Business Voicemail Greeting: 4 Scripts Under 13 Seconds
A good business voicemail greeting names your business, says why you cannot answer, asks for name, number and need, and promises a callback time, all in under 15 seconds.
By Tej Pandya, Founder · Updated 10 Oct 2026
Key takeaways
- 01Say four things in order: who you are, why you cannot answer, what to leave (name, number, need), and when you will call back. Keep it to 25 to 35 words, about 10 to 15 seconds.
- 02Our recommendation: keep the greeting to 10 to 15 seconds and rely on the phone alone, with no website address, because a caller on a mobile cannot tap or write one down.
- 03Voicemail is a service from your mobile operator, so setup differs by SIM. Airtel and Vi publish their own steps, below.
- 04A recording only collects a message. If the call was a customer enquiry, make sure someone calls back quickly.
In this article
- 1What should a business voicemail greeting say?
- 2How long should a voicemail greeting be?
- 3Which language should the greeting use: Hindi, English or Hinglish?
- 4How do I set a voicemail greeting on Airtel, Vi or another mobile?
- 5When does a missed call need more than a recorded greeting?
- 6How do I test my greeting before customers hear it?
- 7Frequently asked questions
Copy a greeting from a US vendor guide and you record a script built for a different caller. It is long, English-only, and often ends with a website address that nobody on a mobile can use. Callers to a small business are usually on a phone and in a hurry, so a greeting has seconds to work.
Voicemail in India is also in motion. Truecaller launched a free Android voicemail in India on 18 December 2025, for people who use that app.
Below are four scripts to record today: three in English and one in Hinglish (Hindi and English mixed). Each runs about 11 to 12 seconds. You also get the dial codes for Airtel and Vi, a pass-or-fail test for your recording, and a plain view on when a recording is the wrong tool.
What should a business voicemail greeting say?
A business voicemail greeting should say four things in this order: who you are, why you cannot answer, what the caller should leave, and when they will hear back. Pick one script below, replace the brackets with your details, and record it in your own voice.
1. In hours, busy
Namaste, you've reached [Business]. We're on another call. After the beep, say your name, your number and what you need. We'll call you back within [2 hours].
26 words, about 11 seconds.
2. After hours
Namaste, this is [Business]. We're closed now and open [Mon to Sat, 10 to 7]. After the beep, say your name, your number and what you need. We'll call you back by [11 am] tomorrow.
29 words, about 12 seconds.
3. Hinglish
Namaste, [Business] mein aapka swagat hai. Abhi hum call par hain. Beep ke baad apna naam, number aur zaroorat batayein. Hum [2 ghante] mein aapko call back karenge.
27 words, about 11 seconds.
4. With an urgent route
Namaste, this is [Business]. For urgent help, call [number] now. Otherwise, after the beep, say your name, your number and what you need. We'll call you back by [time].
29 words, about 12 seconds.
The order matters. Callers decide in the first few seconds whether they reached the right place, so the business name comes first. The reason you cannot answer ("we're on another call") tells them you are open for business, not gone. The three things to leave (name, number, need) give you what you need to call back without a second conversation. The callback time is the part callers act on.
Promise only a time you will keep. If you reply the same evening, say "by tomorrow morning" and beat it. A promise you miss costs more than a vaguer one you meet. Use script 4 only if the urgent number is answered. A number that rings out sends callers to a competitor.
How long should a voicemail greeting be?
Aim for 10 to 15 seconds, which is 25 to 35 words at a normal speaking pace. That is our recommendation, and the four scripts above sit inside it: 26 to 29 words each, about 11 to 12 seconds.
We timed the scripts at 2.4 words a second, about 145 words a minute, our assumption for a comfortable pace, with each bracketed blank counted as one word. Read your own version aloud with a stopwatch, because your blanks and your speed change the result. Past about 15 seconds, the caller is waiting to speak while you are still talking.
Leave out a website address. A caller on a mobile, often walking or driving, cannot write one down or tap it. If you need the caller to find you, give one phone number, said slowly. If you need them to leave details, ask for those instead. The four scripts spend their words on the callback time because that is what the caller wants to know.
Which language should the greeting use: Hindi, English or Hinglish?
