Business Trip Wishes, Messages and Quotes

Business Trip Wishes : Business trips are quite common these days, and if you are a job holder, you definitely know this. Business trips can be inside the country also overseas. And for some people, it can be their first business trip; again, maybe it’s not their first time yet an important one. If any of your close persons is going on a business trip, you should wish them good luck and a safe journey. Send them these business trip messages and wish them a successful trip.

Business Trip Wishes

Have a safe and sound journey. I hope your business trip be smooth and pleasant. May you be blessed with success.

May God gives you all the success you deserve. Have a happy business trip.

Hope you have a successful business trip. Travel safely and relish your trip days. Wishing you the most amazing time.

Business Trip Wishes

Hope you have an amazing business trip. May your business getaway provide you with the utmost enjoyment and accomplishments. Travel safely.

I am so proud to hear that you are going on your first business trip. Best of luck! Have a nice business trip.

I heard you are going on a business trip again! Have a safe journey and best wishes for your business trip.

I pray to God for your good health and success. I hope you enjoy your business trip!

Enjoy your splendid business trip, sir. My prayers are with you for your safety. May your travels be safe and satisfying.

Do you work for a travel agency? You are always on a business trip. Jokes apart! Have a safe trip.

Make the best use of your business trip. Explore the business world and learn about different business practices. I wish you a safe and fruitful trip! Come back home safely!

Sir, I hope you have a safe and sound business trip. I wish you all the best on your travels. I hope it goes astoundingly well.

I always knew someday you would be a great business magnate. This trip marks the first milestone for you in this journey of becoming a business guru. Many good wishes to you!

It’s an amazing opportunity for both our buyers and companies to interact. Seal the deal perfectly and don’t forget to visit the most interesting cities nearby the meeting ground.

You better seal the deal this time around. Knock their socks off, buddy. Bon voyage and best wishes for business trip.

Things might not work out as you planned for now, but I know something for sure: it is not over until you say it is over. Be strong dear. Have a successful business trip!

I’m really happy for you because of this trip. Come back safely with a lot of experience and of course a lot of gifts. Your success will be measured in terms of the gifts you bring from me.

Successful Business Trip Message

Hope you’re traveling safely for your business trip. I sincerely vouch for a smooth and efficient work getaway. Best of luck.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself. I pray to God for your successful business trip.

Have a splendid trip, {PUT NAME}. I hope your trip goes successfully and you experience it to the fullest. Safe travels.

successful trip message

Have a good business trip. I hope you spend your time enjoying and exploring to the fullest.

I hope you have a safe and sound business trip, and may it provide you with motivation and jubilation that you can cherish.

Enjoy your business trip. My prayers are with you for your safety and security. I hope you can enjoy and experience the trip with ease.

Good luck on your business trip. I hope you have an amazing time and experience the best the trip can offer. Travel safely.

Also Read: Safe Journey Wishes Messages

Business Trip Wishes for Husband

Dear husband, I hope you have a fun and exciting business trip. Stay safe and come back soon.

Don’t get too hyped and mess up your presentation. Have a great business trip!

My dear husband, good luck on your business trip. I hope you travel safely and have an amazing time on your trip. My love is always with you.

May God bless you and protect you from every evil eye. I wish you a good business trip, love.

Business Trip Wishes for Husband

Sweetheart, I will miss you a lot. Don’t forget to bring gifts for me. I wish you a happy business trip.

I am so jealous that your business meeting is in that beautiful place. Have fun, honey, but be a good husband and focus on your work. Don’t stare at the beautiful women! Bon voyage.

Have a great business trip, dear. Take care of yourself and try to eat timely.

Business Trip Wishes for Colleague

I hope you have a safe journey. Have a great business trip, dear.

Wish you an enjoyable and exciting business trip. I hope your trip become successful too.

Don’t forget that you are going to work, not for fun. Best wishes for business trip.

It seems like you finally found your dream job cause you keep going on business trips. Have a healthy trip.

We are so sure that you are going to bag the contract on this trip. Victory and success are written all over your power suit! Bon voyage.

You are one of the few employees being sent for all the business trips because you are our star performer, a reliable player and the face of our company. Have a good professional tour.

It is a pity that you’re going to such a beautiful place only to attend meetings. But while you are at it, make sure you have some fun too. Have a good trip.

You got a promotion and an overseas business trip. How much more luck could you possibly need? Nevertheless, good luck with your journey. You deserve it.

Business Trip Wishes for Boss

We are really proud of you, boss. God bless you. Have a safe trip!

Boss, Have a great business. May you get success in what you are going for.

Good luck on your business trip, sir. I hope you travel safely. I hope you have the best time and enjoy every part of the trip.

Business Trip Wishes for Boss

Dear boss, I wish you good health. I hope you have a nice business trip.

I hope everyone will like your proposal. Have a safe flight. Happy business trip.

Sir, May God bless you and save you from every danger. Wishing you a great business trip.

May God make your trip successful. Have a good time with your clients.

You May Like: Vacation Messages For Boss

Business Trip Quotes

A business trip abroad is a small reward for your dedication and hard work. Many big rewards are on the way. I hope you have a great time there as you continue mesmerizing the world with your vision.

It’s a great opportunity to share your ideas with the world. You have already proved your ability to revolutionize the local business. It’s time to bring it to the world.

The company takes pride in having employees like you represent the brand overseas. All the best, and make the most of this trip. Bon voyage.

Pack your best suit, carry your sharpest attitude, and show them what we are really made of. All the best for your presentation and overseas trip.

As you set sail for your business trip may you have success and improvement on the great meeting all along! Have a safe and successful business trip!

For you, this is a great chance to see what business opportunities in Europe has to offer. I wish you will get the best chance from those, have a successful business tour!

Oh! dear, through this overseas business journey you got the opportunity to meet world-class companies at their headquarters, I think it will be a great and successful trip for you where you get to learn lots of things, best of luck!

Business Trip Wishes Messages

Whether you were always interested in a business meeting abroad or just want to inspire our company’s effort, it will be an amazing tour that you do not want to miss. Bon voyage my dear!

Like slow and steady wins the race as they say, fearless and believing safely end the tour well. You are safe on this journey. Take care.

The road is rough, and the journey seems long? It’s just a matter of time and you will be at your destination. Just don’t lose focus. You should succeed on the business tour!

funny wishes for business trip

Don’t conclude just yet! Your desires can still be met in this journey. Remember, the end still justifies the means. All will be well. Just make the deal success!

Bon voyage for this important business trip, mate. While you’re bagging all the deals, don’t forget to bring back some great wines and beers to stock up the office fridge.

Can’t believe that the company is paying for you to go and have a meeting or two on the sunny beaches of California. You lucky dog, make the most of it.

Business is like sex. When it’s good, it’s very, very good; when it’s not so good, it’s still good. So, don’t worry whatever the situation where you should focus on your proposal and make a good presentation! Bon voyage!

Our business is not to get ahead of others but to get ahead of ourselves – to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today. It’s time to represent our brand overseas, make it happen!

Read: Good Luck Messages For New Business

Nowadays most often people have to travel overseas for business purposes. Traveling and visiting new places is an opportunity to learn about different people, learn different traditions and obviously gain better experience about foreign business trends. If you have someone packing up to travel overseas for business purposes, then you should congratulate them and wish for a successful business trip and a safe journey. These are the best wordings ideas for successful business trip wishes and messages. You can wish your loved ones a safe journey during their business trip.

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15 Best Have a Great Trip Wishes And Messages For Travelling

Have A Nice Trip : Are you looking for some of the best Have a Great Trip Wishes to wish someone before they leave on their vacation? When someone is about to leave for their trip, they are usually excited and happy to be taking some time off work. The last thing you want to tell them before they leave is something stressful. Wish them a trip of their lives with some of these awesome have a great trip wishes that they will love. And maybe they’ll even bring you back a souvenir! Get some inspiration from our quotes and start wishing away!

Have A Great Trip

  • Finally, you are leaving on a holiday that was long overdue. I wish you nothing but the best memories and a wonderful trip.

have a great trip

  • Goodbye and have a great trip. Please know that every one of us at the office will take good care of your work for you.

have a great trip wishes

  • The world is a beautiful place, and one must take the time to enjoy it time and again. I’m so happy that you’re leaving on your vacation.
  • I wish you a safe and happy trip. Remember, the journey is more important than the destination, so have fun on the flight .
  • I hope that you make some of the best memories on this trip. May you find your much-needed peace.

have a great trip

Read: Good Luck Messages

Have A Nice Trip

  • I am so happy that you decided to leave on this trip. You work so hard, and you needed a break.

have a nice trip wishes

  • Enjoy this trip that you are headed on. We are so jealous and happy for you at the same time.
  • Life was meant for great adventures, and I’m so glad that you are leaving on one! Have a nice trip, my friend.
  • It is time for you to leave all your worries behind and enjoy your trip. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

have a nice trip wishes

  • What good would life be if we didn’t take the time to stop and smell the roses? Have a great trip and make awesome memories.

Also Read: Have A Great Day Wishes

Have A Good Trip Wishes For Friends And Family

  • What can I tell you except that I hope you have the most memorable trip of your life? Have a good trip. See you soon.

have a good trip wishes

  • As you embark on this trip, I hope you have safe travels, and I hope you make tons of new friends. Have a good trip.
  • There is nothing that one needs to have a fulfilling life: just a little bit of time to have a fun trip with friends! I’m so glad you’re going on your journey.
  • It is always a great idea to pack a suitcase and leave on an adventure. Have a good trip. Come back with many memories.

have a good trip

  • We will definitely miss you when you are gone, but we’ll be happy knowing that you are having a grand time. Have the best trip ever!

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21 WhatsApp Business greeting messages to make a great first impression

Communication

Have you ever heard of the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover?’ You probably have. 

The reason why this saying is used so much is that - you guessed it - people judge books by their cover all of the time. And trust me, your business is one of those books.

If you are using WhatsApp Business, your greeting message is the cover of your book. Greeting messages allow you to make a strong first impression, even if you are being contacted outside of business hours. 

In this blog, I will tell you everything you need to know about greetings messages for WhatsApp Business and how to use them to your advantage:

What is a WhatsApp Business greeting message?

  • Why should you use a greeting message for WhatsApp Business?
  • WhatsApp Business greeting message examples

When somebody sends you a message on WhatsApp Business for the first time, you can automatically send them a so-called WhatsApp Business greeting message. It's simply a welcome message for customers on WhatsApp Business. You can make multiple greetings for different types of situations. 

With Trengo, you can create one greeting message for all of your communication channels. Think of email, live chat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp Business. 

What is the difference between a greeting and an away message in WhatsApp?

You can set a "greeting message" to welcome your customers and make them feel special.

If you are not available to respond to your customers, you can set an "away message" to inform them that you will be back soon to assist them.

Here is an example of a greeting message:

“Hi, welcome to Trengo! How may we help you?”

Here is an example of an away message:

“Thank you for your message. We’re unavailable right now but will respond within 24 hours.”

Why would you use a greeting message for WhatsApp Business?

Using the right type of greeting message at the right time can help you achieve the following:

  • Lower your response time 
  • Improve the customer experience
  • Increase customer satisfaction by guiding customers towards the right information
  • Don’t leave customers that message you outside of business hours hanging
  • Collect valuable leads

Learn how a retail company manages to receive more than 500 orders via WhatsApp Business per day.

Note: you can only use WhatsApp Business greeting messages when using the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API . In the video below, you get a 3-minute explanation of what the exact differences are between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business:

What does an effective WhatsApp Business greeting look like?

Even though there are countless variations of greetings, an effective greeting via WhatsApp Business should follow the following best practices:

1. Set clear expectations

Your primary goal should be to set a realistic expectation of when your customer can expect a message. It simply feels better for a customer to know for certain when they will be responded to.

Be very specific in setting these expectations. To illustrate why let’s look at two quick examples.

1) “We’ll get back to you ASAP.”

2) “We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.”

The first example is a bit of a vague promise and doesn’t set a specific expectation. ‘As soon as possible’ could mean anything between one minute and 10 hours.

The second example, on the other hand, sets a clear expectation and gives your team the opportunity to overdeliver.

2. Be as transparent as possible

The second best practice is to simply be honest and transparent.

Nobody likes lame excuses for slow response times. If your team just so happens to be a little in over their head that day, there is no shame in simply saying that you are busy. 

3. Give it a human touch

In a lot of greetings, whether it is via email, live chat, or WhatsApp, I have noticed how the tone is often quite formal. 

But just because the message is automated, doesn’t mean you have to come off as a robot.

I would advise you to always sound as human as possible. Keep it professional, sure, but avoid sounding like a lawyer. Well, unless you are a lawyer, of course. You get the point. Struggling to give a human touch to your messages? No worries! An online AI humanizer tool can work wonders by adding a human touch to your messages.

21 WhatsApp Business greeting message examples

In all honesty, there is no such thing as ‘the best greeting message for WhatsApp Business’. It really comes down to your situation and what it is you are trying to achieve. That’s why I have put together a list of WhatsApp Business greetings for different situations. 

Let’s dive in, shall we?

General WhatsApp Business greeting messages

1. "Thank you for your message! We will get back to you within 24 hours. Kind regards, [your business] Team."

2. "Hiya! Welcome to [your business]. We will get back to you within 3 hours. In the meantime, you can check out our help center [link]. We have put a lot of effort into it, so the answer to your question may already be in there!"

3. "Hello! Good to see you. Did you already know we currently offer a 50% discount on all of our products? The code is XXXX. Don't tell anybody ;-) Let me know if you have any other questions and I will get back to you shortly!"

4. “Hi [Customer name], welcome to [your business]. We have a special 15% discount on all plans for our new customers. Would you like to get yours now? [link] Reply ‘Stop’ to unsubscribe.”

5. “Thank you for becoming a part of our community! We’re so happy to have you on board. Check out the services that we offer [your services]. Let's also connect on Instagram for some fun: [Instagram link]. Cheers, Team [your business name]”

6. “ Thank you for contacting us. Please let us know the reason for your inquiry so we can direct you to the right person.

1) Payment queries

2) Return policy

3) Order update

We will get back to you shortly!”

