Call blasting, also called phone blasting or voice broadcasting, is a quick, easy, and affordable way to instantly contact hundreds or thousands of people to notify them or, in limited cases, promote your business. It offers several benefits for small businesses, including increased productivity, personalized service, and efficiency. Find out how it works, its benefits, and our recommended best practices for effective outbound voice messaging.
Key takeaways:
- Call blasting is a telecommunication strategy that sends automated voice messages to multiple contacts.
- A call blast is an efficient and affordable way of informing a large group of people, as it doesn’t require any effort from live agents, and the message is delivered instantly.
- In addition to sending important alerts and announcements, call blasting is used to distribute surveys and collect customer feedback. Through the interactive voice response (IVR), the phone system records touch-tone responses.
- Call blasting must adhere to Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulations, which include securing the customer’s express written consent before sending automated voice messages.
How Call Blasting Works
Voice broadcasting is a powerful voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) feature for sending prerecorded messages to multiple phone numbers simultaneously. The easiest way to understand the technology is to think of it as an audio version of an email blast. The number of outgoing messages in a call blast quickly scales into the thousands, saving you a great deal of time compared to any means of manual communication.
The process is straightforward, as most VoIP providers can import phone numbers from Excel or Google spreadsheets. Setting up a call blast can be completed in five easy steps:
- Step 1: A user creates a voice broadcast campaign. They upload a recorded audio or use the text-to-speech tool to prepare the voice message. The user will then input key details, including the date and time of the call blast, as well as the message recipients.
- Step 2: The phone system dials all the phone numbers on the contact list simultaneously at the preconfigured date and time.
- Step 3: When a customer answers the call, the phone system plays the prerecorded message. If the system detects a voicemail, it either ends the call or leaves a different message, depending on the configuration set.
- Step 4: If the message requires a customer response, the IVR system records the touch-tone responses.
Call Blasting Benefits
Overall, call blaster software solutions enhance customer engagement and help improve operational costs by saving time and financial resources necessary to reach targeted audiences. It is an efficient solution, especially when you don’t have a dedicated call center for customer outreach. With communications being a core element of business operations, here are the advantages of using call and voice broadcasting:
Voice broadcasts enable you to connect to several contacts quickly. They create opportunities for direct connection with customers from all over the world. Moreover, they foster inclusive and equitable communication that benefits people who are illiterate, visually impaired, or primarily communicate verbally.
Making thousands of calls and messages weekly costs a fortune in terms of calling minutes and staffing. With voice blast systems, you’ll produce automated messages, a more cost-effective option than calling your customers one at a time. Often, this feature is incorporated into a plan tier, or a preset amount is charged for messaging a set number of recipients.
Since call broadcasts are simple to use and require little human intervention, agents have more time to focus on other tasks. They can exert more effort on sales initiatives that require building rapport and solidifying relationships. At the same time, managers can concentrate on reviewing past customer interactions and evaluating performance on high-value calls.
Send specific messages to targeted subgroups with similar profiles or needing the same information. Since messages are geared toward that particular audience, sales conversions are higher. Call blasting for sales with integrated interactive voice response (IVR) allows interested customers to make immediate inquiries, speeding up the sales process.
When to Use It
Call blasts, when used correctly, have the potential to expand the business, improve relationships with customers, and decrease operational costs. Here are some tried-and-true applications for adopting a voice broadcasting solution:
- To increase brand recognition: Voice broadcasts are an excellent way to tell subscribers about new products, services, and campaigns. However, remember that voice marketing messages should only be sent to customers who have opted into the service.
- To disseminate important alerts: Use call blasts to share information about service interruptions, emergencies, and upcoming events related to your business. An interactive voice response (IVR)-style menu structure for weather or emergency notifications is helpful for this use case.
- To gather survey and polling feedback: Send prerecorded surveys to your customers to fast-track the collection of data and avoid the hassle of asking for responses individually. With this, you’ll be able to achieve survey delivery consistency and minimize the possibility of human error, such as skipping a question or influencing the recipient’s answer.
- To remind customers of important information: This technology benefits businesses looking to notify customers about appointments and required preparations. Phone blasts are an excellent way to alert customers about upcoming bill dates.
