Email greetings set the tone for your entire message. The right opening creates a positive first impression and shows your level of professionalism. The right professional greeting can open doors, build relationships, and demonstrate your understanding of social and business norms.
Examples of Standard Formal Email Greetings
The most professional email openings remain simple and respectful. These greetings work well for most business communications, especially when contacting someone for the first time.
- “Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. [Last Name],”
- “Good morning/afternoon [Full Name],”
- “Dear [Professional Title + Last Name],”
- “Dear [Department/Team Name],”
- “Dear Hiring Manager,”
- “Dear [Company Name] Representative,”
- “Dear Sir or Madam,”
- “To Whom It May Concern,”
- “Dear [Professional Title],”
- “Dear Recruiter,”
The most formal and traditional greeting remains “Dear” followed by the recipient’s name with appropriate title. When unsure about gender, you might want to use the full name instead of Mr./Ms.
Situational Email Greeting Examples
For job applications:
- “Dear Hiring Committee,”
- “Dear Selection Team,”
- “Dear [Company Name] Recruitment Team,”
For customer service:
- “Dear Valued Customer,”
- “Dear [Customer Name],”
For follow-up messages:
- “Thank you for your quick response,”
- “Following our conversation yesterday,”
For group emails:
- “Hello Team,”
- “Good day Colleagues,”
- “Dear Department Members,”
When addressing unknown recipients:
- “Dear Support Team,”
- “Greetings,”
- “Dear [Company] Representative,”
Best Practices for Email Greetings
- Avoid generic greetings when you can find specific names
- Use correct titles (Dr., Professor, etc.) when applicable
- Match formality level to your relationship with the recipient
For ongoing email threads, you might want to modify greetings after the first exchange. Once rapport is established, slightly less formal greetings become appropriate.
Informal and Friendly Professional Greetings
Warm Email Greetings in the Workplace
Warm email greetings can set a friendly tone while keeping communications professional. You might want to consider the relationship with the recipient when choosing your greeting.
For colleagues you work with regularly, slightly casual greetings often work well:
- “Hi [Name],”
- “Hello [Name],”
- “Good morning [Team],”
- “Hope you’re doing well,”
- “Happy [day of week],”
- “Greetings from the marketing team,”
- “Hello everyone,”
- “Hi there [Name],”
- “Morning team,”
- “Hello from [Location],”
When sending company-wide emails, these options maintain a friendly yet professional tone:
- “Hello colleagues,”
- “Greetings team,”
- “Hi all,”
- “Good day everyone,”
- “Hello [Department] team,”
- “Greetings from [Department],”
- “Hi [Company] team,”
- “Hello valued colleagues,”
- “Warm wishes to the team,”
- “Greetings everyone,”
Building Rapport with Informal Greetings
Informal greetings help build connections when used appropriately. They can make people feel comfortable while maintaining professionalism.
You could personalize greetings based on context:
- “How’s your week going so far?”
- “Great to see you today!”
- “Looking forward to working together on this.”
- “Thanks for making time to meet.”
- “Hope you had a good weekend!”
The key is matching your greeting to your relationship with the person and the situation. What works for a close colleague might not work for a new client.
Effective Follow-Up Email Greetings
Follow-Up Greeting Examples
You can choose from many effective follow-up greetings depending on your relationship with the recipient and the situation.
For formal business follow-ups:
- “Hello Mr. Johnson,”
- “Good morning Ms. Thompson,”
- “Dear Dr. Williams,”
- “Greetings Ms. Chen,”
- “Hello again Mr. Roberts,”
For semi-formal follow-ups:
- “Hi Sarah,”
- “Hello again Thomas,”
- “Good afternoon Rashid,”
- “Hi there Kelly,”
- “Hello Sam,”
For previous contacts:
- “Following up on our conversation,”
- “As we discussed last week,”
- “Regarding our previous email exchange,”
- “Checking in about our meeting,”
- “Circling back on our discussion,”
- “As promised in our call,”
- “Touching base about our project,”
- “Following up on your request,”
- “Checking in about next steps,”
- “Reconnecting about our previous conversation,”
Professional Voicemail Greetings for Businesses
A well-crafted business voicemail greeting sets the tone for caller interactions and represents your company’s professionalism even when you’re unavailable. These messages can leave a lasting impression on clients and partners.