Now, that wasn’t exactly rocket science, was it?

The key to using any type of messaging app is that you don’t overdo it. WhatsApp offers a quick and informal way of getting in contact with a person or organization. Keep your company’s tone of voice and overall brand in mind, but always keep it short and sweet.

At Trengo, we use the first message during business hours.

Customer support greeting examples

7. "Hi, thanks for your message! Our support agents will check your message and make sure it is forwarded to the best-fit person. We will respond to you within 24 hours."

8. "Dear [Customer Name], we’ve received your request and are currently looking for an agent who will be able to resolve it in the best way. It might take up to 8 hours, but we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can. Thank you for your patience.”

9. "In the meantime, you can check out our help center full of answers to frequently asked questions here: [link]."

An important trend in customer support is that a growing number of customers want to be able to use self-service. With Trengo, you can easily create your own help center . This way, customers can always have access to information, even outside of business hours.

Event-based greeting messages

Sometimes, your company may be in the middle of dealing with seasonal activities or special occasions. Whether it is busy because of Christmas time, or at the other extreme because of the covid-19 outbreak, you need to inform your customers. I'll give you two examples for both cases.

10. ”Hey [Customer Name]. Merry Christmas! We're receiving a lot of messages right now, but we want you to know that your message is important to us. Santa's agents will get back to you within 2 hours.”

11. "Ho ho ho! 🎅 Please let me know if you have any questions. Our elves are very busy packing all the gifts, so we may not reply as fast as you are used to from us."

12. "Hey there, how can I help you? Please be aware that we may answer a little less fast than usual in these unprecedented times."

13. "Hi [Customer Name], Ramadan Mubarak! May your home be filled with light, love, and laughter. Due to the holiday season, we are currently overwhelmed with orders. We will get back to you in 24 hours.”

14. ”Happy Valentine's Day 💖 Thank you for contacting [business name]. We are currently selecting the most beautiful flowers for your bouquets and will respond to you within the next two hours.🌷”

15. "Hey [Customer Name]. Happy Mother's Day! To celebrate this special day, we're offering a 25% discount on all of our products. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us and we'll get back to you within an hour.”

Business update greeting messages

When you are dealing with a technical issue, it's important to inform your customers that you're aware of the problem and trying to resolve it.

16. “ Dear customer, we are facing technical issues with [product name]. ⚠️ Our team is working hard to resolve it. For issues unrelated to [product name], please leave your message below and we will respond within the next 24 hours. Thank you for your patience.”

17. "Hello there! We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties with our website. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We are doing everything we can to fix the issue right now. We will notify you when the problem is resolved. Thank you for your understanding."

Greeting messages for out-of-office usage

When business hours are over and there is nobody in the office to answer incoming WhatsApp messages, your customers may have to bridge some time before getting a reply. There are multiple ways to tackle this.

Send to homepage

18. "Thank you for your message! We are currently out of the office, but we will get back to you first thing in the morning."

For more information, please head over to our website: www.trengo.com ."

Reply with your business hours

19. "Thanks for getting in touch with us. We're currently unavailable, but we'll get back to you during our business hours: [your business hours]. In the meantime, feel free to check out our website [your website] for more information about our products and services."

At Trengo, we use the following out of office greeting:

20. " Thanks for contacting Trengo!

We'd love to help, but we're *currently closed* 🕦 (See our schedule at trengo.com/businesshours). We'll come back to you the next working day ⏰.

In the meantime, did you know we have a Help Center at help.trengo.com that answers our most frequently asked questions? Perhaps you’ll find your answer without the help of our agents .

Team Trengo"

As you can see, we also incorporate our help center and give customers a clear reason why we can't respond right away.

greeting message

Collect a lead

21. "Hey there! Sorry, we are currently not able to respond to your message. Please leave your name and email address, and we will get back to you within 24 hours. Team Trengo."

Using WhatsApp is a valuable way to get leads, even when you are out of office. Ask the potential customer to leave their contact information and you can get back to them the next day.

business trip greeting

Use quick replies to answer FAQs

A WhatsApp Business quick reply is a templated message that you can easily search, edit, and send to your customer. They are often used by customer service agents to answer frequently asked questions.

Quick replies can include greeting messages, business opening hours, return policies, and more. As long as you reply to a message within 24 hours, you don't need to get anything approved by WhatsApp. You can store up to 50 quick replies at a time.

Here’s a quick reply example for return policy:

business trip greeting

WhatsApp Business message templates

As I already mentioned earlier, WhatsApp Business welcome messages are the messages that you can automatically send once a person messages you on WhatsApp Business. If you would like to proactively get in contact with your customers, you should look into using WhatsApp Business message templates.

My colleague Luuk wrote an insightful blog about WhatsApp Business message templates, which you can read here .

Provide the best customer experience via WhatsApp Business

With Trengo, our smart customer engagement platform, you can provide the best possible customer experience via WhatsApp Business. It allows you to receive WhatsApp messages together with all your other channels in one inbox (such as email, voice, and live chat), use WhatsApp Business with multiple users , create your own WhatsApp chatbot , and more.

Get started with greeting messages for WhatsApp

The first message a customer receives on WhatsApp is a greeting message. This sets the tone for the rest of the conversation. A well-crafted greeting message can make customers feel welcome and valued, creating a positive customer experience.

Ready to start sending greeting messages to your customers on WhatsApp?  You can start a free trial for 14 days here . 🚀

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business trip greeting

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business trip greeting

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  • Knowledge Base
  • Effective communication
  • How to Start an Email | 10 Greetings & Opening Lines

How to Start an Email | 10 Greetings & Opening Lines

Published on December 22, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 26, 2023.

Sending good emails is an important skill in academic and professional contexts. It’s essential to start your emails on the right foot with an appropriate greeting and an engaging opening line .

Below, we explore how to start an email, providing five professional greetings and five strong opening lines that you can use in your correspondence. We also explain the contexts where each one would be an appropriate choice.

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Table of contents

5 strong greetings (salutations), 5 good opening lines, how not to start an email, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

For your email’s greeting (also called a salutation ), you don’t need to do anything fancy. Keep it simple and choose one of the tried and tested greetings below based on the context and the level of formality you’re aiming for.

1. Dear [full name],

Greeting the recipient by their full name is best when you haven’t previously interacted with them.

Use “Dear,” not the less formal greetings “Hello” and “Hi,” alongside someone’s full name to avoid creating a jarring combination of different levels of formality. Also avoid using this option if you’ve interacted with the person previously, as it comes across as overly stiff.

2. Dear [title and last name],

Using an abbreviated title (such as “Ms.” or “Dr.”) followed by the person’s last name is another way of greeting someone formally. This can be a good option to show respect to a superior in some context—for example, when writing to your professor at university. It’s also a formal way of addressing someone you’ve never interacted with before.

Use of titles like this is often considered somewhat old-fashioned, though. As such, it’s best saved for contexts in which you haven’t interacted with the person before or want to show a special level of respect.

3. Hi [first name],

People sometimes assume that all emails sent in a professional context need to be formal in tone, but this isn’t the case in most workplaces today. If you’ve had some previous interaction with a person, it’s normally fine to just greet them by their first name, preceded by “Hi,” “Hello,” or the slightly more formal “Dear.”

This kind of informal greeting is not appropriate in all contexts. If you’re applying for a job or contacting someone you don’t know, it’s best to go for something more formal. This kind of greeting is sometimes used in marketing emails, but some might find it presumptuous —always consider your target audience.

4. Dear [team, department, or job title],

When your email is addressed to someone whose name you don’t know, to a group of people, or to an organization or department, using alternative names is an appropriate choice: the person’s job title, the name of the team, or (in a more familiar context) something more generic like “team” or “everyone.”

Do this only when you have a good reason to. If you’re writing to an individual whose name you know or can reasonably find out, it’s better to use their name than something generic like a job title.

Sometimes a simple “Hello” or “Hi” is all you need. It’s a good, straightforward choice for a quick message to someone you communicate with frequently and don’t need to show any particular formality with. It lets you get straight to the point.

Though people sometimes choose this greeting when they’re not sure whom they’re writing to, it’s not a good choice in that context, as it can come across as overly blunt. In that situation, try using a job title or department name instead, as suggested above.

Check for common mistakes

Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text.

The opening line of the email itself is where you can catch the reader’s attention, build a rapport, or quickly communicate what you need from them.

1. I’m reaching out …

If you want to get straight to the point but don’t want to sound overly blunt (e.g., “I need you to do x for me by Tuesday”), a phrasing using “I’m reaching out” is a good choice. It avoids wasting your or the reader’s time but still comes across as polite and thoughtful.

However, this opening only really makes sense to begin or resume a conversation, not to continue an ongoing discussion. Use this expression for an unsolicited email, not a direct reply to a previous message.

I’m reaching out to let you know that I won’t be available for any assignments in April.

2. How are you?

A straightforward way too add a friendly personal touch to your email is to simply ask the recipient how they’re doing, how their week is going, what they did at the weekend, or something more specific if you know something about their interests. A generic “How are you?” is good enough but can seem formulaic—try emphasizing it with another sentence.

This kind of question is appropriate in an email to someone you know or work with regularly, but it will appear overfamiliar if sent to someone you’ve had no previous interaction with. Don’t open with this in your first email to someone.

How’s your week going? I took a couple of days off, so I’m still catching up.

3. Thanks for …

If you’re replying to someone directly, or following up on a previous discussion, one way to build a positive interaction is to thank them for their previous contribution. This could be for some information they gave you, something they did for you, or just taking the time to talk to you.

This opening obviously only makes sense if the person has done something for you. You could try thanking someone for opening your email in the first place, but it’s likely to come across as patronizing.

I appreciate your quick response. Regarding the invoice, …

4. I hope you …

Simply wishing the recipient well is a good way to start an email in a friendly way. Rather than the generic “ Hope you’re doing well ” or the slightly stiff “ I hope this email finds you well ,” try a more specific phrasing to emphasize the sincerity of your wishes.

Hope you had a good time on vacation!

5. We met at …

When writing to someone you don’t know well but with whom you’ve had some previous interaction, or with whom you have a mutual connection, it’s a good idea to start by explaining that connection or reminding them where you’ve previously met.

If that introduction involves mentioning a mutual connection, make sure you have their permission to do so.

Maybe you remember me from your first weekly meeting, but we didn’t get the chance to speak much at the time. I’m reaching out to …

There are many valid ways to start an email, but there are also a few common pitfalls to avoid.

Overly impersonal greeting

Greetings like “ Dear Sir or Madam ” and “ To Whom It May Concern ” are best avoided whenever possible. Besides sounding quite old-fashioned, they show the recipient that you’re not sure exactly whom you’re contacting. Always address the recipient by name if you can find it out; use something like a job title if not.

No greeting at all

Starting an email without any sort of greeting line is rarely appropriate in a professional context. While you might sometimes skip the greeting in personal emails to someone you know well, in a work email you should always have some kind of greeting, whether formal (e.g., “Dear Ms. Aoki”) or casual (e.g., “Hi John”).

Redundant opening

Consider whether your opening really adds anything of value or just wastes the reader’s time. Statements announcing what you’re going to do next in the email are usually unnecessary. Try cutting them out entirely.

  • Let me introduce myself. My name is …
  • I know you’re very busy, but do you have time to help me with something? I was wondering …
  • Could you possibly do me a favor? I’d like to …

If you want to know more about commonly confused words , definitions , and differences between US and UK spellings , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

Confused words

  • Affect vs effect
  • Further vs farther
  • Loose vs lose
  • Whose vs who’s

Definitions

  • Bear with me
  • Presumptuous

US vs. UK spellings

  • Burned or burnt
  • Canceled or cancelled
  • Dreamt or dreamed
  • Gray or grey
  • Theater vs theatre

You should start a professional email with a greeting and the name and title of the recipient (e.g., “Dear Mr. Walken”). Then, you should include an introductory line like I hope this email finds you well , followed by the body of the email.

For less formal emails, you can use a more casual introductory line like I hope you’re doing well .

Miss is a title for an unmarried woman or girl, especially one under the age of about 30 (e.g., “Miss Jones”). It cannot be used for a married woman. It is sometimes seen as slightly old-fashioned, since it defines the woman by her marital status.

Ms. is a title for a woman whose marital status is unknown, for an older unmarried woman, or for any woman in a context where you don’t want to emphasize the woman’s marital status. It’s intended to be neutral, in that it can be used for married and unmarried women alike—much like “Mr.” can be used for married and unmarried men.

Some synonyms and phrases related to I hope this email finds you well include:

  • It is a pleasure connecting with you again
  • I hope you are doing well
  • I hope you are having a productive week

Cite this Scribbr article

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Caulfield, J. (2023, June 26). How to Start an Email | 10 Greetings & Opening Lines. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/effective-communication/start-an-email/

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business trip greeting

10 Best WhatsApp Business Greeting Message Examples in 2024

Imagine two scenarios: You sign up for the WhatsApp newsletter or notifications from two similar brands. One of them sends you a warm welcome message telling you to contact them if you need help, invites you to follow them on Instagram and even offers a welcome discount. 

And another brand doesn't reach out instantly but sends a promotional message shouting about their new launch a few weeks after you signed up. 

Which brand will you connect with more or remember when it's time to make a purchase? And which one will you mark spam because you don't remember signing up for any messages?

I bet it's going to be brand #2. That's the power of a welcome message. And we are here to uncover more about the power called welcome messages. 

We'll explore what are welcome messages anyway? Why are they essential for your business?

Here are 10 examples to inspire & how you can setup up your welcome messages (without invoking any gods or involving techies to sort things for you!).

What is a WhatsApp Greeting Message? 

Also called WhatsApp Welcome Message, it is a customizable, automated message that’s sent to your leads or customers when they first message you or whenever they message you after 14 days of inactivity in their chat with you. 

Here's an example of a welcome message sent by an ecommerce brand.

business trip greeting

It warmly welcomes you & re-iterates why you chose their brand (to stay fit & healthy). There's a link to their Instagram page for further engagement on social media. The use of emojis lends it an informal & casual feel. 

Why Are WhatsApp Welcome Messages Important? 

