By Jad Salman · · All guides
Most tradespeople recorded their voicemail greeting once, years ago, probably in the van, and haven't thought about it since. Some are still on the network default: a robotic voice reading out the number and telling people to "leave a message after the tone". That's fine for a mate ringing about the football. It's not great for someone with water coming through their kitchen ceiling.
Your greeting is the first thing a new customer hears from your business when you can't pick up. In about fifteen seconds it either convinces them to leave a useful message or sends them back to Google to ring the next name on the list. This guide covers what a good greeting needs to do, gives you templates you can record today, and is honest about where voicemail stops being enough.
Why Your Greeting Matters More Than You Think
A lot of callers simply won't leave a message. They want an answer, not a promise of one, and if the greeting sounds vague or unprofessional they hang up. The ones who do leave a message often leave half of what you need: a first name, "can you call me back", and a number that cuts off.
A good greeting fixes some of that. It tells the caller they've rung the right business, that you're real and working rather than ignoring them, and exactly what to leave so you can sort them out in one callback. It also sets an expectation about when you'll ring back, which is often what stops someone trying a competitor in the meantime.
What a Good Trade Voicemail Greeting Includes
Keep it under twenty seconds. Callers don't want a speech. In that time, cover these in roughly this order:
- Your business name. So they know they've got the right number, especially if they found you on a directory or a van.
- Why you can't answer. "I'm on a job" is honest and reassuring. It tells them you're busy, which is a good sign.
- What to leave. Name, the address with postcode, what the problem is and how urgent it is. The postcode matters more than people think, because it tells you straight away whether the job is in your area.
- When you'll call back. Be specific and realistic. "Later today" or "by the end of the day" beats "as soon as possible".
- What to do in an emergency. For anything involving gas, electrics or danger, point them to the right place rather than leaving them waiting for you.
That's it. You don't need your website, your full list of services or your opening hours read out. If people want those, they'll look you up.
Templates You Can Record Today
Change the names and details to suit your business. Read them aloud a couple of times before recording so you sound natural rather than like you're reading a script.
The Everyday Greeting (Busy on a Job)
"Hi, you've reached Northfield Plumbing and Heating. I'm on a job at the moment so I can't get to the phone. Leave your name, your address with the postcode and a quick description of the problem, and I'll ring you back today. If you smell gas, hang up and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999."
The Electrician's Version
"Hi, it's Sam at Brookside Electrical. I'm working and can't answer right now. Please leave your name, address and postcode, and what you need, whether that's a fault, a quote or an EICR, and I'll call you back this afternoon. If you've lost power to the whole street, ring 105 to report a power cut. If anyone's in danger, call 999."
The 105 number connects to your local electricity network operator for power cuts anywhere in Great Britain. It's worth including, because a lot of "no power" calls aren't a job for you at all.
Evenings and Weekends
If you take calls outside working hours, record a separate greeting or say clearly when you'll get back to people.
"Thanks for calling Northfield Plumbing and Heating. We're closed for the evening, but leave your name, address and postcode and what's happened, and we'll ring you back from eight tomorrow morning. If it's a gas smell, hang up and call 0800 111 999. If water is pouring and you can't stop it, turn off your stopcock, which is usually under the kitchen sink."
That last line genuinely helps people, and customers remember who helped them at 10pm even if you didn't come out.
Holiday or Fully Booked
"Hi, you've reached Brookside Electrical. I'm away until Monday the 9th, so I won't be picking up messages until then. If your job can wait, leave your details and I'll be in touch when I'm back. If it's urgent, you'll be better off calling another local electrician, and if anyone's in danger, call 999."
It feels odd to send people elsewhere, but someone who gets an honest answer is far more likely to come back next time than someone who waits a week for a callback that never comes.
For Firms With a Small Team
"Thanks for calling Ashworth Building Services. The team are all out on site at the moment. Leave your name, number, address with postcode and what you need, and whoever's in the office will call you back before five. For emergencies, please say 'urgent' at the start of your message."
The "say urgent" trick is simple but works. You can skim messages for that word between jobs.
Common Mistakes
A few things put callers off more than you might expect:
- The network default. A computer voice reading out digits makes people wonder if they've got a dead number or a personal phone.
- Background noise. Recording in the van with the engine running, or on a windy site, sounds rushed. Do it somewhere quiet.
- A full mailbox. Nothing loses a job faster than "this mailbox is full". Clear old messages every week.
- Promising what you can't do. "I'll call you back within the hour" is a promise you'll break on a busy day. Say what you'll actually manage.
- Too long. If your greeting runs past thirty seconds, people start hanging up before the tone.
- Out of date. Holiday greetings left on for a month after you're back. Set a reminder to change it back.
Make Voicemail Work Harder
A better greeting helps, but a few small habits help more:
- Turn on visual voicemail or transcription if your phone and network support it. Reading a message between jobs is quicker than listening.
- Send an auto-reply text to missed callers, so they get something straight away even if they don't leave a message.
- Call back in order of urgency, then age. The oldest non-urgent enquiry is the one most likely to have gone elsewhere.
- Check where your missed calls go. On most UK networks, voicemail is itself a call divert. If you set up a divert to something else, it replaces voicemail rather than adding to it. Our guide to call forwarding for plumbers covers the codes for iPhone, Android, EE, Vodafone and O2.
Where Voicemail Stops Being Enough
Even a perfect greeting has a ceiling. Plenty of callers still won't leave a message, and every message you do get still means a callback, usually in the evening, often into someone else's voicemail. We looked at how this plays out in AI receptionist vs voicemail for tradespeople, and at what each missed call can be worth in how much a missed call costs a plumber.
If you're missing more than a few calls a week, it's worth looking at proper call handling. That might be a human answering service, or an AI receptionist that answers the call, takes the same details your greeting asks for, checks the postcode is in your area and books a slot in your diary. It should always say upfront that it's an AI assistant, and callers should always be able to ask for a callback from you instead. If you're weighing up options, our guide to call handling software for UK tradespeople has a checklist of what to ask before you sign up.
That's what we built Slotby to do for British tradespeople. You can see how it works for plumbers or for trades more widely, and the current plans are on our pricing page.
A Quick Checklist
Before you record:
- Business name in the first few seconds
- A reason you can't answer ("on a job")
- What to leave: name, address with postcode, the problem, how urgent
- A realistic callback time
- The right emergency number for your trade (0800 111 999 for gas, 105 for power cuts, 999 for danger)
- Under twenty seconds, recorded somewhere quiet
- A separate greeting, or a clear line, for evenings, weekends and holidays
Ten minutes this evening is all it takes, and it's probably the cheapest improvement you'll make to your business this year.