Professional Voicemail Greeting Examples
“Thank you for calling (…) Consulting. This is Michael Chen. I’m away from my desk right now but your call is important. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I’ll return your call within 24 hours.”
“You’ve reached the marketing department at Johnson Industries. We’re either on another call or away from our desks. Please leave your contact information and the reason for your call, and someone from our team will get back to you by the end of the business day.”
“Hello, this is Dr. Sarah Williams at City Dental Care. I’m currently with a patient or away from the office. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message. For scheduling changes, please call our front desk at extension 101.”
“Thank you for calling Tech Solutions. This is Alex Rivera. I’m unavailable to take your call right now. Please leave your contact details and how I can help, and I’ll respond within 4 business hours. For immediate assistance with technical issues, please email support@exampletechsolutions.com.”
“You’ve reached Samantha Taylor at Premier Properties. I’m showing homes or meeting with clients at the moment. Please leave your name, number, and property interests, and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. For immediate assistance, please contact our main office at 555-123-4567.”
Specialized Voicemail Greetings for Customers
Greeting Examples for Customer Support
The right customer support voicemail greeting sets a professional tone while making callers feel their needs matter. You might want to include your name, company, and when you’ll return calls.
- “Thank you for calling (…) Support. This is Alex. I’m helping other customers right now, but your call matters to us.”
- “You’ve reached the technical support team at (…) Company. We’re currently unavailable but want to help with your questions.”
- “Hello and welcome to Sunshine Solutions customer care. Our team is currently assisting other clients.”
- “This is Pat from Gold Star Support. I’m sorry I missed your call today.”
- “Thank you for calling the service desk. Our team is currently unavailable.”
Some useful templates you could adapt:
- “[Name] at [Company] customer support. I’m unable to take your call right now, but [alternative contact method/when you’ll respond].”
- “You’ve reached [department] at [company]. We’re currently [reason for unavailability], but [when or how you’ll respond].”
- “Hello, this is the [company] support team. We value your business and will [action] within [timeframe].### Encouraging Callers to Leave a Message
Getting callers to leave helpful information makes returning their call more efficient.
- “Please leave your name, number, and a brief description of your issue so we can prepare before calling you back.”
- “After the tone, please share your account number and the reason for your call.”
- “Your feedback helps us serve you better. Please leave a detailed message about how we can assist you.”
- “To help us resolve your issue faster, please explain what you’re experiencing in your message.”
- “For quicker service, please include your order number in your message.”
Ending with a positive note like “We look forward to helping you” can make customers feel valued while they wait for a callback.
Holiday and Short Voicemail Greetings
Examples of Holiday Voicemail Greetings
You might want to update your message during major holidays to inform callers about modified schedules or closures.
- “Our office is closed for the Christmas holiday. We’ll return on December 26th and respond to all messages then.”
- “Thank you for calling (…) Company. We’re closed for Thanksgiving through Sunday. Please leave a message.”
- “You’ve reached John Smith. I’m out of the office celebrating the New Year until January 2nd.”
- “Our team is observing Memorial Day. We’ll be back tomorrow to assist you.”
- “Thanks for calling. We’re closed for the 4th of July celebrations and will reopen Thursday.”
Examples of Short Voicemail Greetings
Brief, clear messages work best for daily professional use.
- “This is Maria Chen. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message.”
- “You’ve reached the desk of Thomas Wilson. I’m unavailable right now but will return messages within 24 hours.”
- “Thank you for calling. I’m away from my desk but checking messages regularly.”
- “This is Dr. Rivera’s office. Please leave your name and number for a callback today.”
- “You’ve reached Sam Taylor. For urgent matters, please contact Jamie at extension 4455.”