How do I write a phone greeting for an AI receptionist?

Callers aren't listening closely in the first seconds. They're checking they dialed the right number and getting ready to say why they called.

That's why a long greeting fails. Hours, slogans and web addresses arrive while nobody is paying attention, and they delay the part the caller came for.

One open question beats a menu, because people describe their problem better than they sort it into your categories. "What can I help with?" gets you a sentence you can act on.

Dental practice: "Bright Smiles Dentistry. I'm the practice's AI assistant. How can I help?" Twelve words, with the notice up front, which Utah requires of licensed professions.

Home services: "Ridgeline Heating and Air, this is the AI assistant. Is this about a repair, or something new?" A two-way question works here because nearly every call is one or the other.

Law firm: "Abernathy Schwartz. You've reached the firm's AI assistant. Are you a current client, or calling about a new matter?" Shorten a long partnership name, since four names eat four seconds.

After hours: "Harbor Plumbing. We're closed right now, and I'm the AI assistant. Tell me what's going on and I'll get it to the on-call plumber." You set this one against your hours or closure dates.

Say you manage a dental practice. Your first draft reads: "Thank you for calling Bright Smiles Family Dentistry, where your smile is our priority. You've reached our virtual AI assistant. How may I direct your call today?" It's 27 words and takes about eleven seconds to say.

In draft two you cut the slogan, since no caller needs it. "Virtual" goes too, because "AI assistant" already says it. Now you have: "Thank you for calling Bright Smiles Family Dentistry. You've reached our AI assistant. How may I direct your call?"

Draft three fixes two subtler problems. "Direct your call" implies a switchboard, so callers reply with a department name and leave out what they need. "Thank you for calling" puts four throwaway words ahead of the name. The final version: "Bright Smiles Dentistry. I'm the practice's AI assistant. How can I help?" It's twelve words and about five seconds long. The AI notice survived every cut, as it should, since Maine requires notice and Utah requires licensed professions like dentistry to give it at the start.

A stopwatch measures length, but it can't tell you whether the greeting is clear. For that, borrow someone who has never heard your greeting. Have them call, listen once, and hang up. Then ask two questions: what was the business called, and who were you talking to? If they can't answer both, the greeting failed, whatever its length.

Phone audio is narrow and the first half second of a call often gets clipped as the line connects. That's one more reason to lead with the name instead of a filler phrase, because if anything gets lost you'd rather it were the pleasantry. Better yet, have your tester call from a car.

Some words don't survive a phone line. Fifteen and fifty blur together. Initials such as "B and D Plumbing" can come out as mush. A long partnership name eats four seconds by itself, so a law firm called Abernathy, Schwartz, Villanueva and Partners should answer as "Abernathy Schwartz."

GreetKeeper plays the greeting you write, word for word, and you can change it any time. Each number can have its own greeting, hours and calendar, so a second location answers with its own name.

The disclosure setting keeps your AI notice in the opening line. Maine's chatbot law expects clear notice, and Utah requires it out loud at the start for licensed professions.

Read your transcripts after the first week. Callers talking over the greeting is the clearest sign it needs cutting.