Build a connection with your customers .

Greeting messages can establish a good first impression. They let the customers know your personality & if done well, they can be enough to help you convert leads into customers.

A welcome message on WhatsApp is the same as a “Can I help you?” that you hear when you enter your favourite store or restaurant. Even if no help is needed, you feel valued and taken care of. 

If we take an idea from the 

Acknowledge the receipt of a message

A welcome message helps people know that their message has been received, and they can expect further help. It opens up a channel of communication with the customer & they are not left hanging on thinking whether you are available on WhatsApp or not. 

In the example below, we can see that the message confirms the opt-in and informs how to stop receiving messages from the brand. This builds trust that the brand will not force you to receive messages. It also helps reduce spam complaints. 

business trip greeting

Inform customers about next steps

Like the one shown in the image below, WhatsApp welcome messages can help guide first-time website visitors on what steps they should take next. It has clear CTAs that prompt you to tap and engage in further conversation. 

business trip greeting

Automate connecting with new subscribers

You can create your WhatsApp greeting message once & setup it up to trigger instantly whenever a new contact messages your business.

This allows you to connect with your customers (or potential customers) even when you are not online & might be surfing in Sri Lanka or taking care of the strategic needs of your business.  

To create such automations, you will need to use WhatsApp Business App. Alternatively, you can use WhatsApp Business API and a compatible platform that can converse with the API.

DelightChat is one such platform that lets you send WhatsApp welcome messages using the official API.

We'll explore how to send welcome messages using both options. 

Before we go onto execution, let's see some examples that can help you get ideas for your welcome message. 

10 Examples of Greeting Messages for WhatsApp 

General greeting message.

When you need to send a subtle message just to say hello, sound friendly and build a connection, here's a template you can use: 

Welcome to <Brand Name>. We are glad you chose us to <What your brand does>.

If you need to order <what you sell>, here's our website: <website link>.

Let's connect on Instagram for some fun: <Instagram link> 

Team <Brand Name>  

'Educate about your brand' Welcome Message 

WhatsApp messages have a high open rate since subscribers expect to receive a message when they connect with a new business or are curious to know more. Here's a template you can use to talk about your brand in a welcome message. 

I'm Greta from <Brand Name>. Welcome to <Brand Name> where we <what your brand does>. 

Here's why our customers love us:

- We promote sustainable fashion.

- Our designs don't go out of trend & can be worn for years. 

- Our friendly support will make sure you have a great buying experience. 

We have 850 brands on our website to choose from. I am sure you'll find something that suits you.

Ready to order? Visit our website: <website link>

Customer Support Welcome Messages 

If you have a WhatsApp account dedicated to customer support, you can create a message tailored for people waiting to resolve a query. 

We've received your query. One of our team members will get back to you within the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, you can go through our FAQ section here - <insert a link to FAQs> to find a quick resolution. 

Support Team at <Brand Name> 

'There's an Outage' Auto Message

If there's an outage in services and you expect many new people to contact the support team during that time, you can create a message to inform the same and take it out when services are back again. 

Thank you for contacting us. Currently, we are facing technical issues with our customer support system. Our engineers are working hard to resolve it & we'll get back to you once things are resolved. 

Meanwhile, you can go through our FAQ section here - <insert a link to FAQs> to find a quick resolution. Thank you for your patience.

Kind Regards, 

'Away' Welcome Messages

Welcome to <brand name>. We’d love to respond to your query right away, but our team of shopping experts are currently away.

Our working hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm IST. Rest assured, one of our team members will be in touch with you soon. 

Did you know we have a help section that answers questions that we get asked very often? Check it out here - <link>

Meanwhile, here's a collection of our bestsellers to help you find the perfect outfit for any occasion - <link> 

Kind regards,

Team <brand name> 

This template was inspired by the actual message we received from 91Springboard when we contacted them over the weekend. See it in action: 

business trip greeting

'Order Confirmation' Welcome Message

You can ask customers to opt-in for your WhatsApp messages during the checkout process. If they agree to receive notifications on WhatsApp, here's a message you can use: 

We've received your order. Your Order ID is <insert order ID> 

Once your package ships, we will send you a message with a tracking number and link to track it. 

If you have any questions, drop us a note. We are here to help!

Returns: If you would like to return your product(s), please see the return policy here <link> 

P.S. You may love these too: <link to other products> 

Team <Brand Name>

'Deliver welcome discount' Message

When you promise a discount for signing up for your WhatsApp messages, you should deliver that in your welcome message & not wait to send a separate message for that. 

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter on WhatsApp.

As promised, here's your 10% discount code to shop any item on the website -- HAPPYFACE10. No minimum purchase is required. This discount code is valid for the next 6 months. 

CTA Button: Order Now 

'Collect more information' Welcome Message 

Sorry, we are currently not able to respond to your message. Please leave your name and email address, and we will get back to you within 24 hours. 

~Team <Brand Name>

'Engage a lead' Welcome Message 

If you've received a lead on your website and you want to see if they are a potential customer or not quickly, offer a free sample and ask for the confirmation in the welcome message itself. 

Welcome to <brand name>. 

Want a free sample of <product name>? Tap on the yes button to confirm. Tap No if you don't want it. No hard feelings. 

Quick Reply Button 1: Yes, please!

Quick Reply Button 2: No, thanks!

'Next Steps'  Welcome Message

As mentioned before, a welcome message is more than just a 'hello.' It should further the conversation with the leads. To do that, you can include multiple CTAs or an automated chatbot with a welcome message as part of that. 

How can we help you today?

Tap on the buttons below according to your query. It will help us assign the right people to help you out. 

<Quick Reply Button 1>

<Quick Reply Button 2>

<Quick Reply Button 3>

Here's are examples of messages with next steps as CTAs & next steps through chatbot: 

business trip greeting

Now that you have some ideas to craft your welcome message, let's see how to put that to action using WhatsApp Business App & API.

Read more:  Examples of Promotional WhatsApp Messages to help grow your brand and increase sales.

How to Send a Welcome Message Using WhatsApp Business App 

The welcome message setup with the Business app is straightforward. 

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app & click the three dots on the top right of the app screen.

2. Go to Business tools > Greeting message.

3. Enable the 'Send greeting message.'

4. Tap 'Greeting message', edit your message tap 'OK'  to save the message

5. Tap 'Recipients' and select from the options available: 

  • Everyone (send to everyone who messages you)
  • Everyone not in the address book (send to customers who aren't in your address book)
  • Everyone except (send to all customers except those you select)
  • Only send to (send only to select customers)

How to Send a Greeting Message with WhatsApp Business API

When using WhatsApp API instead of WhatsApp Business app , you need a compatible software that can interface with the API and allow you to create automations, such as a custom greeting message.

DelightChat is a software that helps you connects to WhatsApp API. If you don't have it, the team can help you get it quickly. 

Sign up for DelightChat and apply for WhatsApp API. Our team will take you through the entire process till you are ready to go.

Go to Settings > Automation Rules to set up your custom greeting message for WhatsApp.

business trip greeting

The specific steps to configure the automation rule are explained in our help article - How to automatically reply to a WhatsApp message - which will help you get set up in 2 minutes.

The end result will look exactly like the message that you type here.

business trip greeting

Here's the greeting message when someone messages our WhatsApp API phone number. 

business trip greeting

Manage WhatsApp Support + Marketing with DelightChat

The engagement on WhatsApp is off the charts compared to most other channels. Users are active because they know who they receive messages from and can decide who to connect with or block out. So if you are on the contact list for a user, expect great open rates and a lot of engagement.

But as the number of customer messages increases, you have to add multiple team members to support your WhatsApp customers. And if you’ve grown beyond the 2-3 member team size it’s recommended you opt for a shared WhatsApp business inbox .

There are multiple benefits of using the shared inbox:

  • Merge all your WhatsApp conversations in one place
  • Easily assign conversations to team members and keep track of who is in charge
  • Set up auto-responders, automatically reply based on keywords in your customer's message
  • Send broadcasts DelightChat's WhatsApp marketing software , powered by Official API

DelightChat is an omnichannel shared inbox that combines all your support channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, FB, Emails & Live Chat from a single screen.

We also offer a full WhatsApp Marketing suite, through which you can send WhatsApp Broadcasts to your customer lists the using Official API and grow your revenues.

We will also help you get access to WhatsApp API and even make a free Green Tick application to Meta for your brand.

Try DelightChat free for 14-days and find out if it's the right tool for your business.

Continue reading

5 shopify apps that boosts sales of a new product, whatsapp business customer segmentation: a guide to better marketing roi [2024], whatsapp newsletters: a comprehensive guide to creating, sending, and utilizing them for business growth.

business trip greeting

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  • 25 Super-effective Voicemail Greeting Scripts for Your Business

voicemail greeting scripts

You may try your best to avoid missed calls. 

Still, for some reason, you may not always be available.

So, you can let your phone ring… and ring… and ring…

(which might annoy the caller)

Or, you can try this:

Leave a voicemail.

Surprisingly, 80% of calls go to voicemail . 

That can prove costly for businesses.

For instance, 411 Locals, an internet advertising company based out of Las Vegas, NV monitored phone calls of 85 businesses for 30 days .

They observed nearly 24% of inbound inquiries got no response at all.

business trip greeting

That means, almost 1 in 4 calls remain unattended .

if you don’t respond to 3 out of 4 companies that contact you, you’re losing revenue.

However, to maintain a healthy professional relationship, you must let your clients and business partners know that you aren’t available at the moment and will get back to them as soon as possible.

This is where voicemail greetings help.

We’ve compiled 25 voicemail greeting scripts to help you set up your own.

We’ve also included audio recordings after each voicemail script – allowing you to listen to how it should sound when you send that voicemail. You can also use an AI voice generator tool to generate realistic voices for voicemail.

Let’s get started.

In this article: What is a voicemail? What is a voicemail greeting? 25 voicemail scripts you can start using right away >> Company-wide / department-wide voicemail greetings >> After normal working hours voicemails >> Holiday voicemail greetings >> Voicemail greetings for your work phone (unavailable/out-of-office) Best practices for sending voicemails How does LeadSquared help capture voicemails as leads?

What is a voicemail?

A voicemail is a digitally recorded message left by a caller when the recipient isn’t available to attend the call. The intended recipient can retrieve the message through phone, email, or other communication devices.

What is a voicemail greeting?

A voicemail greeting is a recording to inform clients and business partners that you are not available to receive their call.

While not mandatory, it is a good practice to include your name and job title in the voicemail greeting. It ensures the caller that they’ve dialed the right recipient.

In your voicemail greeting, let your clients and prospects know why you are unavailable.

Let’s check out some amazing voicemail scripts.

25 Super-effective Voicemail Scripts

Company-wide or department-wide voicemails.

If you have shared your company number on your website or social media, you should also set up voicemail on these numbers.

Any contact number which will get inbound phone calls needs a voicemail setup, especially if you are a small business using a VoIP system .

Especially for customer support numbers, voicemail is indispensable and should be taken seriously. For other departments, such as sales and HR, you have some wiggle-room.

1. Voicemail greetings for when the line is busy

The following voicemail script is a simple greeting for your primary business line. If you are unsure of what to say, this can be a good starting point. It is a short recording that ensures that you will reach back.  

“Hi! Thank you for calling [company name] . We are currently unavailable. Leave us a message and we will get back to you asap. Have a great day.”

2. Voicemail script asking the purpose of the call

This voicemail comes with a call to action, asking your callers to leave their contact information.

With this script, clients and prospects are more likely to tell the reason for their call. You can then determine when you will call them back.

“Hi! Thank you for calling [Company Name]. We will be happy to help, but right now, we are on the line with another client. Please leave your name, contact number, and the reason for your call today. We will call you back as soon as possible. Thanks!”

3. Voicemail script asking for a time to callback

This one is a more consumer-facing voicemail greeting where you ask for a convenient time. This template is great for smaller companies who can afford to call back their customers at a time they provide.

“Hello! You have reached [Company Name]. We are busy right now, but we will call you back. Let us know your name, contact number, reason for your call today, and when would be a good time to call you back. Hope to talk to you again soon!”

4. To-the-point voicemail greeting script

The following voicemail is a concise greeting that gets straight to the point. While it may not sound warm and welcoming, it gets the message across. 

“Hello!  Thank you for calling [company name]. We cannot take your call right now. Please leave your name and contact information and we will have a team member call you back in 24 hours.”

5. B2B voicemail script

If your company deals with products or services that require extensive conversations, as with most B2B companies, you need to be flexible with your script.

The following script gives your callers the option to be called back as quickly as possible, or they can choose the timing of their own. 

“Hi! Thanks for reaching out to [Company name] . Unfortunately, we cannot take your call right now. We will call you back as soon as we can. Simply leave us with your name, contact number, and the reason for your call. If you want, you can also share a preferred time when you would like to receive the call.”

6. Voicemail script for a range of service/product

For companies that offer specific products or services, you can directly ask your customers in the voicemail why they called.

For instance, if you run an automotive parts store, you will receive phone calls specifically asking for service or parts availability. 

In such cases, you can let your customers leave their inquiries in voicemail. It will allow you to call back with all the information your caller would need.

“Hi! Thanks for reaching out to [company name] . Unfortunately, we are busy right now. Please leave us with your name, contact information, and your inquiries you may have regarding our [service/product] . We will follow up and answer your questions as soon as we can. Have a great day!”

7. Department-wise voicemail script

This script is a great way to assign a call to the right representative before making the call. It makes sure that nobody needs to spend any extra time on the phone. You can use this voicemail script for customer support or the sales department.

“Thanks for calling [department] at [company name]. All our representatives are currently busy and are unable to take your call. Please leave your name, contact information, and your reason for calling today, so that the right representative can call you back as soon as possible.”

8. Voicemail greeting with a promotional message

You can promote a new product, service, or an offer in your voice mail.

But make sure that it fits the context. 

For instance, if someone calls up the sales department, then this type of script makes sense.

However, this does not go well with the customer support department, where a customer is possibly frustrated or annoyed when they are making the phone call.

