Voicemail audio as a tap-to-listen link in a text message
Welco puts voicemail audio in a text message as a short private link. The on-call tech hears the caller without dialing into a mailbox. It works when your phone system emails the voicemail with the audio attached. One tap plays it in the phone's browser, and photos and PDFs work the same way.
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- No app and no login
- Links last 7 days, up to 30
- Audio, photos and PDFs
Works by email with
- 3CX
- Cisco Unity
- Grasshopper
- Asterisk / FreePBX
Tap-to-listen links
Try it: turn it off and on.
1
No link: the text only says a message is waiting
1
With a link: one tap and the caller is playing
On. The phone gets 1 text.
What a listen link changes for the on-call person
Hear the caller in one tap
No mailbox PIN, no portal and no waiting to get back to a desk.
Call back already knowing why
Ten seconds of the message tells the tech whether it's a flooded server room or a question for morning.
The recording stays private
Files sit in private storage, reachable only through the link, and are deleted when it expires.
See that it was heard
Each person gets their own link, so you can see who opened it and when.
How a voicemail becomes a tap-to-listen link
This is one of Welco's 12 alert features. It works on the voicemail email your phone system already sends.
Your phone system emails the voicemail
Most systems attach the recording as a WAV or MP3 file. A text can't carry that file, so Welco takes it out.
Welco stores it and adds a short link
The file goes into private storage, and a
welco.ai/v/link joins the caller, mailbox and length in the text.The on-call person taps and listens
The link opens a page in the phone's browser. Audio plays there, photos show there and PDFs open there.
A real example: an urgent call after hours
A phone system emails each new voicemail with the audio attached. The on-call tech is out, and needs to hear the caller before calling back.
Alert email from voicemail@pbx.example.com, subject “New voicemail in mailbox 210”. Welco trims it to one text of 111 characters: “Welco: New voicemail in mailbox 210 from (555) 010-0148, 1:12. Listen: welco.ai/v/q8Rk2D Reply STOP to opt out.”
Text received: Welco: New voicemail in mailbox 210 from (555) 010-0148, 1:12. Listen: welco.ai/v/q8Rk2D Reply STOP to opt out.
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The text keeps the mailbox, the caller and the length. The recording rides along as a link. The voicemail-to-text pages show setup for each phone system, such as 3CX voicemail to SMS and Grasshopper voicemail texts.
Let the on-call tech hear the message
Point your voicemail emails at your Welco address and invite the on-call tech to join.
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One after-hours call, from voicemail to callback
A caller leaves a message on the after-hours line
New voicemail in mailbox 210 (msg0007.wav attached)The on-call phone gets the caller and a link
Welco: New voicemail in mailbox 210 from (555) 010-0148, 1:12. Listen: welco.ai/v/q8Rk2D Reply STOP to opt out.The tech taps the link and listens
The recording plays in the browser. The link shows one view from this phone.
The tech calls the number back
The caller's number is in the text, so there's nothing to look up.
Times are an example. Text delivery depends on mobile networks.
Phone systems that send voicemail by email
If your system can email a voicemail with the audio attached, the link works. See the urgency line setup for the most common case.
How long does a voicemail link last?
Links last 7 days by default. You can set up to 30 days for each source, such as your voicemail line. After that, the file is deleted for good.
You can also revoke a link or end it early. That helps if a message went to the wrong phone. Our security page covers storage and link expiry in more detail.
Other attachments that work as links
Links help whenever the email's attachment is the part that matters.
Camera snapshots
A photo attached to an alarm email shows the scene before anyone drives out.
Panel photos
A picture of the display tells the tech which fault code is lit.
PDF reports
A daily run report or a work order opens from the text, page by page.
Features that go with voicemail links
On-call routing
After-hours voicemail goes to the night phone, daytime calls to the desk.
Several phones per alert
Each person on the list gets a link of their own.
Replies by email
The tech answers the text, and the reply arrives as an email.
Frequently asked questions
Does the on-call person need an app to play the voicemail?
Can I keep voicemail links longer than 30 days?
What happens to a Word file attached to an alarm email?
Can I tell whether the on-call tech opened the voicemail link?
What if our phone system emails the voicemail without the audio?
Could someone find our voicemails through a search engine?
Hear the voicemail from the on-call phone
Point your voicemail emails at Welco and tap to listen.
7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing