Voicemail Message Examples

What to Say in a Voicemail Message

When unable to answer the phone, a voicemail message can be important. Below are examples of what to say in a voicemail message. Whether recording the message for a personal phone or a business line, these ideas will help.
Using humor is appropriate in some situations, but humor should be avoided in situations including serious businesses where reputations could be damaged or people could become upset. Both funny and sincere examples are included for a variety of options.

A Few Examples to Get You Started

1. Hi, you've reached [your name]'s voicemail. I'm unable to take your call right now, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
   
2. Hello, you've reached the Smith residence. We're unable to take your call at the moment, but please leave a message after the beep and we'll return your call as soon as we can.
   
3. Thanks for calling [company name]. Our office is currently closed, but your call is important to us. Please leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief message, and we'll return your call during our next business hours.
   
4. You've reached the voicemail of [your name]. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, have a great day!
   
5. Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm out of the office at the moment, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is an urgent matter, please text me instead. Thank you!
   

 Funny Examples of Voicemail Messages

These can be used to play tricks on people on April fools day or for any other reason. Use with discretion.

• If you don't have a time machine, please leave a message and I'll get back with you in the future. If you do have a time machine, try another time.
• This is Mysterious Maggie’s psychic services.  We were expecting your call and already know what you were going to call about, but if it makes you feel better, you can leave a message after the beep.
• Hello? ...Just kidding. This is my voicemail. Leave me a message.
• Hi. This is a recording talking. The conversation is starting to become one-sided. Please start talking after the beep.
• I've been getting too many telemarketing calls. Leave me a message about how much money I can save using your service. I'll be sure to never get back with you.
• You're the ninth caller. You're on air. You're the lucky winner of a chance to leave me a message. How does it feel to be the big winner?
• Just because I didn't answer the phone doesn't mean I'm not presently at home. I'm probably just loading my hand-held personal security weapon. If you'd like to come over to break in my house, that's your choice.
• Your call is extremely important to me if you have good news for me. Please leave the important details.
• If you got this phone number, it means you have been rejected by someone who did not want to give you his or her real number.  Sorry about your luck.
• Hi. This is the voicemail of _____. If this is an emergency, hang up and call someone who can help you now. If you can wait, then leave me a message. I'll get back to you sometime in the next year.
• If you’re hearing this message then it means I am already dead.  What I’m about to tell you is extremely important so listen closely… BEEP!
• Who gave you my number? 
• Welcome to the automated psychiatric testing service.  If you hear a beep in a few seconds, you are hallucinating and should immediately leave a crazy message.
• We’re sorry; this call could not be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again.
• This phone number is no longer in service.
• Leave a message at the tone, and I might call you back… If I want to.
• This number has been disconnected. (busy signal)
• I'm actually available to talk, but I saw that it was you calling. Then I pushed ignore, so you would get my voicemail. If what you have to say is still important enough, leave me a message.
• Thank you for your call.  You have now been added to the national telemarketing call list and will begin to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls every 15 minutes.  Thank you for opting in.  We’re sorry, but at this time there is no way for you to opt out.
• Thank you for calling to participate in this national survey about answering machine messages.  Please rate the following as always, sometimes, or never in respect to how you leave answering machine messages: I leave messages on other people’s answering machines. If you answered ‘never’ please explain your answer after the beep.
• You called at the perfect time to leave me a message.
• My inbox is full, unless you are the sweepstakes people calling to let me know I won.
• Don't bother leaving me a message. Just hang up after the beep.
• If this is really important, please don't leave a message. Just keep calling over and over until I realize that I need to answer the phone.
• This is a recorded message. To speak to a real person, hang up and try again later or call someone else who is available.

Sincere and Short Voicemail Messages for Personal Use

These answering machine messages are the type that most people leave.  These can be used for non-business or personal phones.

• Hi, you've reached ___-____. Please leave a message and I'll get back with you soon. Thanks.
  
• You know what to do.
• Thanks for calling. Just leave a message and we’ll get back with you.
• We’re sorry we can’t answer the phone right now, but we would love to get back with you as soon as we can.  Just let us know what we can help you with and leave a number for us to get back with you soon.
• You've reached the voice mail of ______. I'm either away from my phone or talking with someone else. Leave me a message and I'll be happy to return your call.
• Hi. I must be away from my phone at the moment. Please leave me a message. I'll get back to you.

Business Answering Service Messages

These business answering messages can be edited to fit any type of business. It is important to anticipate what your callers may want to know even if the callers are not able to get anyone on the phone. It's always a good idea to let callers know exactly when their calls may be returned and to list the operating hours.

Here's a generic example followed by a couple more specific examples. Sometimes it depends on the type of business. For example, a plumber answering message should give callers an idea about what the time frame will be for a call back. Some people may call a plumber in an emergency flooding situation.

• This is ___. We're sorry we are unable to take your call now. Please either visit our website at ___.com for more information or leave us a detailed message about the nature of your call. Also leave your name and phone number so we can get back with you soon. Thanks.
• Hello, you've reached the Law Offices of Stanley and Sherman. Our regular office hours are Monday through Friday 8-4. If you've called during that time, we apologize for being unable to take your call and will usually return your call within 30 minutes. If you've called outside of our office hours, someone will get back with you during the first few hours of the next business day. Please leave your name and number and any information that will help us determine the best person to return your call. Thanks for calling. Goodbye.
• Hi, this is Express Plumbers, located on 43rd street in Whitestown. We want to live up to our name and will get back to you as soon as possible. Please give us a good call back number and you should receive a call within 20 minutes during our office hours of 7-5 on weekdays. If you're calling during our non-office hours, after 5 pm or on weekends, please leave a detailed message about the problem you are experiencing and we'll have a plumber call back as soon as possible with an estimate for response time. If this is an emergency plumbing situation, please remain on the line and someone will be with you within 10 minutes. Thanks for calling Express Plumbers.