10 Tips for Choosing the Best Voice Broadcast Software

Voice broadcasting allows companies to send pre-recorded voice messages to customers. It's a useful mass communication and marketing tool that nearly-instantaneously connects you with customers around the world.

For the most effective voice broadcasting campaigns, it's important to choose the most effective voice broadcasting service provider. This provider should be able to meet all of your current needs (such as international coverage, certain features, competitive pricing, etc.) and allow for future growth or changes.

Below, we'll cover the top 10 tips for choosing the right voice broadcasting software provider.

How To Choose The Right Voice Broadcast Software

When choosing the best voice broadcasting service provider, there are several key factors to keep in mind. These include the available features, integration process, reviews from other customers, pricing, and more.

Evaluate Scalability, Coverage, and Reliability

Before choosing a voice broadcasting provider, make sure to carefully look at the scalability, coverage, and reliability. Though these may seem like three separate concepts, they're connected: they tell you how many customers you can reach, where you can reach them, and how often you'll be able to connect.

While researching, ask yourself these questions:

• Does this provider offer international coverage? If so, for how many countries?
• How many voice messages can you send in one minute?
• Does the provider use a Tier 1 network?
• What is the provider's guaranteed uptime?

Their website and software information should provide answers to these questions. It's also useful to review the provider's service-level agreement (SLA) for software success metrics and performance expectations.

Explore Available Features

There are some voice broadcasting features that are must-have's, which we'll cover in more detail below (namely Interactive Voice Response, Answering Machine Detection, Press 1 Voice Campaigns, and Text to Speech). But beyond these features, there are plenty of others that would greatly benefit your company and boost your campaigns.

Some oft-desired broadcasting features include multichannel communication, call quality monitoring and recording, DTMF tones, one-time passwords, and real-time reports. Two-party connection and post-pay billing are also features that many companies prioritize.

Confirm Interactive Voice Response Functionality

One of the most useful voice broadcasting features is Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which routes customer calls to the right department or person based on their needs. IVR automates customer services and is capable of handling large call volumes, both of which save you time and money.

The customer simply calls, listens to the route options, and then presses the number (0 - 9) that corresponds with their need. From there, the IVR system routes the call or “responds” with a pre-recorded message.

Ask About Answering Machine Detection

Answering Machine Detection (AMD) is a feature that integrates with call broadcasting software to identify whether your calls are picked up by a live person, answering machine, or even fax machine.

Once AMD confirms your call was sent to an answering machine, you can choose to leave a pre-recorded voicemail, a manual voicemail, or no voicemail. This drives lead conversions, decreases abandonment rates, and expediates outbound calls.

Look into Press 1 Voice Campaigns

Press 1 Voice Campaigns are one of the most common features of voice broadcast software, to the point that they're nearly a requirement for any reputable company. These features route incoming calls based on pre-set options that correspond with the numbers on a phone (“press 1 to make an appointment,” “press 2 for our specials,” etc.).

This feature makes your interface more user-friendly, intuitive, and efficient. Press 1 Voice Campaigns are also very flexible. They can be used across every industry for nearly every purpose, such as reminders and appointments, information and questions, coupons and benefits, updates or warnings, and more.

Ensure Text to Speech is Included

Text to Speech (TTS) is one of the fastest-growing features that companies want from phone broadcasting software. TTS converts your written text into speech, making your broadcasts more accessible, adaptable, and versatile.

The best companies offer a variety of voices to use for TTS, ranging in gender, age, and language/accent. The more languages a provider offers, the more customers you can reach. And make sure to take geographic differences into consideration— for example, U.S. and U.K. English are different, just as European and Brazilian Portuguese are different.

Check Online Reviews and Current Clients

Every voice broadcast software provider is going to tout their features and claim they offer the best service. But reviews and a current list of clients offer tangible proof of how effective they are and how satisfied customers are.

Research their company and software on websites like Google, GetApp and Capterra. See how real customers rate them. And don't just take a four- or five-star rating at face value— check the total number of reviews, who left those reviews, and how the company responded to any negative reviews.

It's also worthwhile to see what brands they service. For example, if the software is trusted by names like UPS or Boeing, it's a safe bet that the company can support current mass broadcasting and any future growth.

Read Available Software Documentation

The majority of phone broadcast software providers will have corresponding documentation available on their website or upon request. Read through the documentation to gauge how easy the software implementation it and how well it would service your needs. Review details such as which programming languages you can code in.

The way the documentation is written and formatted is a good indicator of how knowledgeable the company is and what their customer service is like. The best companies will provide documentation that is easy to understand and lays out a straightforward implementation plan with uncomplicated references.

Take Advantage of Demos and Free Trials

Buyer beware: if a provider wants you to commit to their voice blast software before exploring it first, then move on! The best providers will happily give you demonstrations and offer free trials so that you can get a feel for their software and see if it meets your needs.

During demos, don't be afraid to ask questions. The more you know, the better equipped you are to decide if this provider is right for you. And when looking into free trials, make sure they don't require credit cards or other financial commitments before signing up.

Review and Compare Pricing Rates

It's true that not going to get a reliable or effective voice broadcast software for free, but it's also true that the most expensive provider isn't necessarily the best one. Before deciding on a software, review the pricing rates and packages.

The best companies will be transparent about pricing, including API fees and domestic volume rates per message, and provide you with contact information for international rates, custom quotes, additional questions, etc. Look for providers that offer competitive rates, have no hidden fees, and don't require contracts.

Esendex's Voice Broadcast Software

Esendex's Phone Notify! API is an effortless voice broadcast API that connects you with customers in seconds, allowing you to send out mass voice messages to hundreds or even thousands of recipients. And with our international coverage and 99.9% uptime SLA, you're guaranteed to connect the first time, every time, no matter where your customers are.

Our voice broadcasting software includes dozens of features, including IVR, AMD, Press 1 Voice Campaigns, and TTS. Combined with our easy integration process and competitive pricing, we're one of the top-ranked voice API companies.