Office Closed Voicemail Greeting: Templates and Setup Guide

Callers usually want three things: proof they reached the right business, a reason the office is closed, and a clear next step. If any of those are missing, people hang up unsure whether to call back or look elsewhere. Keep the whole message under about 20 seconds so callers stay on the line long enough to hear it.

Write the script down before recording. Reading from a written script keeps your pace steady and prevents you from forgetting the reopen date, which is the single most common thing owners leave out.

• Your business name, said clearly at the start
• The reason for the closure in one short phrase (holiday, staff training, weather, planned maintenance)
• The exact dates the office is closed
• The date and time you reopen
• What the caller should do: leave a message, call back after reopening, or email
• An emergency or urgent-contact instruction only if you actually have one
• A brief thank-you at the end

These are original wording templates you can adapt and record yourself. Replace anything in brackets with your own details. They are sample scripts, not recordings or real calls.

Template 1 - Holiday closure: "You've reached [Business Name]. Our office is closed for [holiday] on [dates] and will reopen on [day, date] at [time]. Please leave your name, number, and a short message, and we will return your call when we reopen. Thank you." Template 2 - Temporary closure with email option: "Hello, this is [Business Name]. Our office is temporarily closed from [date] to [date]. During this time you can email us at [email address] or leave a message after the tone. We will respond as soon as we return on [reopen date]. Thank you for your patience."

Template 3 - Closure with an urgent-contact line: "Thank you for calling [Business Name]. We are closed [dates] for [reason]. If your matter is urgent, please [state your actual urgent contact option]. Otherwise, leave a message and we will call you back on [reopen date]." Template 4 - Short and simple: "[Business Name] is closed [day(s)] and reopens [date] at [time]. Leave a message after the tone, and we will get back to you. Thank you."

• Only promise a callback time you can actually meet
• Only mention an urgent contact option if one truly exists and is monitored
• Update or remove the greeting the morning you reopen

Most business phone systems let you record a custom voicemail greeting from your handset or upload an audio file through an online portal. Record in a quiet room, hold the phone or microphone at a steady distance, and do a test take before the final one. Listen back once to check the dates and the reopen time.

Set a reminder to swap the closure greeting back to your normal greeting on the day you reopen. A stale closure greeting that plays weeks after the holiday confuses callers and makes the business look unattended.

• Write the script and read it aloud twice before recording
• Say the reopen date and time slowly
• Save your normal greeting so you can restore it quickly
• Calendar a reminder to remove the closure greeting on reopen day

A greeting alone means callers can only leave a message. Some owners instead forward their business number somewhere else during a closure so calls are handled without waiting for a callback. Forwarding is set up through your phone carrier or phone system, and the steps depend on which service you have.

For example, Verizon mobile lines activate all-call forwarding with *72 plus the destination number and turn it off with *73, and Verizon business landline service uses the same *72 and *73 codes for all-call forwarding. T-Mobile lines use **21*1 followed by the destination and # for unconditional forwarding, with ##21# to disable. On Optimum Business Phone, you dial *72, wait for dial tone, then dial the destination, and *73 turns it off. Spectrum Business Voice manages forwarding through the SpectrumBusiness.net portal instead of star codes. Always confirm the exact product name on your bill first, because codes differ between a carrier's wireless, landline, and hosted products.

One important limit: Google Voice explicitly does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so that path is not a way to route a Voice number elsewhere for automated handling.

• Identify your exact phone product before using any forwarding code
• Test forwarding with a call from another phone before the closure starts
• Remember to disable forwarding when you reopen

For a one- or two-day closure, a recorded greeting with a message box is usually enough. For a longer closure, or when callers expect quick answers, some owners add coverage so calls are handled while they are away. The options differ in cost and effort, and this comparison describes documented features rather than hands-on testing.

A voicemail greeting is free and takes minutes, but every caller waits for a callback. A human virtual receptionist service, such as Ruby, which advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 9, 2026, or Smith.ai's per-call human receptionist pricing, puts people on the line, though final cost depends on the plan and included allowance you choose. An AI receptionist like AllDayDesk, this site's own product, answers calls around the clock using your saved business information, takes messages, and can book new appointments on its built-in dashboard calendar once you have set up services and availability, with an optional Google Calendar connection available in Settings after you authorize your account. When a caller asks something the saved information cannot answer, it takes a message instead of guessing.

Whichever route you pick, a short closure greeting still helps: it sets expectations on any channel that plays recorded audio, and it gives you a place to state the reopen date.

• Short closure: greeting plus message box is usually enough
• Longer closure or high call volume: consider adding answering coverage
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, and hours before choosing any service