Voice broadcasting is a

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

technique, begun in the 1990s, that

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables 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 ...

message A message is a unit of communication that conveys information from a sender to a receiver. It can be transmitted through various forms, such as spoken or written words, signals, or electronic data, and can range from simple instructions to co ...

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

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

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 (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 or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

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 telecommunications services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is ...

components, these

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

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 Computer hardware, hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system conv ...

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 telephony, IVR allows customers to interact with a ...

(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 (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

, contact preference confirmation, or navigation through a phone

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

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

polling Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Forms of voting and counting * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling pla ...

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

DTMF Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling 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 continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

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

disaster A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. '' Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by na ...

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, subscriptions or services, either over the phone or throu ...

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) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

(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 Target market, pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as ''direct response ...

. 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), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

(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 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 declares unlawful several "methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by any person in a transa ...

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