Business phone greeting examples, in English and French
Business phone greetings you can copy, French first or bilingual: evenings, weekends, June 24, July 1, the holidays, and what an AI receptionist says.
The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), Quebec’s French-language office, says a greeting should be short and should tell callers they have reached the right place (Vitrine linguistique, in French). Here are examples to copy, in English and in French. Replace what is in brackets with your own words.
During open hours
The OQLF advises giving the business’s name at the start of the call, and your own (Recevoir un appel, in French).
[Business name], good morning! This is [your first name]. How can I help you?
[Nom de l’entreprise], bonjour! [Votre prénom] à l’appareil. Comment puis-je vous aider?
French first, with English offered
Article 5 of Quebec’s Charter of the French language: “Consumers of goods and services have a right to be informed and served in French.” So in Quebec, start in French, then offer English in one short sentence, in English:
[Nom de l’entreprise], bonjour! Comment puis-je vous aider? If you’d prefer English, just say so.
Outside Quebec, the same shape works the other way:
[Business name], hello! How can I help you? Si vous préférez le français, dites-le-moi.
The order the OQLF recommends: French, then English, then French
In a business, the OQLF says the greeting is in French, and French comes first when you add another language. For a central phone line, like customer service, it gives the order: the message starts in French, goes on in English with a short instruction on how to get service in English, then comes back to French (Vitrine linguistique, in French). A voicemail greeting in that order:
Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez [Nom de l’entreprise]. Laissez-nous votre nom et votre numéro après le signal sonore. You can also leave your message in English. Nous vous rappellerons le plus tôt possible.
Evenings and weekends
A recorded message says you are closed, gives your hours and asks for a message.
You’ve reached [Business name]. We’re closed right now. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leave your name and number after the tone, and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.
Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez [Nom de l’entreprise]. Nos bureaux sont fermés. Nous sommes ouverts du lundi au vendredi, de 8 h à 17 h. Laissez-nous votre nom et votre numéro après le signal sonore, et nous vous rappellerons le plus tôt possible.
Holidays: June 24 and July 1
In Quebec, June 24 is the Fête nationale, the national holiday (Loi sur la fête nationale, in French). A holiday message says when you will be back:
You’ve reached [Business name]. Our office is closed on June 24 and July 1. We’ll be back on [day] at 8 a.m. Leave us a message, and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.
Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez [Nom de l’entreprise]. Nos bureaux sont fermés le 24 juin et le 1er juillet. Nous serons de retour le [jour], à 8 h. Laissez-nous un message, et nous vous rappellerons le plus tôt possible.
Out-of-office phone message for the holidays
Give the days you are closed and the time you will be back. Three messages to copy:
Closed for the holidays:
You’ve reached [Business name]. Our office is closed for the holidays, from December 24 to January 2. We’ll be back on January 4, at 9 a.m. Leave your name and number, and we’ll call you back when we return. Happy holidays!
Shorter hours:
You’ve reached [Business name]. Over the holidays, we’re open from 9 a.m. to noon, except December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 2. Leave us a message, and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.
Bilingual, in the OQLF’s order, for Quebec:
Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez [Nom de l’entreprise]. Nous sommes fermés du 24 décembre au 2 janvier. We’re closed from December 24 to January 2, and you can leave your message in English. Laissez-nous un message, et nous vous rappellerons à notre retour. Joyeuses Fêtes!
A clinic
At a clinic, the emergency sentence comes before anything else:
You’ve reached [Clinic name]. If this is an emergency, hang up and call 911. To book or change an appointment, stay on the line.
Vous êtes bien à la clinique [Nom de la clinique]. Si c’est une urgence, raccrochez et composez le 911. Pour prendre ou changer un rendez-vous, restez en ligne.
What an AI receptionist says
On a plumbing company’s English line, Cedri answers with these words. They come from the code that writes its first sentence, with Cami, the name it uses when you do not pick one:
Hi, this is Cami at [your business]. I'm an AI assistant and this call may be recorded. I can book you a visit or answer a question. Si vous préférez le français, dites-le-moi.
It says it is an AI and that the call may be recorded, then offers French. If you write your own greeting, it still says so, unless your greeting already does. On a French line it opens like this:
Bonjour, ici Cami à [votre entreprise]. Je suis une assistante IA et cet appel peut être enregistré. Je peux vous réserver une visite ou répondre à vos questions. If you'd prefer English, just say so.
What the recording notice means in Quebec: our Law 25 post.
To have Cedri answer the number your customers already call, forward it: our call forwarding guide has the steps for each phone company.
Hear Cedri answer a call.
Call the demo line at (437) 475-4321, or tap the orb on the homepage to talk to it in your browser. Then see what $18.99 a month includes.
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