Voice broadcasting is a

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

technique, begun in the 1990s, that

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

message A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means, including courier, telegraphy, carrier pigeon and electronic bus. A ...

s to hundreds or thousands of call recipients at once. This technology has both

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

applications. Voice broadcast users can contact targets (whether they be members, subscribers, constituents, employees, or customers) almost immediately. When used by government authorities, it may be known as an

emergency notification system An emergency notification system is a method of facilitating the one-way dissemination or broadcast of messages to one or many groups of people, alerting them to a pending or existing emergency. The Emergency Notification System (ENS) was created by ...

(since such notifications are intended only for use in emergencies). Voice broadcast systems manage a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...

of phone lists as well as digitally recorded phone messages. Using

telephony Telephony ( ) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of telecommunication services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is i ...

components, these

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

s can simultaneously broadcast thousands of phone messages. Personalized information can be included in the phone messages through the integration of

text-to-speech Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal languag ...

software. Advanced systems include telephony boards with answering-machine detection, and the logic to properly play a unique message to answering machines without message

truncation In mathematics and computer science, truncation is limiting the number of digits right of the decimal point. Truncation and floor function Truncation of positive real numbers can be done using the floor function. Given a number x \in \mathbb ...

Interactive voice broadcasting

Interactive voice broadcasting (also referred to as interactive voice messaging) programs allow the call recipient to listen to the recorded message and interact with the system by pressing keys on the phone keypad. The system can detect which key is pressed and be programmed to interact and play various messages accordingly. This is a form of

Interactive voice response Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that allows telephone users to interact with a computer-operated telephone system through the use of voice and DTMF tones input with a keypad. In telecommunications, IVR allows customers to interact ...

(IVR). for the interactive version, there will be an option to talk with the agent, so customers can talk directly with the agent for other questions. This is called a two-way IVR. The actions that can be programmed may include surveys, information

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

, contact preference confirmation, or navigation through a phone

menu In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices. A menu may be à la carte – which presents a list of options from which customers choose – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established seque ...

. An example of the use of this technology is automated phone surveys, where professional

polling Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

organizations place automatic calls to conduct surveys. Respondents are provided survey questions that are answered using

DTMF Dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) is a telecommunication signaling system using the voice-frequency band over telephone lines between telephone equipment and other communications devices and switching centers. DTMF was first developed ...

-tone

keypad A keypad is a block or pad of buttons set with an arrangement of digits, symbols, or alphabetical letters. Pads mostly containing numbers and used with computers are numeric keypads. Keypads are found on devices which require mainly numeric in ...

responses. More qualitative results can be captured by allowing call recipients to leave their own voice messages instead of just button presses. This function can not only be used for "

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...

, but can be used to allow loved ones to leave voice messages for each other when separated after a

disaster A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...

Voice broadcasting law

Voice broadcasting law is a subset of laws under

telemarketing Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent f ...

law. One of the most recent of these laws is the 2008 Telemarketing Sales Rule Amendment as issued by the US

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

(FTC). Predictive dialing drop call rates and prerecorded message delivery restrictions were provided in the amendment. "

Popularity

Voice broadcasting is a popular method of

direct marketing Direct marketing is a form of communicating an offer, where organizations communicate directly to a pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as ''direct response marketing''. B ...

. Industry groups such as insurance, real estate,

, healthcare, direct sales, etc., have used it to create leads or as a follow-up method to their existing or past customers and/or current prospects. Also, one example of the popularity is its use by

nonprofit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

(NPOs). For example, an NPO can use voice broadcasting to send a simple "thank you" message to its donor base. This may be very valuable especially when an organization is a manpower constrained and there is a large donor list to call periodically, e.g., quarterly, to thank or to request additional donations.

Two voice broadcasting methods for lead creation

Two popular methods to create marketing leads with voice broadcasting are to deliver a prerecorded interactive message and the voicemail message. The prerecorded message is commonly referred to as the "press one" method. The

dialer A dialer (American English) or dialler (British English) is an electronic device that is connected to a telephone line to monitor the dialed numbers and alter them to seamlessly provide services that otherwise require lengthy National or Internatio ...

or voice broadcasting system calls the consumer, plays a marketing message, and then asks the recipient to press a number on their keypad (e.g., "1") to receive more information or to connect with a live agent. Instead of reaching the consumer, the consumer's answering machine may have answered the call. The dialer may use an answering machine detection (AMD) algorithm and leave a message on the prospect's answering machine. The objective is for the recipient to check and listen to their messages, and then to call back the phone number in the prerecorded message for more information. Both of these methods cost much less than making calls with live sales agents. Making a voice broadcast call in the U.S. costs one or two cents. The voice broadcast call does not have a significant labor cost (a $20/hour sales agent consumes $0.33 per minute). Live sales agents are expensive, so telemarketers using live agents will purchase marketing lists that identify good demographic targets. Voice broadcast marketing is cheap enough that marketers may not bother purchasing marketing lists. Voice broadcast marketing only needs live agents for those prospects who express interest in the product by pressing "1" or calling back. Consumers do not like automated cold calls, so many jurisdictions have made marketing voice broadcasts illegal unless the recipient has previously consented to such calls. The U.S. Congress passed the

Telephone Consumer Protection Act The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) was passed by the United States Congress in 1991 and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush as Public Law 102-243. It amended the Communications Act of 1934. The TCPA is codified as ...

(TCPA) in 1991. Recipients of illegal voice broadcast calls under the TCPA may sue the caller for statutory damages of $500 to $1500 per violation. TCPA class actions have been settled for millions of dollars. Even before the TCPA was enacted, state laws prohibited voice broadcast solicitations. California's

Consumers Legal Remedies Act The California Consumers Legal Remedies Act ("CLRA") is the name for California Civil Code §§ 1750 et seq. The CLRA declare unlawful several "methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by any person in a transacti ...

prohibited many such callsCalifornia Civil Code § 1770(a)(22) and allows plaintiffs to recover attorneys' fees.

References

Telephony Telemarketing

Interactive voice broadcasting

Voice broadcasting law

Popularity

Two voice broadcasting methods for lead creation

See also

References