7 Essential Features of Voicemail Drop Software
As voicemail drop software becomes more accessible and affordable, many businesses are wondering how to use it effectively. The first step is to select the right voicemail broadcasting service. Your service provider choice will determine the quality of your messages and the features you have available to create voice drop campaigns.
Once you select your voicemail drop provider, you can worry about things like voicemail etiquette and split testing to fine tune your messages. If that feels overwhelming, stick to the basics like speaking clearly and following a pre-written script to ensure you include the most important information in every message.
If you’re still at the first step and haven’t selected a voicemail drop software, we have some tips that will help you choose wisely. There are seven features that you can’t do without. What are they, and why do you need them?
What is Voicemail Drop Software?
Voicemail drop software is a voice broadcasting service that allows you to send one message to multiple phone numbers simultaneously. You don’t need live call handlers or any equipment beyond the software to make this work. That means you can send hundreds or even thousands of voicemail messages without hiring a call center or paying employees to sit by the phone.
What is it like to setup a voicemail drop? The process can vary slightly between software providers, but in general, it requires the following steps:
· Create an account
· Upload your contact list(s)
· Record your voicemail message
· Identify the call list for your message
· Set the day and time for delivery
· Authorize the voicemail drop
The software then dials each number and delivers your voicemail message without any further work from you. The leading software providers can deliver thousands of voicemail messages simultaneously.
How to Use Voicemail Drop Software Effectively
Are you wondering if voicemail drop software is a good resource for you? There are many ways to use this technology successfully. We’re going to highlight some of the most common applications to give you an idea of how it works.
Marketing with Voicemail Drop Software
Email and social media marketing are no longer your best options for advertising. Just as you may collect email addresses through a website, you can also collect phone numbers as a means of following up with current, past, and future customers.
Once you have your phone numbers, voicemail drop software should allow you to customize messages for different call lists. That means you can target every message to a specific group of people.
For example, you may send one message to prospects who attended your free webinar and another message to customers who purchased your entry-level product and may want to upgrade.
Voicemail messaging is an effective marketing tool because voice messages are easy for your call recipients to receive. They don’t have to read a long email message or click a link to a website. They simply listen to your message and then decide if they want to follow up and when.
Voicemail Drop Software for Internal Communications
Many businesses are now using voicemail drop programs to send messages to employees quickly. When using the software in this manner, you can create endless call lists to make future communication more efficient.
For example, you may create one call list for the entire company, call lists for each team within the company, and even more call lists for employees working on specific projects. The more divisions you have within your company, the more call lists you may need to create.
Once those lists are established, members of management or team leaders can quickly send out messages to the right group of people.
For example, a sales team leader may send out a congratulatory message when a new team member makes their first sale. Human resources may send reminder messages to employees who have failed to update their benefit packages.
Related: How to Get the Most Out of a Voice Message Broadcasting System + Use Case Examples
Voicemail Drops for Urgent Messaging & Mass Communication
In addition to marketing or internal communications, you can also set up and distribute an urgent message to thousands of people in just minutes. If you already have your call list uploaded to your voicemail drop software, then the process is even more efficient. Most businesses and organizations have circumstances when this comes in handy.
Why would you choose voicemail drops over text messaging or email? Text messaging is a good option, assuming everyone within your company has a smartphone and utilizes texting. There are still some people who aren’t attached to their phones around the clock, however, and you’ll no doubt what to include them as well. That said, the best voicemail drop providers will also offer texting services, so you don’t have to choose between these services.
Research has shown that close to 30% of people listen to voicemail messages immediately. If your employees know that urgent messages are sent through voicemail, you’re likely to receive an even higher immediate listen rate.
On the other hand, if those urgent messages are sent to e-mail, your employees may have a mix of important and unimportant messages to sort through. That increases the risk of employees not always reading the most urgent messages quickly.
7 Essential Voicemail Drop Software Features
Now that you know what voicemail drop software is and understand some of its practical applications, it’s time to discuss what you’re looking for in a service. While price is an important consideration, you don’t want to pay any amount for a software that doesn’t meet your needs or deliver high-quality messages.
We recommend you compare software providers based on the following seven criteria. You can then consider cost to select the best voicemail drop software for your current and future needs.