“Hi! Thanks for calling [company] ! Are you calling about our new [product, service or offer] ? We, at [company] , are excited about it too. We can’t take your call right now but do leave us your name and number. We will call you as soon as we are free!”

9. Voicemail greeting script guiding the caller in the right direction

This voicemail script can help redirect a lot of customers in the right direction. 

You may receive several calls – generally asking for information. It’s completely fine to redirect such calls to a chat or a webpage and save your time.

However, for those who want to talk directly, keep an option to call them back.

“Hi! You have reached [company] . If you are looking for information on [product or service] , have a look at our Facebook page. For [guides or tutorials] , feel free to check out our channel on YouTube. If you have any other queries, leave us your name and contact number and we will call you as soon as possible.”

10. Voicemail script redirecting caller to other available/active channels

This voicemail script lets your callers know that even though they cannot reach your company by phone, they have other channels available. If it is not an emergency, many people may prefer chats and emails.

“Hi! You have reached [company] . We cannot take your call right now. If you are looking for information on [product or service] , you can go to the support section of our website [URL of official website] and live chat with our representatives. You can also leave an email at [email address] . If you want us to call you back, leave your contact details after the beep.”

Voicemail greetings for after normal working hours calls

Companies get calls even after they have closed for the day. In those cases, you should let your callers know the working hours in the voicemail recording. 

11. After hours voicemail greeting template

This script is a short and simple voicemail for your business. 

Let’s say you run a small business or a store. You have also shared your contact number on your social media profiles.

If you get a lot of calls after your usual working hours, you can use the following voicemail greeting to let your customers know that you aren’t available.

“Hello. Thank you for calling [Company] . We are closed right now, so feel free to leave us your contact information and the reason for your call and we will call you when we open.”

12. I’ll get in touch with you tomorrow voicemail template

This is a simple script for small and medium-sized businesses. You can simply let your callers know that they have tried to reach them after working hours and assure them that you will give them a call on the next business day.

“Thank you for calling [company] . Unfortunately, you reached us during the after-hours. Leave us your name and contact information and we will get in touch with you tomorrow!”

13. Voicemail script informing the working hours

If you have fixed working hours, let your customers know that. You can activate this voicemail when the work hours of your company end.

With the following script, you can also encourage callers to leave their contact information and the reason for calling.

“Hello! Thanks for reaching out to [company name] . We are available to take phone calls from [day of week] to [day of week] , [time of day] to [time of day] . Please leave us your name, contact number, and the reason for your call and we will get back to you as soon as possible.”

Voicemail greetings for the holidays

Customers may call you up on holiday. Some businesses stay open during the holidays, and hence, customers may expect that you are also open. 

Here, you need to manage customer expectations and understand that depending on your business, you may have to deal with emergencies. Having an emergency contact number helps a lot. Here are some sample voicemails for the holidays. 

14. Out-of-office voicemail script for holidays

If your business provides any essential services, have a backup contact number handy. Share that in your voicemail when you are out of the office. 

“Merry Christmas [or another holiday greeting] . Our working hours during the holidays are from [time of day] to [time of day] . If this is an emergency, contact us on [contact number/email] . If not, do leave us your contact information and your reason for calling after the beep. We will get back in touch with you when we are back. Happy holidays!”

15. Change in working hours due to holidays voicemail template

It’s wise to record a voicemail for emergency or backup contact numbers. It is unlikely that customers will have to listen to that recording, but you should provide them the option to leave a message. 

“Thank you for calling [Company]. Our working hours have changed because of the holidays. Please leave a message and a reason for your call and we will call you back as soon as possible.”

16. Holiday voicemail script indicating that you’re not available

When you do not offer any form of emergency services, you can say that you are closed for the holidays, and you will call back when the office reopens. It is always good to leave your calls with an alternative contact, like an email. This way, they can send a message if they wish to.

“Hi, you have reached [company] ! Unfortunately, our office is closed till [date] for the holidays. You can email us at [email id] or leave us your name and contact number after the beep and our team will call you back on the next working day. Enjoy your holiday and thank you for calling [company] !”

Voicemail greetings for your work phone

If you have a work contact number that only you get to use, you should identify yourself in the voicemail greeting. This information allows callers to establish a relationship right from the beginning. Furthermore, it also helps callers ensure that they have called the right person. 

Here are some simple voicemail greetings you can record and use when you cannot take the call. 

17. I cannot take your call right now voicemail script

The following script lets the callers know that you are busy and gives them the option to leave a message if needed. You can further build upon this script based on what you do at work. 

“Hi! You have reached [name] at [company] . Unfortunately, I cannot take your call right now. Please leave your name, contact, and the reason for calling after the beep.”

18. Voicemail script giving an overview of your company

This script is an example of showing what your company does and what role you play at the company. Make sure that you use a tone that matches the target persona of your company. 

“Hi! You have reached [name] at [company] . I’m unavailable right now, as I am probably helping [client’s industry] get [results, such as double their conversion rate, help them find the right vehicle, and so on] . Please leave your contact information so that we can discuss how we can help you too. “

19. Voicemail script asking to email instead

If you are somewhere where you cannot take a call, or if the cellular network is unavailable, or if you are just taking a break from your phone, then you can ask your callers to leave you an email instead. 

“Hello! You have reached [name] at [company] . I cannot take your call right now. If you need a quick reply, then mail me at [email address] . Alternatively, leave your name and number, and I will call you back by tomorrow.”

You may be on vacation, or you can call in sick. For those days, here are some scripts to help you craft that perfect voicemail greeting. 

20. Voicemail script with alternative contact options

If you do not want to disclose why you are not unavailable, the following script is a great option. It provides the callers with alternative contact options and lets them leave a message if they want to talk to you exclusively.

“Hi, you have reached [name and title at the company] . In case of any emergencies, please contact [alternate point of contact] , or leave an email at [email address] . For other queries, leave a message and I will get back to you in [number] working days.”

21. Paternal leave voicemail script

Here is a voicemail script for paternal leaves. If you are going to be out of the office for a prolonged period, it is better to provide a piece of alternate contact information to your callers. 

“Hi, this is [name] from [department, company] . I am currently out on parental leave and will be unavailable till [date] . Please get in touch with [alternate person’s name] at [contact number] or [email address] . Thank you and will see you on [month]. ”

22. On a vacation voicemail script

If you are out on vacation, you can simply let your caller know that. Give them an alternative point of contact when you are away. 

“Hi, you have reached [name] at [company] . I am currently on a vacation till [date] . If you have any inquiries, please get in touch with [alternate person’s name] at [contact number] or [email address] .”

23. Voicemail script when you’re no longer working in the company

If you are leaving the company, you can use this voicemail till someone takes over the number.

“Hi, [name] is no longer working with [company] . Please forward all your future requests to [new person’s name and number] . Thank you!”

24. Holiday voicemail script

No one should have to take work calls during the holidays. Here is a cheerful script that also asks the callers to send an email if they need to. 

“Merry Christmas [or alternative holiday greeting] ! You have reached [name] at [company] . I am out of the office because of the holidays, and I will be back on [date] . If it’s urgent, please drop an email at [email address] . Thank you!”

25. Formal voicemail script for holidays

Here is a more formal voicemail script. Since different people celebrate different holidays, you can skip the wish and mention that you are unavailable.

“Hi! You’ve reached [name] at [company] . I am unavailable from [date] to [date] because of [holiday] . Leave a message and I will get back in touch as soon as possible.”

I hope you found these voicemail greetings helpful. And you must have also noted how they sound when someone receives them.

Feel free to use these scripts to create your own voicemail template.

Before we wrap up, note the following points to make your voicemails more effective.

Key considerations for a voicemail greeting

  • Use a human voiceover or record it yourself: While there are many free text-to-speech software that you can use, a human-touch is always better. Recording the voicemail in your own voice helps the caller recognize you when you call back. Often, you will need to rehearse a few times, maybe even spend a couple of days before you can get the right tone. 
  • Use microphone: Use a microphone to record the voicemail. A microphone and a noise-free environment can give you professional sound recordings. You can even have a sound engineer check the audio. Understand that the audio in phone calls can get heavily distorted depending on network conditions. A good quality recording preserves the information better.
  • Find the right tone: Understand the mood the caller will be in. For example, if you are recording for a customer support phone, the caller is more likely to be annoyed or frustrated. So, adjust your tone accordingly.
  • Get it verified: Be relaxed and try to stay in a pleasant mood while recording your voicemail. Share it with others, such as friends and family members, who can hear it and let you know if the tone is right. Listen to the recording later yourself before you finalize it.
  • Speak coherently: Rehearse the script a couple of times. Speak slowly and coherently. If you have an email address or website in the script, spell it out. 
  • Be concise . Don’t drag your voicemail beyond 20 seconds . 
  • Do respond to the voicemails .

I know, responding to hundreds of callers can be overwhelming.

But the alternative is to ignore them. 

And that’s not good for business. Especially in sales, you never know, the next voicemail could be a business opportunity .

So, how do you manage voicemails?

It’s simple.

Through a CRM software .

Wondering how?

Here’s your answer.

How does LeadSquared help capture voicemails as leads?

LeadSquared is a powerful tool that captures leads from several different sales and marketing channels like voicemails, mailing lists, ads, websites, chatbots, and more.

Whenever someone calls you up on your registered mobile number, a lead is created in the CRM system. Along with the voicemail message, the system captures other details like location, pages visited on the website, ads interacted with, and more. This way, you have more information about the caller than the call itself.

Voicemail lead capture in LeadSquared

You can then distribute the lead to your sales reps or pursue them yourself.

The system also allows automated lead distribution based on your set criteria.

This way, you can reduce the manual work of entering records. Plus, LeadSquared also integrates with many cloud-calling solutions like RingCentral , CallTrackingMetrics , and more. So, to respond to them, you don’t have to dial their number manually.

You can place a call from your CRM platform itself.

Easy, right?

Book a free 30-minute demo below and a sales expert will walk you through the entire process.

Take a demo now!

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Nidhi is a content writer/editor at LeadSquared. She works closely with sales professionals and senior management to bring their outlook into her write-ups. Connect with her on LinkedIn or write to her at [email protected].

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25 Professional Voicemail Greetings to Help You Record the Perfect One

Aja Frost

Published: August 17, 2023

I have a confession to make: I haven't recorded a new voicemail greeting in nearly a decade. Since then, I've (hopefully) become more articulate, poised, and self-assured. But hear my voicemail recording, and you'd think I was still new to the work world, a little unsure of myself — and probably not an authority.

two people recording professional voicemail messages

Obviously, I need to update it. And if you haven't changed your voicemail greeting in over a year, you're likely in the same boat.

Download Now: 25 Sales Voicemail Script Prompts

After all, a professional voicemail recording boosts your credibility, makes you seem more competent, and encourages whoever's listening to it to continue the relationship.

A relatively unprofessional one — like mine, for instance — does the opposite: It encourages prospects, recruiters, and potential connections to run in the other direction.

In this post, I’ll share what makes a good voicemail greeting — and the best voicemail greeting scripts you can use.

Tip: If you’re not sure how to leave a good voicemail, check out the most effective voicemail script ever and how to end a voicemail that keeps the sales conversation open.

What is a good voicemail greeting?

A good voicemail greeting is short and professional, lets people know that you’ll get back to them, and invites callers to continue engaging with a call-to-action. You should also show your personality if you’re in an industry or role that allows that. If your industry is more conservative, however, you’ll want to keep humor and personal touches to a minimum.

What to Say in a Voicemail Greeting

Here’s what you should say in a professional voicemail greeting:

  • Your company
  • A simple explanation for missing the call (e.g. you’re away from the phone or are on holiday)
  • A rough estimate of when you’ll get back to the person
  • An alternative person to reach out to (if you’re out of office )
  • An alternative mode of communication (if you prefer email or text)
  • A call-to-action such as “Leave a message” or “Send me an email at [email protected]

That’s the simple structure of a voicemail greeting. Overall, your greeting should be professional, but the wording can vary depending on the situation. Check out a sample below.

business trip greeting

25 Voicemail Script Templates

25 voicemail script templates for any occasion.

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  • Voicemail Greeting Templates

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out the form to download free voicemail greeting templates.

Voicemail greeting sample.

"Hello, you've reached [name] at [company]. I'm unable to come to the phone right now. Leave your name and number, and I'll return your call as soon as I'm free. Thank you."

Easy, right? And yet why is it so hard?

I’ve got you covered. I’ve compiled some of the best voicemail greetings you can use for virtually any situation you’ll come across.

Voicemail Greetings

  • Sample Work Voicemail Greeting : Hi, you've reached [your name] at [your company]. I'm unavailable right now — probably helping [type of company] get [X results, e.g. ‘double their leads in 60 days,' ‘hire the best and brightest engineers,' ‘convert 40% more customers'].
  • Sample Short Voicemail Greeting : Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you.
  • Sample Business Voicemail Greeting : Hello, you've reached [X company]. We can't take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information, and reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours.
  • Sample Funny Voicemail Greeting : This is Bond. James Bond. Okay, it's really [your last name]. [Your first name] [your last name]. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done helping M16 save the world — which will probably be tomorrow at the latest. Have a good day.
  • Sample Vacation Voicemail Greeting : Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm away from [date] to [date]. If you need help with [X] before then, please contact [name] at [phone number].
  • Sample Holiday Voicemail Greeting : Hello, you've reached [your name, the office of X company]. The team is currently out of the office, but we'll be back on [date] stuffed with good food and eager to speak with you.

Work Voicemail Greetings

These work voicemail greetings are for the work phone that you and only you use. They’re highly effective because they help you establish a relationship straight from the voicemail. Or they help you share an important update in a simple, straightforward way.

1. Sales Results Voicemail Example

"Hi, you've reached [your name] at [your company]. I'm unavailable right now — probably helping [type of company] get [X results, e.g. ‘double their leads in 60 days,' ‘hire the best and brightest engineers,' ‘convert 40% more customers.'] Leave your name and number, and we'll discuss how your company can see similar results."

If you're a salesperson, you can continue your lead nurturing process via your voicemail. In this voicemail script, you have the option to include a brief description of what you help customers do, so that your callers don't forget your value proposition . And even if it's not a sales prospect , it can help wrong callers understand whether they've reached the right person.

