after mapping how tradespeople actually triage calls, and the ordering lesson was unambiguous: callers act on the last thing they hear. Put the urgent option first and two things go wrong at once — routine callers press 1 anyway (there goes your triage, your mobile rings for a quote request), and genuinely urgent callers press it before they've heard your callback promise, so they arrive anxious. The urgent line is the closer, never the opener. Every "with press-1" script below ends with it.
3. Write numbers and hours the way they're said
This is where scripts fail hardest when performed — by you or by a text-to-speech voice. "0800–1800" gets mangled; "8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday" survives. "Mon–Fri" becomes "mon fry". And if a phone number must appear, group the digits the way locals say them. Better still, leave numbers out entirely: the caller already dialled you. Every script below is written as it should be spoken, one idea per sentence, no parentheses — because you can't say a parenthesis.
The scripts, by trade
Two versions per trade — a standard greeting, and one that ends with a press-1 urgent option. Word counts and timings are computed from the script text itself, at the 150-words-per-minute conversational rate; most people read a greeting a touch slower than they chat, so treat each timing as the minimum.
Plumber
Your caller is often mid-emergency — a leak, no hot water, a blocked toilet. Ask for the problem in their own words and where they are, and promise a fast callback. This is the trade where the press-1 line earns its keep.
UK · Standard
51 words · ~20 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm on a job right now, so I can't get to the phone. Leave your name, your number, your postcode, and what's happening with your plumbing, and I'll ring you back within the hour during working hours. Speak after the beep.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
52 words · ~21 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm on a job at the moment. Leave your name, your number, your postcode, and what's happening, and I'll ring you back within the hour. If water is leaking right now, press 1 and the call will come straight through to me.”
Electrician
Some of your callers are safety-worried — power out, a burning smell, a fuse board that keeps tripping. One credibility word helps; a paragraph of them doesn't.
UK · Standard
52 words · ~21 sec spoken
“You've reached [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm with a customer just now. Leave your name, your number, your postcode, and what's going on with your electrics, and I'll ring you back within the hour. If it can wait until tomorrow, say so, and I'll book you in first thing.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
51 words · ~20 sec spoken
“You've reached [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm with a customer just now. Leave your name, your number, and what's happening, and I'll ring you back within the hour. If your power is out or you can smell burning, press 1 and you'll come straight through to my mobile.”
Handyman & builder
Rarely urgent: your caller wants a quote and a date. Ask what the job is and where, and a callback by end of day is honest and believable.
UK · Standard
52 words · ~21 sec spoken
“Hello, you've reached [Your Name] at [Business Name]. I'm up a ladder or mid-job, so leave your name, your number, and a quick idea of the work — what needs doing and your postcode — and I'll ring you back by the end of the day to arrange a time to quote.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
52 words · ~21 sec spoken
“Hello, you've reached [Your Name] at [Business Name]. I'm mid-job right now. Leave your name, your number, and what needs doing, and I'll ring you back by the end of the day. If something's broken and can't wait — a door that won't lock, say — press 1 and I'll pick up.”
Cleaner
Scheduling-driven. The two things you always need: one-off or regular, and roughly how big the place is. Warm beats formal — you're often a one-person operation and callers like that.
UK · Standard
48 words · ~19 sec spoken
“Hello, thanks for calling [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm probably mid-clean, so I can't pick up. Leave your name, your number, and whether you're after a one-off or a regular clean, plus roughly the size of the place, and I'll ring you back this afternoon.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
52 words · ~21 sec spoken
“Hello, thanks for calling [Business Name]. This is [Your Name] — I'm mid-clean at the moment. Leave your name, your number, and what you're after — one-off or regular — and I'll ring you back this afternoon. If you're locked out or need someone today, press 1 and you'll come straight through.”
Salon & barber
Booking-driven: the caller wants an appointment, fast. Point them at online booking if you have it, and call back before you close, or they'll book somewhere that answered.
UK · Standard
53 words · ~21 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're with clients at the moment, but we do want to hear from you. Leave your name, your number, and the day you'd like to come in, and we'll ring you back before we close today. Or book online any time — it's quicker than waiting for us.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
47 words · ~19 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're with clients just now. Leave your name, your number, and the day you'd like to come in, and we'll ring you back before we close today. After a same-day appointment? Press 1 and you'll come straight through to the front desk.”
Dog groomer
Appointments again, but ask for the dog's name and breed — it saves a whole call later, and owners love saying it. This is the one greeting where a little charm earns its keep.
UK · Standard
46 words · ~18 sec spoken
“Hello, you've reached [Business Name]. We've got our hands full just now — someone's in the bath. Leave your name, your number, your dog's name and breed, and roughly when you'd like to come in, and we'll ring you back before the end of the day.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
50 words · ~20 sec spoken
“Hello, you've reached [Business Name]. We've got our hands full with a client — the four-legged kind. Leave your name, your number, your dog's name and breed, and we'll ring you back before the end of the day. Running late for a collection? Press 1 and you'll come straight through.”
