# IVR Greeting Examples: 25 Lines You Can Copy (2026)

> Copy-ready IVR greeting examples for business hours, after hours, holidays, busy periods, clinics, shops, offices and Hindi callers, plus how long a greeting should be and how to record it.

Source: https://edesy.in/blog/ivr-greeting-examples-2026

**A good IVR greeting is one short sentence: thank the caller and name the business. "Thanks for calling
Sharma Dental." Then go straight to the options. Keep the welcome under 5 seconds and the first option
inside 15. Below are 25 copy-ready greetings for business hours, after hours, holidays, busy times, and
Hindi callers.**

> **Hear your greeting before anyone calls:** [Try Edesy IVR Studio](https://ivr.edesy.in/?utm_source=edesy.in&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=ivr-greeting-examples-2026) — preview text-to-speech without a call. Rs 20 free credit on sign-up, no card needed.

Replace `{Business}`, hours and options with your own. Menus and full flows are covered in
[IVR script templates for business](https://edesy.in/blog/ivr-script-templates-for-business-2026); this post is about the
first few seconds.

## Greeting length at a glance

| Part | Target | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Under 5 seconds | "Thanks for calling {Business}." |
| Optional notice | Under 5 seconds, only when needed | "We're closed on Monday for Diwali." |
| First option | Within 15 seconds of answer | "For orders, press 1." |
| Whole menu | Under 25 seconds | Up to 4 options |

## Business hours: standard welcomes

1. "Thanks for calling {Business}."
2. "Welcome to {Business}. For sales, press 1. For support, press 2."
3. "Hello, you've reached {Business}. Please hold while we connect you."
4. "Thanks for calling {Business} customer support."
5. "Thanks for calling {Business}. This call may be recorded for quality and training."

Use number 5 only if you actually record calls (the Config node can record the whole call). Never promise
options or behaviour the flow doesn't have.

## After hours

6. "Thanks for calling {Business}. We're closed now and open 9 to 7, Monday to Saturday. Please leave a message after the tone and we'll call you back."
7. "You've reached {Business} after hours. For urgent support, press 1. To leave a message, press 2."
8. "Thanks for calling {Business}. Our office is closed. Please call back between 10 and 6, or leave a message after the tone."

Give your hours once, in a form people can remember. "9 to 7, Monday to Saturday" beats
"09:00 to 19:00 IST". See [voicemail for after-hours calls](https://edesy.in/blog/voicemail-to-email-ivr-after-hours-2026).

## Holidays and closures

9. "Thanks for calling {Business}. We're closed today for Diwali and will reopen on Thursday. Please leave a message after the tone."
10. "Thanks for calling {Business}. Our office is closed for the long weekend. We're back on Tuesday at 10."
11. "{Business} is closed for stock-taking today. Orders placed online will ship tomorrow."

Remove holiday messages the day you reopen. A stale holiday greeting is worse than none.

## Busy periods

12. "Thanks for calling {Business}. We're receiving more calls than usual. Please stay on the line, or press 2 to leave a message and we'll call you back."
13. "Thanks for calling {Business}. If you're calling about a delivery, you can track it on our website. For anything else, press 1."

Message 13 deflects the most common reason before the menu. Only use it if the website really answers it.

## By business type

| Business | Greeting |
|---|---|
| Clinic | 14. "Thanks for calling {Clinic}. To book an appointment, press 1. For reports, press 2. For a medical emergency, please call 108." |
| Restaurant | 15. "Thanks for calling {Restaurant}. For table bookings, press 1. For delivery orders, press 2." |
| Retail shop | 16. "Thanks for calling {Shop}. We're open 10 to 9 every day. For store location, press 1. To speak to us, press 2." |
| Coaching institute | 17. "Welcome to {Institute}. For admissions, press 1. For existing students, press 2." |
| Real estate | 18. "Thanks for calling {Builder}. For site visits, press 1. For customer care, press 2." |
| Professional office | 19. "Thanks for calling {Firm}. Please hold while we connect you." |
| D2C brand | 20. "Thanks for calling {Brand}. For order status, press 1. For returns, press 2." |