2. Email Option Voicemail Example

"Hi, you've reached [name] at [company]. If you need a quick response, please shoot me an email at [insert email address] and I'll be in touch by EOD tomorrow. If it's not urgent, leave me a message with your name and number. Have a great day."

Prefer to be contacted via email? Make that clear in your voice memo so that listeners reach out to you through your email instead. This particular voicemail script makes email even more desirable by implying that it's a faster mode of communication.

3. Alternative Contact Voicemail Message

"Hey, this is [your name]. If you're calling for [X reason], please [contact so-and-so] or [go to our website, send me an email]. For all other inquiries, leave your name and a brief message and I'll call you back within [one, two, three] business day[s]."

Receiving constant calls on behalf of another person, or for routine inquiries, can be a huge time0waster. With this voicemail script, you can provide alternatives to the caller, especially if you get calls for a common reason that you're not responsible for.

4. Parental Leave Voicemail Script

"Hello, you've reached [your name and title]. I'm currently out on parental leave until [date]. In the meantime, please direct all phone calls to [alternate contact name] at [phone number] and emails to [email address]. Thanks, and I'll see you in [month you'll be back in the office]."

Ah, the joy of welcoming a new family member! If you've received parental leave, consider using a voicemail script like the one above, which directs callers to another point of contact. You don't have to be so formal — feel free to customize it as much as you'd like to show your personality.

5. Resignation Voicemail Message

"Hello, [Person's name] is chasing new adventures and is no longer with [Company name]. Please forward all future requests to [New or interim person's name] at [phone number]. Thank you!"

You or someone at your now-former company can use the voicemail script above to direct callers to the best current contact. I like that it includes a friendly note that you're "chasing new adventures" — you can use a similar phrase to convey excitement at your new opportunity.

Short Voicemail Greetings

Your clients don’t have a lot of time, and neither do you. Use the following short voicemail greetings to get to the point quickly and invite them to leave a message.

6. Short Sales Voicemail Greeting

"Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you."

This short voicemail script is particularly apt for salespeople who are often on calls. But you can use it if you're a higher-level employee who's often in and out of meetings, and if you often miss calls for that reason.

7. Short Voicemail Script with Requested Reason

" Hello, this is [your name] at [company]. Thanks for calling. Please leave your name, number, and the reason you'd like to chat, and I'll get back to you ASAP."

If you'd like your voicemail entries to be a little more specific, you can request for the caller to mention the reason for their call. This is a great way to ensure you know why (or even if you should) reach back out to them. You can also use this example as a personal voicemail greeting by removing the "at [company]."

8. Short Classic Voicemail Greeting for Landlines

"Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm unable to come to the phone right now. Leave your name, number, and a short message, and I'll be sure to call back."

This classic voicemail message simply states that you couldn't come to the phone in time to pick up the call — which is particularly useful for landlines, which you don't carry on your person. (If you're creating a voicemail greeting for your cell phone, this one wouldn't quite work, because you usually have your phone on you.) I like that it's simple and to-the point.

9. Short Classic Voicemail Message for Cellphones

"Hey, this is [your name]. Thanks for reaching out. I'm busy at the moment, but if you leave your name, number, and message, I'll return your call.”

Another classic voicemail script, but this time, it's more device-agnostic. All it says is that you're busy at the moment, and asks the caller for their contact information and their message. Simple and easy.

Voicemail Message Example

Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm unable to come to the phone right now. Leave your name, number, and a short message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Business Voicemail Greetings

Are you creating a voicemail greeting for your entire company or team? These business voicemail greetings will do the trick.

10. Front Office Voicemail Script

"Hello, you've reached [X company]. We can't take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information, and reason for reaching out, and one of our team members will be in touch within 24 hours."

This simple voicemail message is a good fit for most businesses. Whether you're a local shop or an enterprise company, this script will courteously take messages if one of your employees didn't pick up the phone.

11. Customer Service Voicemail Script

"Hi, you've reached customer service at [company]. Unfortunately, we're currently unavailable. But we want to help — so please leave your name and number, as well as your reason for calling, and someone will call back ASAP."

If many customers are calling your customer service department, it's possible you might miss a few calls. (This is specially likely if you don't have a call center or call center software .) This voicemail script is ideal for catching the few customers who might miss your team.

12. Business Hours Voicemail Message

"Hi, you've reached [company]. We're available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] Monday through Friday [optional: and from hour to hour on the weekends]. You can also contact us by going to our website, [URL], and live-chatting or emailing us. If you'd like us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the tone."

You can get ahead of frequently asked questions, such as those about your business hours and website, by including that information in your voicemail greeting, like in the example above. This script also provides an alternative mode of communication for your team.

13. "For More Information" Voicemail Script

"Hello, you've reached [company]. If you're looking for information on [X], please check out our [Facebook page, company website, etc.] If you want to know more about [Y], take a look at [Z page on our site, our YouTube channel, etc.] Still have more questions, or just want to chat with our team? Leave your name and number, and we'll return your call straight away."

Like the previous example, this voicemail greeting gives the listener several pieces of information that are often requested from your team. That not only saves you time, but also makes for a more comfortable and seamless experience for your callers.

14. Sales Team Voicemail Greeting

"Hello, you've reached the Sales Department at [Company name]. All of our representatives are currently helping clients [insert goal such as, 'achieve 40% growth through streamlining HR operations'] and are unable to take your call. Please leave your name, company, and phone number and we'll give you a call back ASAP. Thank you!"

I love this sales team voicemail script for two reasons: It once again repeats the company's value proposition, and it implies the team is busy with other clients, signaling that the product is coveted.

Featured Resource: Free Voicemail Greeting Templates

sales-voicemailtemplates

Funny Voicemail Greetings

A word of warning: These greetings will not do you any favors if you're in the midst of a job hunt or work in a conservative industry. Always remember your target personas. If there's a chance they won't appreciate your sense of humor, opt for a straightforward greeting instead.

15. James Bond Funny Voicemail Greeting

"This is Bond. James Bond. Okay, it's really [your last name]. [Your first name] [your last name]. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done helping M16 save the world — which will probably be tomorrow at the latest. Have a good day."

This one is self-explanatory — adapt James Bond's famous greeting for your own use, and you've got a charming voicemail message that will get at least a smile out of your caller.

16. Harry Potter Funny Voicemail Script

"Hmm. Gryffindor … No, Ravenclaw. Yes, you definitely belong in Ravenclaw. *Pause.* Okay, you haven't reached the Sorting Hat — it's the voicemail of [your name]. Please leave your name and number (and just for fun, the Harry Potter house you think you belong in) and I'll return your call as soon as possible."

Recommended for Millennials and older Gen Zs, this voicemail script references one of the most beloved young adult series of all time. Plus, you're bound to get some interesting answers from your callers. I wouldn't recommend this one if you primarily interact with older and younger generations who may not understand this reference.

17. Chicken-and-Egg Funny Voicemail Message

"Hello! You've gotten the voicemail of [your name]. Leave your name, contact info, and the answer to the eternal question ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?' Anyone who gets it right will receive a call back."

This cute voicemail greeting asks a classic question for listeners to answer: " Which came first, the chicken or the egg?' You may not get satisfactory answers — or, alternatively, you may get a long and elaborate explanation. Stay prepared.

Vacation Voicemail Greetings

Out of town? Your callers should know. Let them know with the following vacation voicemail greetings.

18. Classic Vacation Voicemail Greeting

"Hi, you've reached [your name]. I'm away from [date] to [date]. If you need help with [X] before then, please contact [name] at [phone number]. Everyone else, please leave your name and number and I'll return your call when I return. Thanks and have a great day."

There's nothing wrong with keeping it simple. This voicemail greeting template can be adjusted for any sort of professional — even if you're in a more "casual" environment, such as a startup.

19. Adventurous Vacation Voicemail Message

"Hello, you've reached [your name]. I'm currently [exploring Asia, hiking through the jungle in Costa Rica, hanging out on the beach in Bermuda] — or more likely, [recovering from extreme jet lag, googling ‘Are red spiders poisonous,' or looking for SPF 150 sunscreen] and won't be back in the office until [date]. Leave your contact info and reason for calling and I'll get in touch then."

If you'd like to inject a bit of humor into your vacation voicemail message, you can customize the example above for that purpose. Share your adventures with the listener, and be sure to include your return date.

20. Short Vacation Voicemail Script

"Hey there, this is [your name] from [your company]. I'm out of the office until [date]. In the meantime, please direct your inquiries to [coworker's name] at [email address]. They can also be reached at [phone number]. Thank you."

This vacation voicemail message hits all the right notes: It introduces you, states your vacation dates, and provides an alternate point of contact (with two ways of reaching out!). Simple, easy, and polite.

Holiday Voicemail Greetings

No one should be calling during the holidays, and yet some people do. When you’re out for the holidays, create a voicemail greeting that communicates the cheerfulness of the season while still staying professional.

21. Office-Wide Holiday Voicemail Script

"Hello, you've reached [your name, the office of X company]. The team is currently out of the office, but we'll be back on [date] stuffed with good food and eager to speak with you. Leave your name, number, and — if you're so inclined — your favorite [holiday dish, Thanksgiving tradition, etc.]"

This friendly office-wide voicemail script not only informs your listeners when you plan to return, but also includes space for a holiday-specific prompt. A voicemail greeting can feel impersonal, but this one fosters some connection.

22. Personal Holiday Voicemail Greeting

"Hi, you've reached [your name, the office of X company]. We're closed until [date]. Please leave your name and phone number and someone will return your call ASAP. Have a great [New Year's, Fourth of July, etc.]."

Want to keep it brief? This individual voicemail greening can be used for either the front-desk representative at your company, or for your work phone. I specially like the sign-off, which wishes the listener a happy holiday.

23. Emergency Contact Voicemail Message

"Happy holidays! [I'm, the team at X company is] away until [date]. We'll make sure to call you back straight away when we return. If your request is urgent, email [emergency contact] at [email address]. Thanks, and have a wonderful day."

Sometimes, you might want to provide a contact for callers to reach out to in case of an emergency. This voicemail script includes space to do just that, and is courteous and friendly, too.

24. Simple Holiday Voicemail Greeting

"Thank you for calling [company]. We're closed for [holiday] from [date] until [date]. Please leave your message and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a happy holiday season!"

Want to keep it simple? This voicemail greeting script thanks the caller, informs them when the office will be closed, and wishes the listener a happy holiday. Can't get much simpler than that.

25. One-Day Holiday Voicemail Message

"Hello! Thanks for reaching out to [company]. We're closed today for the holiday, and will reopen tomorrow. If you leave your name, number, and a brief message, we'll give you a call when we're back in the office. Thanks again, and have a great day."

Is your entire company or team taking a single day off for a holiday? This voicemail greeting script is perfect for one-offs such as Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or MLK Day.

Create a Professional Voicemail Greeting that Keeps the Conversation Going

Creating a voicemail greeting might not be fun, but with the scripts I’ve shared, you should have an easier time. No need to practice time and time again — simply plug in your name, company title, and other details, then read it out loud to your phone’s voicemail greeting recorder. With a professional greeting, you’ll continue nurturing prospects even if you don’t pick up the phone.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Equip your sales team with these voicemail scripts for any occasion.

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Business Voicemail Template Examples

Business voicemail greeting template examples

As a business owner, missing business can be detrimental to your success. Luckily, though, there are tools out there to help you capture and nurture every potential lead.

Here at Broadly,  we created easy-to-use tools that make it simple to communicate with your new leads— try Broadly’s web chat , lead central , and mobile app  to make your life as a business owner more manageable online. Just as capturing these online leads is important, so is capturing the potential leads that happen offline.

For local business owners, having a professional voicemail greeting can be a big help when potential leads call your company. A missed call means a missed opportunity and we know that modern consumers demand convenience. You want to ensure that even if they get to your voicemail, they can get a response ASAP.

If you’re wondering how to craft an effective business voicemail greeting that collects and nurtures leads, we can help you do so. But first, let’s take a look at some facts and figures surrounding voicemails and business.

  • Leaving a scripted voicemail can improve lead response rates anywhere from 3% to 22%. ( Source )
  • 70% of local searches online result in a phone call
  • In 2014, 80% of callers sent to voicemail said they do not leave messages because they don’t think they’ll even be heard .

If you want your voicemail greeting to work for you and not against you, it’s important to pay attention to the details.

How To Make Professional Business Voicemail Greetings

How to make professional business voicemail greetings

A great business voicemail greeting will inspire your customer to leave a message  rather than hang up, or get them to go somewhere else where they can get a more immediate response from your business. Since you only have those few seconds to make a great first impression, be sure to follow some of these crucial do’s and don’ts of professional voicemails.

  • DON’T begin your greeting with the overused phrase, “Your call is very important to us…” It’s over-done and a turn-off to callers.
  • DON’T leave out important information. Mention hours of operation, contact information, and your company name. Additionally, you can use your voicemail greeting to clear up common misconceptions about your business (i.e. “You’ve reached the Los Angeles location. If you’re trying to reach our San Diego location, please dial XXX-XXXX.”)
  • DON’T keep your caller on the phone for longer than 27 seconds—short and sweet is the way to do it.
  • DO have a positive,  warm tone. Smile when you’re recording your voicemail, it shows through in your voice, and customers will notice.
  • DO apologize for missing the call and invite the caller to leave a brief message.
  • DO get creative. Customers are over the staleness—show off your brand’s voice with a greeting that’s true to your company and memorable.
  • DO ask for details. If you need the caller to list their name, phone number, email and other details,  be sure to ask  in the voicemail. Otherwise, you’re missing the whole point!
  • DO confirm when and how you will be contacting the caller after you’ve received their message. Even better, tell them how often you check messages so they can feel confident that they’ll receive an answer.
  • DO provide any other helpful resources. Perhaps your website has booking software, a contact form, Web Chat where they can be answered immediately or FAQs listed.

Do provide them how they can best contact you. Often voicemail can be a slow-to-respond platform. We recommend setting up Web Chat  on your website and setting up someone to respond as often as possible, even during off hours.