Record the greeting in the language your callers use when they speak first. If your callers mix Hindi and English, use Hinglish, as in script 3. Choose by evidence: check your last 20 incoming calls and note the language of the first sentence the caller said.
A voicemail line plays one greeting, so a two-language recording doubles your length. If you must serve both, say the business name and the three asks in the main language and add one short line in the other, and keep the total under 15 seconds. Speak numbers in pairs and slowly, and record in a quiet room so the first word is not clipped.
How do I set a voicemail greeting on Airtel, Vi or another mobile?
Dial *321*671# on Airtel or 51234 on Vi to switch voicemail on, then record your greeting from the voicemail menu. Voicemail is a service from your mobile operator, and you switch it on per SIM. As of October 2026, Airtel and Vi publish their own steps.
- Airtel: dial
*321*671#from your Airtel number to start the service. Airtel's voice mail page describes it as free of cost for all Airtel customers. For the steps to record your own greeting, check the Airtel Thanks app or ask Airtel customer care. - Vi: dial 51234 from your Vi number and set a PIN if you have not. Then press
*for the main menu, choose the option to manage personal settings, and follow the spoken prompts to record your greeting. Vi's voice mail page also describes an SMS alert for every new voice message. - Jio and other operators: ask your operator's customer care whether voicemail is available on your SIM and how to record a greeting. If it is not, the best fix is a shared virtual business number (next section). An app-based voicemail on Android is a second option; that app's voicemail transcribes messages in 12 Indian languages.
Carrier voicemail sits with one SIM. If your shop or team shares a business number, the person who owns that SIM hears every message and nobody else sees the missed call. That is the point at which a recording stops being enough. For the ways a missed call can be tracked and won back, see missed call tracking in India.
When does a missed call need more than a recorded greeting?
A missed call needs more than a recorded greeting when the caller is a customer or lead and more than one person must see it and act. A recording collects a message, but many callers do not leave one, and a message waiting on one phone can sit for hours.
Our view is that the fix is a shared record and a fixed callback routine, not a cleverer greeting. This is how we do it at TalkEasy:
- One shared number. Calls reach your team through a virtual business number with shared call history, recordings and missed-call reports, so no single SIM holds the only record.
- A missed-call report. Our call analytics report call volume, answer rates, missed calls, talk time and peak hours, and the reports are downloadable.
- A daily routine. Each morning, open the missed-call report, call back every number from the previous day, and note the peak hours. Our missed call callback workflow explains when a missed call should become a task. If most misses fall in one hour, change script 1 to promise a faster callback in that window.
As of October 2026, TalkEasy Pro costs ₹999 + GST a month, with three hours of talktime a day. Extra talktime is ₹49 + GST an hour. Pro includes unlimited users and contacts, call recording and history, and an analytics dashboard. You can cancel anytime, with no long-term lock-in. Keep recording the greeting from this page, then call back from one shared record. Talk to Our Expert to see how it fits your phones.
How do I test my greeting before customers hear it?
Run five checks, each with a pass and a fail.
Stopwatch
Read the script aloud at a normal pace. Pass: 15 seconds or less. Fail: anything longer, so cut the words.Second-phone call
Call your own number from a phone on a different operator and let it go to voicemail. Pass: the full greeting plays and you hear your business name within the first three seconds. Fail: the opening is clipped or the name comes late.One-hearing test
Play it once to someone who has never heard it. Pass: they can repeat the callback time (and the urgent number, if you give one). Fail: either is wrong, so slow down or cut a sentence.Promise audit
After a week, check every message left. Pass: each was returned within the time you promised. Fail: lengthen the promise, not your working hours.Status check
Call at 9 am on a working day and again after closing. Pass: the greeting matches whether you are open. Fail: update it, and set a calendar reminder for every closure date.
Call back every missed customer from one shared record
Frequently asked questions
One light line is fine if the greeting still names your business, asks for name, number and need, promises a callback time, and stays under 15 seconds. For a clinic, a lender or a legal practice, keep it plain. A safe example: "Namaste, [Business]. We're away from the phone, not from your enquiry."
Say the business name, that you are closed, the day you reopen, and the callback time. For example: "Namaste, [Business] is closed for [festival] and reopens on [date]. After the beep, say your name, your number and what you need. We'll call you back on [date]." Switch it back on the reopening day.
