IVR greeting scripts are the short prompts callers hear on a business phone line: the main menu, after-hours message, hold messages, voicemail and call recording notice. Below is a copy-ready library for US and UK small businesses. Add your details once, voice every prompt in Kveeky with one AI voice, then upload the files to your phone system.
Key Takeaways
- Write the menu before you pick a voice: 4 options or fewer, the most-used option first, and always a route to a person.
- Generate every prompt with the same voice, so your greeting, hold and voicemail messages sound like one business.
- Check your phone system’s file rules first. Microsoft Teams auto attendants take WAV, MP3 or WMA up to 5 MB; Zoom Phone takes MP3 or WAV under 10 MB.
- If you record calls, say so at the start. US consent rules vary by state, and UK guidance says to tell callers you’re recording and why.
- Every paid Kveeky plan includes commercial usage rights, so you can use the audio on your business line.
Personalise every phone script at once
- Type your details in the boxes below. Nothing is sent or saved.
- Pick a prompt type in the script library. Your details are already inside every script.
- Press Copy, paste the script into Kveeky, choose a voice and download MP3 or WAV.
Phone greeting script library
Choose a prompt type. Each script shows its approximate spoken length at a steady phone pace. Text in [square brackets] is for you to fill in by hand.
Main greeting and IVR menu scripts
Main menu (3 departments) ≈ 13 s
Main menu with website option ≈ 13 s
Simple greeting (no menu) ≈ 10 s
After-hours greeting scripts
Standard after-hours greeting ≈ 20 s
After hours with email and website ≈ 16 s
After hours with urgent option ≈ 17 s
Holiday closure greeting scripts
Holiday closure (any holiday) ≈ 16 s
Bank holiday or public holiday ≈ 12 s
Need greetings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Boxing Day or New Year? Use our holiday voice message scripts, with 2026–27 dates and offer announcements.
On-hold message scripts
Reassurance (play first) ≈ 8 s
Self-service while you wait ≈ 9 s
Marketing on-hold: product or service ≈ 11 s
Marketing on-hold: current offer ≈ 10 s
Marketing on-hold: reviews ≈ 10 s
Long wait: email alternative ≈ 11 s
Business and staff voicemail greeting scripts
Main business voicemail ≈ 14 s
Individual staff voicemail ≈ 18 s
Staff out of office ≈ 12 s
Support team voicemail ≈ 13 s
Queue and callback scripts
Queue position ≈ 8 s
Callback offer ≈ 11 s
Callback confirmed ≈ 10 s
Busy period ≈ 10 s
Department menu scripts
Sales submenu ≈ 11 s
Billing submenu ≈ 11 s
Support submenu ≈ 11 s
Extension directory ≈ 10 s
Hours and location ≈ 13 s
Call recording notice scripts
Short notice (US) ≈ 4 s
Notice with opt-out ≈ 11 s
Notice with reason and privacy link (UK) ≈ 13 s
Recording and consent rules differ between US states and in the UK. Read the call recording rules below before you choose a notice.
Paste any script into Kveeky, pick an American or British English voice, and download your phone prompt.
Create your phone greeting freeHow do you write an IVR menu callers can follow?
A clear voice won’t rescue a confusing menu. Nobody wants to hear 7 options when the one they needed was the seventh.
4 options or fewer per menu. If you have more, move them into a second-level menu, like the department scripts above.
Most-used option first. Look at what your team actually gets asked, and lead with that.
Action before number. Say “For billing, press 2”, not “Press 2 for billing”. The caller hears what they need first, so they don’t have to hold two things in memory.
Always give a way out. Include a route to a person, such as “press 0, or stay on the line”. Callers who can’t reach a person tend to hang up or keep pressing 0.
Say the wait honestly. If it’s 8 minutes, say 8 minutes, and offer a callback.
Keep the main greeting short. Aim for under 30 seconds, including the options. Paste your script into the words to minutes calculator to check its length before you generate it.
How do you set up AI voice prompts on your phone system?