Business voicemail greeting examples

Coming up with a good business voicemail greeting can be trickier than coming up with a personal voicemail greeting. Take some cues from the below to ensure callers leave a voicemail message after listening to your greeting. Additionally, consider writing a voicemail script to ensure you don’t leave out anything when recording.

Sample Voicemail Greeting Text Examples

Sample voicemail greeting text examples

  • “Hi, you’ve reached [company]. Sorry, we missed you! We’re available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] on [days]. If you need to book an appointment, you can do so online by visiting our website at [URL] and clicking the “Book” tab. If you have questions, we have a 24/7 live chat on the site where one of our employees  will be able to further assist you. If you’d like us to call you back, please leave your name and number, and we’ll return the call within 48 business hours. Thank you!”
  • “Hi, you’ve reached the [location] of [company]. If you’re looking for [other location], please call them at [XXX-XXXX]. If you’ve reached the right location and need information on [Y], please check out our [Facebook Page, website, etc.]. If you want to know more about [Z], take a look at [page on the website]. Still, have questions, or just want to hear our lovely voices? Please leave your name and phone number, and we’ll return your call as soon as we can—we check messages every morning. Thanks, and have a great day!”
  • “Hi, this is [your name] at [company]. Unfortunately, we must be out finding more solutions for your hair emergencies [tailor this to your services/industry]. But we want to talk to you, so please leave your name and number, the reason why you’re calling, and someone will call back ASAP. Otherwise, you can book your next appointment online at [website]. Have a great hair day!”

Vacation Business Voicemail Example Templates

Vacation business voicemail example templates

As a small business, it’s not uncommon for the whole business to go on vacation, especially if you are the sole service provider. If this is the case for your company, or if you get a lot of business calls on your personal phone, it is wise to let potential customers know. Communication is key when nurturing leads and keeping current customers, so keep them in the loop! Creativity can play a bigger role in these voicemail greetings, so don’t be afraid to throw some personality in there. Here are some vacation voicemail greeting examples you can use next time you take some much-needed time off.

  • “Hi, you’ve reached [your name] at [company]. I’m currently [exploring the tundra, relaxing on a beach in the Bahamas, etc] — or, more likely, [recovering from jet lag, Googling ‘how to pack light,’ or looking for SPF 100 sunscreen] and won’t be back in the office until [date]. Please leave your contact info and reason for calling, and I’ll get in touch when I’m back. Thank you!”
  • “Hello, this is [your name], owner of [your company]. I’m out of the office until [date]. In the meantime, you can direct your inquiries to [coworker] at [email address]. [He, she] can also be reached at [phone number]. Additionally, for questions about [X], you can check out [website]. Thanks for your business!”

Holiday business voicemail greeting examples

Just as with vacation out-of-office greetings, holiday voicemail greetings can also show off some creativity and personality. It’s better to have the caller smiling rather than frowning, right? Try some of these templates next time you’re closed for the holidays.

  • “Happy holidays! [The team at company] is away until [date] so that we can all our enjoy loved ones. However, we’ll make sure to call you back right away when we return, so please leave your name, number, and reason for calling in a voice message. If your request is urgent, please email [emergency contact] at [email address]. Thanks, and have a wonderful holiday.”
  • “Hi, thank you for calling [company]. We’re closed for [holiday] from [date] until [date]. Please leave a brief message with your contact info, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a happy holiday!”

Though a business voicemail greeting is often an afterthought for small businesses, if it is utilized correctly, you can greatly increase the customer experience  and even secure new leads from it. Putting just a bit of extra thought into your greeting can go a long way, and the tips and templates outlined above should be very helpful if you are starting from scratch. Plus, when you pair customer communication tools like live web chat  with your greeting, you will never have to lose out on a potential lead again. Happy recording!

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Business Customs

Guatemala, with a population of over 17.4 million, has the largest economy of Central America and is one of the most important U.S. trading partners in the Caribbean Basin Region. Guatemalan business executives and government officials place great importance on personal contacts with suppliers.  U.S. suppliers should be prepared to have a local representative or distributor, and to travel to Guatemala personally.

Travelers are often surprised by the accessibility of key decision-makers and by the frankness of local buyers.

U.S. executives interested in pursuing business in Guatemala should approach local businesspeople in the same manner that they would approach good clients in the United States.  Exporters should be prepared to explain how their products and services can complement existing products and systems.

The dress code for Guatemala City business appointments depends on the type of meetings planned. For meetings in the city executives should use proper business attire but for meetings in factories, farms or plants, casual attire is recommended.

Although many Guatemalans in the private sector speak and read English, promotional material should be in Spanish and emphasize U.S. origin. Guatemalans are extremely receptive to technical presentations that are educational rather than sales oriented.

Travel Advisory

The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provides travel information to U.S. citizens through the Country Information Sheet which is updated annually.

As of June 2022, Guatemala has a Level 3 Travel Advisory in effect recommending that travelers reconsider travel due to crime. Three departments within the country have a Level 4 Travel Advisory, suggesting that travelers do not travel to specific areas within those departments due to crime and safety concerns. A description of the Travel Advisory Levels can be found on the Country Information Sheet.  In addition, the U.S. Embassy regularly shares information with U.S. Citizens in Guatemala through messages that can be accessed through the Alerts and Messages section of the Embassy’s website .

All U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Guatemala are encouraged to register with the Embassy through the online Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) .

Visa requirements

U.S. Citizens do not need to obtain a visa before traveling to Guatemala. Upon entry into Guatemala, visitors are normally granted a temporary stay of 90 days.

Those who wish to remain longer will need to apply to extend their visa with Guatemalan immigration authorities within 90 days of their arrival in Guatemala.

Information about applying for permanent residency or extending a visa in Guatemala can be found at: http://igm.gob.gt/.

U.S. Companies that require travel of foreign businesspersons to the United States should be advised that each traveler will need to apply and qualify separately for a Nonimmigrant Visa.  Visa applicants should go to the following links:

  • State Department Visa Website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
  • U.S. Embassy Guatemala Nonimmigrant Visa Services:    https://gt.usembassy.gov/visas/

U.S. Companies that require travel of foreign businesspersons to the United States are advised that security evaluations are handled via an interagency process. Visa applicants should go to the following link(s):  State Department Visa Website

Currency 

Local currency is the “Quetzal”.  The U.S. Dollar is commonly accepted in tourist transited areas such as artisan markets, certain restaurants, and hotels.  There is a broad presence of ATM machines throughout the Capital City, but they become less available as one travels into the country’s rural areas.  In general, the Capital City, areas where most famous tourist sites are located, and well-established hotels and restaurants will accept international credit cards.  When traveling to the rural areas or smaller towns in Guatemala, it is a recommended practice to bring local cash to purchase artisan products, or food from smaller local vendors.

Telecommunications/Electronics 

Internet access is widely accessible by computers and smartphones.  Hotels offer internet and telephone service, and cell phone systems can be used throughout most of Guatemala. Cell phones must be programmed for roaming in Guatemala; once programmed, calls can be placed to the United States without any problems.  Calls can also be placed through hotel operators or directly with AT&T, MCI, or Sprint calling cards, or collect.  Claro, Tigo, and other international companies compete in the market and provide telecommunications services, including internet.

Transportation

Several airlines offer direct flights to Guatemala from the United States, including American Airlines, Avianca, Delta, JetBlue, United, Frontier and Spirit.  Other airlines operating in Guatemala include COPA, Aeromexico, Iberia and Volaris. There are direct flights between Guatemala and Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, Newark, New York, and Orlando.

Transportation between the airport and hotels is available by hotel shuttle, Uber or taxi. Several rental car companies are represented at Guatemala City’s airport.  However, traffic is often very heavy and chaotic.  Additionally, Guatemala has one of the highest rates of crime in Latin America; therefore, it is recommended that travelers take taxis from the major hotels, or dispatch taxis such as Taxis Amarillos (yellow cabs). Reservations can be made at (502) 2470-1515. (Agents speak only Spanish.)  Uber is also authorized. Public bus transportation is unsafe and is not recommended.  Visitors should only travel between cities during daylight hours, and we recommend contacting the Guatemalan Protection of Tourist Office at (502) 2290-2810 or 1500 for updates on safety issues and possible security escorts for specific routes.

While there are over 22 languages in use in Guatemala, Spanish is the official language.  Many firms are accustomed to working in English; however, correspondence should be in Spanish.  Catalogs and technical literature should be provided with a careful translation.

Medical Facilities and Health Information:  A full range of medical care is available in Guatemala City, but medical care outside the capital is limited.  Guatemala’s public hospitals frequently experience serious shortages of basic medicines and equipment. Care in private hospitals is generally adequate for most common illnesses and injuries, and many of the medical specialists staffing them are U.S.-trained and certified.

Most well-known restaurants in Guatemala serve safe food and beverages. As in any part of the world, common sense should prevail.  Hot food should be eaten hot, and cold food should be cold.  Meat should be well cooked.

Drink 

Bottled drinks are considered safe. Tap water is generally not potable. Commercially available water bottled in Guatemala at the Salvavidas plant has been judged safe for consumption.  Be sure the heat-molded seal on the bottleneck has not been broken.  All reputable restaurants in Guatemala use commercially produced ice that is safe for consumption.  Contrary to notices occasionally posted in some hotels, water from faucets and other non-bottled sources should not be considered safe to drink.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by calling 1-800-232-4636 or visiting CDC’s Internet site at www.cdc.gov/travel/ .  For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad and additional health information for travelers, consult the site of the World Health Organization at https://www.who.int/en .

Medical Insurance

The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their health insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as medical evacuations.  Many hospitals in Guatemala require payment prior to treating patients, even if personal insurance will cover the treatment.  Hospitals do not typically enter into payment plan agreements. Travelers should be aware that they may have to pay in advance and seek reimbursement.

Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays

Guatemala is on Central Standard Time year-round. The country does not observe Daylight Savings Time.  

Business hours are like those in the United States, with typical office hours from 8am to 5pm.  Businesses open to the public, like restaurants and grocery stores, tend to be open later, closing closer to 10pm.

A listing of Guatemalan holidays can be found on the Embassy website.

Temporary Entry of Materials and Personal Belongings

The temporary entry of materials and belongings for personal use while in Guatemala (such as camera equipment, cellular telephones, laptop computers) is generally not a problem.  Larger quantities of products and display systems for participation in trade events or tools and equipment for projects should be imported temporarily with the assistance of a customs broker, or with the help of the event organizer.

Travel Related Web Resources

  • U.S. Department of State Country Specific Information Sheet
  • State Department Visa Information:  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
  • U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs Travel Information:  travel.state.gov
  • Visa Information from the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala: https://gt.usembassy.gov/visas/
  • World Health Organization:  https://www.who.int/en
  • Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish):  www.minex.gob.gt
  • Travel, Immigration, and Customs Information:  https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/know-before-you-visit
  • U.S. Embassy in Guatemala: gt.usembassy.gov
  • INGUAT -Guatemalan Institute of Tourism: https://inguat.gob.gt/index.php
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Hawaiian Words, Phrases & Greetings to Learn Before Your Next Trip 1

35 Hawaiian Words, Phrases & Greetings to Learn Before Your Next Trip

Make sure you know these terms and their meaning before you go to Hawaii

A Brief History of the Hawaiian Language

1. aloha – hello or goodbye, 2. a hui hou – goodbye, until we meet again, 3. mahalo – thank you, 4. ’a’ ole palikir – you’re welcome, 5. ohana – family, 6. keiki – child or children, 7. pono – doing what is right, 8. ha‘aha‘a – humility, 9. lanai – balcony or patio, 10. hula – hawaiian dance, 11. lei – necklace made of flowers, 1. wahine – a polynesian woman or female surfer, 2. kane – man or male, 1. poke – “chunk” or “slice”, 2. pupu – appetizer, 3. ‘ono – delicious, 4. pau – finished, 5. pau hana –, 7. lu’au – a hawaiian cultural feast, 8. spam musubi , 9. waina – wine, 3. kapu – forbidden or “keep out”, 4. moana – ocean, 5. pali – cliff, 6. e hele kāua i ke kahakai – let’s go to the beach, 7. honu – green sea turtle, 1. shaka – pronounced (sha-ka), 1. howzit – how are you, 2. grindz – food, 3. brah – brother, friend, 4. broke da mouth, 5. kanak attack, hawaiianmiles program review, do i need a passport to go to hawaii, hawaiian airlines carry-on policy: everything you need to know, the best hawaiian airlines flight deals.

The state of Hawaii has two official languages (English and Hawaiian) and an unofficial language (Pidgin). If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii soon, your trip will be more impactful if you understand a little history of the language and some of the most common Hawaiian words, Hawaiian sayings, and Hawaiian greetings.

This guide will provide you with some of the most popular terms and sayings you need to know before you head out to the Aloha state.

The Hawaiian language, “ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi”, is a Polynesian-inspired language that closely resembles other South Pacific languages like Tahitian, Marquesan, and Samoan.

It was originally an oral-based language only but developed into a written language as well in the 1820s. The written language is based on 13 English letters, with only 8 consonants and 5 vowels.

There are also two symbols that appear in Hawaiian words – the ‘Okina and the Kahakō.

  • The ʻOkina is a phonemic stop or fast break in the word. An ʻOkina will appear in front of a vowel, but never before another consonant.  It will never be the last letter in a word, but will always appear between letters or at the beginning of a word.
  • The Kahakō is a stress mark that will lengthen and add stress to a vowel.

These two symbols not only change how words are pronounced, but they also can change the meaning of the word. A classic example is the Hawaiian word pau , which means finish.

However, if you insert one, two, or three diacritical symbols you will have four totally different words:

  • pau means “finish” or “to be done”
  • paʻu means “smudge”,
  • paʻū means “moist”, and
  • pāʻū is a women’s skirt.

That’s it for our brief history lesson, now let’s make sure you understand some important Hawaiian words, phrases, and greetings before you go.

Common Hawaiian Words, Sayings & Greetings:

The following are some of the most common Hawaiian words and phrases you will come across in Hawaii.

What does Aloha mean?

Pronounced (a-lo-ha)  

Aloha can be used to say “Hello” or “Goodbye” but it has a much deeper meaning to the people of Hawaii. Aloha also means kindness, love, and affection. 

