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After-hours message

Closed for the night, still sounding open for business.

Tell callers your opening hours, where to go in an emergency and how to leave a message. Add holiday messages for bank holidays and seasonal closures.

$19

one-off, licence that never expires

6

phone system formats in every order

7

languages

Why it matters

Most callers ring when you cannot answer

Evenings, weekends and holidays. A clear out-of-hours message keeps those callers, tells them when to call back and makes sure urgent ones reach you.

Clinics and practices
Opening times, the out-of-hours number and how to book online, said clearly.
Trades and services
Take the details of an emergency job overnight and call back first thing.
Offices
A holiday message for every closure, ready in advance, in the same voice as your greeting.

How it works

From a short brief to a live greeting

In the dashboard, with the same account and balance as the rest of PacketExchange. No studio booking and no waiting days for a recording.

  1. Step 1

    Say what you need

    A greeting, hold messages, a phone menu, voicemail or an out-of-hours message. Add your business name, hours and departments.
  2. Step 2

    Get the script written

    The script is written for you from a short brief. Change any line, or write your own from scratch.
  3. Step 3

    Pick a voice and music

    Choose a voice, a language and a music bed, and hear a 10 second preview of every prompt before you pay.
  4. Step 4

    Buy and put it live

    Pay once from your balance. Download the file for your phone system, or load it onto your PacketExchange number in one click.

Listen

Hear the voices before you sign up

Every voice is an AI-generated voice, chosen for phone lines: clear at telephone quality and easy to follow. Samples stop at 10 seconds.

The voice gallery opens with your account

Open the builder to hear every voice in every language, with your own script and music, before you pay anything.

Open the builder

What you get

Recordings ready for your phone system

Written, voiced and mixed for the phone line, then delivered in the format your system expects.

  • Your hours, said simply

    Give your opening hours once and every out-of-hours and holiday message says them the same way.

  • Holiday messages in advance

    Record bank holiday and seasonal messages ahead of time. Always Current covers holiday and seasonal messages whenever you need them.

  • Scripts written for you

    Describe the business in a line or two and every prompt is written in a clear, friendly phone style. Edit any word before you buy.

  • Voices made for the phone

    A curated set of AI voices that stay clear at telephone quality, with American, British and Australian English and six more languages.

  • Music under the message

    Pick a music bed and it sits quietly under the voice. Menu options never get music, so callers hear every choice and every key press works.

  • The right file, first time

    Every order includes G.711 µ-law and A-law, 8 and 16 kHz PCM, an HD master and MP3, with a guide for your phone system.

  • Live on your number

    Load a finished recording onto your PacketExchange number in one click. No download, no upload, no format to choose.

  • A licence that never expires

    Pay once and use the recordings on your phone lines and your website for as long as you like.

Example scripts

Written for you, in your words

Give a short brief and the script comes back ready to edit. These are the kind of lines it writes.

  • Out of hours

    A medical practice

    “Thank you for calling Elm Street Surgery. We are closed. We open at 8am, Monday to Friday. If you need urgent medical help, please call the emergency number.”
  • Holiday message

    An accountancy firm

    “Thank you for calling. Our office is closed for the holidays and reopens on Monday the 4th. We wish you a happy new year.”
  • Out of hours

    A locksmith

    “You have reached Keystone Locks after hours. If you are locked out, leave your address and number and our on-call locksmith will ring you back.”

Works with your phone system

Every format, every order

Mono, with a short lead and tail, loudness-matched, and no music under menu options so key presses are always heard.

G.711 µ-law WAV
WAV, 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono, µ-law. Cisco (North America), Avaya, Asterisk, Amazon Connect.
G.711 A-law WAV
WAV, 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono, A-law. Cisco and Avaya in Europe and the rest of the world, EU carriers.
PCM 8 kHz WAV
WAV, 8 kHz, 16-bit, mono. 3CX, FreePBX, Yeastar, Grandstream, Mitel, PacketExchange numbers.
PCM 16 kHz WAV
WAV, 16 kHz, 16-bit, mono. Twilio, Teams, Webex, HD voice phone systems.
HD master WAV
WAV, 48 kHz, 24-bit, mono. Archive, video and web.
MP3
MP3, 44.1 kHz, 128 kbps, mono. RingCentral, Nextiva, Zoom Phone, Teams auto attendant, Dialpad, Vonage.

Prices

Pay once, keep it for good

From $19 for a single greeting. Every pack includes every format and a perpetual licence. Always Current keeps every message up to date for one monthly price.

  • Single greeting

    $19one-off

    One greeting, voicemail or out-of-hours message.

