As the end of the year approaches, businesses across Australia and New Zealand are busy preparing for Christmas. From finalising projects and organising staff leave to confirming holiday trading hours, there’s plenty to think about.
But there’s one important detail that’s easy to overlook.
What will your customers hear when they call your business over Christmas?
Whether you’re closing for a well-earned break, operating with reduced staff or remaining open throughout the festive season, your phone messages should reflect what’s happening in your business.
At McGirvanmedia, we’re helping businesses prepare their Christmas and New Year phone recordings so callers receive a warm, professional welcome and the information they need.
1. Make Your Christmas Trading Hours Clear
One of the most important things your Christmas phone greeting can do is let callers know when your business will be available.
If you’re closing over the holiday period, make sure your recording includes your closure and reopening dates.
If you’re operating with reduced hours, let callers know when they can reach your team.
You might also want to include an alternative contact method, such as your website or email address, particularly if customers need access to information while your office is closed.
A simple, clear message can help manage expectations and avoid unnecessary confusion.
2. Review More Than Just Your Main Greeting
Your main Christmas greeting is a good place to start, but it’s worth considering the entire caller experience.
Depending on your phone system, you may have several recordings that need reviewing:
- Message on Hold: Share festive trading hours, thank customers for their support or provide helpful information while they wait.
- Phone menu: Check that callers aren’t being directed to departments that will be closed.
- Voicemail: Make sure your after-hours message reflects your Christmas arrangements.
- Multiple locations: Confirm that each location has the correct trading hours and contact information.
These small updates can make a real difference to how customers experience your business over the holiday period.
3. Add a Little Christmas Warmth Without Losing Your Brand Personality
Christmas phone messages don’t need to be elaborate.
For some businesses, a cheerful greeting with festive music is a great fit. For others, a simple, warm and professional announcement is more appropriate.
The key is choosing a style that feels natural for your business.
A professional human voice can bring warmth and personality to your Christmas recordings, helping your business sound welcoming while keeping the message clear and easy to understand.
At McGirvanmedia, we work with professional voice artists and producers to create recordings that reflect each client’s brand, whether that’s friendly and conversational or more formal and understated.
Looking for inspiration? Our earlier article, How to Create Christmas Phone Greetings, shares additional ideas for creating festive phone messages that suit your business.
4. Don’t Forget Your Message on Hold
If your business remains open during the festive season, your Message on Hold is another opportunity to communicate with customers.
Rather than leaving callers listening to music alone, you can use this time to share useful information.
For example, you could:
- Thank customers for their support throughout 2026.
- Share changes to trading hours.
- Highlight seasonal products or services.
- Direct callers to your website for further information.
- Wish customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
A well-written Message on Hold recording can keep callers informed while maintaining a consistent, professional brand experience.
5. Plan for January at the Same Time
While you’re organising your Christmas recordings, it’s also worth thinking about what happens when your business reopens.
The last thing you want is for customers to call in January and still hear a message announcing your Christmas closure.
Make sure you have a plan to replace your seasonal recordings with your regular greetings when business resumes.
If your Christmas message includes specific dates or seasonal promotions, check that these are removed or updated at the appropriate time.
A little forward planning now can make the return to business much easier.
6. Give Yourself Time to Organise Your Recordings
Christmas is a busy period for many businesses, so it’s worth organising your phone messages before the end-of-year rush.
If you already have a Christmas recording from a previous year, you may only need to update the script with your latest trading hours and dates.
If you’re creating something new, our team can help with script writing, voice selection, recording and production.
We supply professional audio files in WAV and MP3 formats to suit a wide range of phone systems, including Microsoft Teams, Genesys, Avaya and 3CX.
Let McGirvanmedia Help You Get Christmas-Ready
For over 37 years, McGirvanmedia has been helping Australian and New Zealand businesses create professional phone audio that makes a positive impression on callers.
From Christmas closure announcements and voicemail greetings to festive Message on Hold recordings, we can help ensure your phone system is ready for the holiday season.
And because we use real human voices, never AI-generated voices, your Christmas messages can have the warmth and personality your customers expect.
Ready to organise your Christmas phone recordings?
Get in touch with the McGirvanmedia team and we’ll be happy to help.
Explore our professional real voice artists or contact McGirvanmedia to discuss your Christmas and New Year messages.
