Choosing VoIP Service for Telephone Campaigns
Run high-volume telephone campaigns without busy signals or per-user fees. See real examples from Netflix, nonprofits, and advocacy groups using Telzi
Choosing VoIP Service for Telephone Campaigns
Running effective telephone campaigns demands the capacity to support a high volume of calls to get the best results, which means having reliable phone service and communication tools.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations rely on Telzio's VoIP service to host phone numbers, voice and SMS services, and flexible routing solutions to execute high-volume telephone campaigns.
Our customers range from entertainment brands to grassroots advocacy groups, and every campaign in between. Telzio's solutions can be tailored to each different customer, campaign, and budget.
Telephone Campaigns in Action
Netflix and Microsoft: Stranger Things
Ahead of the release of Stranger Things' fifth and final season, Netflix and Microsoft teamed up on a transmedia campaign that used a hidden phone number as its entry point. Fans who spotted the number in an in-world 80s-style commercial for "Hawkins Heli-Tours" could call in and hear a voicemail from Murray, voiced by actor Brett Gelman, containing a code that unlocked the next part of the experience.
The phone line was powered by Telzio, connecting callers to an experience that spanned video, gaming, and a retro-styled website. The campaign expanded further through a five-day takeover of the Microsoft Cube in Times Square, generating more than three million estimated impressions.
Hope Booth: Hope Hotline
Not every campaign is built for scale or spectacle. Hope Hotline is a Giving Season initiative from Hope Booth, offering a free toll-free number where anyone can call in and hear heartfelt, pre-recorded messages from grandparent volunteers around the world.
Hope Booth's broader work, immersive, evidence-based phone booth installations focused on emotional wellbeing, has already reached more than 450,000 people. Hope Hotline extends that mission beyond public spaces, relying on Telzio to keep the toll-free number stable and each recording playing clearly, no matter how many people call in.
No More Busy Signals
One of the major benefits of supporting a high volume of incoming calls with Telzio is eliminating busy signals. Each line with Telzio can support an indefinite number of simultaneous calls.
Recently, the North Carolina Bar Foundation handled 7,689 calls in a single day during their "Lawyers on Call Day" event, part of their 4ALL Telethon, with 376 volunteer attorneys and intake specialists working remotely across 37 call queues. Despite that volume, fewer than 1% of calls were missed, thanks to real-time analytics and automatic overflow routing.
| Category | Traditional Phone System | Telzio VoIP |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per additional user | Per-line or per-seat fee | $0, unlimited users included |
| Simultaneous call capacity | Limited by physical lines | Indefinite per number |
| Setup time | Days to weeks, often needs a technician | Minutes, self-service |
| Works on volunteers' own devices | Rarely | Yes, mobile app, web phone, or desk phone |
| Scaling up or down for a campaign | Requires new hardware or contracts | Instant, no extra cost |
Why Do Phone Calls Still Move the Needle?
Legislators and decision-makers still pay closer attention to a ringing phone than most people assume. The Congressional Management Foundation, which has surveyed congressional staff on constituent communication for over two decades, found in its report "Citizen-Centric Advocacy: The Untapped Power of Constituent Engagement" that 84% of staff said phone calls from constituents could sway a lawmaker who hadn't yet made up their mind, right up there with personalized letters and emails, and well ahead of mass form submissions.
Scaling Your Campaign Without Per-User Fees
The more people who call in, the bigger the impact, and Telzio makes it easy to support a large staff and group of volunteers. Telzio is unique from other providers in that we include all users in our pricing, at no per-user cost, which is a big part of why customers save 30% on average by switching to Telzio.
Users can be added and deleted anytime at no cost, so changing staff and bringing on new volunteers to make calls is instant and seamless. Organizations can have as many staff members and volunteers as needed on a telephone campaign to make and receive calls without paying a fee per user.
That kind of scale is exactly what one nonprofit customer needed for a voter hotline phone bank ahead of a general election. They processed over half a million calls in just a few months with 600 volunteers working nationwide, and never had to scramble to match their infrastructure to campaign demand. Telzio also offers qualified nonprofits 20% off, so more of the budget can go toward outreach instead of infrastructure.
Once calls start coming in, call recording makes it easy to review conversations for training and quality control, and tagging calls in the dashboard helps campaign organizers spot patterns, like which regions or issues are generating the most calls, without digging through spreadsheets.
Bring Your Own Devices
Users can download our free mobile app to make and receive calls from any location. For desktops, the web phone works right in the browser, and IP phones or any SIP-based softphone application work too.
The ability for staff and volunteers to use their own devices makes it easier and less costly to run telephone campaigns. Organizations can launch global telephone campaigns virtually with people helping out from anywhere, using local, toll-free, or international numbers as needed, and there's no hardware, phones, or cables to set up or purchase.
Automated Call Management
Telzio's web-based platform makes it easy to customize call management features that help campaigns run more smoothly. With a high volume of inbound calls and a limited number of people to answer phones, preset greetings and call routing provide 24/7 automation.
IVR Menus
Also known as an automated attendant or automated greeting, an IVR menu greets callers with a prerecorded message and presents them with options on their keypad (i.e. Press 1 for apples, press 2 for oranges).
Once the caller selects an option, they can be automatically routed to:
- a user (or group of users)
- another phone number
- another IVR menu
- a conference call
- voicemail, or
- a phone queue
Call Forwarding
Callers are routed to users and groups of users with our call forwarding feature. Also known as hunt groups, users can be called in order or all at the same time. There's no limit to the number of users you can add to a call forwarding group.
Call Screening
With many people using their mobile device as their main and only phone these days, call screening helps identify where the caller has dialed, so the receiver can answer accordingly.
Phone Queues
When more callers are dialing in than there are staff available to answer, callers can be placed in a call queue while they hold to be connected to the next person. Phone queues reduce the number of callers lost, which is critical for telephone campaigns.
With automated call management tools, callers are:
- routed more quickly
- spend less time on hold, and
- speak to the right person the first time
While there are certainly times when automated menus and phone queues become a disservice to callers, following some best practices will help ensure a positive caller experience.
Reliable Uptime and Audio Quality
Lastly, and perhaps most critical, is a VoIP service that delivers reliable quality. Launching a telephone campaign can involve months of planning and a real budget, so by the time launch day arrives, the phone service needs to already be in place, tested, and ready to perform. This is often the last thing anyone wants to worry about mid-campaign.
Telzio has delivered 100% uptime over the past 12 months and consistent high definition audio quality.
Telzio runs on usage-based, pay-as-you-go pricing with no per-user fees and no setup costs, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. A free 30-day trial is included too, so campaign organizers can test the setup before committing to anything. Phone numbers and customizations are live instantly, making testing easy and fast.
Customer Support
Our support team is happy to help. Talk to our sales team with any questions and see if Telzio is the right phone service for your telephone campaign.
