> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.recepta.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Voicemail

> Transcribed voicemail, and voicemail drop for outbound.

Voicemail works in both directions in Recepta.ai — messages left for you, and messages you leave without ringing anyone.

## Inbound voicemail

With an AI receptionist answering, most calls never reach voicemail. It still matters for the cases that do — a caller who asks for a person, an overflow when everyone is busy, or a transfer that goes unanswered.

Messages are recorded, transcribed, and attached to the caller's [contact](/outbound/contacts), so you read them in the dashboard rather than dialing in to a mailbox.

<Tip>
  If you're seeing regular inbound voicemail, ask why. Usually a [transfer rule](/receptionist/transfer-rules) is routing to a number nobody answers. Sending those callers back to the agent to take a structured message beats a voicemail box.
</Tip>

## Voicemail drop

Voicemail drop places a pre-recorded message directly into a contact's voicemail without their phone ringing. It's available as a step in outbound [sequences](/outbound/sequences).

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Why it works" icon="thumbs-up">
    Non-intrusive, and it reaches people who never answer unknown numbers. A good follow-up to an unanswered call step — they hear from you without being interrupted.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Where it fails" icon="thumbs-down">
    A generic recording is worse than nothing. If the message doesn't name the person, your business, and why you're calling, it reads as spam and burns the contact.
  </Card>
</Columns>

### Recording a good drop

* **Under twenty seconds.** Longer gets deleted before the point.
* **Name yourself and the business in the first sentence.**
* **Give a reason specific to them** — "about the estimate we sent for your water heater" beats "about our services".
* **One clear next step**, with the number to call back on.
* **Sound like a person leaving a message**, not a read script.

<Warning>
  Voicemail drop is regulated. In many jurisdictions it counts as a call for the purposes of consent, calling hours, and do-not-call obligations. Treat it exactly as you would a live outbound call — see [Recording & consent](/phone/recording-and-consent).
</Warning>

## In a sequence

The common pattern is call → no answer → voicemail drop → SMS shortly after, so the text arrives while the voicemail is still fresh. See [Sequences](/outbound/sequences) for building it.