    Prompts
    1 prompt
    Languages
    1
    Music beds
    None
    Free edits
    7 days
    • 1 prompt up to 600 characters
    • 1 language
    • Voice only, no music
    • AI writes the script from your business details
    • Every phone system format: mu-law, A-law, 8 and 16 kHz WAV, HD master, MP3
    • Load it onto your PacketExchange number in one click
    • Free edits for 7 days (3 re-renders)
    • Lifetime licence for your business phone lines
  • Business Pack

    $79one-off

    The full set for a business line.

    Prompts
    Up to 8
    Languages
    1
    Music beds
    1
    Free edits
    14 days
    • Up to 8 prompts: greeting, menu, hold, voicemail, out of hours and holiday
    • 1 language
    • 1 music bed, no music licence fees
    • AI writes the script from your business details
    • Every phone system format: mu-law, A-law, 8 and 16 kHz WAV, HD master, MP3
    • Load it onto your PacketExchange number in one click
    • Free edits for 14 days (20 re-renders)
    • Lifetime licence for your business phone lines
  • Pro Pack

    $149one-off

    Two languages, more prompts, and a person checks every script.

    Prompts
    Up to 15
    Languages
    2
    Music beds
    3
    Free edits
    30 days
    • Up to 15 prompts: greeting, menu, hold, voicemail, out of hours and holiday
    • 2 languages
    • 3 music beds, no music licence fees
    • AI writes the script from your business details
    • Every phone system format: mu-law, A-law, 8 and 16 kHz WAV, HD master, MP3
    • Load it onto your PacketExchange number in one click
    • Free edits for 30 days (50 re-renders)
    • Lifetime licence for your business phone lines
    • A person checks your scripts before delivery

Always Current

$19a month, or $190 a year (save $38)

For businesses whose hours, offers and menus change. Edit any time and every number stays current.

  • Unlimited edits and re-renders
  • Every language and every music bed
  • Up to 30 prompts at a time
  • Holiday and seasonal messages whenever you need them
  • Every phone system format, and one click onto your numbers
  • Fair use: 60,000 characters of audio a month
  • $190 a year saves 17% on monthly
  • Files already delivered stay licensed for life if you cancel
Start Always Current

Prices in US dollars, excluding taxes, charged from your PacketExchange balance. Each extra language on a pack is $29. Packs are paid once and the licence never expires. Every file is an AI-generated voice and is labelled as one.

Can my PacketExchange number play it outside office hours?
Yes. Load it onto your number and it plays as the voicemail greeting; set your opening hours on the number so callers outside them hear it.
Can I prepare holiday messages in advance?
Yes. Business and Pro Packs include a holiday message, and Always Current covers holiday and seasonal messages whenever you need them, with unlimited edits.
What should an after-hours message say?
Who they have reached, your opening hours, what to do if it is urgent and how to leave a message. The script writer covers all four from your brief.
Is the voice a real person?
No. Every recording is made with an AI-generated voice, and the files say so. This audio was generated with an AI voice. The voice is synthetic and does not belong to a real person. Each file carries that marking in its metadata, and the licence asks you not to remove it.
Which file formats do I get?
All of them, in every pack: G.711 µ-law WAV (WAV, 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono, µ-law); G.711 A-law WAV (WAV, 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono, A-law); PCM 8 kHz WAV (WAV, 8 kHz, 16-bit, mono); PCM 16 kHz WAV (WAV, 16 kHz, 16-bit, mono); HD master WAV (WAV, 48 kHz, 24-bit, mono); MP3 (MP3, 44.1 kHz, 128 kbps, mono). Our install guides say which one your phone system wants.
What does the licence allow?
Perpetual, worldwide and non-exclusive, for your own business phone system and your own website or app. It cannot be transferred, and it does not allow reselling the audio on its own, training voice models, robocalls or any deceptive use. Files you have already downloaded stay licensed if you cancel. The full licence text comes in every download.
Can I change the script after I buy?
Yes. A single greeting includes 3 free re-edits within 7 days. Packs include free edits for their edit window, and Always Current includes unlimited edits and re-renders.
Can I hear it before paying?
Yes. Every prompt can be previewed in the builder, the first 10 seconds in your chosen voice and music. The full recording is made once the order is paid.
What if I change my mind?
If you have not downloaded or loaded the recording yet, we refund the order to your balance. After that, use your free edits to change it instead.
Which languages are there?
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch. English comes in American, British and Australian voices. A second language is included in the Pro Pack and is $29 on other packs.
Is there anything you will not record?
Yes. We do not record scripts that impersonate a person, a bank, a government body or another company, scripts that ask callers for card numbers, PINs or passwords, or messages for automated outbound calls. Scripts are checked before recording, and some are reviewed by our team first.

Look after callers while you are closed

Write your out-of-hours and holiday messages tonight and hear them before you pay.