Phone system scripts: ready-to-adapt examples (and the mistakes that make callers hang up)
The voice of your phone system answers more calls than anyone in your company and never asks for holidays. The least you can do is give it a good script. After recording hundreds of phone messages (for 10 years, CaixaBank’s phone system answered with my voice), here’s what actually works: concrete examples you can copy, adapt and record. Plus the deadly sins that make people hang up.
The welcome greeting: short and to the point
Callers want one thing: to be attended. The perfect greeting lasts under 10 seconds:
“Welcome to [Company]. We’ll be with you shortly. If you know the extension, please dial it now.”
That’s it. No “your call is very important to us” (if it were, someone would have picked up) and no corporate history. Courtesy means not wasting people’s time.
The options menu: four doors maximum
“Press 1 for sales. Press 2 for technical support. Press 3 for administration. Press 4 to speak to reception.”
Golden rules: destination first, then the number (or the other way round, but pick one order and stick to it), four options maximum (by the fifth, nobody remembers the first) and always a human exit at the end. Eight-option menus with submenus are the reason people hate phone systems.
The hold message: honesty and calm
“All our agents are currently busy. We will attend you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.”
If you can, add a real alternative: “If you prefer, email us at [address] and we’ll reply today”. It relieves the queue and gives options. What doesn’t work: promising “a few seconds” that turn into minutes. Trust is also earned in the waiting room.
After hours: the most common missed opportunity
“Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm. Please leave your name and number and we’ll call you back first thing. You can also email us at [address].”
The classic mistake: the message that just states the opening hours and hangs up. Whoever calls at 7:05 pm is as good a customer as the one at noon; give them a way in, not a closed door.
The three mistakes that make callers hang up
One: endless messages. Every unnecessary second multiplies abandonment. Two: home-made recordings with office noise in the background, screaming “improvised” at every caller. Three: distorted hold music at full blast turning queue minutes into torture. Your phone line is your company’s first impression: make it sound like a company.
These scripts are a starting point: adapt them to your brand, your hours and your tone. As for the voice? That’s my job, delivered in the technical formats your phone system uses and in two languages if you serve customers in Spanish and Catalan. All the details are on my IVR and phone system page, and you’ll have a quote within 24 hours.