1. Dedicated Copper/PRI Lines
Don’t allow this feature to overwhelm you or bore you to tears. It’s simpler than it may seem from the term “copper or PRI lines.” There are two primary options that voicemail drop providers can take when determining what technology they use to deliver their mass voicemail messages:
· VoIP – Also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP utilizes the internet to send voice messages through the computer. This is the more modern way of sending mass communications, but it comes with some limitations. For instance, messages sent with VoIP are often lower in voice quality and are more likely to get flagged as spam. Messages marked as spam are far less likely to get listened to than messages without that alert.
· Carrier Copper Lines – Copper lines are the network of phone lines that have been used by communications companies for many years. They’re established and maintained by large companies and are highly efficient. While they’re not new technology, they are more likely to get your voicemail messages delivered without the spam designation.
PRI networks utilizing copper lines are the best option for mass voicemail messaging. Services working with these lines can ensure that messages start immediately after a voicemail beep. That eliminates the annoying pause that VoIP messages often have at the start of the message. It also ensures that messages are delivered completely without a pause at the beginning or getting cut off at the end.
Related: Phone Broadcasting Software: Why Copper/PRI Lines Are Best
2. Fast and Easy Setup
One of the advantages to using voicemail drop software is the ability to save a lot of time. If you have to go through a complicated process to get started with a service and then manually upload your call list, you won’t maximize those time savings. That’s why fast and easy setup is essential for any voicemail broadcasting system.
Look for services that allow you to create a free account online instantly. If you can generate a test message to see how it works before signing up and entering your payment information, all the better.
Also make sure that you can quickly upload call lists, create multiple call lists, and record your messages. You should have the option to upload messages that you have already recorded, speak directly into the software to record quickly, or use text-to-speech technology to create the messages in an alternate voice. You should be able to move from one step to the next quickly with little learning curve.
3. Scheduling Capabilities
The best voicemail drop software will allow you to record a message and schedule it for delivery in the future. You may not always want to send your messages immediately, and it’s inconvenient if you have to remember to go back to the software to create and distribute messages at later dates.
If you only need to send immediate messages right now, think about what you might need in the future. It’s always better to sign up for a service with a wide range of features than to go with a limited service that you may outgrow with time.
4. Opt-Out Opportunity
It’s essential that your voicemail drop service offer an opt-out mechanism. This feature allows the people you call to easily opt out of receiving future messages. When they actively choose not to opt-out, you have their consent to continue contacting them.
In our current marketplace, with increasing safeguards on consumer rights, it’s important to give your callers this opportunity to refuse future communications. This is one of the most important features of voicemail drop software. If you don’t see it mentioned online for a service of interest, take the time to reach out to the provider and ask.
5. Complete Cloud-Based Control
You can download some software programs directly onto a computer, but then they’re only accessible from that device. What happens when you want to send a quick voicemail blast while riding the train to the office? What about those family vacations that require you to do some remote work as needed to keep things at the office afloat?
There are many circumstances where you won’t have access to a computer but need to utilize your voicemail drop software. That’s why it’s important to choose a cloud-based service. If you have an internet connection and can sign into the website, you have complete control of your voicemail drops.
Complete control from any device with an internet connection is critical. It allows you to add or remove numbers from your call lists or create new messages and call lists from anywhere. Log in from your tablet, smartphone, or someone else’s computer. You’re always in control.
6. Call Any Type of Phone
Have you ever entered a phone number on a website and had to reveal whether it’s mobile or landline? This is because some messaging services are limited to landline or mobile phone numbers. You want the flexibility of sending voicemail messages to any type of line.
It’s easy to assume that most people have cellphones now, so you don’t need to leave messages on landlines. That assumption will limit your messaging capabilities because more people than you realize still have landline phones. In 2020, as many as 40% of households still had landline phones.
7. Full Range of Voice Broadcasting Services
Finally, make sure the voicemail drop service you select offers more than standard voicemail dropping. Even if you don’t intend to use other voice broadcasting services right now, you may need them in the future. It’s much easier to add a service from a trusted provider than to search for a new provider all over again.
Text messaging ability, appointment reminders, urgent alerts, and all the features that go into customizing these options are what you’ll want to start with, rather than wishing you already had all this in place later.
Get the Voicemail Broadcasting Service that Offers It All
There is one voicemail drop software that offers all of the features highlighted above: VoiceShot. Getting started is fast and easy, and you can sign up for a free account to see what the cloud-based platform is like. The software puts you in touch with comprehensive voice broadcasting services that utilize PRI networks with copper lines maintained by leading carriers.
What more can you expect from a voicemail drop software that allows you to expand services with time? Reach out today to get started.