When Not to Use It
While voice blast systems are great for mass communications, there are instances when they’re not the best form of customer outreach. These are the times it’s not ideal to use such software solutions:
- When you handle low call volumes: If you manage only a few calls for a certain period and your service representatives engage with customers in a personalized way, you may settle for a simpler communications solution. Take a look at our top picks for the best virtual phone systems.
- When your target audience prefers texts: According to a study, the majority of millennials and Gen Z prefer short messaging services (SMS) when interacting with ecommerce brands. In this case, it’s best to use text messaging services to reach customers.
- When you’re after a free VoIP service: Call blasting is a tool in most call center platforms, which typically comes with subscription fees. For startups looking for a simple, free business phone system, Google Voice offers a straightforward VoIP solution. Read our Google Voice review to learn more about this provider.
Call Blasting Software Providers
Call blasting technology is available as a feature in some VoIP phone systems, as an application programming interface (API) in a communications platform as a service (CPaaS), or as a standalone cloud-based software service. Depending on your subscription’s features, you can easily track all call blasts using real-time call analytics. Before adopting this technology, learn what different providers are offering.
Here are a few voice broadcast software platforms to consider:
CallHippo is a communications provider that offers voice broadcasting in its call center software solution. Its robust auto-dialers complement the call blasting system. The power dialer automatically dials the next phone number in a contact list once a call is finished.
Meanwhile, the predictive dialer places multiple calls simultaneously, drops unanswered calls, and assigns answered calls to agents.
Power marketing campaigns with CallHippo’s voice broadcast system. (Source: CallHippo)
The entry-level subscription plan of CallHippo’s call center software solution costs $20 per user, per month. However, its voice broadcasting feature is locked behind the most expensive package, which costs $50 per user, monthly.
Vonage is a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) platform offering various communication APIs, including voice broadcast programmable solutions. With these programming codes, you’ll be able to add call blasting to your business app and reach out to customers without using a third-party solution.
The provider’s API has various capabilities, including text-to-speech and IVR response capture. It generates campaign reports, offering powerful insights for adjusting customer outreach strategies. To learn about the provider’s business phone solution, refer to this Vonage review.
Use Vonage communication APIs to broadcast voice notifications to multiple contacts. (Source: VonageDev’s YouTube)
Vonage offers custom pricing for voice broadcast programmable solutions. Contact the provider to learn about its exact rates for your communication needs.
Twilio is a communications platform as a service (CPaaS) provider that allows companies to integrate communication capabilities into their business platforms. Its voice API enables you to deliver voice notifications to a maximum of 500 contacts at a time. Before sending alerts, test them by entering your phone number on the platform’s settings. If you’re interested in this software solution, read our Twilio review, which discusses its features in depth.
Configure the settings for automated voice notifications on Twilio. (Source: Twilio)
Twilio follows a pay-per-use pricing model. Its voice API costs $0.014 per minute for outbound calls. Meanwhile, an inbound call is priced at $0.0085 per minute. Discounts are available as your usage grows.
Call Blasting Software Solution Features
Call blasting systems use various tools, like schedule control and opt-out messages, to enable voice message broadcasting to multiple contacts and comply with industry standards. Note that not all VoIP platforms have call blasting capabilities. If mass voice messaging is important to your business, check if these features are available in the phone system you’re eyeing:
This feature lets you configure the date and time of voice message delivery. You can also set the frequency of calls, which is very useful when you need to send time-sensitive, recurring reminders to customers. With this feature, you’ll be able to schedule calls at optimal times and comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) time zone restrictions, which prohibit calls before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
The telephone blast system converts written texts to spoken audio, allowing you to record announcements and reminders instantly. This helps you customize messages and engage with a group of contacts in a less generic manner. Some VoIP platforms allow you to record messages in different languages, so you can communicate in the language customers are familiar with.
Your business phone system must comply with the TCPA’s consumer privacy regulations to avoid penalties and maintain an excellent business reputation. Check to see if your platform integrates with Do Not Call (DNC) scrubbing software solutions and cross-checks the contacts list against the DNC database. Also, make sure that it offers a way for customers to opt out of voice broadcasts.
The blasting phone system intelligently recognizes when the call was picked up by a real human or an answering machine. If it detects a voicemail, the system automatically leaves a prerecorded message. With this, even when your intended recipient isn’t available for a call, they will be able to get your appointment reminder or important update.