## Hindi and bilingual greetings

21. "{Business} में कॉल करने के लिए धन्यवाद।"
22. "नमस्ते, {Business} में आपका स्वागत है। सेल्स के लिए 1 दबाएँ। सपोर्ट के लिए 2 दबाएँ।"
23. "For English, press 1. Hindi ke liye, do dabaiye."
24. "{Business} में कॉल करने के लिए धन्यवाद। अभी हमारा ऑफिस बंद है। कृपया बीप के बाद अपना संदेश छोड़ें।"

Say each language option in its own language (23). Write Hindi in Devanagari for natural text-to-speech,
and spell numbers and amounts in words. More in the [Hindi IVR setup guide](https://edesy.in/blog/hindi-ivr-setup-guide-2026).

## Out of service

25. "This number is no longer in service. Please call {Business} on {new number}."

For a number you are retiring, Edesy IVR Studio also has a "Reject all calls" template that declines calls
outright.

## Mistakes to avoid

- **Long preambles.** "Your call is important to us" says nothing. See
  [why callers hate your IVR](https://edesy.in/blog/why-callers-hate-your-ivr-2026).
- **Marketing first.** Offers before options make every caller wait.
- **"Please listen carefully as our options have changed"** for months after a change.
- **Website URLs read aloud** letter by letter.
- **Hours in 24-hour format** spoken by TTS.

## How to set a greeting in Edesy IVR Studio

1. Add a **Say** node (text-to-speech) or a **Play audio** node (uploaded recording) after Start.
2. Pick the language and voice in a **Config** node: ElevenLabs or Google voices, with English (India,
   US, UK), Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi in the Config language list. (Say and Ask nodes
   can also set English (India), English (US) or Hindi on their own.)
3. Click the audio preview to hear it without placing a call.
4. Place a test call to your phone, then publish.

Choosing between a voice actor and TTS? Read
[IVR voice prompts: recording vs TTS](https://edesy.in/blog/ivr-voice-prompts-recording-vs-tts-2026), or generate audio
with the [IVR voice generator](https://edesy.in/tools/ivr-voice-generator). IVR calls cost Rs 1.50/min plus number rental,
excluding 18% GST. Features are listed on the [IVR node reference](https://edesy.in/docs/ivr/nodes), and the setup steps are
in the [IVR docs](https://edesy.in/docs/ivr).

[Write your greeting and hear it now](https://ivr.edesy.in/?utm_source=edesy.in&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=ivr-greeting-examples-2026),
with Rs 20 free credit and no card needed.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What should an IVR greeting say?

Your business name, and then straight into the options or the next step. A good greeting is one sentence: 'Thanks for calling Sharma Dental.' Anything else, such as offers or hours, goes in a separate prompt only if callers need it.

### How long should an IVR greeting be?

Under 5 seconds for the welcome itself, and under 15 seconds before the caller hears the first option. Every extra second is said to every caller, every time.

### Should I record my greeting or use text-to-speech?

Text-to-speech is quicker to change and can include per-call details like a name. A recorded voice suits a brand that wants one familiar voice. Edesy IVR Studio supports both: TTS with ElevenLabs or Google voices, or uploaded audio.

### What is a good after-hours IVR message?

State that you're closed, give your hours once, and offer one useful action: 'Thanks for calling Sharma Dental. We're closed now and open 9 to 7, Monday to Saturday. Please leave a message after the tone and we'll call you back.'

### Can the greeting use the caller's name?

On outbound IVR calls, yes: pass the name as a variable in the API request and use {{var.name}} in a Say prompt. On inbound calls you know the caller's number, not their name, unless your own system looks it up.

### Can I write greetings in Hindi?

Yes. Edesy IVR Studio speaks Hindi and English with text-to-speech. Write Hindi in Devanagari for the most natural pronunciation, and spell out numbers and amounts in words.