- Copy a script from the library1. Write the script
- Download MP3 or WAV2. Generate in Kveeky
- Only if your system needs it3. Convert the format
- In your phone admin portal4. Upload the file
- Call your own number5. Test with a call
- Write the script. Personalise and copy the prompts you need, and keep them all in one document with the voice name next to each one.
- Generate it in Kveeky. Paste the script, choose one clear voice for every prompt, and set the speed slightly slower than normal. Add custom pronunciations for your business and street names. Download MP3 or WAV.
- Convert the format, if needed. Check the table below. If your system wants 8 kHz, 16-bit mono WAV, convert in Audacity or with ffmpeg:
ffmpeg -i greeting.wav -ar 8000 -ac 1 -c:a pcm_s16le greeting-8k.wav - Upload the file in your phone system's admin portal, as the greeting, hold message or menu prompt.
- Test with a real call. Call your own number from a mobile phone, not your computer speakers. Check every menu key, the after-hours route and the voicemail.
Two production details save re-uploads. Match the loudness of every prompt, so callers don’t adjust their volume between menus. Leave about half a second of silence at the start and end of each file, so the system doesn’t clip the first word.
What audio format does each phone system accept?
Phone systems reject files that don’t match their rules, so check yours before you generate a full set. This table lists only what each provider’s own documentation states.
| Phone system | Accepted upload formats | Size limit | Notes from the provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams (auto attendant) | WAV, MP3 or WMA | 5 MB | Applies to greetings and menu prompts uploaded in the Teams admin center |
| Zoom Phone (audio library) | MP3 or WAV | Under 10 MB | Upload once to the audio library, then reuse the file across greetings |
| RingCentral (voicemail greeting) | WAV or MP3 | Not stated | Recommends CCITT u-Law, 8 kHz, 8-bit mono, or PCM, 8 kHz, 16-bit mono |
| 8x8 Contact Center | WAV, 8 kHz, 16-bit mono | 30 MB | Use this exact WAV format for contact center prompts |
Twilio (<Play> verb) | MP3, WAV, AIFF, GSM or μ-law | Not stated | Twilio transcodes audio for the phone network; high-bitrate MP3s take longer to transcode |
| FreePBX, Asterisk-based (System Recordings) | WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, GSM, μ-law, A-law and other Asterisk formats | Not stated | Can convert a recording to formats such as ulaw, alaw, wav and gsm when you save it |
| Google Voice (hold audio) | Common formats like MP3 and WAV | A limit applies, but no figure is published | Hold audio applies to all licensed users in the domain |
If your provider gives no specification, a mono, 8 kHz, 16-bit PCM WAV is a safe choice, because both RingCentral and 8x8 recommend it. Twilio notes that the phone network doesn’t support high-bitrate audio, so a higher-quality file won’t sound better on a call.
Which voice works best on a phone line?
Phone calls carry a much narrower range of sound than headphones. A voice that sounds warm and detailed on your laptop can turn muddy on a call.
What matters on a phone line:
- Clear consonants. Crisp consonants survive phone compression; tonal warmth doesn’t.
- A measured pace. Slightly slower than conversation. Callers are often writing down a number or choosing an option at the same time.
- A calm, neutral delivery. Characterful voices get tiring across dozens of short prompts.
- An accent your callers know. Match the people who actually call you, such as American English for US lines and British English for UK lines.
The IVR voices page has phone-ready voice samples. For pauses and emphasis in longer prompts, see the AI voice pacing and emphasis guide.
How Kveeky helps you make phone prompts
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Do you need a call recording notice?
If you record calls, the safest approach is to say so before the conversation starts. Rules differ by country and, in the US, by state. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Where | What the rules say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| US, federal law | Recording is lawful when one party to the call consents (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)), unless it’s for a criminal or tortious purpose | Play a notice anyway, because state law can be stricter |
| US, all-party consent states | Some states require the consent of everyone on the call. In California, the state Supreme Court held in 2021 that this applies to calls involving cell or cordless phones, even for parties to the call | Play a notice at the start of every recorded call, and check your state’s law |
| UK | The ICO says you must tell callers that you’re recording and why. A recorded message is good practice, and you can give the rest of your privacy information by other means, such as your website | Use the UK notice above, and link to your privacy information |
Calling customers instead of answering calls? Outbound calls with recorded or AI voices have separate rules. See the rules table in our holiday voice message scripts.
