Voicemail Greetings for the Trades: 5 Templates — and the Stat That Ruins Them

You searched for a better voicemail greeting, so let's do that properly — five scripts you can record in the truck today (or build a custom one in our free greeting generator — no signup). Then stay for the last section, because there's a number about voicemail that changes how much any greeting can do for you.

The rules of a working greeting

• Say the business name first — callers hang up on anything that sounds personal or dead.
• Give a callback promise with a time: 'within the hour' beats 'as soon as possible.'
• Ask for the three things you need: name, address, what's going on.
• Keep it under 15 seconds. Every extra second loses callers.

Five templates

1. General: "You've reached [Business]. We're on a job with our hands full. Leave your name, address and what's going on, and we'll call you back within the hour."
2. Emergency trade (plumber/electrician): "You've reached [Business]. If this is an emergency, say 'emergency' and describe the problem — we check messages between every job. Name, address, and what's happening, please."
3. Estimate-heavy trade (roofing/landscaping): "You've reached [Business]. Leave the property address and what you'd like done — we'll drive by, then call you with a real number, usually same day."
4. After-hours: "You've reached [Business]. We're closed for the day, but first thing tomorrow we call back everyone who leaves a name, number and a quick description."
5. Seasonal surge: "You've reached [Business]. Storm week has us slammed — leave your address and damage description and you're in the callback queue in the order received."

Now the stat

85% of callers who reach a business voicemail never leave a message and never call back. Not because your greeting was bad — because a competitor answered. Your caller has a leaking water heater and a search results page; the greeting is competing with a live voice two listings down. The full math is here, and it's worse in big competitive metros like Dallas or Charlotte.

A perfect greeting converts a fraction of the 15% who stay. A live answer converts the 100% who called.

The upgrade path

Record template #1 today — it's free and better than what you have. Then fix the layer above it: put a live answer in front of voicemail with conditional forwarding (the dial codes are here) pointed at an AI receptionist that picks up in your business name, collects name-address-problem-urgency, and hands you a warm lead. That's CallEmBack — $49/month, and voicemail becomes the backup's backup.

Trade-specific breakdowns: plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, locksmiths, handymen.