What should a business phone greeting include?

A greeting, the business name, who is speaking, and an offer to help, in one breath. For voicemail, add your hours and exactly what the caller should do next. For an AI receptionist, add that the caller is speaking to an AI and, if calls are recorded, a short recording notice.

Should I say Kia ora in a business greeting?

If it is how you speak, yes. Kia ora is in everyday use across New Zealand. If it does not come naturally to you, use whatever does. Callers respond to a greeting that sounds like a real person, not to any particular word.

Should an AI receptionist say it is an AI?

Yes. Say it plainly in the greeting. Callers handle it well when they are told and badly when they work it out mid-call. KiwiAgent greetings always identify the assistant as an AI.

How long should a phone greeting be?

Short enough to say in one breath. Read it aloud. If you need to inhale twice, cut something.

Phone Greeting Scripts: 12 Examples for NZ Small Businesses

A good business phone greeting does four things in one breath: greets the caller, names the business, says who is speaking, and offers to help. Everything else is optional. Below are twelve greetings you can copy and adapt, grouped into live answers, after-hours and voicemail greetings, and greetings for an AI receptionist. They are written for New Zealand businesses, so they sound like us rather than a call centre overseas.

What makes a greeting work

Business name early. The caller's first worry is whether they dialled the right number. Settle it in the first few words.
Short enough to say in one breath. If you need to inhale twice, cut it.
Sound like yourself. "Kia ora" and "G'day" are fine if that is how you talk. If it is not, "Hello" is fine too. Callers can hear forced friendliness.
End with an opening, not a menu. "How can I help?" invites the caller to say what they need in their own words.
No apologies before you have helped. "Sorry, we're really busy" tells the caller they are a nuisance. Help first.

Live-answer greetings

1. General office

Good morning, Harbour Accounting, Sam speaking. How can I help?

The standard. Swap "Good morning" for "Kia ora" or "Hello" as suits you.

2. Tradie on the tools

Kia ora, Westside Plumbing, this is Dan. I'm on a job right now, but tell me what you need and I'll get you sorted.

Honest about where you are, still open to the call. Use this when you answer on site and cannot take notes; follow up by asking for a number to call back.

3. Hair salon or beauty clinic

Hi, you've reached Studio Nine, it's Mel. Are you looking to book, or is it about an existing appointment?

Salons get two kinds of calls. Asking which one up front gets the caller to the right answer faster.

4. Medical, dental or allied health

Good afternoon, Northside Dental, Priya speaking. If this is urgent, let me know straight away. Otherwise, how can I help?

Clinics need a triage line without sounding alarming. This gives urgent callers permission to say so.

5. Cafe or restaurant during service

Hi, Corner Table, Jess here. Is it a booking, or a pick-up order?

During service you have about ten seconds. Name the two things most callers want and let them pick.

After-hours and voicemail greetings

A voicemail greeting has one extra job: telling the caller what to do next and when they will hear back. Vague greetings get hang-ups.

6. Tradie after-hours with emergency triage

Kia ora, you've reached Westside Plumbing. We're closed until 7:30 tomorrow morning. If you have a burst pipe or no hot water, hang up and text the word URGENT to this number and we'll call you back. For anything else, leave your name, number and what you need, and we'll ring you first thing.

The urgent path has to be something you will actually monitor. If you will not check texts at night, do not promise to.

7. Salon or clinic after-hours

Hi, you've reached Studio Nine. We're open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 till 6. To book or change an appointment, use the booking link on our website any time, or leave your name and number and we'll call you when we open.

8. Public holiday or Christmas closedown

Thanks for calling Harbour Accounting. We're closed for the holidays and reopen on Monday the 11th of January. Leave your name, number and a short message and we'll be in touch that week. Meri Kirihimete.

State the reopening date, not "after the holidays". Callers plan around dates. For a full plan for the summer break, see our guide to handling business calls over the Christmas closedown.

9. Overflow while you are on another call

Hi, Westside Plumbing. I'm on another call right now. Leave your name and number and I'll ring you back within the hour.

Only promise a time you can keep. "Within the hour" is a strong promise; "today" is a safer one.

AI receptionist greetings

If an AI answers your phone, the greeting has two extra jobs: say plainly that the caller is talking to an AI, and, if you record calls, say so. Both make callers more comfortable, not less, because they know what they are dealing with. Our guide to call recording law in NZ explains why the recording notice matters.

10. General AI receptionist

Kia ora, thanks for calling Westside Plumbing. I'm the AI assistant for the team. I can book jobs, answer questions about our services, or get a message to Dan. What can I help with?

11. AI receptionist with recording notice

Hi, you've reached Northside Dental. You're speaking with our AI assistant, and this call is recorded so we get your details right. Would you like to book, change an appointment, or ask a question?

12. AI receptionist after hours

Thanks for calling Studio Nine. The salon is closed right now, but I'm the AI assistant and I can book you in, answer questions, or take a message for the team. If you'd rather speak to someone, I can arrange a callback when we open. What would you like to do?

Notice that none of the AI greetings pretend to be a person, and none of them apologise for being an AI. They say what they can do and ask what the caller wants.

Writing your own AI greeting

Greet and name the business in the first sentence.
Say it is an AI assistant. One plain clause. No "virtual concierge" or other dressing up.
Add the recording notice if calls are recorded, with the reason in a few words.
List two or three things it can do. This is not a menu; it is a hint so callers know what to ask for.
End with an open question.
Read it aloud. If it takes more than one breath, cut it.

In KiwiAgent, the greeting lives in your agent's settings under Greeting Message. Change it, then ring your own number and listen. If you are not sure how it sounds, talk to the demo agent on our homepage first.

Mistakes to avoid

Listing every service. Callers know what they want. Let them say it.
Reading a menu. "Press 1 for..." belongs to a different decade. A conversation is faster.
Promising callbacks you will not make. "We'll call you back shortly" with no one checking messages is worse than no promise.
Hiding the AI. Callers work it out, and then they wonder what else you are hiding.
Leaving last year's closedown greeting on. Put a reminder in your calendar for reopening day.

Next step

If you would rather have every call answered with a greeting like the ones above, and the conversation handled after it, tell us about your business and we will set up a free pilot with your greeting written and tested.