Florist & independent shop
Deadline-driven: same-day deliveries and occasion dates, some of them sensitive. Keep the tone gentle, state the cut-off, and get the occasion and date in the message.
UK · Standard
51 words · ~20 sec spoken
“Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We're helping customers or out on deliveries just now. Leave your name, your number, the occasion, the date you need flowers for, and a rough budget, and we'll ring you back within the hour. Same-day delivery is usually fine if you order before two o'clock.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
48 words · ~19 sec spoken
“Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We're helping customers or out on deliveries. Leave your name, your number, the occasion, and the date you need, and we'll ring you back within the hour. If it's for delivery today, press 1 and you'll come straight through to the shop.”
Freelancer & consultant
The caller might be a prospective client quietly judging you. Calm and specific wins. Lead with your own name, offer email as the alternative, and promise a callback window you'll actually hit.
UK · Standard
48 words · ~19 sec spoken
“You've reached [Your Name]. I'm heads-down with client work at the moment, so leave your name, your number, and a line about what you'd like to talk over, and I'll ring you back within one working day. If it's easier, email works too — it's on my website.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
49 words · ~20 sec spoken
“You've reached [Your Name]. I'm heads-down with client work at the moment. Leave your name, your number, and a line about what you'd like to talk over, and I'll ring you back within one working day. Existing clients with something urgent — press 1 and you'll come straight through.”
Out of hours (any trade)
The one everybody forgets: what the answerphone says at 9pm. Say your actual opening hours out loud, written the way they're spoken, and promise the callback for when you open — not "as soon as possible".
UK · Standard
47 words · ~19 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed just now — we're open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. Leave your name, your number, and a quick message after the beep, and we'll ring you back first thing when we open. Thanks — speak soon.”
UK · With a press-1 urgent option
48 words · ~19 sec spoken
“Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed just now — we're open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Leave your name, your number, and a quick message, and we'll ring you back first thing. If it genuinely can't wait until morning, press 1 and you'll come straight through.”
Hearing your script before your callers do
Whichever script you pick, say it out loud once before it goes live — the awkward phrase you'd never notice on the page is unmissable in your own voice. If recording yourself in a quiet room three takes in a row isn't your idea of an afternoon, that's the part we automated: type the script into BoltNum, pick one of six professional voices — British and American — and hear studio-quality audio in seconds. Rewrite it whenever your hours change.
The greeting is half the picture; what happens after the beep is the other half. With a BoltNum number, every voicemail is transcribed and emailed to you within seconds, and urgent callers who press 1 ring straight through to your mobile. It's one plan — £9 or $12 a month, and the number is live in minutes.
Wondering whether you need a dedicated business number at all? We wrote an honest answer to that — including when you don't — in do you need a separate business phone number? UK sole traders: there's a dedicated guide to business numbers for sole traders too.
Questions, answered
- What is a good voicemail greeting for a small business?
- A good small-business voicemail greeting does five things in about 20–25 seconds: names you and your business, gives one line of context ("I'm on a job"), asks for the caller's name, number, and reason, promises a realistic callback window, and — if you use one — puts any press-1 urgent option last.
- How long should a business voicemail greeting be?
- Around 20–25 seconds, which is 45–65 words at a natural speaking pace. Mainstream guides give wider ranges — Indeed says 10–30 seconds, Nextiva says 15–30 — but when we voice-tested our scripts out loud, under 20 seconds sounded clipped and over 25 started to ramble.
- What should I say in my business voicemail greeting?
- In order: your business name and who's speaking, one short line about why you can't answer, what to leave (name, number, and the one detail your trade needs — the problem, the job, the dog's breed), and when you'll call back. Nothing else. Every extra sentence is more distance between your caller and the beep.
- Should I record my greeting myself or use an AI voice?
- Your own voice is personal — if you can record it somewhere quiet and don't mind re-recording every time your hours change. An AI voice gives you studio-quality audio you can rewrite in seconds, which matters if your greeting mentions hours, cut-offs, or holidays. If you've ever attempted take three in the van, you already know which camp you're in.
- What is a good out-of-hours voicemail message?
- Say your actual opening hours out loud ("we're open eight to six, Monday to Friday"), tell the caller what to leave, and promise the callback for the start of the next working day. Write hours as they're spoken — "8am to 6pm", never "0800–1800" — so they survive being read aloud.
- Should "press 1" come at the start or the end of a greeting?
- At the end — always. Callers act on the last thing they hear. Put the urgent option first and routine callers press 1 anyway, ringing your mobile for a quote request, while genuinely urgent callers press it before they've heard your callback promise. We learned this building a press-1 system for tradespeople.
- What is an example of a short and simple voicemail greeting?
- "Thanks for calling [Business Name]. Leave your name, your number, and a quick message, and I'll call you back today." That's 20 words — about 8 seconds. It works, but adding one line of context and a specific callback window makes you sound noticeably more established for another 10 seconds.
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