TCN Enhances Contact Center Platform with New Direct-To-Voicemail Feature

Like other communication technologies, voicemail has vastly evolved over the past decade. Gone are the days when leaving a voicemail meant connecting over a traditional landline recording. With the various updates and improvements to voicemail technology, it’s now possible to send and access a list of voicemail messages from one’s email, play them back as needed, or read text-based transcripts of audio messages.

The emergence of newer modes of communications (such as business SMS, instant messaging, and social media), however, has led some people to declare the death of the voicemail. But is voicemail really no longer necessary? Or does it remain to be a very effective method for outreach, especially for contact centers?

To answer these questions and more, VoipReview.org spoke to Terrel Bird, the CEO and co-founder of TCN, Inc. a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide.

Does Voicemail Still Matter?

The short answer is: yes, voicemail is still a key component of a company’s telephony strategy. According to Bird, “Voicemail provides another direct line of communication to consumers, equipping companies with the ability to deliver their messages in a non-invasive manner, giving consumers the ability to receive, listen and respond to a message at their own convenience.” Plus, in the age of automation and 140-character word limits, voicemails (like phone calls) are a great way to connect and engage with prospects and customers as they help businesses add a personal touch to any conversation.

Bird also says that the popularity of smartphone devices along with the advancement of voicemail technology has made voicemail even more important for every business’ customer service efforts. Bird cites the 2016 Global Mobile Consumer Survey by Deloitte. According to the report, mobile phones have become an essential part of people’s lives. The survey reveals that more than 40 percent of surveyed participants check their phones within five minutes of waking up; meanwhile, over 30 percent check their gadgets five minutes before going to sleep; and about 50 percent do so in the middle of the night. The report also states that consumers tend to look at their phones approximately 47 times a day. With these figures, it’s easy why it makes sense for businesses to reach out to consumers via voicemail: it’s non-invasive, highly accessible, and effective.

Taking the Voicemail Experience to the Next Level

To better assimilate with the 24/7 “on-the-go” mentality of today’s consumers as well as help businesses easily create effective and direct omni-channel communication campaigns to meet the diverse business needs of customers, TCN, a trusted cloud-based call center technology provider, has recently added VocalDirect, a new direct-to-voicemail feature, for its advanced cloud-based contact center solution, Platform 3.0.

“TCN’s VocalDirect ensures that audio messages are directly delivered to an individual’s phone, allowing the recipient to listen to the message at their leisure,” said Bird. “Phones with built-in voicemail transcribing technology, also known as visual voicemail, are able to take advantage of the voicemail-to-email and voicemail-to-text features – allowing customers to receive and read their voicemails even faster,” he explained.

Utilizing TCN’s powerful direct-to-voicemail feature is also easy. Agents simply have to select their contact list, upload or record a message, then schedule voicemail direct messages. “With VocalDirect, call center agents can instantly send hundreds of thousands of voicemail messages directly to customers around the globe at one time, with no send limits,” said Bird.

What Businesses Can Expect from VocalDirect

Taking the voicemail experience to the next level, TCN’s direct-to-voice mail technology offers the following benefits:

• Suitable for a wide range of business applications - Agents can use VocalDirect to deliver messages for various business purposes. Whether it’s to send emergency alerts, appointment confirmations, overdue payment reminders, or general notifications and reminders, a properly recorded voicemail can help businesses get essential messages heard.
• Get access to insights and analytics - VocalDirect also integrates with TCN’s Business Intelligence (BI) suite, which helps contact centers view and track the impact and progress of a campaign.
• Save time - Agents can use VocalDirect to send as many voicemail messages as needed at one time to customers, no matter the location.
• Save money - With VocalDirect, companies also pay only for the successfully connected and delivered voicemails.
• Create omni channel campaigns - In addition to time management benefits, Bird said, voicemail can also be used as part of a larger omni-channel strategy. “We recommend using VocalDirect with TCN’s cloud-based inbound and IVR routing technology and our business intelligence suite,” shared Bird.
• Build campaign lists - Users can scrub cell phone data to repurpose and create campaign lists for future use.

VocalDirect is built on top of Platform 3.0 and does not require additional updates to the platform to get started. “By leveraging TCN’s integrated call center platform tools, companies can now contact, track and record all inbound, outbound and blended conversations and business leads in one solution,” said Bird.

To learn more about VocalDirect and explore TCN’s industry-leading contact center solutions, please visit TCN’s website.

About TCN

TCN brings innovative and robust cloud-based communication technologies and solutions to contact centers, enterprises, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide, including Asia. Established in 1999, TCN combines cutting-edge technology, a deep understanding of contact center operations, and unparalleled pricing structure to offer solutions that effectively address the needs of organizations. They offer Platform 3.0, their hosted contact center suite, Interactive Voice Messaging (IVM), Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Call Distribution, and more.