Opening-Hours Message Examples for Luxembourg Businesses
by PBX.lu Editorial on July 2, 2026
What callers hear when your office is closed shapes the first impression of your business. A clear, well-structured announcement tells callers exactly what to do next. This page is a ready-to-use script library covering seven common scenarios, each with English, French, and German versions.
To understand how callers are routed after the announcement plays, see the auto-attendant and IVR feature guide.
An opening-hours announcement is a pre-recorded or text-to-speech audio clip that plays automatically when a caller reaches your number outside business hours. It is triggered by a time condition in your Cloud PBX, not by a human.
Rules for a Good Announcement
These four principles apply to every scenario below. Apply all four and your announcement will be clear and professional.
⏱ Keep it under 20 seconds
Long messages lose callers. Aim for two to three spoken sentences. A natural speaking pace covers roughly 130 words per minute: 20 seconds allows about 40 words maximum.
🕐 State your hours and when you reopen
Always include the next time callers can reach you. "We are closed" is unhelpful. "We reopen Monday at 8:30" gives the caller a decision point.
📨 Offer one alternative channel
Give callers one clear fallback: a website, an email address, or a WhatsApp number. Listing multiple alternatives creates confusion. Choose the channel your team actually monitors.
➡️ Say what happens next
End every announcement with an action: "Leave a message and we will call you back," or "Visit our website." An announcement that ends without a clear next step leaves callers uncertain.
Message Scripts by Scenario
🔒 Standard closed (outside office hours)
This is the default message that plays every evening, every weekend, and at any time your number is not staffed.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is currently closed. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 17:30. Please leave a message and we will call you back on the next business day."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est actuellement fermé. Nos heures d'ouverture sont du lundi au vendredi, de 8h30 à 17h30. Veuillez laisser un message et nous vous rappellerons le prochain jour ouvrable."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist derzeit geschlossen. Unsere Öffnungszeiten sind Montag bis Freitag von 8:30 bis 17:30 Uhr. Bitte hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht, wir rufen Sie am nächsten Werktag zurück."
🍽️ Lunch closure
Use this when your team takes a defined lunch break and the phone is unattended. Keep it short: callers will call back within the hour.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. We are currently on our lunch break and will reopen at 13:30. Please call back then, or leave a message and we will return your call this afternoon."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Nous sommes actuellement en pause déjeuner et rouvrons à 13h30. Rappelez-nous à ce moment, ou laissez un message et nous vous recontacterons dans l'après-midi."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Wir befinden uns gerade in der Mittagspause und sind ab 13:30 Uhr wieder erreichbar. Rufen Sie uns dann an, oder hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht, wir melden uns noch heute Nachmittag."
🎉 Public holiday
Luxembourg has eleven public holidays per year. This message plays on a specific calendar date. Your Cloud PBX time condition should be configured per date, not per day of week.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is closed today for a public holiday. We will reopen on [date] at 8:30. You can also reach us at [email address] or visit [website]."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est fermé aujourd'hui en raison d'un jour férié. Nous rouvrons le [date] à 8h30. Vous pouvez également nous écrire à [adresse e-mail] ou consulter [site web]."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist heute wegen eines gesetzlichen Feiertags geschlossen. Wir öffnen wieder am [Datum] um 8:30 Uhr. Sie erreichen uns auch per E-Mail unter [E-Mail-Adresse] oder auf [Website]."
🏖️ Congé collectif (collective annual leave)
The congé collectif is a Luxembourg-specific practice. Many businesses close for two or three weeks, typically in late July or early August. Reference the specific return date so callers do not have to guess.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is closed for our annual summer leave and will reopen on [date]. For urgent matters, please write to [email address]. We look forward to speaking with you on our return."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est fermé pour le congé d'été et rouvre le [date]. Pour les demandes urgentes, veuillez écrire à [adresse e-mail]. Nous avons hâte de vous retrouver à notre retour."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist wegen des Sommerurlaubs geschlossen und öffnet wieder am [Datum]. Für dringende Anliegen schreiben Sie uns bitte an [E-Mail-Adresse]. Wir freuen uns, Sie nach unserer Rückkehr zu sprechen."
