Auto attendant and voicemail greeting scripts
Copy-ready scripts for a phone menu, after hours, holidays, voicemail greetings and a call-recording notice, and how to set up each one in Tonet.
These are templates for the recordings callers hear: your phone menu (auto attendant), after hours, holidays, voicemail and a recording notice. Copy one, change the words in [brackets], and record it. Each script says where it goes in Tonet, and the setup steps are at the end of this page.
Before you record
- Say the option first, then the key: "For billing, press 2."
- Put the option most callers want first.
- Keep a menu to four or five options. Need more? Send one key to a second menu.
- Callers can press a key before the greeting ends, so you don't need long pauses.
- Callers can also dial a person's extension during the greeting. If your team has extensions, say so.
- If a caller presses nothing, the greeting plays again, up to 3 times, then the call ends. Set No_response to a person or team so these callers still reach someone.
- Record in a quiet room and read a little slower than you talk.
Auto attendant script examples
Main menu for any business
Thank you for calling [Business name].
For sales, press 1.
For support, press 2.
For billing, press 3.
If you know your party's extension, you can dial it at any time.
To hear these options again, press 9.In Tonet: keys 1 to 3 go to teams, key 9 goes to this same menu, and No_response goes to your front desk.
Dental office
Thank you for calling [Practice name].
If you have a dental emergency, press 1.
To book or change an appointment, press 2.
For billing and insurance, press 3.
For anything else, press 0.More for dental practices: Phone system for dental offices.
Medical office
Thank you for calling [Practice name].
If this is a medical emergency, hang up and dial 911.
To book or change an appointment, press 1.
For prescription refills, press 2.
For billing, press 3.
For anything else, press 0.More for clinics: Phone system for medical offices.
Plumbing, HVAC and contractors
Thanks for calling [Company name].
If you have an emergency, like [a burst pipe or no heat], press 1.
To book a visit or get a quote, press 2.
To check on a job that's already booked, press 3.
For billing, press 4.More for the trades: plumbers, HVAC, contractors.
Law firm
Thank you for calling [Firm name].
If you're a new client, press 1.
If you're a current client, press 2.
For billing, press 3.
If you know your party's extension, you can dial it at any time.More for law firms: Phone system for law firms.
Accounting firm
Thank you for calling [Firm name].
For tax appointments, press 1.
For bookkeeping and payroll, press 2.
For billing, press 3.
For anything else, press 0.More for accountants: Phone system for accountants.
Property management and real estate
Thank you for calling [Company name].
For a maintenance emergency, press 1.
For other repairs, press 2.
For leasing and showings, press 3.
For rent and payments, press 4.More: property management, real estate.
Restaurant
Thanks for calling [Restaurant name]. We're open [days and hours].
To order for pickup, press 1.
For reservations, press 2.
For catering and events, press 3.More for restaurants: Phone system for restaurants.
Salon
Thanks for calling [Salon name].
To book, change or cancel an appointment, press 1.
For anything else, press 2.More for salons: Phone system for salons.
Auto repair and car dealerships
Thank you for calling [Business name].
For service and repairs, press 1.
For parts, press 2.
For sales, press 3.
For anything else, press 0.More: auto repair shops, car dealerships.
Insurance agency
Thank you for calling [Agency name].
To report a claim, press 1.
For a new quote, press 2.
For questions about your policy or a payment, press 3.More for agencies: Phone system for insurance agencies.
After-hours scripts
Closed for the day
Thank you for calling [Business name]. Our office is closed.
Our hours are [Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM].
To leave a message, press 1, or stay on the line.
[For emergencies, press 2.]
We'll call you back [the next business day].In Tonet: an after-hours menu. Key 1 and No_response go to Voicemail › your team's voicemail. Key 2 goes to the person on call, or under Features, Phone Number forwards to an outside number.
Closed for lunch
Thank you for calling [Business name]. We're on a lunch break and back at [1 PM].
To leave a message, press 1, or stay on the line.In Tonet: a menu set up like the one above, played by a schedule route for your lunch hour. Split the day around it so routes don't overlap: for example 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM for your team, and 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM for this menu.
Holiday greeting scripts
Closed for a holiday
Thank you for calling [Business name]. Our office is closed today for [holiday].
We'll be back on [day, date] at [time].
To leave a message, press 1, or stay on the line.
[For emergencies, press 2.]Closed for the holiday season
Happy holidays from everyone at [Business name].
Our office is closed from [date] through [date], and we reopen on [date].
To leave a message, press 1, or stay on the line, and we'll call you back when we're back.Open with holiday hours
Thank you for calling [Business name]. For [holiday], we're open until [time] today.
For sales, press 1.
For support, press 2.In Tonet: a holiday menu, played by a calendar event for those dates. As with the after-hours menu, send key 1 and No_response to voicemail, so "stay on the line" leads to a message.
Voicemail greeting scripts
Main business voicemail
You've reached [Business name]. We can't take your call right now.
Please leave your name, your number and a short message, and we'll call you back [within one business day].Team voicemail
You've reached the [Sales] team at [Business name]. We're helping other customers right now.
Please leave your name, your number and how we can help, and someone on the team will call you back.Your own voicemail
Hi, you've reached [Your name] at [Business name]. I can't take your call right now.
Please leave your name, your number and a good time to reach you, and I'll call you back.Out of the office
Hi, you've reached [Your name] at [Business name]. I'm out of the office until [date].
Please leave a message, or for help sooner, call our main line at [number].Call-recording notice
Thank you for calling [Business name]. This call may be recorded for quality and training.Tonet doesn't play a recording notice on its own. Put this line at the start of your main menu greeting.
Do your calls skip the menu and go straight to a person or team? Make a menu whose greeting is only this line, and set its No_response to that person or team. Then set the number's Go To to this menu. Callers hear the notice, and a few seconds later they're put through.
Set them up in Tonet
Menu greetings: main menu, after hours, holidays, recording notice
- Go to Manage › Menus and click New menu, or open a menu.
- Click Upload/Record Audio.... Record the script, or upload an MP3. Click Upload.
- Add the keys under Routes and click Save.
- Go to Manage › Phones, click the number, and open Route & settings. In Go To, pick IVRs and the menu. Click Save Settings.
For "press 9 to hear these options again", point key 9 at the same menu. All the details are in Menus.
After hours
- Make an after-hours menu with an after-hours script.
- In Manage › Schedules, make a schedule with your open hours. Send those hours to your main menu or your team.
- On the number, set Schedule to it, and Go To to the after-hours menu.
Calls outside the schedule's hours go to Go To. See Schedules.
Holidays
- Make a holiday menu with a holiday script.
- In Manage › Calendar, click New Event. Set Destination to IVRs › your holiday menu, and the start and end.
- On each number, tick the event in Calendars and click Save Settings.
See Calendar.
Voicemail greetings
- Open Calls, click the ⋯ menu, then Voicemail greeting and email.
- In Select Mailbox, pick your own mailbox, or a team you're on.
- Click Choose Audio File (WAV, MP3 or OGG, up to 10 MB), then Upload Greeting.
To record your own greeting by phone instead, dial *865 and follow the prompts. Until you add a greeting, callers hear Tonet's standard one. See Voicemail.