This feature lets you send surveys to customers and receive touch-tone responses. This is extremely useful for organizations conducting market research. When customers complete the survey, the business phone system records answers and presents them in a report that shows how many people participated and each call recipient’s responses.
How to Send a Call Blast
The exact configurations for sending a call blast depend on your communications solution. In general, these are the steps business phone systems require:
- Create a voice broadcast campaign: Go to the phone’s Settings and find the outbound campaigns feature. Set up the call blasting campaign by keying in the campaign’s name, duration, frequency, time of delivery, and the caller ID you want to use.
- Record the voice message: Let the text-to-speech tool read out your written message or upload an audio file.
- Add message recipients: Enter your contacts manually. Alternatively, upload an Excel spreadsheet or a comma-separated-values (CSV) file if the business phone system supports this functionality.
- Determine the action for voicemail detection: Decide what the phone system should do when the intended recipient doesn’t pick up the call. Choose whether to hang up immediately or play a different recorded audio.
- Send the call blast: Save the settings or send the automated message once the setup is completed.
Tips for Effective Call Blasting
Now that you have a better understanding of the ins and outs of this technology, it’s time to talk about best practices when crafting your audio message. Here are the top tips to keep in mind that will make your efforts more effective and beneficial to your organization:
This is essential for a variety of reasons. First, updating your customer database ensures that audience members are not on a do-not-call list and prevents you from paying hefty fines. Secondly, up-to-date information lets you broadcast accurate, relevant information.
Just because you have a customer’s contact information does not mean you have consent to reach them for marketing campaigns. Calling someone on the do-not-call list without expressed consent is a sure way to get fined. To obtain consent, start with an opt-in text messaging campaign, allowing your customers to opt into your marketing text messages.
When dealing with customers, brevity is always the order of the day. Keep messages at most 20 to 25 seconds long. Customers will quickly lose interest when presented with long recordings and are more inclined to hang up, negating the value of phone blasting. Ensure that your main point gets across and that secondary information does not overshadow your main message.
For messages that can’t be made shorter, consider providing a set of tiered menu options, which helps the call recipient stay engaged. As a rule, avoid messaging packed with fillers. Let the call recipient get off the phone as soon as possible without losing the message’s value.
While messages should be brief, they should not be rushed. Tone matters, and customers may find it off-putting trying to listen to the information you’re providing. Customers could opt out of future notifications or stop using your products or services if they become annoyed. Set a friendly, positive, easy-to-listen tone when creating your call blast messaging.
Professionally recorded messages enhance the overall caller experience and leave a lasting impression. Consider our recommended professional voicemail greeting providers to get started.
Call blasters may be even more effective when combined with a local presence dialer. This feature helps your business appear local to the person receiving the call, making them more likely to pick up and feel connected to your business.
Make sure you don’t leave out a powerful call to action (CTA) and your contact details. If you’ve recorded an informative and enticing message, ensure your audience is informed of how they can reach you for inquiries or service contracting, if they desire.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Call blasting is legal, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) forbids blasting commercial or non-informational messages without written consent. The TCPA states that businesses must have customers’ “express written consent” before receiving automated, prerecorded messages. For this reason, you must ensure that every call you make is either informational (non-promotional) or has been approved by the customer.
Most VoIP providers have web-based platforms where you set up each call broadcast. This means there’s no need for special hardware or software—just standard computer applications, such as Excel and your browser.
From healthcare to banking and telecommunications, all companies benefit from using a call blaster regardless of size and sector. This technology helps deliver messages to all the customers at once, making it a handy marketing and customer coordination tool for small businesses with limited human resources.
Bottom Line
With this comprehensive overview of call blasting, you’ve learned that businesses find this practice valuable for their call center, enabling them to disseminate timely information to customers with minimal agent effort and fewer expenses. When used properly, call blasting may boost sales and improve overall team productivity. However, it’s important to take note of best practices to maximize the benefits of software solutions.
Complying with industry regulation—especially securing the customer’s consent to receive automated voice messages—is critical. Explore robust communications solutions that will help you deliver timely messages to a large group of audience. Consider our top picks for call center systems.
