Task switching, even within a routine, can be extremely time-consuming and, quite frankly, kind of boring. Your team spends a lot of time clicking between apps, finding the necessary information, and doing some preparation before every call. Now, you can automate a lot of those tasks.
Your team could be taking more calls and making more connections by speeding up the outbound calling process. Allowing your team to focus on the sale (and less on the admin and logistics) makes every call and team member more effective and efficient.
There are many reasons you might be looking into auto-dialer software. The reasons normally fall into one of four main categories:
- Achieving cost savings
- Improving sales efficiency
- Adding a lead generation arm
- Scaling outbound sales teams
In this post, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of auto-dialer software to help you decide whether it’s the best next step for your business.
What Is Auto-Dialer Software?
Auto-dialer software is a specialized call center tool commonly used in outbound sales roles, market research companies, and collection agencies to automate the process of dialing phone numbers at scale from a pre-set list.
At the most basic level, you use software to pull from a database of contacts and make calls without anyone needing to press a button. This leads to benefits like time and cost savings, lead management productivity, and scalability, as there are no misdials or searching for the right contact to call.
When combined with outbound SMS campaigns, auto-dialers perform extremely well, as customers can be primed for your call before you start your outreach.
There are various models of auto-dialer software, including predictive, progressive, power, and preview dialing. Each mode has its own methods of auto-dialing. There are nuances to each, making some better suited for certain businesses. We dive into all these later.
At a technical level, auto-dialing is made possible by integration with customer databases, such as customer relationship management systems (CRMs), to access and manage call lists and customer information. Salesforce, for example, is an extremely popular integration.
Practical Benefits of Auto-dialers
When you use an auto-dialing system correctly, there are many benefits for your business. We can categorize them into four categories: simplicity, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and productivity.
1. Simplicity
Auto-dialers are simple to set up and use, making them a good choice for businesses that don’t have a lot of technical expertise or time to learn. There’s no benefit when introducing complex software, and if software is hard to use, team adoption is low.
You don’t need to be an experienced call center agent or versed in sales technology to use an auto-dialer. Once set up, the software does everything behind the scenes, making your sales reps’ lives easier.
All they need to do is put on their headset and start talking to customers and prospects.
2. Scalability
Once you achieve early success with your auto-dialer, you can roll it out to all your agents. Scaling is easy, as most dialer software is now cloud-based. All you need is a license for each user. There’s no hardware involved, so it doesn’t use any real estate or cut into the budget.
If you’re a growing contact center, have a seasonal push, or are expanding into new geographies, you can use auto-dialer software to scale your operation without technical rollouts or extended training.
3. Cost-effectiveness
Not only does it cost relatively little to get started with auto-dialer software, but you can expect a significant return on investment from day one.
On average, an employee toggles between apps and windows 3,600 times per day, leading to manual errors and human mistakes. By automating the dialing process, your operational costs and time lost to manual inefficiencies plummet.
Workflow automation of the outbound calling process has a few additional benefits:
- Misdials become a thing of the past
- Bad contacts are archived
- Missed calls go back into the queue
All with no operational time, cost, or effort used.
4. Productivity
Expect agent idle time to decrease dramatically. When you eliminate the admin time of looking for the next contact between calls, agents can spend more time doing what they’re skilled at: making successful calls and following high-converting call scripts.
By ensuring everyone can make calls as soon as they’re available, auto-dialers remove dead time, streamline operations, and boost agent productivity.
More time on the phone means more sales, more research, and better customer service.
Types of Auto-Dialers
There are four different dialing modes (or types) to choose from:
1. Predictive dialer
A predictive dialer predicts live agent availability. Using smart algorithms to predict when an agent will be available to take a call, it auto-connects the next call when an agent is “ready.”
This involves factors such as average talk time, wrap-up time, and agent status. These all factor into the dialer algorithm to connect agents with callers in an automated fashion.
A predictive dialer feature has many upsides to keep in mind.
- Dials multiple numbers at once: Dials several numbers at once, aiming to connect a live call to an available agent just as they finish their previous interaction.