🎄 Year-end period (Christmas and New Year)
Many businesses in Luxembourg operate on reduced hours or close entirely between 24 December and 2 January. Callers expect this; the message simply needs to confirm it and give the return date.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is closed for the end-of-year period and will reopen on [date]. We wish you a happy holiday season. For non-urgent matters, please email [address] and we will respond on our return."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est fermé pour la période de fin d'année et rouvre le [date]. Nous vous souhaitons de bonnes fêtes. Pour toute question non urgente, écrivez-nous à [adresse e-mail] et nous vous répondrons à notre retour."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist über die Jahreswechselperiode geschlossen und öffnet wieder am [Datum]. Wir wünschen Ihnen frohe Festtage. Für nicht dringende Anliegen schreiben Sie uns unter [E-Mail-Adresse], wir antworten nach unserer Rückkehr."
⚠️ Exceptional closure (unplanned)
Use this for unexpected closures: a building issue, severe weather, or a staff emergency. The message needs to be brief and honest, without oversharing.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is temporarily closed today. We expect to reopen on [date or 'tomorrow']. Please leave a message or email [address] and we will be in touch as soon as possible."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est temporairement fermé aujourd'hui. Nous prévoyons de rouvrir le [date ou 'demain']. Laissez un message ou écrivez à [adresse e-mail] et nous vous contacterons dès que possible."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist heute vorübergehend geschlossen. Wir planen, am [Datum oder 'morgen'] wieder zu öffnen. Bitte hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht oder schreiben Sie an [E-Mail-Adresse], wir melden uns schnellstmöglich."
🚨 After-hours with emergency option
For businesses that need to offer an out-of-hours escalation path: medical practices, building managers, IT support teams, security services. The announcement routes urgent callers to a mobile or on-call number via a keypress.
🇬🇧 "Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office is currently closed. If this is an emergency, please press 1 to be connected to our on-call team. Otherwise, leave a message and we will call you back on the next business day."
🇫🇷 "Merci d'avoir appelé [Nom de l'entreprise]. Notre bureau est actuellement fermé. En cas d'urgence, appuyez sur 1 pour être mis en relation avec notre équipe de permanence. Sinon, laissez un message et nous vous rappellerons le prochain jour ouvrable."
🇩🇪 "Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf bei [Firmenname]. Unser Büro ist derzeit geschlossen. Bei einem Notfall drücken Sie bitte die 1, um mit unserem Bereitschaftsteam verbunden zu werden. Andernfalls hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht, wir rufen Sie am nächsten Werktag zurück."
🗣️ Which language first?
Luxembourg businesses typically receive calls in French, Luxembourgish, German, and English. No single rule fits all. A practical approach: lead with the language your majority caller base uses, then add a brief cue in a second language if needed. For consumer-facing businesses in Luxembourg, French is a safe default for the main message. For international B2B contacts, English works better as the opener. Keep bilingual versions short: one sentence per language is enough if you stay within the 20-second limit.
🎙️ Recorded voice or text-to-speech?
A human voice recording sounds warmer and more personal, and callers are generally more receptive to it. The drawback is that re-recording is time-consuming whenever hours change. Text-to-speech engines built into modern Cloud PBX platforms let you update the script in minutes from a browser. Quality has improved significantly: current TTS voices in French and German are natural enough for most business contexts. For high-call-volume consumer lines, consider a professional voice recording for the default message and TTS for seasonal or exception messages.
✅ Do
- State the reopening time or date in every message
- Offer one clear fallback channel (email, website, or WhatsApp)
- End with an explicit next action for the caller
- Match the language to your primary caller audience
- Keep the message under 20 seconds
🚫 Don't
- Read out your full weekly schedule aloud ("Monday 8:30 to 12:00, 13:30 to 17:30, Tuesday...") — it is too long and callers will not retain it
- Use the same message for a planned holiday and an unplanned closure
- List more than one alternative channel
- Add marketing language or taglines to a closure announcement
- Leave the announcement unchanged for years without reviewing the hours
📚 Set up the rules behind these messages
These scripts work with any Cloud PBX time condition. For sector-specific call handling examples, see the retail and healthcare use case pages.
📅 Ready to explore Cloud PBX for your business?
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