Everything You Should Know About Ringless Voicemail

Ringless voicemail (RVM) is transforming the way businesses and organizations connect with their audience. Unlike traditional cold calls, which often go unanswered, RVM delivers pre-recorded messages straight to voicemail without causing the recipient’s phone to ring. This non-intrusive approach results in higher engagement rates, making it an attractive tool for marketers, sales teams, political campaigns, and service providers.

With customers increasingly ignoring unsolicited calls, businesses are shifting to voicemail drops as a cost-effective, scalable alternative. The science is simple: when people see a voicemail notification, they’re more likely to listen. Let’s break down how ringless voicemail works, its benefits, and how you can leverage it for better outreach.

Does Engagement Really Matter?

Before we dive into the larger discussion surrounding ringless voicemail, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: engagement rates. Higher engagement is the holy grail of B2B and B2C firms, but why? Does it really matter? In a word, yes, and here’s why.

Higher engagement rates mean a couple of things:

• First, they show you that your outreach efforts are more or less effective. Higher engagement means your efforts are more effective, while lower rates mean you’re missing something.
• Second, higher engagement rates generally lead to increased sales and stronger relationships with your customers or clients.
• Finally, higher engagement rates show that you’ve developed a solid understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences, which in turn means more effective marketing, reduced costs in marketing, higher customer retention, and less churn.

All of those sound pretty good, right? While no silver bullet will magically bump up your engagement rates, technology can help. Ringless voicemail is one of the must-have options today.

What Is Ringless Voicemail & How Does It Work?

Not sure what ringless voicemail is? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most of us are familiar with standard voicemail; it’s been with us for decades at this point. The phone rings and, if you can’t answer it, the caller is sent to your voicemail. It works a lot like a digitized version of the answering machine (hint: it is, actually).

The problem? Phone calls are intrusive and disruptive. That’s particularly true when it comes to B2B calls, but it’s also the truth for B2C calls. No one’s going to thank you for calling during their big presentation or meeting, or while they’re sitting down to a meal with the family.

Plus, there are plenty of other times when you don’t necessarily want the phone to ring, when it would make sense to leave a message that provides important information, without giving the person you’re calling a reason to block the number or take other actions (think debt collection, for instance).

In those cases, ringless voicemail is a pretty important solution that helps your calls be as discrete as possible.

Definition of Ringless Voicemail

One of the foremost voices in digital marketing, Neil Patel, defines it this way: “Ringless voicemails are audio messages sent directly to voicemail inboxes – without the telephone ringing first. You pre-record the message and use software to directly drop those voicemails into users’ voicemail boxes.”

So, in a nutshell, ringless voicemail is a technology that lets businesses deliver voicemail messages without the recipient’s phone ringing, which means a seamless, non-disruptive communication experience.

How Ringless Voicemail is Delivered

• You (or your reps) record a voicemail pertinent to specific call recipients and then upload the recording(s) to your ringless voicemail platform.
• The system establishes a direct connection with the carrier’s voicemail server.
• Your pre-recorded message is placed into the recipient’s voicemail box.
• The recipient receives a notification and listens to the message at their convenience.

It’s fast, streamlined, and designed to save you time and money while getting the message to the people who matter most: your customers, clients, or leads.

Traditional Voicemail vs. Ringless Voicemail

We’ve had voicemail capabilities for a long time, so what makes ringless voicemail preferable for so many businesses? Here’s a visual breakdown of how they differ.

Feature	Traditional Voicemail	Ringless Voicemail
Phone Rings?	Yes	No
Intrusive?	Yes	No
Efficiency	Manual Calls	Automated Bulk Delivery
Engagement	Lower	Higher

We can also look at data gathered by Revenue.io, which shows that:

• On average, it takes an experienced human rep about 30 seconds to leave a voicemail for a prospect or customer.
• When added up, reps spend about 25 hours a month doing nothing but leaving voicemails.
• When factored over a team of 10 people, that’s 250 hours per month that could be reclaimed, because ringless voicemail is completely automated.

What could you achieve with an additional 250 hours per month? The financial savings alone would be significant, but what if you could repurpose that time toward tasks with a more immediate ROI?

Benefits of Ringless Voicemail for Businesses

By this point, you’re probably interested in what ringless voicemail technology can do for your business. After all, technology can sound great, but it can’t deliver when it comes to your particular challenges, then it’s ultimately a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere. Below, we’ll dive into some of the most compelling benefits of ringless voicemail for businesses and other organizations so you can make an informed decision.