- Minimizes agent idle time: Ensures agents spend minimal time waiting for calls, maximizing their productivity.
- Ensures a high call volume and connect rate: Typically used for high-volume outbound campaigns where connecting as many calls as possible is crucial.
👉 You may also like How to Create a Predictive Dialer Campaign
2. Preview dialer
In a preview dialer, the software pops up information about the next contact before connecting the call (via CRM integration). This allows agents to personalize their approach and prepare for the conversation ahead. It’s like Call Pop for incoming calls, but in reverse.
Unlike predictive dialing, the power to start the call lies with the agent, allowing enough time to get ready to fully engage with the customer.
A preview dialer has a few distinct advantages.
- Reduces abandoned calls: Minimizes the chance of agents being unavailable when a call connects, improving customer experience.
- Is suitable for complex calls: Is ideal for situations requiring preparation or where agent discretion is essential.
- Allows time to personalize calls: Allows more time to understand previous customer interactions and learn basic company information.
3. Power dialer
A power dialer uses sequential dialing. This means it dials numbers sequentially from a contact list. This list might be pre-populated by hand or by computer or be bought from a third party.
When you load contacts into the software, it hunts for agents ready to take the next call.
- Connects to available agents: Only connects the call to an agent who is available to answer.
- Is simple and efficient: Is easy to set up and use and is good for basic outbound campaigns. If you’ve used click-to-call software in the past, it’s a little like that.
- Results in fewer abandoned calls: Ensures agents are ready before connecting calls, minimizing abandonment.
4. Progressive dialer
A progressive dialer combines elements of preview and power dialers. Agents get access to information before a call, and then the dialer automatically connects the call.
Progressive dialers are popular, as they provide a hybrid of agent control and speed to connect.
- Allows limited agent control: Gives agents a short window to review information before the call connects, unlike the full control of preview dialers.
- Balances efficiency and control: Maintains efficient call flow while allowing agents some preparation time.
- Is suitable for moderate-volume campaigns: Handles moderate call volumes with a balance between speed and agent readiness.
Why You May Want To Avoid Predictive Dialers
Before you jump in with both feet, it’s important to understand when it’s not beneficial to use a predictive dialer.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) restricts the use of automated dialers for cold-calling consumers without their consent.
Predictive dialers can inadvertently violate the TCPA if they connect agents to live calls before they’re ready. This doesn’t just lead to dropped calls and a dip in your metrics but to potential legal consequences:
When using predictive dialers, companies can accidentally incur a high number of abandoned calls. How does this occur?
Picture this…
You receive an inbound call while doing the laundry. Your phone rings; you say hello.
But nobody replies because, on the other end, the call was connected to an agent who wasn’t ready.
You hang up because it appears nobody is there.
All that matters to you is that the call wasted a few seconds of your time. You carry on with your day.
But for the business this keeps happening to, you can bet their abandoned call rate rapidly climbs above the stipulated 3%.
One way to get around this is to play pre-recorded messages automatically. However, this isn’t a nice customer experience and will likely result in a quick hang-up too.
Additional items to be aware of when running an auto-dial campaign include:
- Performance decreases when reaching voicemail, answering machines, or IVRs.
- Smartphones and cell networks are actively screening and blocking suspicious callers.
- You must present an accurate caller ID for each call made.
- Be sure you have a means to log phone calls and opt-out/do-not-call requests.
Another issue to note is that predictive dialers may accidentally call numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, which can result in fines and penalties. To avoid this, you must be diligent about scrubbing your contact lists against the DNC registry before using a predictive dialer.
👉 Read More FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about Predictive Dialers
Choosing the Right Auto-Dialer for Your Business
If you’ve decided an auto-dialer is right for you, the next step is finding the right one. Review the points in this section to help narrow down your options.
✅ Assess your needs
Interview stakeholders and users to get a holistic view of your unique needs. Combine these with your technical and business requirements to form a shortlist.
