If you’re making a lot of outbound calls—sales, fundraising, recruiting, whatever—you know the grind: endless ringing, voicemail after voicemail. It’s repetitive, it’s boring, and it eats up time you could spend actually talking to people. That’s where voicemail drop comes in. If you’re using Phoneburner, you can leave pre-recorded voicemail messages with a click, and move right on to your next call.
This isn’t a magic bullet, but it can save you hours every week and keep your energy up. Here’s how to get voicemail drop working in Phoneburner, plus some real-world tips on what to do—and what to skip.
Who Should Use Voicemail Drop?
Let’s be honest: voicemail drop isn’t for everyone. Here’s who gets the most out of it:
- Outbound sales teams burning through big call lists.
- Solo prospectors who want to sound professional (without repeating themselves all morning).
- Recruiters following up with candidates.
- Fundraisers or nonprofits chasing callbacks.
If you’re calling a tight, very high-value list—or your outreach relies on super-personalized messages—voicemail drop might not be worth it. But if you’re somewhere in that “lots of calls, mostly cold” sweet spot, it can be a lifesaver.
Step 1: Record Your Voicemail Message(s)
Don’t overthink this, but don’t phone it in either. Your message is the first impression for a lot of leads.
How to Record:
- Log into Phoneburner.
- Go to your Dial Session Settings (the little gear icon near your dialer dashboard).
- Find the Voicemail Library or Voicemail Drops section.
- Click Add Voicemail or Upload Recording.
You’ve got two options: - Record right in Phoneburner (using your computer mic or phone). - Upload a pre-recorded audio file (WAV or MP3).
Pro Tips for Recording:
- Use a quiet room. People can hear background noise.
- Speak like you’re talking to a real person—not reading a script.
- Keep it short: 18–25 seconds is the sweet spot.
- Say your name, company, and the point of your call.
- Invite a callback, but don’t sound desperate. Example:
“Hi, this is Chris with Acme Software. Sorry I missed you—I have a quick question about your current setup. Call me back at 555-1234. Thanks!”
What to Avoid:
- Don’t cram your whole sales pitch into the voicemail.
- Skip long intros (“I hope you’re well in these unprecedented times…”). Nobody cares.
- Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver just to get a callback.
Step 2: Add Your Voicemail to Phoneburner
After recording, you need to get that message into your voicemail library.
- In the Voicemail section, click Upload or Record.
- Name your voicemail drop something obvious—like “Cold Call VM” or “Follow-Up #1.”
- Save it. Test it by playing it back. If it sounds bad, redo it. You’ll hear every awkward pause and mouth noise.
You can add multiple voicemail drops—one for first touches, another for follow-ups, etc. Don’t go crazy, though. Most people only need 2-3.
Step 3: Configure Voicemail Drop in Your Dial Session
This is where you tie everything together.
- Start a new Dial Session (the main calling workflow in Phoneburner).
- On the pre-call checklist, make sure Voicemail Drop is enabled.
- Select the default voicemail you want to drop. (You can switch on the fly during calling.)
If you’ve got multiple voicemails, you can choose which to use on each call. Handy if you want to sound less robotic.
Step 4: Using Voicemail Drop While Calling
Here’s the real-world workflow:
- Dial your contact.
- If you get voicemail, listen for the beep.
- Once you hear the beep, click the Voicemail Drop button.
- Hang up and move on—the message keeps playing in the background, and you’re already dialing the next number.
Honest Take: What Works, What Doesn’t
- Works: You save a ton of time. No more repeating yourself, and you can keep a good pace.
- Doesn’t Work: If you don’t wait for the beep, your message might get cut off. Then you sound like a robocaller. Always wait.
- Ignore: Overcomplicating with tons of different messages. Two or three will cover 95% of situations.
A Few Gotchas:
- Some voicemail systems are slow or have weird beeps. If you’re not sure, wait a second longer before dropping.
- If you’re calling cell phones, remember that visual voicemail can sometimes make your message look like it came from a bot. There’s no perfect solution—just keep it natural.
- Don’t let voicemail drop tempt you to skip conversation. If someone picks up, talk to them! Don’t try to sneak in your recorded message.
Step 5: Track Your Results (But Don’t Obsess)
After a few sessions, check your callback rate. Are people calling you back? If not, try a different message or tweak your script.
What to watch for: - Are you getting more callbacks? - Do people mention your voicemail? - Is your message actually getting delivered (no weird cut-offs)?
If you’re not seeing results, change it up. Sometimes a more direct message works better. Sometimes you just need to sound more human.
Extra Tips & Best Practices
- Keep your tone upbeat—not robotic, not desperate.
- Refresh your message every few months. People catch on if you always sound the same.
- Don’t use voicemail drop for every single call. Mix in some personal ones for hot leads.
- Check your local laws about voicemail and robocalls. Phoneburner is legal in the U.S., but rules can change.
- Don’t let automation become an excuse for being lazy. Voicemail drop is a tool, not a replacement for real effort.
What to Ignore
- Don’t buy third-party voicemail scripts. Your best script is the one that sounds like you.
- Ignore “industry best practices” that make you uncomfortable. If it feels spammy, it probably is.
- Don’t stress about perfect audio quality. Decent is fine. Most people listen on cheap speakers anyway.
Keep it Simple (and Iterate)
You don’t need a fancy setup or a dozen scripts. Set up one or two solid voicemail drops, use them, and watch what happens. If you’re not getting the results you want, tweak your message and try again. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s to save time and get more real conversations.
Don’t let the tech get in the way of actually making calls. Set up, start dialing, and make changes as you go. That’s how you get faster outreach—without sounding like a robot.