In a world where people live on their mobile devices, and the familiar SMS "ping" dominates our attention, voicemail (transcribed into text) may be the B2B unicorn most teams are overlooking.
A Silent Comeback
The days of voicemail being an ignored flashing light on a desk phone, or a meaningless request for a callback hidden behind a forgotten password, are over. Thanks to Apple's Visual Voicemail, Google Voice, modern office phone systems, and carrier voicemail-to-text services, that message is now being transcribed and delivered as text. That means your spoken words become instant messages, and here's why that matters:
SMS open rates hit ~98%.
That dwarfs email, which floats around 20–28%. (Mailmodo)
Text messages get seen, and fast!
Around 90–95% are read within minutes—or even seconds. (Sender)
SMS isn't just opened, it actually engages.
Average response rates land near 45%, compared to just 6% for email. (Kenect)
So when voicemail is transcribed to text, you’re not falling into a forgotten mailbox—you’re landing in a high-performing channel where almost everyone “opens” immediately.
Voicemail’s Hidden Power
Sure, traditional voicemails have a rep for low callbacks. But they still drive results—especially when paired with email:
- **Voicemail can more than double your email reply rate—from ~2.7% to ~5.9%. (Gong)
- Leaving a quick voicemail boosts your callback odds. In one dataset, leaving a pre-recorded voicemail improved next-call pickup rates by 25.8%, and callback rates by ~11.5%. (Orum)
- Scripted voicemails work. Using a structured voicemail script can increase callback rates by around 22%. (InsideSales)
Why This Is Your Overlooked B2B Advantage
Voicemail transcription-to-text hits a unique sweet spot:
- It bypasses the crowded email inbox.
- It leverages the speed and attention of SMS.
- And it's surprisingly sparse in today's outreach stacks, making it a clear opportunity with low competition.
With transcription turned on, your message lands as readable text that feels personal. That’s a modern twist on what used to be an overlooked channel. But even with transcription off, many services will send the recording by text, making it easy to listen to.
Smart Tips to Maximize Effectiveness
If voicemail now is a text message, the game changes. Write your voicemail for the machine, not the human listener. Focus on clarity, brevity, and impact.
What to say:
Open strong with a clear identity.
“Hi, this is Alex from KRROP.”
Lead with value, and avoid “call me back.”
“I wanted to share how we improved Lead-to-Opportunity conversation 12x through outbound alignment.”
Close with a simple, low-friction Call To Action.
“The new case study is at 12x.krrop.com, check it out. I'll put a link in a follow up email too, so watch for that”
Best practices backed by data:
Keep it short.
18–30 seconds is the effective window. Longer = lower impact. (Usergems)
Frame voicemail as a nudge to an email or online content.
Don’t ask for a call back. Instead, direct them: “Look for my email”, "Check out our new whitepaper at [vanity url]". This strategic two-channel play more than doubles your email reply rate. (Gong)
Leave just one or two voicemails.
Gong analyzed 300M calls and found that email reply rates double with up to two voicemails, but drop if you leave three or more. (Gong)
The rumours of Voicemail's death have been greatly exaggerated
Voicemail doesn’t deserve the obituary it’s been given. Instead, technology has turned it into a smart outbound tactic:
- It arrives in the fastest and most-read lane: SMS.
- It significantly boosts email and callback response rates.
- And it’s a simple behaviour shift with outsized impact.
So, ask yourself: Are your SDRs treating voicemail like a relic, or are they crafting transcription-first messages that land in the pocket?
Together, let's turn “voicemail” into the smart relationship-building tool it should be.
