Voice messages

Voice messages over Broadcast

To start a simple voice communication, use Broadcast. Broadcast is a shared component on the Infobip platform and is entirely used over a simple web interface. It is available as a standalone component with communication channels or with Moments.
There are different ways you can use Broadcast with Voice:

• Create text message content that will then be converted into audio (text-to-speech feature) or upload a pre-recorded audio file. When your customers answer the call, they will hear the audio message.
• Use Broadcast to interact with your customers. Voice over Broadcast supports two-way communication. This means your customers can enter response codes using their phone keypad. You can define response codes within the communication parameters. Also, you can set up multiple next steps and actions. For example, you can redirect an active call to another phone number, replay an audio file, or have the customer opt in or out using Tags, or the customer's number might be added to the Do Not Contact list.

You can record voice calls sent over Broadcast. Refer to Recording for more details. To enable this add-on, contact our Sales or Support teams.

Additionally, with Voice communication over Broadcast, you can use the Answering Machine Detection add-on. This option allows you to configure the call to drop if an answering machine is detected on the end-user's side. Or you can set up your outbound call to continue playing the voice message. Then the voice message is saved in your end-user's voice mailbox.

To enable AMD, contact our Sales or Support teams.

Text-to-speech

This feature enables you to convert written text into an audio file. That file is then played to your customers when they answer your voice call.

Pre-recorded audio files

This feature enables you to use a pre-recorded audio file and play it to your customers when they answer your voice call. The size of the audio file must be below 4MB. Supported formats of the provided file are mp3 and wav.

Response codes

Response codes are also known as Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) codes. These can be used in Broadcast to interact with your customers and set up the next steps during a call.

Your end user enters predefined response codes on their phone and our platform will perform actions in accordance with how you have defined these when you created the broadcast. 

Create a Voice Broadcast

Here's how to set up Voice using Broadcast.

To send an outbound call with predefined text or audio file, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account and navigate to Moments > Communications > Create Broadcast. Choose Voice as a channel. 
2. Fill in the necessary fields (listed below).

• To - Select your audience who will receive the voice message. You can either paste a list of numbers, enter them manually one by one, search customers using People, or import data from a file.
• From - Select your sender. Your end users will see your sender as a caller ID. You can use your actual business phone number or lease a Voice number from Infobip. Voice and Video supports numeric senders, only.
  • Delivery of your sender (presentation of the chosen Caller ID to the end user's phone) depends on Voice capabilities, availability, and regulations in a given country. This means that the caller ID might be changed to a different number.

• Content – Enter the message content to be used for text-to-speech conversion. Click on the placeholder to personalize this content with data from People or an uploaded custom data file.
  • People, our customer data platform, is available with different communication channels, including Voice.

To enable People, contact our Sales or Support teams.

3. Check the auto-detected language and adjust the speech rate.

• Language - Every time you change the message content, the language will be automatically detected. Make sure your specific dialect is identified and choose your preferred voice. You can choose between more than 30 languages and 100+ different voices.

4. Instead of entering text in the Content field, you can click Use file upload. Select an audio file from your computer to upload it to your broadcast. This audio file will be played to your customers once they answer the call. The maximum size allowed is 4 MB.

5. To engage in two-way communication with your customer, use the Response Codes feature, and click on Add.

Here's what you can do with Response codes:

• Audio messages can be repeated
• An ongoing call can be forwarded to another phone number (enter without 00 or +)
• The end user called can be tagged/untagged 
• The end user's phone number can be added to the Do not contact list

Enter one or more numbers to define the value of the response code you want to use for a particular action. Then, select one of the available actions from the drop-down menu.

Additional options:

• Maximum length of response codes – Specify the response code maximum length. This is in case you expect the end user to enter multiple codes to perform a certain action.
• Wait for response codes – Define how long will the system wait for the end user to enter the digits after the audio message has finished playing. If the predefined time has passed and the customer didn’t provide any input, the call will terminate.

6. Click Continue to preview.

If you are satisfied with the outcome, launch your broadcast. After launching it, see the details such as status and metrics on the All Communications dashboard. Additionally, refer to Reports for more details on reporting.

Advanced options

In addition to the standard options in Broadcast, the Voice channel offers advanced options that you can use to further adjust your Voice Broadcast communication.

For more details, refer directly to Advanced Options, under the Broadcast product documentation.

Answering Machine Detection (AMD)

If you want to determine whether your calls are answered by a voicemail or human, use the AMD add-on. You can find this while creating your broadcast, under Advanced. 

From the drop-down menu, choose Hang up if you want to hang up the call once the machine is detected. If you want your message to be saved to end-users’ mailbox, choose Continue.

Answering Machine Detection is an add-on feature, which means it comes with additional pricing (on top of the voice duration price). To enable AMD, contact our Sales or Support teams.

Validity period

The validity period defines how long this broadcast will be valid on the Infobip platform. After this period expires, the Infobip platform will not retry to send the broadcast.

Data payload

Set the data payload and store additional data which can then be connected to stored or imported contacts. Use this data to send useful information to your customers, it also provides you with additional information regarding your customers. If you use this option, you'll be able to see the passed-on data in the reports as well. 

Data payload, in general, relates to the data in the People module.

Retry period

The retry period option lets you define the maximum number of re-dials to a single end user if the initial call has not yet been delivered. Use the minimum and maximum parameters to configure how many times you want to redial and the time period between redials. The maximum number of retries is 4. 

For example, we have set the call to be redialed four times within 10 mins. The first redial is after 2 mins. 

The redial patterns are: 1 min, 2 mins, 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 16 hours, etc., or until the maximum retry period is reached.

Call options

Duration of pause - Defines the silence period before your audio voice message is played to the end user.

Maximum call duration - Allows you to limit the call duration.

Scheduling options

Use this to schedule when you want your broadcast voice messages to be launched. Select the date, time, and timezone. You can also set a delivery time window and specify exact days.

Voice messages over API

Using voice messages you can initiate outbound calls to one or more destination numbers (landline or mobile). Then, when the call has been answered, play a pre-recorded or text-to-speech converted audio file to the recipient. 

Additionally, you can capture a response from your end users when they press different digits on their phone keypad.

To use voice messages via API, refer to our advanced voice message API documentation.