Should SDRs leave voicemails? When they help and what to say

SDRs should leave voicemails selectively, as one touch in a sequence rather than a way to get callbacks. Published callback rates for sales voicemails are in the low single digits. So use each message to make your next call or email familiar, keep it short, and skip it when you have nothing new to say.

What the callback data shows

Many voicemail figures quoted online do not say where they come from. Two public sources describe their data:

Source	Data	Result
Orum, a sales dialer company, published 11 May 2022	733,000 calls, January to March 2022; callbacks within 7 days of a pre-recorded voicemail	2.538% called back after a voicemail, against 2.277% with no voicemail
Orum, same article	7.8 million calls, June 2021 to March 2022; pickup on the next call	4.1% picked up the next call after a pre-recorded voicemail, against 3.2% with none
InsideSales.com article, 22 May 2007	“One series of tests” with messages recorded in the rep’s voice; no sample size given	4.8% average callback rate; a range of under 1% to 22% across tests

As of October 2026, these are the public figures this guide could trace to the original source. Read them with 3 limits in mind. Both come from companies that sold calling software. Both measured pre-recorded messages, not messages a rep speaks live. And the 2007 figure gives no sample size or method.

What the data does suggest: a callback is rare either way, and the larger effect in Orum’s analysis was on the next call. Pickup went from 3.2% to 4.1%, which Orum reports as a 25.8% improvement. A voicemail works best as a way to make your name familiar before the next touch.

When a voicemail helps, and when to skip it

Leave a voicemail when it adds something the prospect did not have before:

• The first attempt. It introduces your name and the reason for the call.
• A pointer to an email. “I sent you a note about X” gives the email a reason to be opened.
• A new reason to talk. A trigger, such as a new office, a job change or a funding round you saw in public news.
• The last attempt. It tells the prospect you will stop calling, which respects their time.

Skip it when:

• You left one in the last few days and have nothing new to add.
• The greeting is a main company line or a shared mailbox. Ask the receptionist for the right person instead.
• The mailbox is full or not set up. Log the outcome and move on.

Log every voicemail as its own outcome, not as a connect, so your SDR call metrics stay clean. If you use a dialer that detects voicemail greetings, see how answering machine detection works.

A voicemail plan for a 2-week sequence

Use voicemails on some attempts, not all. One example sequence:

Day	Call	Voicemail	Email
1	Call	Script 1: first touch	Send the email the voicemail mentions
3	Call	None	None
6	Call	Script 2: points to the email	Reply in the same email thread
8	Call	None	None
12	Call	Script 3: last attempt	Short final email

Call at different times of day across the sequence. For what the public studies say about timing, see when is the best time to cold call.

3 short voicemail scripts

Each script is under 50 words. Say your name and company at the start, and say any phone number slowly.

Script 1: first touch

“Hi Sam, this is Alex from Northgate. I’m calling because you’re hiring SDRs in Austin, and we help new teams reach more people by phone. I’ll send you a short email today with the details. If it’s useful, call me on 555 0142.”

Script 2: points to the email

“Hi Sam, Alex from Northgate again. I sent you an email on Monday about your new Austin team. The subject line is ‘Austin SDR ramp’. If the timing is wrong, a one-word reply is fine. My number is 555 0142.”

Script 3: last attempt

“Hi Sam, it’s Alex from Northgate. This is my last call about the Austin team, so I won’t keep trying. If it comes up later, my email and number are in my last note. Good luck with the hiring.”

Write your own versions with the prospect’s real situation. A specific reason is what makes the message worth hearing.

Rules for pre-recorded voicemails

A voicemail your rep speaks during a live call is part of that call. A pre-recorded message is different under US rules, as of October 2026:

• Ringless voicemail. The FCC ruled in November 2022 that ringless voicemail to wireless phones is a “call” made using an artificial or prerecorded voice, so it requires consumer consent (FCC 22-85, paragraph 1).
• Pre-recorded messages on calls. A telemarketing call using an artificial or prerecorded voice to a wireless number needs the called party’s prior express written consent (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(2)). Every prerecorded message must also state the identity of the business at the start and a telephone number during or after the message (64.1200(b)).

Other countries have their own rules on recorded marketing messages. Check with your counsel before you use any pre-recorded voicemail.

How DialSavvy handles this

DialSavvy’s AI answer detection labels each answer as a person, voicemail, a phone menu or a call screener, so voicemail outcomes are counted separately from connects. The brief before every dial shows how many times the contact was called and the last result, so a rep can see whether a message was left last time. Calling hours are checked in the contact’s time zone before every call. See the DialSavvy dialer.

This week, write your 3 scripts with real reasons for your top accounts, and decide on which attempts in your sequence a voicemail adds something new.