Higher Engagement & Response Rates

People are more likely to check voicemails than answer unknown calls. In fact, Pew Research points out that only 19% of American adults will answer a call from a number they don’t know. Studies show that voicemail messages have a higher response rate than cold calls. Email tends to outperform both, but if you want to really bump up your response rate, pair voicemails with emails or another touchpoint. Revenue.io reports that such a pairing gives your message a 40% higher response rate.

Cost-Effective & Scalable Outreach

Unlike traditional calling campaigns, RVM allows businesses to reach thousands of customers at a fraction of the cost. Let’s go back to our example showing you could save 250 hours per month by switching to ringless voicemail. According to Indeed, the average base salary in the US for a telemarketer is $16.70 per hour. Experienced reps can earn much, much more than that, not counting commission, but for the purposes of this explanation, let’s use lower numbers.

If you used ringless voicemail in place of a single human rep, you could save $417.50 per month. Not bad, but hardly earth-shaking. However, when you expand that to a small team of, say, 10 people, you’re saving over $4,100 per month. Those savings start to look much more significant.

There’s also the fact that you can scale ringless voicemail up or down as necessary. Need to make 1,000 extra calls this month? No problem. Now try doing that with human reps, which could mean paying overtime and bonuses, time spent hiring new reps, and more.

Of course, ringless voicemail doesn’t have to replace human reps in your business. Yes, automation is an incredibly powerful force, but the human touch is still essential. Using ringless voicemail lets you strategically deploy your most valuable assets (your people) so that you’re maximizing their strengths, instead of wasting their time with low-value tasks.

Non-Intrusive Marketing (Avoids Call Rejection)

Customers are more receptive to messages they can listen to at their convenience, reducing the likelihood of call rejection. Remember, only 19% of people will answer unknown calls, and more and more are adopting technology like AT&T’s Active Armor, which is designed to silence unwanted phone calls from unknown numbers. It doesn’t block the call; it just mutes the ringing. Why? Because it’s intrusive.

There’s also the fact that your calls are probably coming across no different from spam calls (and there are billions of those made by robo-dialers each day in the US). In fact, the US government actively warns citizens NOT to answer calls from unknown numbers. Why? Because, in the vast majority of instances, it’s a scammer on the other end of the line.

Ringless voicemail gets around both of those problems. Because the phone never rings, your sales calls are much less intrusive. That automatically sets you apart from other companies and makes your customer, client, or lead more receptive to your message. And because your messages go straight to voicemail, they’re not flagged in security apps like Active Armor, helping to build trust and avoiding call rejection.

Automation & Personalization Advantages

Two of the biggest advantages to ringless voicemail are automation and personalization capabilities. Not sure how those can help your business succeed? Here’s a quick breakdown.

With RVM, businesses can:

• Automate bulk messaging. Imagine uploading hundreds of phone numbers to your RVM system, recording a couple of messages, and then letting the system handle all the calls. An automated voice message system lets you can reach hundreds, even thousands, or leads in seconds, rather than the time it would take human reps to handle that volume.
• Personalize messages using customer data. Today, your clients and customers expect you to remember them. They want a customized experience from beginning to end and all touchpoints in between. That means your phone calls need to be tailored to their history with your brand, their preferences, and more. With RVM, you can easily create and upload personalized messages that strike just the right chord.
• Schedule messages for optimal delivery times. Yes, there are better and worse times to deliver messages, at least if you want people to listen to them. Ideally, you’ll have them delivered during business hours. However, make sure you know the time zones your recipients are in, because the FTC (and many states) have strict rules about when sales calls can happen. For instance, Florida allows sales calls between 8 AM and 8 PM only. In addition to legality, you also have other things to consider. If you’re promoting a lunch special at your restaurant, you’ll want to get it into your customers’ inboxes by 10 AM or so.

Use Cases: Who Benefits the Most from RVM?

Ringless voicemail offers a lot of value to a lot of people. However, it’s more pertinent to some than others. Here’s a look at who benefits the most and how.

Lead Generation & Nurturing

• You can easily follow up with leads without interrupting their day.
• RVM lets you re-engage potential customers who have shown interest.

Political Campaigns

• You can easily deliver messages directly to voters without making yourself look like a spammer.
• RVM makes it easier to increase awareness for candidates and ballot initiatives.

Debt Collection

• Send payment reminders without violating compliance regulations.
• Offer non-intrusive payment solutions.

Real Estate & Local Businesses

• Generate more inbound calls from interested buyers.
• Provide updates on property listings and open houses.

