Table of Contents

Introduction

  • What Is Voicemail and Why It Matters for Your Business?

  • Real-Life Example: Voicemail in Action

When Are Voicemails Played?

  • User Conditions

  • Number Conditions

Types of Voicemail

  • User Voicemail vs. Number Voicemail

  • The Golden Rule: Does the Call Reach the Dialer?

When Does Each Voicemail Type Play?

  • When Number Voicemail Plays

  • When User Voicemail Plays

  • Quick Example Scenarios

How to Enable Voicemail

  • Steps to Enable Number Voicemail

  • Steps to Enable User Voicemail

Voicemail Transcription

  • What Is Voicemail Transcription?

  • Availability, Pricing & Conditions

  • Steps to Enable Voicemail Transcription

Listening to Voicemails

  • From CallHippo Dashboard

  • From Mobile Application

Reading Voicemail Transcriptions

  • From CallHippo Dashboard

  • Important Note About Mobile Access

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


Understanding Voicemail and Its Importance for Your Business

In today’s fast-paced business environment, missing a call can mean missing an opportunity. That’s where voicemail comes in. 

Voicemail is a digital recording system that allows callers to leave you a message when you're unavailable, ensuring you never lose touch with important contacts, even outside business hours.

With a VoIP provider like CallHippo, voicemail isn’t just a basic feature—it becomes a powerful tool to enhance customer service, streamline communication, and maintain professionalism across your team. Whether you're a startup or a growing enterprise, voicemail helps you stay responsive and organized.

Example:

Imagine a potential client calls after hours with an urgent inquiry. Instead of reaching a dead end, they’re greeted by a custom voicemail message and leave their details. 

First thing in the morning, your team listens to the message via email or app notification and follows up immediately, making a great impression and possibly closing the deal.


Conditions for When Voicemails Are Played:

The voicemail is played under the following two circumstances:

User Conditions:

  • If the user is unavailable based on their availability preference (e.g., Always Closed).

  • If the user has set up Custom Availability and a call comes outside business hours, the call will go to voicemail.

  • If the user has manually enabled the Voicemail toggle from the User section, they will receive voicemails only when unavailable.

  • If a call comes during business hours, the user is logged out of the web dialer or mobile app.

Number Conditions:

  • If a Custom Availability is set for a number, and a call comes outside business hours, it will go to voicemail if the After Work Hours feature is enabled and set to voicemail.

  • If a call comes during business hours and the Call Queue feature is on, but the call is not answered within the queue timeline, the call will go to voicemail if the numbered voicemail is enabled

  • If the user has manually enabled the Voicemail toggle from the Number section, that number will receive voicemails.


As per both the different situations, we provide two different options for voicemail: Number voicemail and User voicemail.

Understanding When User or Number Voicemail Is Played

At CallHippo, we offer two types of voicemail to ensure your callers always receive a professional response—even when you're unavailable:

  • User Voicemail: Personalized to the specific user.

  • Number Voicemail: Associated with a specific phone number.

So, when exactly does each voicemail type play? Let’s break it down.

The Golden Rule: It Depends on Whether the Call Lands on the Dialer

The main deciding factor is whether or not the incoming call reaches the user’s dialer (web or mobile app).

  • If the call does NOT land on the dialer → Number Voicemail plays

  • If the call lands on the user’s dialer but goes unanswered by the user. And if the user voicemail is enabled→ User Voicemail plays

When Does Number Voicemail Play?

Number voicemail is triggered when the system can’t reach the user's dialer due to any of the following:

  • The user is logged out, or the dialer status is set to anything other than 'Available,' and the user voicemail has not been set up.

  • The number has Custom Availability, and the call comes outside business hours with "After Work Hours" voicemail enabled.

  • The Call Queue times out, and voicemail is enabled for that number.

  • The Voicemail toggle is turned ON under the Number settings.
    The dialer is not open, so the call never gets delivered to the user—hence, Number Voicemail plays.

  • A custom hour is set for the number, but the dialer is not open for any user.

  • The call is unanswered by any user.

When Does User Voicemail Play?

User voicemail comes into play only when the call actually lands on the user’s dialer, but the user doesn’t answer. This could happen if:

  • The user misses the call or ignores it while the app is open.

  • The user has set Custom Availability, and the call comes outside those hours.

  • The user is marked as unavailable (e.g., "Always Closed").

  • The Voicemail toggle is turned ON under the User settings.

  • The call lands, but the user is not responsive.

By understanding this logic, you can customize your voicemail settings to suit your team’s availability and provide a smooth experience to your callers.

Steps to enable Number voicemail:

1. Log in to your CallHippo dashboard.

2. Navigate to the “Numbers and DID” section on the left side of the screen and then click on the Numbers.


3. Click on the settings icon of the number you want to set the voicemail for.




4. Click on the “voicemail” option visible towards the left side of the dashboard.




5. Click on the voicemail toggle icon to enable it.




6. You can select between the two options for voicemail:

  • You can either manually write the voicemail message to suit your needs.

  • Or upload a pre-recorded audio file.





7. When you select the text, it will be played to the customer as an AI voice prompt. You can choose a male or female voice and select from a range of available accents.




8. If you select music, you can upload your own/external audio file to be played as the voicemail message.

Note: Only .mp3 and .wav files with a file size under 5 MB can be uploaded.