The word aloha is also often used with other words to create slightly different phrases. Examples include:

  • Aloha kakahiaka – means good morning.
  • Aloha auinala – means good afternoon.
  • Aloha ahiahi – means good evening.
  • Aloha ‘oe – means farewell.
  • Aloha wau iā ‘oe – means I love you.

Pronounced (ah hoo-ey hoe):

A hui hou means “until we meet again”.  It’s a polite way to say goodbye or “see you later” in Hawaiian.

Pronounced (mah-hah-loh):

What does Mahalo Mean?

Mahalo in its simplest form means “Thank You” in Hawaiian.   But, like the word aloha, it has much deeper meaning and is used to express gratitude, praise, respect, and admiration.

Mahalo nui loa – Thank you very much

Pronounced (mah-hah-loh noo-ee)

Pronounced (ah-oh-leh pee-lee-kee-yah):

’A’ ole palikir means You’re welcome or No problem.  When someone says ‘Mahalo’ to you, this is what you should respond with.

Pronounced (oh-HAH-nuh)

Ohana means family in Hawaiian. This includes your immediate family as well as those that are so close, you consider them family. The term Ohana emphasizes that families are bound together, and members must always cooperate, love, and remember each another. In Hawaiian culture, family is everything and this term is very important. 

Pronounced (KEH-IY-Kiy)

Keiki means child or children in Hawaiian. You will often see keiki menus at restaurants and activities for keiki at your hotel.

Pronounced (po-no)

Pono is probably most simply translated as “doing what’s right.” In Hawaiian, if you are living pono, you are living a good, balanced life and you are generally hopeful and optimistic.  Pono is a big reason why the people of Hawaii are friendly and helpful.

Pronounced (hah ah-hah ah)

Somewhat related to Pono is the word HA‘AHA‘A  which is the value of humility. It means one should be humble, modest, and open your thoughts.

Pronounced (luh-nai)

Lanai means balcony, patio. Hawaii hotel rooms and homes often have lanais to take in the beautiful views of the island.

Pronounced (Who-la)

Hula is a type of dance that is unique to Hawaii and is meant to express the stories, history, and culture of Hawaii.  The best place to experience a Hula dance is at a Hawaiian Lu’au. 

Pronounced (lay)

A lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent of being worn. Lei’s can be made with flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, feathers, or even bones of certain animals. In Hawaii, flower leis are given to arriving or departing guests as a gesture of affection. A lei is the symbol of Aloha

Hawaiian Words for Men and Women

These words are especially important when you are trying to find the right bathroom 🙂

Wahine and Kane Hawaiian Words

Pronounced (waa-hee-nee)

Wahine means lady, female. Restrooms are often labeled with a sign that says “Wahine” instead of “Women”.

Pronounced (kāh-neh)

Kane means man, male. Restrooms are often labeled with a sign that says “Kane” instead of “Men”.

Hawaiian Words related to drinking and eating

When you are eating at a restaurant, heading to a lu’au, or stopping by a great Hawaiian food truck, here are some terms you should be aware of.

hawaiian poke bowl

Pronounced (poh-keh)

The word poke by itself means “chunk” or “slice” in Hawaiian. Poke bowls are very common in Hawaii and have recently become very popular across the mainland as well. These bowls are composed of raw seafood, generally Tuna, that’s cut into small chunks and marinated. The base of the bowl consists of white rice topped with raw fish, green onions, spices, and maybe a few other items. It’s generally a very simple dish with only a few ingredients.

Pronounced (poo-poo)

You’ll find this term on many restaurant menus in Hawaii, it means appetizer.  A plate of appetizers is called a Pupu platter.

Pronounced (ō-nō)

In Hawaii, ‘Ono describes the food as delicious.  If you’re having a great chicken dinner, you might say… “Man, this chicken is ‘ono.”

Pronounced (pow)

Pau means finished, done, or completed. When you finish your meal at a restaurant you can tell the waiter you are ‘pau’ with your meal. This means you are done and the waiter can take your plate.

Pronounced (pow-hana)

Pau hana means the time after work. It’s considered a time for relaxation, enjoyment and socializing with friends and family. When visiting Hawaii, you’ll see bars and restaurants offering Happy Hour specials, typically from 4-6. Hawaiians call these “Pau Hana” specials.

Pronounced (poy)

Hawaiian poi is a purple pudding-like dish made by cooking and then mashing the roots of taro.

Pronounced (Lou-ow)

Cooking Kaluha pig at Luau

A Lu’au is a Hawaiian feast (usually served as a buffet) featuring live music and cultural performances. Popular Lu’au dishes include:

  • Kalua pig  – Pork cooked in an underground oven, called an imu . 
  • Laulau – Meat wrapped in luau (taro) leaves and steamed, traditionally prepared in an imu.
  • Haupia – Coconut pudding. 

Pronounced (spam moo-soo-bee)

Spam Musubi

SPAM Musubi is a popular Hawaiian snack and lunch food composed of grilled SPAM, rice, seaweed, and furikake in the tradition of a Japanese Sushi Roll. You’ll find it all over the Hawaiian islands, at restaurants, diners, and convenience stores.

Fun fact: Hawaiians consume more SPAM per capita than any other state, at a rate of five cans per person, each year.

Pronounced (wy-nah)

Waina is the Hawaiian term for Wine.

Hawaiian Words to know Traveling and Sightseeing

Here are some travel and sightseeing-focused words that will help when you’re headed for a day at the beach or a drive, tour, hike, etc.

The pali, or cliffs of the Napali Coast on Kaua'i

Pronounced (mow-kah)

You’ll often hear the words Mauka and Makai when getting directions around the island.

  • Mauka: Toward the mountain / on the mountainside. Sounds like a “mountain”. It means to look or turn towards the mountain/land.

Pronounced (mah-kigh)

  • Makai: Toward the water / on the ocean side.  Uses the Hawaiian word “kai” (sea). Look or turn towards the ocean.

Pronounced (Ka-Poo)

Kapu  literally means “forbidden.” The symbol for kapu is two sticks crossed in the shape of an X with two ball shapes on top. You will see these signs warning you one that entry is forbidden because the point is sacred or protected. It means no trespassing. 

Pronounced (Mow-ah-na)

Moana means Ocean in Hawaiian, but it’s also the name of a popular Disney movie .

Pronounced (pal-i)

The word Pali means Cliff or very steep slope in Hawaiian. The famous Na Pali coast in Kauai is a great example of the word and translates into ‘the cliffs’ or ‘many cliffs’.

“E hele kāua i ke kahakai” means “Let’s go to the beach”. You can say “E hele kaua i ke kahakai” if you want to invite your friends or family to join you for a fun day at the beach.

Pronounced (hoe-new)

Honu means turtle and is an important term to Hawaiians.  To locals, the Honu is a symbol of wisdom and good luck. Specifically, the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is the only indigenous reptile in Hawaii. 

Hawaiian Hand Gestures

Hawaiian Hand Sign Shaka

A Shaka is a popular hand gesture you make by extending your thumb and pinkie and lightly shaking your hand. It symbolizes the Aloha spirit or the feeling of friendship, understanding, or solidarity. 

Hawaiian Pidgin Words

English and Hawaiian may be the two official languages of Hawaii, but there’s a third unofficial language called Pidgin. Hawaiian Pidgin is also known as Hawaiian Creole English and is often spoken by locals in everyday, casual conversation. Here are five common terms in Pidgin:

Howzit Pidgin Hawaiian

Pronounced (how-zit)

Howzit is a Hawaiian slang term for how are you?

Pronounced (grinds)

Gindz means  food . If your food is really good, you would say it’s ‘Ono grindz.

This is a casual way to refer to someone, often a friend. It’s short for Brother or “Braddah”.

If you eat something really good, you can say that it was so good it “Broke da mouth”.

Pronounced (ku-nack-uh-tack)

When you are very sleepy and tired after eating a huge amount of food.

Conclusion – Hawaiian Words & Phrases

If you made it this far, you should have a basic understanding of the Hawaiian words, phrases, and sayings you need to get by and show some respect to the Hawaiian language and people.

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Tim is a business road warrior and avid leisure traveler who has flown over two million miles in the air and spent well over a thousand nights in hotels. He enjoys sharing tips, tricks, and hacks to help readers get the most out of their travel experience and learn how to “travel like a pro”!

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This Danish company has been making environmentally friendly wool footwear for decades. Wool is naturally temperature regulating, odor-resistant and breathable and these Glerups come in multiple styles and colors. Stay comfortable during long flights or in your hotel room with these extremely lightweight wool slippers. They can be ordered with leather or rubber soles and are also ideal for a quick trip to breakfast buffet. The company uses wool that is carefully sourced from Danish Gotland sheep and sheep from New Zealand on farms committed to regenerative agriculture.

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A favorite neck pillow from Turtl

If you struggle to get comfortable on those longer flights, consider the Turtl. This innovative neck pillow might just allow you to get a bit of a rest before your arrival. The Turtl comes in four colors and offer multiple benefits. There is complete support for your head, so you won’t bump into your seatmate and it has been demonstrated to relieve stress on your spine and muscles. The soft fleece fabric will help you feel comfy as you nod off.

Protect your phone in style

Magsafe phone case from Otterbox

The Symmetry Series soft-touch phone case is an ideal travel companion. It provides durable protection so you don’t need to worry if you accidentally drop your phone (3 times as many drops as the military standard.) The ultra slim design means it is easy to slip in and out of pockets and the soft touch material makes it easy to grip. The case comes equipped with built in magnets that lets you charge your phone from any MagSafe charging device.

Sherrie Nachman

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Richard's Ramblings

Lou’s Living Donut Museum

Posted by Richard on April 12, 2003

Two weekends ago, I decided that our family was going to have a monthly mandatory “field trip”, an educational outing that combines a bit of local history with a sprinkle of fun. Our inaugural excursion was to Lou’s Living Donut Museum near downtown San Jose, California.

The original Lou was one Lucius Ades, a decorated World War II B-24 pilot. To Lou, today’s American donut, different from its European cousin in that the center of the donut is removed prior to frying in order for the fluffy treat to cook evenly and thoroughly, is a unique symbol of quality, community, and patriotism. During World War II and subsequently the Vietnam War, the “Donut Dollies” of the American Red Cross drove old GM trucks to within a mile of the front line. At 4 a.m., these college-educated women (always at least 25 years old) got up to prepare donuts and coffee for the battle-weary troops, providing warm smiles, conversation, and the uniquely American treat that provided a lifeline to home and family. Returning home after piloting more than 30 successful bombing missions, Lucius worked at a variety of local companies including a grocery store in Oakland and a donut shop in Willow Glen. In 1955, he broke away from the donut shop and, with the help of a G.I. loan, started his own donut business at its original location on East Santa Clara Street. Lou’s Donut Shop was born.

business trip greeting

Photo © Richard D. LeCour

In May 1981, when Lou decided to retire, he sold his business to two of his longtime employees, brothers Charles (“Chuck”) and Richard Chavira, both hired when they were high school students. The Chavira boys (Chuck having graduated from high school 25 years ago now) and their parents, Ralph and Connie, keep the philosophies of Lou alive by creating the fluffy pastry products entirely by hand, by using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients, and by continuing Lou’s crusade of tying patriotism with the glazed confectionery.

In 1995, forced to move from the original location because the building was considered unsafe in case of an earthquake, Lou’s opened up in its new location on Delmas Avenue, sporting an exhibit of World War II memorabilia, reprints of old newspapers and magazines, and models of military aircraft in varying shapes and sizes.

When our boisterous family arrived at Lou’s Living Donut Museum on a blustery, drizzly, spring Saturday morning, I asked about the tour that I had prearranged via telephone a few days prior. I was directed to speak with a quiet, unassuming, rather skinny man dressed in bakery whites. He took us into the next-door Donut Museum, gave a brief informative lecture on the history of the donut and a biographical sketch of Lucius Ades, and popped in a 15-minute video on Lou, his donut shop, and the role of the donut in World War II — interspersed with lots of flag waving and good old-fashioned patriotism.

It wasn’t until afterward that I discovered that the antisterotypical skinny baker who had given us the personal tour was, in fact, Chuck, the same Chuck who (with his brother) had originally taken over the donut business from Lou more than twenty years prior. I interrupted Chuck’s late breakfast of a bowl of Cheerios (which not so coincidentally look a LOT like little donuts!) to ask him a few questions. Because of my own experience working in a bakery at about that same time as he started, combined with my current culinary endeavours of manufacturing my own line of barbeque sauces and rubs, Chuck and I had a lot to talk about, quickly sliding into easy conversation — the importance of high-quality, specialty ingredients; the varying qualities afforded by the hand-creation of products versus today’s more prevalent high-tech automation; and the overall attention to detail of a finely crafted product.

I won’t stop loving warm melt-in-your-mouth Krispy Kremes, but Lou’s donuts provide a noticeably high-quality alternative to engineered cookie-cutter products. I was particularly impressed with the intricate, multi-faceted flavor and the fluffy, bread-like quality of the devil’s food donut, created with a direct descendant of the original yeast culture used by Lou almost fifty years ago, and also on the same equipment Lou once used.

High quality. A friendly atmosphere. Darn good donuts. It is no wonder that Lou’s was the recipient of the Official Donut Shop of the California Highway Patrol award.

Lou’s Living Donut Museum closed its doors in July 2006, citing family illness. Chuck, pictured above, lost his lengthy war with acute pancreatitis in May 2011. He was 51.

Ah yes, it is very easy to recall the celebration when the Chivara family took over the daily operation of Lou’s. Chuck was a full time student at Evergreen Valley College and played on their varsity tennis team. As Athletic Equip Mgr, had many hourly greetings from students, either to say Hi or to check out supplies. Topic of ‘best’ donut shop came up and I raved about the location on East Santa Clara Street. Indeed, it was Lou’s… Nobody wanted to burst my bubble. They waited, so Chuck could tell me that he (and family), had taken over this business. Often donuts would await me as I arrived for work and believe me, this was (one hot) special! Try to slide in on vacations but residing in central FL, it isn’t as often as I wish!

