If you need to record a voicemail message and aren’t sure what to say, here’s help. Click on the following sections for our top telephone system voicemail templates for your workplace.

Workday Voicemail Greetings
Holiday Messages
Vacation Messages
General Greeting for Company Voicemail
Department Messages

You may also be interested in the following useful tips:

Tips for Recording Effective Voicemail Greetings
Tips for Leaving an Effective Voicemail Message
Anatomy of a Professional Voicemail Greeting

Telephone System Voicemail Templates -Tips

Tips for Recording Effective Voicemail Greetings

1. Don’t speak too quickly:

Slow down when you are recording your voicemail greeting

If you tend to be a fast talker, then try to slow down a bit when you are recording your voicemail message so your caller can understand everything you say.

2. Keep it short:

A good voicemail will include all of the necessary information without going on for a long time.

3. Try to sound natural:

Let your personality come through in your recording. Don’t speak in a monotone voice. Add some expression, but remember to remain professional.

4. Tailor your message to your industry:

If you are in an industry that is more conservative such as finance or insurance, then avoid humour or personal touches. If you are in a more creative industry like advertising or entertainment, then tasteful humour or added personality may be appropriate.

5. Record your own message:

It is best if your caller actually hears your voice on the recording. Don’t be tempted to let someone record your message for you, even if you are shy or don’t like the sound of your voice. Hearing a different person may give your caller the impression that they have reached the wrong number.

6. Don’t use a generic recording:

Make an original voicemail greeting

If at all possible, record an original message. Don’t just use a generic recording where you fill in your name and contact details. It won’t sound very professional.

7. Practice:

Do a few dry runs of your message before you try recording it. It’s easier to practice a few times before you actually start recording than it is to have to re-record your message several times.

8. Don’t settle for second best:

Don’t just keep the first message you record if you aren’t happy with it for the sake of time. This message may be the first contact you have with your callers and it is a good opportunity to make a great first impression. Make it count.

Tips for Leaving an Effective Voicemail Message

When making a call, be prepared that you may have to leave a message

It’s also important to learn how to leave a voicemail message so that you sound professional and your recipient will have a positive impression of you.

1. Be prepared:

Don’t let yourself be caught off guard when you are asked to leave a voicemail message. Be prepared with what you are going to say. A good tip is to have a standard message written down ahead of time so that you will sound confident and professional when you are leaving your message.

2. Speak slowly:

When you are leaving a message, take a breath and tell yourself to slow down. The person on the other end will thank you if they don’t have to play your message over and over again to understand it.

3. Repeat important information:

Make sure you repeat important information such as a phone number where you want the person to call you back. If someone is writing down information, then it is much simpler for them if they can hear it more than once. It will also mean that they may not have to re-play your message to get the right information. This is a courtesy and will go a long way with the recipient in building rapport.

Anatomy of a Professional Voicemail Greeting

Include a timeframe of when you will return their call

If you want to have a professional-sounding voicemail greeting, here are some things that it should include:

A pleasant greeting
Your name
Your company or organization
An explanation about why you are not taking their call at this time
A timeframe of when you will return their call
An alternate way that they can reach you if applicable i.e. by text or email
An alternate person they can contact if possible if they need an immediate response
A call-to-action i.e. “Leave a message at the tone” or “Send me an email at…”

You can use the following templates to help you format your greeting.

Top Telephone System Voicemail Templates for the Workplace

1. Workday Voicemail Greetings

Choose a telephone system voicemail template you are comfortable with

You can use one of the following templates as is, adjust it slightly to suit your style, or combine aspects of two or more telephone system voicemail templates until you get the perfect message for you.

Hello, you’ve reached the desk of [your full name]. I am unable to take your call now, but if you leave your name and number after the beep, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Hi, you’ve reached [your full name] at [your company]. I am unavailable to take your call at this time. Please leave your name, number, and a short message after the tone, and I will return your call within 24 hours. Thanks and have a great day.

Hello, this is [your full name] at [your company]. I’m either on another call or away from my desk. Kindly leave your name, contact information, and a brief message and I will return your call as soon as I get back to my desk. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

2. Holiday Messages

Make sure to leave a message during holiday times

Here are some holiday message templates that you can use for Christmas, New Year, Easter, and long weekend holiday closing times for your business.

Hello, this is [your full name] from [your company]. Our team is currently out of the office for the [name of holiday] break. We will be back on [returning date] and will be returning our messages as soon as possible. Have a great [name of holiday] and we’ll talk to you soon.

Hi, you’ve reached the voicemail of [your full name] from [your company]. We are currently closed for [name of the holiday] and will be open again on [opening date]. Please leave you name and contact information and someone will be in touch with you when we get back. Enjoy your [name of holiday] celebrations.

Hello, and thank you for calling [your company]. You’ve reached the desk of [your name]. We’ll be closed from [start date] until [opening date] for the [name of holiday]. Please leave your name and number and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible when we get back. If your call is an emergency, please email [contact person’s name] at [emergency email address]. Thanks and Happy Holidays!

3. Vacation Messages

Make sure to include some options for how to get alternate help while you are away in your vacation message

Check out these great voicemail templates that you can use when you are on vacation. Feel free to combine them together to make you message even more personal.

Hi, this is [your full name]. Thank you for your call. I’m currently on holidays, returning on [return date]. Please leave your name and telephone number and I will call you back as quickly as possible when I return. Should you require emergency assistance, please contact [contact name] by [phone/email] at [contact information]. Have a great day!

Hello, you’ve reached [your full name]. I will be out of the office from [start date] to [return date]. Please leave your name and contact information and I will return your call when I get back. Thanks, and have a great day.

Hi, you have reached [your full name] from [your company]. I will be away from [start date] and returning on [return date]. Please leave your full name and contact information and I will be in touch with you as soon as I get back. If you need immediate assistance, please contact my co-worker [co-worker’s full name] at [co-worker’s contact number]. Thanks, and have a wonderful day.

4. General Greeting for Company Voicemail

Choose a professional sounding telephone system voicemail template for your general company greeting

Make sure that your general greeting not only sounds professional, but has enough information for your callers to know they have reached the correct place and clear instructions for any next steps to follow.

Hi, you’ve reached [name of company]. We are unable to take your call at this moment, but we want to talk with you. Please leave your name and phone number as well as a short message, and someone will return your call as soon as possible.

Hello, you’ve reached [name of company]. We are currently closed. We are available by phone from [opening time] to [closing time] on [days you are open i.e. Monday to Friday] [If you are open on weekends you can add those hours as well]. If you would like someone to return your call, please leave your name and number after the tone. You can also contact us by going to our website at [website address] and filling out our contact form.

Hello, you’ve reached [company name]. If you know the extension of the person you need, please press that now. If you don’t know the extension, please press [number for company directory] to listen to our company directory. For all other requests, please press [number for the general voicemail].

5. Department Messages

Have an appropriate message for each of your departments

If you have different departments in your company, here are a few telephone system templates you can use.

Hello, you’ve reached the [name of department i.e. sales, service, etc.] department of [name of company]. All of our associates are currently helping other clients and are unable to take your call at the moment. Please leave your name, number and reason for your call, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a great day.

Hi, this is the [name of department i.e. sales, service, etc.] department of [name of company]. We are unable to take your call at this time. Your call is important to us so please leave your name, number and reason for your call, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Hello, you’ve reached the [name of department i.e. sales, service, etc.] department of [name of company]. All of our representatives are currently unable to take your call but we would really like to hear from you. Please leave your name, number and a short message, and someone will call you back as soon as possible. Thank you and have a wonderful day.