Appointment Reminders

• Reduce no-shows with automated reminders.
• Improve customer satisfaction by keeping clients informed.

How to Set Up a Successful RVM Campaign

Ready to put ringless voicemail to work on your behalf? You’ll need to do a few things first. While RVM can be very beneficial, you need to be intentional in how you go about it. Follow the four simple steps below.

Step 1: Choosing the Right RVM Platform

One of the most important considerations is the RVM platform that you use. Different platforms have different capabilities, costs, features, and more. Some even vary when it comes to legal compliance and ethical standards. They’re definitely not created equal. Compare features, pricing, and compliance standards between DialMyCalls and competitors to find the best fit.

Step 2: Writing the Perfect Voicemail Script

Once you’ve decided on your RVM platform, the next step is to start writing a great script. However, remember a couple of rules here. First, personalize it if and when possible. Your existing customers and clients need to know that you care about their experience. Second, keep it brief; it shows you respect their time.

Example Template: “Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I just wanted to personally thank you for your time and let you know about an exclusive offer available this week. Give us a call at [Phone Number] to learn more!”

Step 3: Timing & Frequency Best Practices

We’ve touched on it already, but it bears repeating: get your timing and frequency right, or even RVM won’t bump up your success rate. Follow these two simple rules:

• Avoid sending messages too frequently. It makes you look like a spammer and erodes trust. Once trust is gone, you often cannot rebuild it.
• Schedule voicemails for optimal times (mid-morning and early evening perform best). Don’t deliver messages when it’s against FTC rules and be respectful of your recipients’ time.

Step 4: A/B Testing & Analytics

You can’t manage what you don’t measure and if you’re not testing, you have no idea what’s working and what’s not. That puts you at a distinct disadvantage. Don’t just “set it and forget it” – take an active stance toward refining your messaging to make sure it’s as effective as possible:

• Test different messages and delivery times.
• Track engagement rates to optimize future campaigns.

Ringless Voicemail vs. Other Outreach Methods

Still on the fence about RVM and its place in your outreach efforts? Here’s a quick look at how it compares to a few other options that you have. However, remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and while ringless voicemail is an important tool, most organizations find greater benefits by combining it with others, like email or SMS.

RVM vs. SMS Marketing

Pros

Higher engagement for voice messages.

Cons

No instant interaction like SMS allows.

RVM vs. Cold Calling

Pros

Customers are more likely to listen and less likely to block.

Cons

No direct interaction unless the recipient calls back.

RVM vs. Email Marketing

Pros

Voicemail has a higher open rate than email.

Cons

No visual element like emails provide.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Ringless Voicemail Marketing

If you want to maximize the value of RVM in your outreach efforts, you’ll need to skip some of the common mistakes organizations make. Most of these are relevant to marketing in general, but some of them are specific to phone calls.

Sending Too Many Voicemails

Flooding customers with messages can feel spammy and lead to opt-outs. How many is too many? That’s a tough question to answer and it varies from audience to audience to some extent. Perhaps the best rule is to ask yourself if you were in the recipient’s shoes, would you feel bombarded or overwhelmed? If so, scale it back.

Ignoring Compliance Regulations

Make sure that all RVM campaigns comply with FCC, TCPA, and DNC (Do Not Call Registry) regulations to avoid hefty fines. These organizations can and will make it harder on you if you overstep those bounds. Keep your business aboveboard and you won’t have to worry about that.

Using Generic or Robotic Messages

Personalization is incredibly important. Avoid sounding overly scripted and robotic. Yes, you’re using an automated system, but there’s no reason that your message should feel inhuman. Take the time to customize your messages to your recipients and make the effort so they feel genuine.

Not Tracking Engagement & Conversion Rates

Use analytics to refine your messaging strategy for better results. Otherwise, you’re just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. That might work fine in brainstorming sessions, but it’s not a great use of your business’s resources. Track what’s working and what’s not, refine your strategy based on those metrics, and find new ways to build trust and open dialog with your customers, clients, or leads.

A Better Way to Reach Out

Ringless voicemail is an effective tool for reaching customers in a non-intrusive, scalable way. Whether you’re a marketer, sales professional, or campaign manager, integrating RVM can improve engagement and conversion rates. However, remember that not all ringless voicemail platforms are created equal. It’s also important to understand the laws and rules surrounding voicemail (and telemarketing in general) so that you can stay on the right side.

Ready to try it for yourself? Explore DialMyCalls’ ringless voicemail solutions today and start connecting with your audience more effectively.

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