Voicemail greetings for tradies
Five short greetings you can change and record tonight, and the exact steps on Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and iPhone, taken from their own help pages.
The short answer
Say your business name, say you can’t pick up, and tell the caller what to leave: their name, suburb and what needs doing. Add when you’ll ring back if you can stick to it. For urgent work, tell them what to do right now.
To record it, ring your voicemail from your mobile: 101 on Telstra, 321 on Optus or 121 on Vodafone. On an iPhone you can also do it in the Phone app. The button presses for each are further down.
A greeting can’t book the job. If callers are hanging up at the beep, the last section covers what else you can do.
Five greetings to copy
Examples only. Swap the bits in brackets for yours, read it out loud once, then record it somewhere quieter than the ute.
Standard
“Hi, you’ve reached [business name]. We’re on a job and can’t get to the phone. Leave your name, your suburb and what needs doing, and we’ll ring you back between jobs.”
After hours
“Thanks for calling [business name]. We’re closed now and back at [7am, Monday to Friday]. Leave your name, suburb and what needs doing, and we’ll ring you when we open.”
Holidays
“Hi, it’s [business name]. We’re closed from [date] and back on [date]. Leave your name, suburb and what needs doing, and we’ll ring you the week we reopen. If it can’t wait, ring [name] on [number].”
Emergency trade
“You’ve reached [business name]. If anyone is hurt or in danger, hang up and call triple zero, 000. For an urgent job like [a burst pipe], leave your name, address and what’s happened. Then text the same to this number so we see it on the job. For anything else, leave your details and we’ll ring you back.”
Text us instead
“Hi, it’s [your name] from [business name]. I’m on the tools and can’t answer, but I check texts between jobs. Text this number your name, suburb and what needs doing, and I’ll get back to you. Or leave a message after the beep.”
Written by us as examples. Only ask for texts if the number they rang is a mobile you check. The triple zero line follows the Australian Government’s Triple Zero page (read October 2026): call 000 if someone is seriously injured, in danger or needs urgent help.
How to change your voicemail greeting
Ring your voicemail from your own mobile, or use the Phone app on an iPhone. These are each company’s own steps.
| Ring | To record a new greeting | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telstra MessageBank | 101 | Your new messages play first, then the main menu. Press 3 for Mailbox Setup, 1 for Greetings, then 1 to re-record your personal greeting. | Not set up yet? Ringing 101 walks you through a greeting and a PIN. Upfront plans have MessageBank on already. |
| Optus Voicemail | 321 | Follow the prompts, press 8 for user options, then 3 to change your greeting. | First time, ring 321, record a greeting, change the PIN Optus texted you and finish the tutorial. Skip the tutorial and you’ll hear it every time you ring. |
| Vodafone voicemail | 121 | After your new and saved messages, press 2 for greetings, then 1 for your personal greeting. Press # when you’ve finished, then 2 to save it. | Press 2 instead of 1 for a busy greeting, played when you’re on another call or decline one. The first setup has to be done by ringing 121 from your own phone. |
| iPhone Visual Voicemail | Phone app | Tap Voicemail, then Greeting. In the Unified layout, tap Calls, Edit, then Edit Voicemail Greeting. Tap Custom, then Record. | Needs Visual Voicemail from your phone company (below). Apple says recording your own greeting isn’t supported by every carrier. |
From each company’s own help pages, read 12 October 2026: Telstra “Setup and manage voicemail on your mobile”, Optus “Manage Voicemail for your mobile”, Vodafone “How to set up and manage your voicemail” and Apple’s iPhone User Guide. Menus change, so if a button doesn’t match, follow the voice prompts.
Good to know, by phone company
Telstra on an iPhone: Telstra says iPhones have used Apple’s Live Voicemail by default since iOS 18. It plays your MessageBank Visual Voicemail greeting, rings for 15 seconds and saves messages on the phone, so ringing 101 won’t find them.