Pre-launch checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Business name in the first 5 seconds | Callers know they reached the right place |
| 4 options or fewer, with a route to a person | Callers who feel trapped hang up or press 0 |
| Hours and time zone are correct | Callers plan their next call around what they hear |
| Every prompt uses the same voice | A mixed set sounds like several businesses |
| File format and size match your provider | A rejected upload stalls the whole setup |
| Played once on a real phone call | Phone lines cut low and high frequencies, so test there |
| Recording notice plays first, if you record | Callers hear it before they share any details |
| Review date in your calendar | Update prompts when hours, staff or departments change |
How do you keep a phone system consistent over time?
The advantage of generated audio shows up at the third update, not the first.
- Keep the scripts in one document, with the voice name and speed setting next to each prompt.
- Regenerate the whole set when you change voice, instead of mixing old and new prompts.
- Review every quarter, or whenever hours, staff or departments change. With AI voices, an update takes minutes, not a new studio booking.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an AI voice for my business phone system?
Yes. Generate the prompt in Kveeky, download MP3 or WAV, and upload it to your phone system like any recording. Every paid Kveeky plan includes commercial usage rights for business use.
What should a business phone greeting say?
Say your business name first, then the 3 or 4 most common options, and a way to reach a person. Keep it under 30 seconds, and put details like opening hours and your website in the after-hours message.
What audio format do phone systems need?
It depends on the system. Microsoft Teams auto attendants accept WAV, MP3 or WMA up to 5 MB, and Zoom Phone accepts MP3 or WAV under 10 MB. If your provider gives no specification, use a mono, 8 kHz, 16-bit WAV.
Do I need to tell callers that a call is being recorded?
In practice, yes. Some US states require every party’s consent to record, and UK guidance from the ICO says you must tell callers you’re recording and why. Play a short notice at the start of the call.
What’s the difference between IVR and a virtual receptionist?
IVR is a phone menu that routes calls when callers press keys. A virtual receptionist is a broader term for automated greeting and routing, sometimes with speech recognition. Both need clearly written prompts in one consistent voice.
How long should an on-hold message be?
Keep each on-hold message to about 10 seconds, and rotate 3 to 5 of them between music. Short messages are easier to take in, and rotating several means callers don’t hear the same line over and over.
Sources
- Microsoft Teams auto attendant upload formats and 5 MB limit: Microsoft Learn, “Setup - Auto Attendant - Microsoft Teams”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- Zoom Phone MP3 or WAV under 10 MB: Zoom Support, “Using the audio library to customize audio greetings”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- RingCentral WAV or MP3 import and recommended formats: RingCentral, “Updating your voicemail greeting” (PDF), retrieved 9 October 2026.
- 8x8 Contact Center 8 kHz, 16-bit mono WAV and 30 MB limit: 8x8 Help, “What is the required audio file format for 8x8 Contact Center?”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- Twilio supported audio types and transcoding: Twilio Docs, “TwiML Voice: <Play>”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- FreePBX upload and conversion formats: Sangoma, “PBX GUI - System Recordings Module User Guide”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- Google Voice hold audio formats: Google Workspace Admin Help, “Update your Google Voice Hold Audio”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- US one-party consent: 18 U.S.C. § 2511, Legal Information Institute, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- California all-party consent for cell and cordless calls: Supreme Court of California, Smith v. LoanMe, Inc. (S260391), April 1, 2021, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- UK call recording transparency: ICO, “Specific data protection considerations for different ways or methods of monitoring workers”, retrieved 9 October 2026.
- Kveeky plans and commercial usage rights: Kveeky pricing, retrieved 9 October 2026.