Voicemail Transcription:


Voicemail transcription is a feature that converts the audio of voicemail messages into text, allowing you to read the content of your voicemails rather than listen to them. This can be particularly useful for quickly scanning messages and identifying important information without having to listen to each voicemail.


Important information:


  • Voicemail transcription is available only in select plans. You can view its availability across different plans on our website here: https://callhippo.com/pricing/

  • Voicemail transcription costs $0.1 per minute, for which the charges are deducted from the calling credits available in your account.

  • In case you do not have calling credits in your account or the calling credits from your account are completely exhausted, in this case, the voicemail transcription feature will not work.


Steps to enable the voicemail transcription:


Click on the voicemail transcription toggle to enable it for your account.



Steps to enable User voicemail:

1. Log in to your CallHippo dashboard.


2. Navigate to the “Users and Performance” section on the left side of the screen and then click on the Users.




3. Click on the settings icon of the user you want to enable to voicemail feature for.




4. Click on the voicemail option visible on the left side of the dashboard.




5. Click on the voicemail toggle icon to enable it.




6. You can select between the two options for voicemail:

  • You can either manually write the voicemail message to suit your needs.

  • Or upload a pre-recorded audio file.




7. When you select the text, it will be played to the customer as an AI voice prompt. You can choose a male or female voice and select from a range of available accents.




8. If you select music, you can upload your own/external audio file to be played as the voicemail message.

Note: Only .mp3 and .wav files with a file size under 5 MB can be uploaded.




How to listen to the voicemails from your CallHippo dashboard?


1. Log in to your CallHippo dashboard.


2. Click on the “Call Logs / Recordings” section visible to the left side of the dashboard.




3. The calls for which you have the voicemail recordings will have the “play” button visible beside them, as visible in the screenshot. Click on the “play” button to play the voicemail recording.




4. Alternatively, you can click on the “i” button and then listen to the voicemail recording from there.




How to read the “voicemail transcriptions” of the voicemail?


After following the above steps, click on the “Call Scribe” button.



The transcription of the voicemail left by your client will be visible to you.


Important: 

  • You will only be able to read the voicemail transcription from the CallHippo dashboard.

  • You will not be able to read the voicemail transcription using the mobile application.


How to listen to Voicemail recordings from the mobile application?


1. Log in to your CallHippo mobile application.


2. Click on the “Main Menu” icon as visible in the screenshot.





3. Click on the “All Calls/Inbox” option.





4. Click on the arrow icon visible beside the call for which you want to hear the call recording.





5. Click on the play icon visible on the screen to play the voicemail recording.




Some basic queries regarding the voicemail feature:



Q: What’s the difference between User Voicemail and Number Voicemail?

A: User Voicemail is tied to a specific user and plays when a call reaches their dialer but goes unanswered. Number Voicemail is linked to a phone number and plays when the call doesn’t reach any user’s dialer.


Q: Can I customize the voicemail message?

A: Yes, you can either type a message to be converted into an AI voice prompt or upload a pre-recorded .mp3 or .wav file under 5 MB.


Q: What is voicemail transcription?

A: Voicemail transcription converts audio voicemail messages into text so you can read them instead of listening to the audio.


Q: How much does voicemail transcription cost?

A: It costs $0.1 per minute. Charges are deducted from your calling credits.


Q: Can I read voicemail transcriptions on the mobile app?

A: No, voicemail transcriptions are only available on the CallHippo dashboard. They cannot be viewed from the mobile application.


Q: If I add calling credits later, will I be able to get transcripts of voicemails received when I had no credits?

A: No, adding credits afterward will not generate transcriptions for past voicemails. Transcriptions are only created at the time the voicemail is received, provided there are enough calling credits in your account.

Q: How can I update my voicemail message?
A: You can update your voicemail message by accessing the voicemail settings in either the User or Number section of your CallHippo dashboard. From there, you can type a new message to be played as an AI voice prompt or upload a new audio file in .mp3 or .wav format (under 5 MB).

Q: How can I listen to my voicemail messages?
A: You can listen to voicemail messages by navigating to the “Call Logs / Recordings” section of your CallHippo dashboard and clicking the “play” button next to the relevant call. You can also access voicemails on the CallHippo mobile app by going to “All Calls/Inbox” and selecting the appropriate call to play the recording.

Q: Can I upload my own recorded voicemail greeting, or am I limited to using AI text-to-speech?
A: Yes, you can upload your own voicemail greeting. In the voicemail settings, you have the option to upload a personal audio file in .mp3 or .wav format (under 5 MB) instead of using the AI-generated voice prompt.

Q: What are the steps to upload a voicemail greeting?
A: To upload a voicemail greeting, go to the voicemail settings under the User or Number section, enable the voicemail toggle, and choose the upload option. You can then upload a pre-recorded .mp3 or .wav file (under 5 MB) to be played for incoming callers.

Q: I’m unavailable to take calls—how can I ensure callers hear my own recorded message?
A: You can enable voicemail under your User settings and upload your own recorded message in .mp3 or .wav format. When you're unavailable and a call lands on your dialer but is unanswered, your custom voicemail message will be played to the caller.


I hope this helps. If you still face any queries, please feel free to reach out at [email protected]