How to send voicemail to email

We've all been there: you miss a call and see they left you a new voicemail message. Maybe you see a glimpse of the automated transcript on your visual voicemail and see it's from someone important. You tell yourself you'll listen to it when you get a moment and then three days later you remember, "oh yeah…that voicemail - totally forgot to call them back." If you find yourself struggling to stay on top of missed calls and your voicemail inbox, learning how to send voicemail to email might be the solution you need.

What is voicemail to email and how does it work?

A voicemail to email service is a feature that allows you to receive notifications and transcriptions of your voicemail messages directly in your email inbox. This functionality can be part of a VoIP phone system or a standalone voicemail to email app. Let's explore the two main options:

VoIP phone system feature

If you use VoIP phone systems like Google Voice, Dialpad, or OpenPhone, sending voicemail to email is typically included as a built-in feature. When enabled, these systems will automatically forward voicemail to email addresses of your choice. Depending on your provider, you'll receive either:

• A text transcription of the voicemail
• Both a transcription and an MP3 audio file of the message

For example, with Google Voice you can enable this feature by:

1. Opening the Google Voice app
2. Tapping Menu at the top left
3. Finding the “Voicemail” section
4. Toggling on “Get voicemail via email”

Voicemail assistant for VoIP, iPhone, Android, and landlines

If you don't use a VoIP service but still want to forward voicemail to email, a voicemail assistant service might be the right solution. Upfirst's answering service allow you to:

• Forward calls from your iPhone or Android device
• Have an AI virtual receptionist take messages
• Receive emails containing:
  • The message content
  • A recording of the call
  • A full transcript

One significant advantage of services like Upfirst is the ability to customize the virtual receptionist’s behavior. Unlike traditional voicemail where callers might leave out crucial information, you can program the virtual receptionist to ask specific questions to gather the details you need for follow-up.

How to forward Voicemail to Email

Unlike traditional voicemail to email, Upfirst's AI assistant actively engages with callers, gathering information and providing responses based on your instructions. Here's how to set it up:

1. Sign up for an Upfirst account

This gives you access to an AI voicemail assistant that will handle your missed calls and take messages for you.

2. Customize your greeting

Upfirst offers several realistic AI voices to choose from, allowing you to select one that best represents your business. You can create both custom greeting and goodbye messages to ensure a consistent experience for your callers.

3. Add custom instructions or knowledge

Through the knowledge panel, you can provide specific instructions for how the AI answering service should interact with callers. Think of your virtual assistant as a human receptionist and give it clear guidelines. For example:

• "Ask the caller for their address"
• "If the caller asks about pricing, let them know we'll follow up with a quote and collect their email"
• "Provide business hours when asked about availability"

4. Turn on email notifications

Good news - this step is already done for you. Email notifications are enabled by default in Upfirst. After each call, you'll receive an email containing:

• A transcript of the conversation
• A summary of key points
• A link to listen to the full phone call

5. Forward your calls

The final step is setting up call forwarding from your existing phone number to Upfirst. The process varies depending on your carrier:

For T-Mobile:

1. Open the dialer on your mobile phone
2. Dial *004 (don't press call yet)
3. Enter your 10-digit Upfirst telephone number
4. Add *11#
5. Press call and wait for the auto attendant's confirmation

For Verizon:

1. Dial *71 on your phone
2. Enter the 10-digit Upfirst number
3. Press Call and listen for the confirmation message Important: Remember to turn off the visual voicemail feature first

For other carriers or more detailed forwarding instructions, visit Upfirst's complete guide to call forwarding. Once you've completed these steps, Upfirst will begin answering your missed calls. Your AI assistant will greet callers with your custom message, collect information based on your instructions, and send you detailed email summaries of each interaction.

6 benefits of a voicemail to email service

Managing both emails and voicemails, including phone calls, can make your day feel hectic. With everything you’re already handling, juggling between different inboxes only adds to the chaos. By having voicemails sent directly to your email, you keep all your important messages in one place, making it easier to stay organized and improve your workflow.

1. Faster response times

Clients expect you to be there for them when they need you most. If you’re constantly late on responding back to a client, it sends a bad message.

When you transfer voicemail to email, you can respond quicker. No need to dial into your voicemail system; just open your email, listen or read, and get back to your client promptly. This speed can make all the difference in securing new business or maintaining strong relationships.

2. Mobility

Whether you’re in the office or at your kid’s birthday, having your voicemails sent to email ensures that you get your clients’ messages from anywhere.