Telstra hang-up texts: MessageBank can text you when someone hangs up after your greeting without leaving a message. Ring 101, press ** for the main menu, 3 for Mailbox Setup, then 6.
More rings before voicemail: on Telstra, dial **61*101**30# for 30 seconds (15, 20 and 25 work too). On an iPhone, Telstra says to turn off Live Voicemail first, in Settings, Apps, Phone. On Optus, dial **61*321**30#. Optus puts 30 seconds at about 6 to 12 rings.
Optus after hours: Optus voicemail can hold up to four greetings and play them on a schedule, so the after-hours one comes on by itself. The button presses are in Optus’s “How to use Voicemail greeting options” guide.
Visual Voicemail on an iPhone: Telstra calls it MessageBank Plus, a subscription you turn on by texting VVM ON to 144. Optus includes it free on postpaid iPhones once you ask Optus to switch it on. On Vodafone, dial 1217, then tap Greeting at the top left to record a new one.
All from Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Apple’s own help pages, read October 2026.
On Vodafone, holidays go on the personal greeting
Vodafone says its extended absence greeting overrides your other greetings, and callers can’t leave a message while it’s on. To take messages over a break, record the holiday words as your personal greeting (option 1). Vodafone deletes messages after 7 days, and saving one only keeps it another 7, so check in while you’re away.
When a greeting isn’t enough
A greeting only helps the callers who stay for the beep, and some hang up and ring someone else. Your call log shows how many of yours leave a message.
Voicemail, done well
Free, and fine if your phone barely rings or your callers are regulars happy to wait. A clear greeting and a quick ring back at smoko do the job.
Missed-call text back
Anyone you don’t answer gets a text from your business name asking what they need. The ones who hang up at the beep still hear from you.
An AI assistant that answers
It picks up as your assistant, gets the job details, books routine work and texts you emergencies. Ours does that and the text back. A sole trader pays A$299 a month with 100 minutes and 150 texts included, plus A$299 to set up.
We sell the last two, so weigh that up.
Voicemail greeting questions
What should a business voicemail greeting say?
Your business name, that you can’t pick up, and what to leave: name, suburb and what the job is. Add when you’ll ring back if you can keep to it, and for urgent work, what to do right now.
How long should a voicemail greeting be?
As short as you can make it. The Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Apple help pages we read don’t set a time limit. The test is whether the caller is still listening at the beep, so read it out loud first and cut any line you trip on.
How do I change my voicemail greeting on Telstra?
Ring 101. After any new messages you get the main menu: press 3 for Mailbox Setup, 1 for Greetings, then 1 to re-record your personal greeting. That’s from Telstra’s own help page, read October 2026.
How do I change my voicemail greeting on an iPhone?
Open the Phone app, tap Voicemail, then Greeting. In the Unified layout, tap Calls, Edit, then Edit Voicemail Greeting. Tap Custom, then Record. Your phone company has to support Visual Voicemail for this to work.
Can I have a different greeting after hours?
On Optus, yes. It can hold up to four greetings and play them on a schedule. The Telstra and Vodafone pages we read don’t mention a schedule, so either re-record at knock-off or use one greeting that says your hours.
Can callers text me instead of leaving a voicemail?
If your business number is a mobile, your greeting can ask them to. Vodafone’s free Call Catcher lets callers send you their number by text instead of leaving a message. Telstra’s Message2Txt turns a caller’s 10-second message into a text, but you can’t record your own greeting with it.
Keep reading
- Voicemail or OffsiteMate
- Missed-call text back: a text from your business when you can’t pick up
- How our AI receptionist handles a call
- What a missed call costs a tradie
- Forwarding codes for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone
- Ring the demo before you decide
- Best AI receptionists for tradies in Australia (2026)
- AI receptionist prices in Australia, compared
- Answering service prices in Australia, compared
- Picking after-hours cover for a trade business
This phone is answered.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au