How Does an Automated Voice Messaging System Work?
Did you think phone marketing was out and online marketing was in? While it may seem like the internet is taking over everything, marketing included, most brands are finding that telephone calls and text messages are a vital link in their overall marketing plan.
In fact, at least one study has proven that telemarketing is more effective at generating consumer responses than email marketing. While fewer than 1% of email recipients responded to a B2B sales message, the response rate was just over 8% for messages delivered by phone. That’s likely due to the more personalized nature and heightened convenience of automated voice messaging systems.
Telemarketing for the Modern World
When we say “telemarketing,” we’re simply talking about marketing over the telephone. Traditional telemarketing involved individuals sitting with phone to ear, manually calling one number after the other. Call handlers had to memorize scripts and repeat the same information over and over with the majority of call recipients hanging up somewhere in the middle of their pitch.
With time, the idea of massive call centers filled with telephone workers took hold. Instead of sitting in small offices and placing calls between helping customers in person, call handlers were now professionals who processed hundreds of phone calls per working shift. Businesses utilizing call centers today must pay for the human resources as well as the technology that goes into large-scale phone marketing operations.
With automated voice messaging systems, telemarketing is once again evolving. This time, the changes make marketing by phone more convenient and affordable. Instead of paying call handlers to manually call one number after the other and repeat the same script over and over, voice broadcasting software allows marketers to quickly create one perfectly recorded message and send it to hundreds of thousands of phone numbers simultaneously.
You no longer need to burden your employees with massive manual call lists in addition to more important work duties. You don’t have to do the manual dialing yourself, and you certainly have no need to pay a call center thousands of dollars to put their human assets to work.
You just need to understand and implement an automated voice messaging campaign. It’s time to talk about what that really means and how it all works.
What is an Automated Voice Messaging System?
An automated voice messaging system allows you to send one pre-recorded message to every number on a designated call list simultaneously. While human call handlers can only process one phone call at a time, computerized auto-dialers can process multiple calls at once. Instead of relying on humans to repeat the same message for each phone number, a pre-recorded message is delivered.
Related: What is Voice Broadcasting, and Why Use It?
There are also ways to make your automated voice messages interactive. Think about telephone polls or surveys that allow consumers to voice their opinions or contribute to decision-making for their favorite brands. For example, you may send out a voice poll asking your followers and customers to vote on the next flavor to be introduced in your sports drink collection.
If you’re recording one precise message and sending it to a phone list with at least a few numbers, you’re likely using an automated voice messaging system. You can also use automated messaging systems to send text messages.
How Does Automated Voice Messaging Work?
Every automated voice messaging system has its own system and required steps. The following breakdown will show you the basic steps that you will encounter regardless of the system you choose:
- Determine what message you want to send and who you’re sending it to. It’s important to understand what you want to achieve with every voice broadcasting campaign.
- Create a pre-recorded message. You can start from scratch and go for a relatable, real person vibe, or start with a script to ensure you cover all important talking points. Re-record as many times as needed to get the right tone.
- Upload your call list to your automated voice messaging system. If you already have call lists loaded, select the list you want to send a message to this time.
- Set the message to deliver immediately or at a date and time in the future.
- Finalize the order and focus on other tasks while the system delivers your messages.
After you send out an automated voice broadcast, you can measure the effectiveness of the campaign by the results. For instance, how many people interact with your message? How many people hit a button to connect automatically to a live agent? Do most of your recipients send off a text message as instructed to receive further messages from you?
You need some way to measure the results of a voice campaign. In this sense, it’s no different than any other marketing strategy.
Advantages of Using Automated Voice Messaging
Why should you invest time into automated voice messaging when there are so many other marketing and communication strategies available today? If you’re thinking in terms of call centers and traditional marketing, there aren’t too many advantages. But when you consider telemarketing for what it has become with the help of automated technology, then there are quite a few advantages to consider.
Precise Messaging, Every Time
Automated voice messaging systems allow you to record one perfect message and send it to everyone on your call list. You don’t have to worry about inconsistency in tone between multiple human call handlers. There’s no risk that someone will answer the phone and hear a live representative chewing their lunch or having a private conversation in the background.
The message delivered is exactly the same for every number on your call list. You can record the message as many times as needed to ensure it’s perfect, from the overall tone to the wording and timing. You can have the worst day of your life and rest assured that the automated system is sending out happy, enthusiastic messages that represent your brand properly.
Big Savings
On average, you can expect to pay close to $1 per minute when utilizing a live call center. When paying per live phone call, you can expect to pay up to $2 per call if not a bit more. You’re paying for the human resources involved plus equipment and perhaps overhead for a physical call center.
Compare that to the cost of sending pre-recorded messages through an automated computer system. Rates can go as low as 3 cents per minute. When you purchase thousands of minutes per month for large marketing campaigns, you may pay less than 2 cents per minute of call time.
You also save a lot of time when you eliminate live call handlers. You don’t have to teach anyone your script or get them up to speed on your preferred tone. There’s no onboarding with automated voice messaging.
Precise Timing
You know how important timing is in marketing. It’s also critical at times for internal communications. When you utilize automated voice messaging, you can set messages up quickly and determine exactly when they’re delivered. When you need an emergency broadcast, you already have the system and call lists in place. If you want to send out a series of messages perfectly timed over a designated period, automated messaging systems allow you to set up the messages and schedule them for optimal results.
Related: How to Use Automated Phone Calls for Your Business
Must-Have Automated Voice Messaging Features
Whether you’re using an automated voice messaging system for internal communications, emergency alerts, or marketing, there are some features that you can’t do without.
Instant Interaction
Instant interaction is important for interactive phone broadcasts. For example, you want your recipients to hit a button to instantly register their vote rather than directing them to log into a website to vote. You may not use interactive features on all calls, but it’s important to have that option available when needed.
Easy Access
Cloud-based automated voice messaging systems are best. They allow you to access your account from any device connected to the internet at any time of the day or night. That ensures you can make fast changes or set up new calls as needed.
Copper/PRI Lines
Copper or PRI telephone lines are established and maintained by reputable communications companies. They’re more trustworthy than VoIP phone systems and will ensure your messages are delivered in their entirety without delays at the beginning of calls or cutoffs at the end. They often deliver crisper, clearer voice messages as well.
Free Test Call
The best way to know for sure that you’ve found the right voice broadcasting service is to send out a test call. That allows you to walk through the process and hear the quality of the call on the other end.
Take the First Step to Utilizing Automated Voice Messaging Systems
VoiceShot makes it fast and easy to establish an account and record your first message. Whether you’re sending messages for internal communications with one call list or marketing to a large following with multiple call lists and thousands of numbers, we have the technology and experience to get you started quickly.
Do you want to jump right in and get started today? Just select the services you need and sign up on our website. You’re just minutes away from sending out your first automated voice message campaign.