Are you in an overcrowded coffee shop and can’t listen to the audio? With your voicemail being sent to email, you can easily read a transcript or detailed summary of your message. More mobility can lead to more effective communication and happier clientele.

3. Better follow-ups

It can be annoying to a customer if you called back without actually listening to the voicemail. Do they really want to repeat themselves again? How does that make you look to the customer if you didn’t take the time to listen to the reason they called for?

Having the voicemail in your email means you can refer back to it anytime. You can listen again or you can simply read the transcription to pick up on details you might have missed. This ensures you return calls with all the necessary information, making conversations smoother and more productive, while also creating a better customer experience.

4. Improved efficiency

It’s much easier to respond to an email than a voicemail. In fact, most professionals are spending an average of2.6 hours a day reading and answering emails.

By sending your voicemail to email, you simplify your workflow. All your messages are in one place—your inbox—saving you time and keeping you organized. With a readable transcription or detailed call summary, you can easily vet each voicemail and choose to email or call back.

5. Auto-forwarding: keep your team informed

Need someone else on your team to handle a call? With voicemail to email, you can easily forward the message to a colleague by adding them as a recipient in your settings. This keeps everyone in the loop and ensures that important calls are addressed promptly, even if you’re unavailable.

6. Easier record keeping

Emails are easy to sort, search, and archive. By having voicemails in your email, you can categorize them, set reminders, or flag important messages. This level of organization helps you manage client communications more effectively.

How AI can help you do more than a traditional voicemail to email service

AI is only getting better by the day. So, how can we implement AI to create a better voicemail to email system? By taking voicemails a step further, AI voicemail services like Upfirst offer even more advantages. It’s like having an intelligent voicemail system that simultaneously acts like your own unified communications platform, integrating various communication tools such as phone systems, video meetings, and messaging into a single user interface.

• Gather more info: Imagine a voicemail service that can actually speak with callers. AI can interact with callers, asking them for additional details. This means you get much more context about the caller’s needs before you even pick up the phone.
• Ask qualifying questions: AI voicemail can ask specific questions to determine if a caller is a potential lead or needs immediate assistance. This helps prioritize callbacks and manage your time efficiently.
• Provide information: The AI can provide callers with basic information about your services, hours, or FAQs. This might even resolve their query without the need for a callback.
• Schedule appointments: A voicemail that can schedule appointments for you? With the addition of AI to your VoIP, Upfirst can actually integrate with your calendar software and schedule appointments for you. Without the need to call back, you can save time and tend to other tasks.
• More voicemail customization: Don’t want your voicemail to ask qualifying questions or provide information? You can customize it either way you want. Simply set it up to gather the basics like name and phone number, get the transcription sent to your email, and reply when you want to.

Sending your voicemails to your email is a simple way to access your voicemail messages – whenever and wherever. With an AI voicemail like Upfirst, you can revitalize your work productivity, reply back to customers faster, and provide a better overall support for them. Additionally, Upfirst offers voicemail transcription, utilizing advanced speech-to-text technology to convert voicemail messages into text format. While not flawless, the accuracy of voicemail transcription has significantly improved thanks to advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, making it a valuable feature for both businesses and individuals.

Voicemail messages formats and storage

When setting up a system to forward voicemail to email, you have several options for how your voicemail messages are delivered and stored. Many people ask "how do I send voicemail to email?" and the answer depends on your specific needs and the capabilities of your chosen service. Understanding these options will help you choose the best setup for your needs.

Audio files, text transcriptions, and storage options

1. Audio Files: Voicemail messages can be sent as audio files, typically in MP3 or WAV format. This allows you to listen to the message directly from your email inbox. Audio files are great for capturing the tone and nuances of the caller’s voice.
2. Text Transcriptions: Some voicemail to email services offer text transcriptions of your voicemail messages. These transcriptions can be included in the body of the email or sent as a separate text file. Text transcriptions make it easy to quickly read and understand the message without having to listen to the audio.
3. Storage Options: Voicemail messages can be stored on your phone system or VoIP service provider’s servers, or you can choose to store them locally on your device. Consider the following factors when choosing your storage options:

• Audio File Size and Quality: Higher quality audio files may take up more storage space.
• Text Transcription Accuracy and Formatting: Ensure the transcriptions are accurate and easy to read.
• Storage Capacity and Retention Policies: Check your provider’s storage limits and how long they retain messages.
• Compliance with Industry Regulations: If you’re in a regulated industry, make sure your voicemail storage complies with relevant regulations (e.g., HIPAA for healthcare organizations).

By understanding these voicemail message formats and storage options, you can optimize your voicemail to email setup to meet your business communications needs.