Your phone greeting is the first thing many customers hear from your business, and most are written in five minutes and never touched again. Below are copy-ready IVR and auto attendant scripts by situation and industry, plus the handful of rules that make any prompt sound better on the phone.
Lead with your business name, keep the greeting under 15 seconds, offer four options or fewer, and say the option before the key: “For billing, press 2,” not “Press 2 for billing.”
1. Name first. “Thank you for calling Coastal Dental” tells callers they dialed the right number. Skip “Welcome to the automated system of…”.
2. Option before key. Callers listen for the thing they need, then remember the number that follows it.
3. Four options or fewer per menu, most-requested first. If you need more, nest a second menu.
4. Don't say “please listen carefully as our menu options have changed” unless they actually changed this month. Everyone has learned to ignore it.
5. Always give a way out. “To speak with our team, press 0” or “stay on the line.”
6. Write for the ear. Spell out what the voice should say: “eight A M to five P M,” “calcoast digital dot com.”
7. Plan the whole set at once: greeting, after-hours, holiday, hold and voicemail, so they all sound like one business.
Thank you for calling Acme Plumbing. For service or repairs, press 1. For billing, press 2. To speak with our office, press 0.
Thanks for calling Bright Path Accounting. You can book an appointment anytime at bright path accounting dot com. To schedule by phone, press 1. For an existing client, press 2. For all other questions, please stay on the line.
Thank you for calling Coastal Dental. Para español, oprima dos. For appointments, press 1. For billing, press 3. To reach our front desk, press 0.
Thank you for calling Summit Logistics. If you know your party's extension, you may dial it at any time. For sales, press 1. For customer service, press 2. For accounts payable, press 3. For the company directory, press 9.
Thank you for calling Coastal Family Dental. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 9 1 1. To schedule or change an appointment, press 1. For billing and insurance, press 2. For prescriptions, press 3. For all other questions, press 0.
Thanks for calling Reliable Heating and Air. For emergency service, press 1. To schedule a repair or maintenance visit, press 2. For a new system estimate, press 3. For billing, press 4.
Thank you for calling Harper and Lee Law. If you are a new client seeking a consultation, press 1. If you are a current client, press 2. For billing, press 3. For all other calls, please stay on the line.
Thanks for calling Harbor Street Pizza. For our hours and location, press 1. To place an order for pickup, press 2. For catering, press 3. You can also order online at harbor street pizza dot com.
Thank you for calling Blue Ridge I T. If you are experiencing a system outage, press 1 for our priority line. For a new support request, press 2. To check on an existing ticket, press 3. For sales and billing, press 4.
Thank you for calling Acme Plumbing. Our office is currently closed. We're open Monday through Friday, eight A M to five P M. For emergency service, press 9. Otherwise, please leave your name, number and a brief message, and we'll call you back the next business day.
You've reached Bright Path Accounting after hours. Our office opens at nine A M. You can book an appointment or upload documents anytime at bright path accounting dot com. To leave a message, press 1.
Thank you for calling. Our office is closed today in observance of the holiday. We'll reopen tomorrow at eight A M. Please leave a message and we'll return your call as soon as we're back.
Thank you for calling Summit Logistics. Our office is closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday and will reopen Monday at eight A M. From all of us, happy Thanksgiving.
Happy holidays from everyone at Coastal Family Dental. Our office is closed from December 24th through January 1st and will reopen Friday, January 2nd. For a dental emergency, press 9.
Thank you for your patience. Your call is important to us, and the next available team member will be with you shortly.
Thanks for holding. Did you know you can check your appointment, pay your bill and update your insurance online at coastal family dental dot com? Please stay on the line and we'll be right with you.
We're experiencing higher than normal call volume. To keep your place in line and receive a call back, press 1. Otherwise, please continue to hold.
You've reached the voicemail for Acme Plumbing. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message, and we'll return your call as soon as possible.
You've reached the billing department at Summit Logistics. We're helping other customers right now. Please leave your name, account number and phone number, and we'll call you back within one business day.
Gracias por llamar a Coastal Family Dental. Para hacer una cita, oprima uno. Para facturación y seguros, oprima dos. Para hablar con la recepción, oprima cero.
Gracias por llamar. Nuestra oficina está cerrada. Nuestro horario es de lunes a viernes, de ocho de la mañana a cinco de la tarde. Por favor, deje su nombre y número, y le devolveremos la llamada.
More on bilingual menus in Spanish & bilingual IVR prompts.
Read every script out loud once. Check that hours, holidays and phone numbers are current, that every menu key actually routes somewhere, and that the files are in the audio format your phone system needs. Then name the files clearly (01_main_greeting.wav, 02_after_hours.wav) so whoever uploads them gets it right the first time.
Paste any of these scripts into our free phone greeting generator to hear it at phone quality. When you're happy, we'll record your full set, formatted for your phone system, for $39.
Try it free →Aim for under 15 seconds for the main greeting, and no more than four menu options. Long greetings increase hang-ups and zero-outs.
“For sales, press 1.” Callers listen for the option they need and then remember the number that follows it.
Your business name, that you're closed, your regular hours, an emergency option if you offer one, and how to leave a message or get help online.
Yes. Modern neural text-to-speech voices sound natural on the phone and make it easy to update prompts for holidays or menu changes. Make sure the files match your phone system's audio format.