Your greeting is the first thing a caller hears when Clara picks up. It sets the tone, tells people they reached the right place, and keeps them on the line long enough for Clara to help. Get it right and Clara captures more of the leads you would otherwise miss.
We looked at the Clara businesses handling the highest call volumes and studied their welcome messages. The patterns are clear, and they are easy to copy.
Why your greeting matters
A missed call is often a missed job. Clara answers the calls you cannot get to, but the greeting is what keeps the caller engaged. A strong welcome message does three things in a few seconds:
- Confirms the caller reached the right business.
- Sounds warm and human, not like a voicemail dead end.
- Invites the caller to say why they are ringing, so Clara can capture who called and why.
The anatomy of a great greeting
Almost every high-performing greeting follows the same simple formula:
- A warm hello. “Hi” or “Hello” or “Hi, thanks for calling.”
- Your business name. “Thanks for calling Roberts Plumbing” or “You’ve reached Artventures.” This is the single most important element. It reassures the caller instantly.
- What you do (optional but powerful). Naming your specialty helps callers get to the point: “how can we help with your trees or hauling today?”
- An open invitation. “How can I help you today?” One open question, not three.
Keep it to one or two sentences. The best greetings are short, friendly, and end with a single open question.
Greeting examples by business type
These are model greetings based on the patterns used by Clara’s busiest accounts. Swap in your own business name.
Trades (plumbing, heating, electrical, HVAC)
“Hello, you’ve reached Roberts Plumbing and Heating. How can I help you today?”
Naming the trade plus a clean open question works well, because callers usually have an urgent, specific problem.
Home and outdoor services (tree work, hauling, lawn care, landscaping)
“Hi, thanks for calling Evergreen Tree and Hauling. How can we help with your trees or hauling today?”
Listing your two or three core services helps callers self-select fast.
Professional and creative services (consultants, design studios, agencies)
“Hi, you’ve reached Dibble Design Studio. How can we help with your design or digital needs today?”
Naming the niche signals you are the right fit and filters out wrong-number calls.
Driving schools and training providers
“Hi, thank you for calling Nova Driving School. How can I help you today?”
Friendly and simple. High-volume schools keep it short because most calls are bookings or availability questions.
Auto, parts, and retail
“Hi, thanks for calling Cliff Auto Parts. How can we help you today?”
A short, welcoming open question suits high-traffic lines where most callers already know what they want.
Solo professionals and personal brands
“Hello, you’ve reached Sam’s line. Sam isn’t available right now, so I’m helping out. How can I assist you today?”
If your brand is your name, say so, and let Clara explain it is stepping in. Callers appreciate the honesty.
What the busiest businesses do
Three habits showed up again and again in the highest-volume accounts:
- They lead with the business name. Every strong greeting names the business in the first sentence.
- They name the specialty. Mentioning what you do (“trees or hauling,” “design or digital”) helps callers get to the point, which means cleaner summaries for you.
- They keep it short and ask one open question. A single “how can I help you today?” beats a list of questions.
Some also choose transparency, openly saying “I’m the virtual assistant.” That builds trust and tends to keep callers talking rather than hanging up in confusion.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too long. A wall of pricing, text-us instructions, and booking policies up front makes callers tune out. Save the detail for Clara’s answers, not the greeting.
- Front-loading pricing or instructions. Let the caller speak first. Clara can quote, book, or redirect once it knows what they want.
- No business name. A generic “hello, how can I help” leaves callers unsure they reached the right place.
- Asking several questions at once. Ask one thing. Clara handles the rest through your custom questions.
Your quick greeting checklist
- Starts with a warm hello
- Names your business in the first sentence
- Mentions your main service if it helps callers
- Ends with one open question
- Stays to one or two sentences
How to update your greeting
- Open the Clara app
- Open the Receptionist tab (bottom right), then tap Greeting
- Edit the greeting text
- Preview how it sounds, then tap Save
You can change your greeting anytime, and test it with a quick call before it goes live.