Auto-attendant services allow clients to route calls themselves, either by issuing voice commands or by selecting a button from a preconfigured menu of options, which can save them time and potential frustration. However, these systems work best when the script used to introduce the auto-attendant’s menu of options is professional-sounding and easy to follow.
We have created a list of common business scenarios that can be addressed with auto-attendant menus and example scripts you can use to deliver clear and helpful information to callers. However, all of these scripts require you use a business phone system, like Nextiva, offering personalized greetings as well as custom menus. If your service does not, but you’d like to find one that does, visit our guide on the six best auto-attendant systems.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Initial Welcome
In most cases, your automated attendant’s greeting will be the very first contact a customer has with your organization. When recording a welcome script, it’s a good idea to have first organized the menu of options graphically using a phone tree to ensure that your script covers the questions you get asked the most. Be friendly, but professional and clear at the same time.
An effective welcome script contains a combination of the following elements:
- Short introduction and general welcome
- Available online self-service options (if applicable)
- Options for reaching departments or extensions (if applicable)
- Normal business hours
- How to reach a live agent if the caller is not sure who should take their call
- Option to speak with an agent in another language (if applicable)
Example 1: Welcome & Main Menu Auto-attendant Script
Hello and thank you for calling [Company Name], [insert company’s mission statement or slogan]. We are located at [address]. Normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you already know the extension you wish to reach, you may enter it at any time. Otherwise, please listen carefully to the following menu:
- To continue in Spanish, press one.
- To continue in French, press two.
- To reach the floral department, press three.
- To reach the furniture department, press four.
- For groceries and produce, press five.
- For all other departments or to speak to a live agent, please stay on the line and the next available agent will be with you shortly.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Answering After-hours Calls
Many phone systems allow you to establish working hours. This means that when clients call outside of regular business hours, the auto-attendant can be set up to automatically switch to an alternative initial greeting message that more strongly reinforces normal business hours and explains when they can expect a return call.
While an auto-attendant is a great solution as it offers callers the ability to be sent to voicemail boxes, businesses that want to offer customers 24-hour service should also consider hiring a living answering service like what is offered by Ruby Receptionists. The auto-attendant can then be set up to redirect incoming calls to the other service provider.
To learn more about the best options, visit our guide on the top 6 live answering services.
Example 2: After-hours Script for General Voicemail Forwarding
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. If you are hearing this message, you are calling outside of regular business hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- To leave a voicemail message, please dial your extension now.
- If you wish to leave a message in our general voicemail box, please stay on the line. Messages left in our general voicemail box are monitored and will be addressed within the next business day. Thank you.
Example 3: After-hours Script for Answering Services
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. If you are hearing this message, you are calling outside of regular business hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- If you require immediate assistance, please stay on the line and you will be forwarded to our after-hours call center.
- Otherwise, please hang up and call back during regular business hours. Thank you.
Example 4: After-hours Script for Emergency Services
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. If you are hearing this message, you are calling outside of regular business hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911.
- Otherwise, please stay on the line to leave a voicemail and it will be returned in the order it was received. Thank you.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Disaster Recovery
Unfortunately, it may not always be possible to provide callers with an estimated day and time your business will reopen, particularly if your area has been recently impacted with a natural disaster such as a hurricane or flood. That said, you should still update your auto-attendant menu with information as to how to reach your business; otherwise, you will risk sending those calls to your competition.
Example 5: Disaster Recovery Script
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Recent flooding in the area [or similar description of the disaster] has temporarily closed our office. However, we are still dedicated to [insert mission statement].
- If your matter is urgent, press 1 to be routed to our [location] branch.
- Otherwise, please leave a voicemail in our general voicemail box. An agent will return your message as soon as we can. Thank you and have a great day.
Pro tip: If your business does not have other physical locations you can send callers to, you can still use this script to send your callers to a cell phone number (provided your phone service offers call forwarding to external numbers). If your existing business phone system does not offer this function, you can modify the script to provide a phone number customers can reach you at.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Holiday Hours
During holidays and extended periods of closure, record a specific company voicemail for clients who call during those times.
