Phones and calls
20 professional voicemail greeting scripts for contractors, by situation and by trade
About half the people who call a home-services business never reach a person, so your greeting is what many of them hear. Here are 20 to copy, by situation and by trade, each under 20 seconds.
On this page
The short version
- A good voicemail greeting for a contractor says the company's name, exactly what to leave and when you'll call back, in 10 to 15 seconds.
- Where a call could be dangerous, the greeting says what to do before anything else: leave the house and call 911 for a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm.
- Invoca's 2026 data puts the share of home-services callers who never reach a person at about 48%, so a greeting is what many callers hear.
- Since October 1, 2026, a Local Services Ads call that reaches voicemail in business hours is charged once the caller has stayed on more than 20 seconds.
About half the people who call a home-services business never reach a person: Invoca's 2026 data puts it at 48%. For them, your voicemail greeting is the company. A good one gets a message you can act on. A vague one gets a hang-up, or a message that says "call me back" and nothing else.
The 20 scripts below are written for contractors. Put your details where the brackets are, then paste any of them into our free voicemail greeting generator to hear it read aloud and download it as an MP3.
What every script here does
- Says your company's name first, so the caller knows they reached the right place and doesn't hang up to check.
- Puts the safety line before anything else, where a call could be dangerous: a gas smell, a carbon monoxide alarm, sparks.
- Says exactly what to leave: name, number, address and what's wrong, so you call back ready, not with questions.
- Says when you'll call back, in words you can keep: today, within the hour, first thing tomorrow.
Every one reads aloud in under 20 seconds, and most in 10 to 15. The seconds under each are counted the way the generator counts them.
For any trade
While you're on a job
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're out on a job and can't pick up right now. Leave your name, number, address and what's going on, and we'll call you back today.
About 12 seconds
After hours
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're closed for the night. Leave your name, number and what's going on, and we'll call you back first thing in the morning. If it's an emergency, say so at the start of your message.
About 15 seconds
Weekends
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're closed for the weekend and back on Monday at [time]. Leave your name, number, address and what you need, and we'll call you back Monday morning.
About 12 seconds
A holiday
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're closed for [the holiday] and back on [day]. Leave your name, number and what's going on, and we'll call you back that morning.
About 11 seconds
A busy day
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're busier than usual today. Leave your name, number, address and what's wrong, and we'll call you back today, in the order the messages came in.
About 12 seconds
Booked up
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're booked through [day] right now. Leave your name, number and the job you need done, and we'll call you back with our first opening.
About 12 seconds
Away on vacation
Thanks for calling [your company]. I'm away until [day]. For anything urgent, call [another company] at [number]. Otherwise leave your name, number and what you need, and I'll call you back that day.
About 13 seconds
When your cell is the business line
Hi, you've reached [your name] at [your company]. I'm on a job right now. Leave your name, number and the address, and I'll call you back between jobs today.
About 11 seconds
Short
You've reached [your company]. Leave your name, number and what you need, and we'll call you back today.
About 7 seconds
By trade
The same shape, with the one question that sorts an urgent call from a routine one, and the safety line where the trade needs it.
Plumbing
Thanks for calling [your company]. If water is spreading, turn off the main water valve if you can. Then leave your name, number, address and what's leaking, and we'll call you back within the hour.
About 13 seconds
Heating, in winter
Thanks for calling [your company]. If you smell gas or your carbon monoxide alarm is going off, get everyone out of the house and call 911 from outside. Otherwise leave your name, number, address and whether you have any heat at all, and we'll call you back today.
About 18 seconds
Air conditioning, in summer
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're with other customers right now. Leave your name, number, address and whether your system is blowing warm air or not running at all, and we'll call you back today.
About 13 seconds
Electrical
Thanks for calling [your company]. If you see sparks or smell burning, get everyone out and call 911. Otherwise leave your name, number, address and what's happening, and we'll call you back today.
