Business phone greetings: examples that don't sound like a robot

"Thank you for calling, your call is important to us"

You've heard that one. So has everyone who rings you, and by the word "important" they've stopped listening. A business phone greeting has one job: tell the caller they've reached the right place and that someone is ready to help.

The pattern for a live answer is business name, your first name, a short offer of help. "Graham's Plumbing, Graham speaking. How can I help?" Seven or eight words. Below are examples by trade, then recorded greetings, then what to cut, then how an AI line should introduce itself. The business names are made up. Swap in your own.

Trades and home services

Callers here often have a problem right in front of them, sometimes a wet one. Keep it quick and get to the question. The last example in this list is underrated: an honest "I can't talk now" with a time attached beats letting it ring out.

• "Graham's Plumbing, this is Graham."
• "Eastside Heating and Air. What's going on?"
• "Marsh Lane Electrical. Who am I speaking with?"
• From the van: "Graham's Plumbing, I'm on a job. Give me your name and number and I'll ring you back within the hour."

Salons, barbers and studios

Warmer, and a touch slower. Most calls are bookings, so you can point the greeting that way and save the caller a sentence.

• "Good morning, Studio Nine. Are you calling to book?"
• "Corner Barbers. Walk-in or booking?"
• "Hi, Willow Yoga. How can I help?"

Shops, cafés and restaurants

Noise is the enemy. Say the name clearly, because the caller is checking they've got the right place, and offer the commonest reasons for calling if there are only two.

• "Hilltop Bikes, workshop and sales. How can I help?"
• "The Bakehouse on Mill Street. Are you calling about an order?"
• "Luca's, good evening. Table or takeout?"

Offices and one-person businesses

If you're a consultant or a freelancer answering your own mobile, your name is the business name. Say it like you expected the call.

• "Graham Ellis." (Yes, just that. It's confident, and it works.)
• "Ellis Design, Graham speaking."
• "Northgate IT, service desk. Is something down, or is this a new request?"

Voicemail and after-hours greetings

A recorded greeting should say three things: who you are, when you'll call back, and what to leave. Skip the date unless you really do re-record it every morning. And only name a callback time you'll keep.

Plenty of callers hang up on a beep whatever you record, which is why some businesses have stopped relying on voicemail at all. That's its own subject, and it's covered in nobody leaves voicemails.

• "You've reached Graham's Plumbing. We're on a job, or it's after hours. Leave your name, number and address, and we'll call you back by nine the next working morning."
• "Studio Nine is closed until Tuesday at ten. Leave your name, your number and what you'd like booked, and we'll ring you when we open."

What to leave out

Most bad greetings are good greetings with things added. Cut these.

• The slogan. Nobody needs your tagline before they can ask about a tap.
• The menu, if you're small. "Press 1 for sales" at a four-person firm tells callers you'd like to seem bigger than you are.
• The apology. "Sorry, we're really busy" makes it the caller's problem.
• The full company name. "Graham's Plumbing, Heating and Drainage Solutions Limited" is for invoices.
• Speed. A greeting rattled off for the four-hundredth time is a blur. Slow down on the name.
• "How may I direct your call?" Unless there's somewhere to direct it.

How an AI line should introduce itself

Honestly. An AI answering your phone should say whose line it is, say it's an assistant, and offer to help. It should never claim to be a person, never come with an invented surname and backstory, and never dodge when someone asks, "am I talking to a robot?"

Some businesses say "AI" in the first sentence. Some say "assistant" and confirm when asked. We'd choose based on your callers. What isn't optional, in our view, is a truthful answer to a direct question. Our own line introduces itself as an assistant and says it's an AI whenever anyone asks.

Rules on disclosure vary from place to place. This is general information, not legal advice, so check what applies where you are. The argument for honesty is in should an AI say it's an AI.

• "Graham's Plumbing, this is Lloyd, Graham's assistant. How can I help?"
• "Hi, you've reached Studio Nine. I'm the salon's AI assistant. Are you calling to book?"
• If asked: "Yes, I'm an AI assistant. I can take the details and make sure Graham gets them today."

Read it out loud, then ring yourself

Write your greeting down and say it three times at normal speed. If you run out of breath, it's too long. If you feel silly, it's too formal. If you're curious how an AI greeting sounds on a real call, there are recordings on our demo page.

Then ring your own number from a friend's phone and listen as a stranger would. Whatever you hear on that call is what your customers have been hearing all along.

Common questions

More on answering calls

• How much does an answering service cost?
• After-hours answering: what small businesses actually need
• What to look for in a call answering service
• Live answering vs automated answering: an honest comparison