Any idea if Lou’s is still open? The website won’t work and I’m having a hard time finding other information about it, but I really want to check it out!

As of October 24, 2005 Lou’s is definitely still open. Everyone has heard that the donuts can’t be beat, but the people who own and run the shop are just the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. And the seasonal pumpkin donuts are to die for!! Susan

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An illustration of a person working in a glass cubicle in Banff National Park.

Planning to Combine Business and Leisure Travel? You’re Not Alone.

As employees increasingly add leisure time to their business trips, companies are trying to figure out where their duty of care obligations begin and end.

Credit... Aart-Jan Venema

Supported by

By Amy Zipkin

  • April 7, 2024

On a Sunday in late January, Melinda Buchmann, who lives in Florida and supervises client relations for RevShoppe, a 30-person remote company advising organizations on sales techniques and strategies, arrived in Banff, Alberta, to help set up a four-day company meeting.

The last day of the event, her husband, Josh, a director of strategic partnerships for the delivery company DoorDash , who also works remotely, joined her. They spent two leisurely days hiking in Banff National Park and visiting Lake Louise.

“I take advantage, because I don’t know when I’m going to return,” Ms. Buchmann said of the decision to combine downtime with a business trip.

As postpandemic work life has changed, and arrangements now include full-time office attendance as well as hybrid and remote work, so, too, has business travel. The phenomenon known as bleisure, or blended business and leisure travel, was initially embraced largely by digital nomads . But such combined travel is now also popular with people outside that group . Allied Market Research, a subsidiary of Allied Analytics, based in Portland, Ore., estimated that the bleisure travel market was $315.3 billion in 2022 and would reach $731.4 billion by 2032.

As employees increasingly add leisure time to their business trips, companies are struggling to determine where their legal obligation to protect employees from harm — their so-called duty of care — begins and ends. And workers may think that because their trip started with business, they will get all the help they need if something goes wrong on the leisure end. Instead, they should generally consider the leisure part of a trip as a regular vacation where they cover all expenses and contingencies.

Companies are responsible for knowing where their employees are during a business trip, covering expenses if an accident or emergency occurs, securing new lodging if a hotel is damaged, even swapping out a broken down rental car. Still, it’s not entirely clear if that coverage ends completely after the conference or the last client meeting.

Companies recognize that threats are increasing, said Robert Cole, senior research analyst focusing on lodging and leisure travel at Phocuswright, a market research company. They are trying to figure out how to take care of a valuable company resource, the employee, without leaving themselves open to financial risk or potential litigation.

“Crafting a comprehensive policy that balances business objectives, employee well-being and legal considerations can be challenging,” Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos, head of tourism at ICF, a consulting and technology services company in Reston, Va., wrote in an email.

Employees may be on their own without realizing it and may be surprised by out-of-pocket expenses if they require hospital care abroad or evacuation, said Suzanne Morrow, chief executive of InsureMyTrip , an online insurance travel comparison site in Warwick, R.I.

Ms. Morrow said medical coverage provided by a company “is generally only for the dates of the actual business trip abroad.” If travelers are extending the trip for personal travel, she added, “they would want to secure emergency medical coverage for that additional time abroad.”

Employers and employees are left to figure out when the business portion of the trip ends and the leisure segment begins, a significant detail if an employee has a medical emergency. “Where does the corporation liability end?” said Kathy Bedell, senior vice president at BCD Travel, a travel management company.

Companies have varying policies to deal with the new travel amalgam. The chief executive of RevShoppe, Patricia McLaren, based in Austin, Texas, said the company provided flexible travel options and allowed employees to work anywhere they choose.

Even so, there are constraints. The company requires all employees, including executives, to sign liability and insurance waivers when they are on a voluntary company-sponsored trip, such as an off-site meeting. Such waivers typically place responsibility on employees for their own well-being. And if they bring someone, they are responsible for that person’s expenses.

Employees are responsible for requesting the paid time off and notifying their managers of their whereabouts, although that part is not a requirement. Managers have to ensure adequate staffing, Ms. McLaren said.

Elsewhere, employees may not bother to mention the leisure portion of their trip. Eliot Lees, a vice president and managing director at ICF, said he had been on trips as a child with his parents when they combined business and leisure. His parents were academics, who would piggyback vacations onto conferences.

Now he does the same. “I don’t think I ever asked for approval,” he said. (ICF has no formal business-leisure travel policy. It’s allowed as part of personal time off.) After a conference in the Netherlands last year, he spent four days hiking in the northern part of the country.

“I go anywhere, and take more risks than I should,” he said. He said he didn’t carry personal travel or accident insurance.

Any nonchalance may quickly evaporate if a threat emerges. Security experts say even low-risk locations can become high-risk for a few days or weeks of the year.

“Companies are concerned about losing visibility into a traveler’s whereabouts if they booked flights and hotels outside their corporate travel management company,” Benjamin Thorne, senior intelligence manager in London for Crisis24, a subsidiary of GardaWorld, wrote in an email. “The company may think the traveler is in one city when, in reality, they could have booked a holiday package to another nearby city. This lack of visibility by the company makes it difficult to support travelers when a disaster occurs.”

He also raised the possibility that “a traveler with bleisure travel reservations and expectations may find their work trip canceled due to changes in the risk environment or company policy, disrupting their leisure plans.”

Will a company step in off hours if there’s a problem? “That depends on how you are booked,” Mr. Cole, the senior research analyst at Phocuswright, said. A rule of thumb is the further you get from corporate control, the greater the gray area gets.

Half of GoldSpring Consulting’s clients take the responsibility for the entire trip, said Will Tate, a partner at the consultancy based in Cross Roads, Texas, and a certified public accountant. They don’t want the reputational risk. The other half say: “The business trip ended Friday. That’s when we end our duty of care.”

Some companies are trying to define and narrow the gray area. “If you are clearly on personal time, there is no legal requirement for your employer to provide for you,” said Nicole Page, a lawyer whose practice includes employment law at Reavis Page Jump in New York.

Uber provides employees with advisories before a trip, travel assessments, safety tips while traveling and emergency travel assistance, including medical aid, airport travel support, urgent and emergency assistance, and lost or stolen personal property insurance whether they are on business or pleasure travel or a combination.

And at DoorDash, Chris Cherry, head of global safety and security, wrote in an email that “while personal travel is not something we track, we have received requests to extend our travel support capabilities to personal travel.” Mr. Cherry said in those cases, the company has manually added employee leisure itineraries to its travel risk management system and “provided the same level of overwatch that we do for regular business travel.”

The Buchmanns plan to travel this month to Barcelona, Spain, for the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention. DoorDash will have a booth, and Mr. Buchmann will work on the exhibit floor and also entertain clients.

Ms. Buchmann will accompany him. She plans to go sightseeing in the morning, and work in the afternoons and evenings Barcelona time. She will also take three days of paid time off and has shared her plans with Ms. McLaren, the RevShoppe chief executive.

They will stay a day after the conference and plan to visit the Dalí Theater and Museum in Figueres. “I’m sure there will be no shortage of tapas and window shopping along way,” Mr. Buchmann said. He expects to be back at work the next Monday.

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Discover the amazing connection between Palo Alto and Henri Matisse

business trip greeting

433 Kingsley Avenue, once the home of Gertrude Stein’s brother Michael and his wife Sarah Stein. Photo by Palo Alto Stanford History.

A rose is a rose is a rose…even in Palo Alto

Everyone knows about Gertrude Stein and her famous Paris salon , where artists, including Henri Matisse , Pablo Picasso , Georges Braque and others gathered to talk about art, politics and philosophy. Gertrude and her partner Alice B. Toklas are often heralded for their role in nurturing these emergent artists, buying their work and promoting it to other collectors.

But few people know about Gertrude’s connection to the Bay Area and how one house in Palo Alto served as a bridge between modern art in Europe and the United States.

Real estate investment gave Gertrude and her siblings the freedom to travel

The story starts, as many Bay Area stories do, with real estate. Due to smart investments in San Francisco rental property (and streetcars) by their father Daniel Stein  in the 1800s, Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo had the means to relocate to Paris in 1903 and explore the bohemian life.

Gertrude’s other brother Michael also yearned to move abroad, so he sold the streetcar business in 1904 and followed his siblings to Paris along with his wife Sarah and son Allan . Through the 30 years that Michael and Sarah lived on and off in Paris, Gertrude developed a bond with their son Allan and eventually l eft her collection to him when she died in 1946 .

Henri Matisse, the Steins and Palo Alto

The Stein Family in the courtyard of Gertrude's famous building. Sarah is second from the right.

The Stein Family in the courtyard of Gertrude’s famous building. Sarah is second from the right. Photo credit: SF MOMA.

Although all of the Stein family members were fascinated by art and the artistic life, it is Sarah Stein’s connection to Henri Matisse that is especially relevant for Palo Alto as she could come to live here in her later years.

Sarah took a keen interest in Matissse’s work from the moment she arrived in Paris and began collecting his work almost exclusively in 1905.  Through financial help from the Steins, Matisse was able to open a painting school in 1908 and exhibit his work in New York, Boston and Chicago through the famous Amory Show in 1913, where many Americans saw modern art for the first time.

Sarah and Henri: a moral and spiritual connection

But Sarah’s connection to Matisse was more than just as a collector or funder, as she was also a student of his and ceaseless champion of his work. As the Matisse biographer Hilary Spurling said, “The real debt that Matisse owed to Sarah Stein was a moral debt. She understood him at a time when no one else did, and this was priceless to him. She believed in him and his art and she fed that belief back to him, making him believe in his art too.” Henri and Sarah continued to c orrespond throughout their lives and the two families remained connected until Sarah’s death in 1953.

Portrait of Sarah Stein by Henri Matisse, 1916. Image by SF MOMA.

Portrait of Sarah Stein by Henri Matisse, 1916. Image by SF MOMA.

American artists discover Matisse in Palo Alto

In 1935, Sarah and Michael moved back to the Bay Area and bought a gracious home at 433 Kingsley Avenue , where they continued the tradition of hosting salons to bring art and artists together.

A large work by Matisse called, “Tea” was placed in a prominent location in their home , and many curators and collectors saw their first Matisse at the Stein’s house.  California artist Richard Diebenkorn  was invited to the Stein’s while he was a student at  Stanford University , and he was vividly impressed by seeing Matisse in person. (The Cantor Art Center at Stanford is currently displaying Diebenkorn’s notebooks ).

"Tea" by Henri Matisse was once prominently displayed at the Stein home at 433 Kingsley in Palo Alto. Image by LACMA.

“Tea” by Henri Matisse was once prominently displayed at the Stein home at 433 Kingsley in Palo Alto. Image by LACMA.

Matisse: “Sarah knows my paintings better than I do…”

The San Francisco MOMA curated a show in 2011 that highlighted the role of the Stein family in the history of modern art, and the relationship between Sarah and Henri Matisse. The show included Matisse’s portrait of Sarah Stein , of whom he is purported to have said, “”She knows my paintings better than I do.”

A unique window into art history right on Kingsley Street

The next time you walk, ride or drive down Kingsley street , take a look at the driveway for #433 and consider the role that its owners once had in the history of modern art. Without Sarah Stein and her fierce belief in Henri Matisse, we might never have the amazing legacy of his work to appreciate now and for generations to come.

A whole lot of history is hiding down this driveway...

A whole lot of history is hiding down this driveway…

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About the author.

Victoria Thorp

Victoria Thorp

Victoria is the founder and editor of Palo Alto Pulse and has lived in Palo Alto since 2007. Victoria's diverse professional background includes working as the editor of GreatSchools.org , as a senior writer for KIPP and Teach for America, and as a radio producer for City Visions on KALW (91.7FM San Francisco). She is a graduate of Leadership Palo Alto and a member of the Palo Alto Partners in Education Advisory Board.

She has a BA in English from Tufts University and Masters in Education and Secondary Teaching Credential in English from UCLA.

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    Sample Short Voicemail Greeting: Hi, this is [your name]. I'm either on a call or away from my desk. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thank you. Sample Business Voicemail Greeting: Hello, you've reached [X company]. We can't take your call right now, but please leave your name, contact information ...

  17. Business Voicemail Greeting Example Templates 2024

    Business voicemail greeting examples. Coming up with a good business voicemail greeting can be trickier than coming up with a personal voicemail greeting. Take some cues from the below to ensure callers leave a voicemail message after listening to your greeting. Additionally, consider writing a voicemail script to ensure you don't leave out ...

  18. Guatemala

    Business Travel. Last published date: 2022-08-30. Business Customs. Guatemala, with a population of over 17.4 million, has the largest economy of Central America and is one of the most important U.S. trading partners in the Caribbean Basin Region. Guatemalan business executives and government officials place great importance on personal ...

  19. 35 of the Most Popular Hawaiian Words, Phrases & Greetings

    Common Hawaiian Words, Sayings & Greetings: The following are some of the most common Hawaiian words and phrases you will come across in Hawaii. 1. Aloha - Hello or Goodbye. Pronounced (a-lo-ha) Aloha can be used to say "Hello" or "Goodbye" but it has a much deeper meaning to the people of Hawaii. Aloha also means kindness, love, and ...

  20. Business

    A premium international travel experience. A Business ticket gets you our highest level of service on shorter international flights between the U.S. and Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Puerto Rico and select South American cities.*. Book now. *Includes flights to / from South America on aircraft without lie-flat seats: A319, B738, B7M8.

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    An excellent choice for business travel is the Jetsetter stretch wool suit. The tailoring looks great and the material—97% wool, 3% stretch—prioritizes comfort. This all-season suit features ...

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    Allied Market Research, a subsidiary of Allied Analytics, based in Portland, Ore., estimated that the bleisure travel market was $315.3 billion in 2022 and would reach $731.4 billion by 2032. As ...

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  25. Top 10 tech conferences in California in 2024

    Dates: 21st - 23rd February 2024. Location: Oakland Convention Center, 550 10th St, Oakland, CA. Cost: US $745 - US $1195. Book now. This tech conference and expo brings together 8,500+ IT infrastructure professionals to discover the latest in developer technologies, languages, platforms, and tools.