Example 6: General Purpose Holiday Hours Script
Thank you for calling [Company Name]. In observance of [holiday], our offices are currently closed.
- Please feel free to leave a message by staying on the line.
- Otherwise, please call back during our normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thank you and happy holidays.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Marketing Campaigns
While you don’t want to clutter your scripted greeting with a lot of sales talk, offering a voice menu option to learn more about current seasonal promotions is a great way to give callers the information they want. To use these scripts, all you have to do is assign different numbers to specific marketing campaigns. Then record a voicemail message that helps callers to learn more about your marketing campaign.
Example 7: Learn More Promotional Campaign Script
You’ve reached [Company Name].
- If you’re calling about our current promotion regarding free oil changes for life, please press one.
- To be directed to customer service, press two.
- Otherwise, please stay on the line.
Did you know: Some more advanced phone business phone systems offer an automated call routing feature. If this feature is offered on your phone, it can be used to send calls into a queue, which will allow them to be answered in the order in which they were received. However, this feature can also be used to send calls to specific agents based on the incoming call’s area code or agent availability.
If you would like to learn more about call handling features offered by advanced business phone systems, check out our article on VoIP phone system features.
Auto-attendant Scripts for Individual Extensions
As a best practice, Individuals listed in the auto-attendant menu of options should also use a script when setting up their personal inbox to ensure that the business presents a professional image no matter who the call is routed to. Examples of scripts you can provide individual users for setting up their voicemail box are as follows:
Example 8: Routine Personal Voicemail Greeting Script
You’ve reached the inbox of [Name]. I’m away from my desk or on another call. Please leave your name, telephone number, and a brief message, and I’ll return your call as soon as I can. Thank you.
Example 9: Notice of Short-term Absence Script
You’ve reached the inbox of [Name]. I am out of the office today and will return tomorrow morning. If you need immediate assistance, please dial extension [number] and an agent will be with you. Otherwise, please leave me a message and I will return your call when I return tomorrow. Thank you.
Example 10: Notice of Long-term Absence Script
You’ve reached the inbox of [Name]. I will be out of the office between the dates of [date] and [date]. For immediate assistance, please contact [colleague’s name] at [extension]. If you’d like me to return your call, please leave a message and it will be returned upon my return. Thank you.
Tips for Creating Custom Auto-attendant Scripts
Automated attendants are exceedingly easy to set up and use. That said, it is not nearly as easy to produce a clear and professional sounding custom greeting using just your computer’s built-in microphone. As a result, consider hiring a professional artist. We have created a guide to the best professional voicemail greeting service providers to help you get started.
However, if you’d like to do it yourself, there are a few things to remember:
- Thank the caller for reaching out: Thanking the caller sets a positive, professional tone for the rest of their time interacting with your business. This is an easy way to help foster greater customer satisfaction.
- Respect the caller’s time: Nobody likes spending more time on the phone than necessary. Keep your messages short and try to engineer your scripts to get callers to their destination as soon as appropriately possible.
- Let callers know right away if they can skip the greeting: If your system allows callers to skip greetings, it can help to lead off your greetings with something to the effect of “Press [x] to be forwarded to an assistant right away.”
- Tell callers if your office is closed: If your place of business is closed, let callers know right away so they can hang up and not waste their time.
- List the most commonly called options first: Identify popular extensions or departments and give callers the option of reaching out to those destinations first.
- Don’t offer too many options: Less is more when it comes to automated attendants. Customers generally don’t want to sit through a huge menu of options if they have a very specific reason for calling your team.
- Provide self-assist information: Information like store hours, business addresses, and promotions should be included in your attendant greetings. This can save your workers a lot of time from having to answer these questions themselves.
- Offer a choice to callers without touch-tone phones: It is helpful to set up your system to route calls to a human when callers don’t select a menu option. Additionally, let callers know in your script that they will be automatically connected to someone if they don’t select anything.
Bottom Line
Deciding to record your own auto-attendant script can be a great way to greet your callers and welcome to your business. By following a script, you are alleviating any mistakes or stumbling while you speak, letting your voice flow naturally and making the caller feel more comfortable.
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