Consider the following as a minimum:
- Call volume
- Agent availability
- Campaign goals
- Compliance
- Budget
Once you understand your needs, rank them in terms of priority. Assign a P1, P2, P3, etc., ranking or use the MoSCoW method:
- M: Must have
- S: Should have
- C: Could have
- W: Won’t have right now
Your final list will be very helpful when deciding between different types of auto-dialers and which vendor to select.
Remember to consider all the use cases of your outbound call center when assessing your needs for an auto-dialer.
🔍 Research dialer types
You can choose from the following auto-dialer types:
- Predictive
- Preview
- Power
- Progressive
Matching the functionality and usability to your business and users will help you get the most out of your auto-dialer purchase.
Be sure users will be comfortable without a preview, check whether you can upload your own data, and make sure you won’t run the risk of violating TCPA guidelines.
When you know which type of dialer you need, it’s time to weigh the different auto-dialer features and pricing packages.
Related: TCPA Compliance Checklist and Best Practices for Businesses
👈🏼 👉🏼 Compare features and pricing
You should look for a good deal. If you have clear budget constraints, make sure you uncover and document these early in your search. This can help you weed out providers that don’t cut.
Various providers may offer dialers as part of a wider call or contact center platform. If you’re a formal contact center operation, check whether your current vendor provides auto-dialer software under your current feature umbrella. If they don’t, check whether they support the integration of your business phone system and potential auto-dialer.
Aside from integration, be sure to look for any specific call center features that are unique to your small business or enterprise. For example, you may need call recording for compliance requirements or call monitoring for quality assurance.
It could also be the case that it’s time to review your entire call center solution. Maybe you’re thinking of moving to the cloud for the first time or omnichannel is on your radar? Use this time to review all the features you need as a department or business.
👁️🗨️ Read reviews and ask for references
Review sites exist to make your decision easier. If there’s one vendor with consistently bad reviews, it’s a red flag. You’ve just narrowed your shortlist even further.
Likewise, tons of good reviews are a great signal.
If you’re a member of an industry community or attend events with peers and competitors, ask their opinions on the type of auto-dialer they’re using.
Likewise, when talking to vendors about their dialer solutions, check for case studies of businesses like yours. If you can’t find one, ask for a reference client. In most scenarios, vendors will be happy to connect you with an existing customer so they can push the deal forward.
📊 Try free trials or demos
They say the proof is in the pudding. Trying an auto-dialer out for size is a must. Nearly every vendor will offer a proof of concept, or, at the very least, they should offer a transparent sales demo. If not, it’s not advisable to make a purchase.
The great thing here is that there’s not a lot to demo or test, so there’s no long waiting period to find out if one solution works well or not.
Unlike some SaaS technologies, it’s unlikely you’ll need to provide card details to get set up with a trial. You can fly through functionality testing and arrive at your final few vendors to pick from.
✅ Choose a reputable vendor
Don’t just take the claim on the vendor’s website that they provide “the best auto-dialer software” or say, “Our customers love us.” Take the time to evaluate things that matter the most when selecting a business partner.
Some popular providers include Five9, RingCentral, and Nextiva (that’s us).
Things to look for when choosing an auto-dialer vendor:
- Great customer service: Check review sites, testimonials, and awards
- Customer support times that match yours: 24/7 if you operate across time zones
- Recent outages: Check frequency and time to fix
- Guaranteed SLA: 99.99% availability is the standard expected uptime
- Experience with dialers: Check whether this is a big product for them or an aside
- Fully integrated service: Assess whether they provide a big-picture contact center solution
Use this as your basic checklist to work your way to your final decision.
Using an Auto-Dialer With Nextiva
Nextiva ticks all the boxes on the reputable vendor checklist and would love to invite you to try out our dialer options.
As part of our full-featured contact center with optimal workflows for automatic dialing, disposition tracking, and robust business integrations in one platform, we’ve helped with countless rollouts and seen some great implementations.
Before you get started, there’s a little information you need to know.
- Nextiva allows auto-dialers (via our SIP trunking service) as long as they’re used for legitimate purposes and the call ratio does not exceed one call per second.
- If your dialing software has a ratio setting, you will need to adjust it so that it meets Nextiva’s requirements.
All checks out?