About 13 seconds
Roofing
Thanks for calling [your company]. Leave your name, number and address, and tell us if water is coming in right now, so we know to call you first. Otherwise we'll call you back today.
About 13 seconds
Water damage
Thanks for calling [your company]. If water is still coming in, turn off the main water valve if you can, and keep away from anything electrical that's wet. Leave your name, number and address, and we'll call you back within the hour.
About 16 seconds
Garage doors
Thanks for calling [your company]. Leave your name, number and address, and tell us if a car is stuck inside or the door won't close. We'll call you back today.
About 12 seconds
Pest control
Thanks for calling [your company]. Leave your name, number, address and what you're seeing and where, and we'll call you back today to set up a visit.
About 10 seconds
Lawn care and landscaping
Thanks for calling [your company]. We're out on jobs until dark this time of year. Leave your name, number, address and what you'd like done, and we'll call you back this evening.
About 12 seconds
Remodeling and building
Thanks for calling [your company]. Leave your name, number, the project, and roughly when you'd like it done, and we'll call you back within a business day to set up a visit.
About 12 seconds
Propane and heating oil
Thanks for calling [your company]. If you smell gas, leave the building and call our emergency line at [number], or 911, from a phone away from the smell. For a delivery, leave your name, address and account number, and we'll call you back today.
About 17 seconds
Record it so callers stay on
- Read it out loud twice before you record, so it sounds said rather than read.
- Record somewhere quiet, not in the truck with the engine running.
- Speak a little slower than you talk, especially your number, if you give one.
- Call your own number from another phone and listen to what a caller hears.
How to put it on an iPhone, an Android phone, Google Voice, RingCentral, Grasshopper or Quo is on the generator's page, from each company's own help.
If you run Google Local Services Ads
Since October 1, 2026, a call that reaches your voicemail or an automated greeting during business hours is charged as a lead once the caller has stayed on more than 20 seconds, whether or not they leave a message. Google's own help page on how leads work says so. So on those calls, your greeting answers a lead you've already paid for (what changed).
What a greeting can't do
A greeting only helps the callers who leave a message. The ones who don't are the ones you never hear about.
Common questions
What is a good voicemail greeting for a contractor?
Your company's name, exactly what to leave (name, number, address and what's wrong) and when you'll call back, in 10 to 15 seconds. If a call could be dangerous in your trade, like a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, say what to do before anything else.
What should I say on my voicemail when I'm on vacation?
When you're back, who to call for anything urgent, and what to leave: "I'm away until [day]. For anything urgent, call [another company] at [number]. Otherwise leave your name, number and what you need, and I'll call you back that day."
Should my voicemail greeting say what to do in an emergency?
Yes, if your trade gets dangerous calls, and before anything else. For a gas smell, leave the house and call 911 once you're well away from it. For a carbon monoxide alarm, get everyone outside and call 911. Otherwise ask callers to say it's an emergency at the start of their message, and check your messages often.
Does Google charge me when a Local Services Ads caller reaches my voicemail?
Since October 1, 2026, yes, during business hours: Google's help page says a call that reaches voicemail or an automated greeting is charged once the caller has stayed on more than 20 seconds, whether or not they leave a message. Business hours are the hours on your Google Business Profile.
Sources
- Invoca, Home Services Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report, July 2026 (52% of callers reach a person). Checked .
- Google, How leads work (Local Services Ads) (a call that reaches voicemail is charged after 20 seconds in business hours). Checked .
- PHMSA, Recognizing and responding to pipeline emergencies (for a gas smell: leave, then call 911 from well away). Checked .
- Oregon State Fire Marshal, Carbon monoxide safety (for a carbon monoxide alarm: get everyone outside and call 911 from outside). Checked .
- Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, What to do if you smell propane gas (leave if the smell is strong, then call from a phone away from it). Checked .
Prices and policies change; the links are the authority, not this page. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
