What to say on your contractor voicemail greeting

What a good greeting does

A caller who reaches voicemail is deciding whether to leave a message or try someone else. Your greeting can help by answering three questions fast: did I reach the right business, when will someone call me back, and what should I say? Keep it under 20 seconds. Long greetings are easy to hang up on.

What to ask callers to leave

• Their name
• The best number to call back
• The address or town of the job
• What they need, in a sentence
• The best time to reach them

That's enough to call back prepared. Don't ask for more than that in a greeting. Long lists are easy to forget, and the details can wait for the callback.

Three greetings you can read out

1. The everyday greeting

"Hi, you've reached [business name]. We're out on a job right now. Leave your name, number, the address of the job and what you need, and we'll call you back by the end of the day. Thanks for calling."

2. The busy-season greeting

"Thanks for calling [business name]. We're getting a lot of calls right now, so it may take us until the next business day to call back. Leave your name, number, town and a short description of the job. You can also send a request through our website at [your web address]."

3. The after-hours greeting

"You've reached [business name]. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 7 to 5. Leave your name, number and what you need, and we'll call you back the next business day. If this is an emergency like an active leak, say so at the start of your message."

Only keep that last line if you really check messages after hours. See handling after-hours calls for how to decide.

Small things that make a difference

• Say the business name first. A greeting that's only a phone number, or the phone company's default voice, leaves callers unsure they dialed right.
• Give a callback time you can keep. "By the end of the day" only helps if it's true.
• Record it somewhere quiet, not in the truck with the window down.
• Keep the mailbox from filling up. When it's full, callers can't leave a message at all.
• Update it when things change. Take down the busy-season greeting when the rush is over.
• Listen to your own greeting from another phone once a month.

After the beep

A greeting is a promise. If you said you'd call back by the end of the day, do it, even if it's a two-minute call to set a better time. Check messages at every break and write the details down so nothing gets lost.

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