Voicemail drop or text message: which should a business send?

Send a voicemail when the message needs a voice, such as a recall, a renewal or an invitation from someone the customer knows. Send a text for a short fact or a time. In Canada the two follow different rules, and sending both, voicemail first, reaches the people who call and the people who reply.

Send a voicemail when the message needs a voice: a recall, a renewal, a sale invitation, anything where who is asking matters as much as what. Send a text for a short fact: a time, a confirmation, a link. Most campaigns do best with both, the voicemail first and a short text a few minutes after it, because some people call back and others only reply.

What a voicemail does that a text can't

It carries a voice people know. A service advisor, an owner or a salesperson, in their own voice or the team's. A text from a short code or an unknown number reads like every other text.
It carries more. Thirty seconds of speech is about 75 words: enough for a name, a reason and an ask, said warmly.
It waits. A voicemail sits in the inbox until the person has a minute, and they hear it on their own time.
It starts a conversation. A callback is a person on the phone with your team, which is where a booking or a sale usually starts.
It reaches landlines. A text needs a mobile. A voicemail reaches a home phone too.

What a text does better

It's read in a glance. A time, an address or a price is quicker to read than to hear.
It's easy to answer. "Yes", "Thursday works" or a question, without a phone call.
It can hold a link. A booking page or a map.

The rules are different in Canada

	A voicemail drop	A text message
The rules	The CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, as a recorded message	Canada's anti-spam law, CASL, as a commercial electronic message
Consent for a message that sells	Express consent to recorded messages from your business, for that number	Express consent, or implied consent from an existing business relationship
When it can be sent	9 AM to 9:30 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 6 PM on weekends, the recipient's local time	CASL sets no hours. The Call Guy sends texts from 9 AM to 9 PM, the recipient's local time
What it must say	Who it's from and why it's calling, and a way to reach you	Who it's from, a way to reach you, and a free way to opt out, such as replying STOP

CASL leaves voice recordings sent to a phone out of its consent rules, so a voicemail is the CRTC's rules' business and a text is CASL's. Under CASL, implied consent lasts two years after a purchase or lease and six months after an inquiry. A recorded message that sells needs express consent whatever the relationship. See Are voicemail drops legal in Canada? for each rule with its source.

Why the two work best together

A voicemail and a text reach different people. Some will call back; others will never call but will answer a text in a word. Across one dealership's three campaigns through The Call Guy, 77 people called back and 33 people replied by text, out of 736 delivered voicemails.

Send them in this order:

The voicemail first. It says who you are and why you're reaching out, in a voice.
The text a few minutes later. One line that points back to the voicemail: "Just left you a voicemail about your service. Reply here or call this number to book."
One number for both. The text comes from the same number the voicemail showed, so a reply and a callback land in one place.

At The Call Guy, one text after each delivered voicemail is included in that voicemail's credit. It goes about 7 minutes after delivery, to mobiles only, and replies cost nothing. See The follow-up text.

When a text alone is enough

An appointment confirmation or a reminder of a time already booked.
A change of hours, or a closure for a holiday.
A reply to someone who texted you first.

When a voicemail alone is the right call

The list is mostly home phones, which can't take a text.
The message is sensitive, such as a recall, and deserves a voice.
The customer agreed to calls and recorded messages but not to texts. Send only what each person agreed to.

Common questions

Is a voicemail drop better than a text message?

Neither is better for everything. A voicemail carries a voice and a reason and starts a conversation; a text is quicker to read and to answer. Most businesses get more responses sending both: the voicemail first, the text a few minutes after.

The two follow different laws. A recorded message that sells needs express consent under the CRTC's rules. A commercial text falls under CASL, where implied consent from an existing business relationship can apply. Asking for express consent to both, in one sentence, covers each. See How to get consent for voicemail and text campaigns in Canada.

Can a voicemail drop reach a landline?

Yes. A voicemail reaches a home phone's voicemail as well as a mobile's. A text reaches mobiles only, so at The Call Guy a landline gets the voicemail and never the follow-up text.

What should the follow-up text say?

One line that names your business, points back to the voicemail and makes replying easy. For example: "Hi Sarah, it's Mike at the dealership. Just left you a voicemail about your service. Reply here or call this number to book." The Call Guy adds the opt-out line for you.

Does the follow-up text cost extra?

Not at The Call Guy. One text after each delivered voicemail is included in that voicemail's credit, and replies cost nothing.

Last updated November 6, 2026

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