On this page
- How they compare
- What a voicemail campaign did for a real BDC
- The rules are different for each
- When live calls are the right tool
- How stores use both
- Common questions
- Can a voicemail campaign replace BDC outbound calls?
- Do BDC agents leave better voicemails than a campaign?
- Is a voicemail campaign legal where a BDC call is?
- Who answers the callbacks?
- Related
Voicemail campaigns vs BDC calling: working a whole list
An agent calling a list one number at a time spends most of the day reaching voicemail. A voicemail campaign reaches the whole list at once in a voice the customer knows, and the BDC spends its time on the people who call back. When each fits, the rules for each, and how stores use both.
When the job is reaching a whole list, such as every lease ending this quarter or every customer with a declined repair, a voicemail campaign does the first touch for the BDC. Everyone on the list hears the same well-said message, by name, in a voice they know, and the agents spend their day on the people who call back and want to talk. Live calls by hand still win for a short list of hot leads, where a conversation right now matters more than reach.
How they compare
| A voicemail campaign | BDC agents calling by hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching the list | Everyone on it, the same afternoon | As many as the agents can dial in a shift |
| An agent's time | Spent on callbacks and replies: people who chose to talk | Spent dialing, waiting and leaving voicemails, answered or not |
| The message | Written once, said the same way to everyone, with each customer's name and vehicle | Different on every call, and on every agent's day |
| The voice | Your voice or your team's, or a house voice | The agent on shift |
| Measuring it | Every callback and text reply counted against the campaign, and sent to the CRM as a lead | Call logs and dispositions, as agents enter them |
| The rules | The CRTC's rules for recorded messages | The CRTC's telemarketing rules for live calls |
What a voicemail campaign did for a real BDC
Across one dealership's three campaigns, 736 voicemails were delivered in three afternoons. 77 people called back, on 93 calls, and 84 of those calls were answered. 33 people replied by text, and 127 leads went into the store's CRM. The BDC's work started with people who had already raised their hand. Those are one store's results, not a promise.
The rules are different for each
A recorded message follows the CRTC's ADAD rules: a message that sells needs each person's express consent to recorded messages from your business, and it has to say who it is from.
A live call follows the CRTC's telemarketing rules: the caller identifies themselves and the business, gives a number and an address when asked, and keeps the store's own do-not-call list.
Both keep to the same calling hours, in the recipient's local time: 9 AM to 9:30 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 6 PM on weekends.
See Are voicemail drops legal in Canada? for each rule and its source.
When live calls are the right tool
A short list of hot leads, such as today's internet leads or a customer who asked for a trade appraisal.
A conversation that can't wait, such as a vehicle ready for pickup or a part that arrived.
A customer who asked to be called, rather than messaged.
How stores use both
The voicemail campaign goes first, to the whole list, in a voice the customer knows.
The campaign line rings the BDC. Callbacks go to the agents' phones or a ring group, so the people who call back reach someone who can book. See One phone, or a ring group.
Every callback and reply lands in the CRM as a lead, with the script the customer heard. See How voicemail callbacks reach a dealership's CRM and BDC.
Agents call the missed callbacks first, then the people worth a live call.
Common questions
Can a voicemail campaign replace BDC outbound calls?
It replaces the first touch on a whole list: the dialing that mostly reaches voicemail anyway. It doesn't replace the agents. They spend the time on callbacks, replies and the leads worth a live call.
Do BDC agents leave better voicemails than a campaign?
A campaign says the same well-written message to everyone, by name, in a voice the customer knows, and it is never rushed at the end of a shift. An agent can react to a conversation, which a recorded message can't.
Is a voicemail campaign legal where a BDC call is?
They follow different rules. A live call follows the CRTC's telemarketing rules. A recorded message follows its ADAD rules, which need express consent to recorded messages for a message that sells. See How to get consent for voicemail and text campaigns in Canada.
Who answers the callbacks?
Your team. The campaign line can ring the BDC's phones or a ring group, and a callback nobody answered goes to the CRM as a missed-callback lead, so an agent can call back first.
Related
Last updated November 6, 2026
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