Broadcast Telemarketing.

SoundBite Communications in Burlington, Mass., offers a telemarketing system that sends interactive recorded marketing messages instantly to multiple phone numbers. Messages may be recorded from any telephone. Since the system was introduced in December 2000, the company says more than 3 million SoundBite messages have been delivered.

If no one is home, the system is programmed to leave the message on an answering machine or in a voice-mail box. If a line is busy, or there is no voice-mail system, SoundBite will redial the number several times. Undeliverable messages will be reported to the sender.

The company says several levels of service are available for corporations, small businesses or individuals. In addition to marketing messages, SoundBite could permit sales managers to send messages to their entire sales forces, and companies can use the system to notify consumers of changes in policies. The company says the use of SoundBite messages can also improve response rates to direct-marketing campaigns. "A financial services firm increased response on a direct mailing from its historical 2 percent response rate to over 30 percent by augmenting the campaign with a SoundBite reminder," the company says.