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What is an auto dialer? An auto dialer is software that automates the process of dialing phone numbers, connecting agents directly to answered calls, skipping busy signals and unanswered lines, and enabling organizations to reach large lists with maximum efficiency.
According to one auto dialer market projection, auto dialers boost the talk time ratio for agents from 15-20 minutes per hour up to 40-50 minutes per hour, more than doubling effective calling time.
And how does an automatic dialer system project such an increase?
Think of this scenario: Agent 1 dials 100 numbers one by one and waits for the call to connect. 50 calls get answered, 10 calls reach voicemail, 10 indicate a busy tone, and 40 of them go unanswered.
Now, here’s the interesting part: Ring time for a mobile network is typically 30-45 seconds, while for landline numbers, it hovers between 60-120 seconds. With 40 calls going unanswered, that is 2400 seconds on average, plus the time lost in reaching voicemail and busy tones.
Around 60 minutes are lost for every 100 calls!
Auto dialer software for call centers automates the dialing process, relieving you of these pain points and giving your agents more time to engage in meaningful conversations with your contacts.
In this guide, you’ll read what an auto dialer is, how to use it, and what to look for when selecting one.
| What is an auto dialer? [Definition] |
| An auto dialer is a software that automatically dials phone numbers for agents. When the recipient answers the call, the call center’s dialer system either connects the call to a live representative or plays a prerecorded message. The purpose of using a call center auto dialer is to eliminate the need to manually dial every number from a list. |
Types of auto dialers: Power, Predictive, Preview and Auto
Automated dialers come in various forms and serve different functions. On CallHub’s Call Center Software, you’ll find five dialers:
- Power dialer
- Predictive dialer
- Preview dialer
- Auto dialer
- Robo dialer
Power dialer: A persuasive call, such as the one requesting donations, needs time and patience. Your agents should carefully note the conversation and tag your contact accordingly, based on the conversation’s progress, before proceeding to the next call.
For such time-consuming calls, a Power dialer is the one to go for. A Power dialer dials one number at a time only after the agent indicates that they’re ready to take the call.
Predictive dialer: A GOTV reminder call doesn’t take long. At the same time, a GOTV campaign is a high-volume effort. For such a campaign, you need a large team of agents and a dialer that can get you through a large list of contacts without hampering your productivity. Think of thousands of voters to reach in a span of a couple of weeks.
This is where a Predictive dialer comes in. A Predictive dialer looks at the following statistics to determine the calling rate for a campaign:
- Number of calls answered,
- The number of agents in a campaign,
- The duration of each call,
With such a calculation, the dialer dials numbers just seconds before a representative hangs up a call. As soon as they finish a call, they move on to the next one with minimal delays at either end. If you want to connect with as many contacts as possible in a short timeframe, a predictive dialer is the option for you.
There may be instances when your call gets connected and answered. But the agent joins the call after 2-3 seconds. One reason this may happen is that your agent spends a little longer on the previous call than the predictive dialer estimated.
Although such instances are minimal, CallHub has you covered with an option to leave voice messages in such situations.
| Important note: To use a Predictive dialer with a minimal call abandonment rate, you need at least 6-8 active agents in your campaign. |
Preview dialer: Personalization drives results particularly in fundraising, voter persuasion, and event RSVP campaigns.
The Preview dialer enables agents and volunteers to view comprehensive contact details and interaction histories before making a call, ensuring each interaction feels personal and informed.
Agents view contact history and notes before making a call, making interactions feel more authentic and tailored.
Additionally, this approach reduces awkwardness, reducing volunteer fatigue during campaigns.
Auto dialer: The previous definition of an Auto dialer is the one for the collective term. Now, let’s see what an Auto dialer on CallHub looks like.
When you have a large list of contacts to cold call, you need one of two things: either a large team of agents or a dialer that connects only the answered calls to you.
If you don’t have a large team of agents, the auto dialer is the one you go for. The dialer immediately places the next call once the previous one is over.
For instance, an auto dialer’s call ratio can be as high as 3:1, meaning that for every 3 numbers the dialer dials, there is one agent available.
CallHub allows you to adjust this dial rate based on the quality of your contact list. For example, say you have a contact list with a bad answer rate history, then your dial rate can be 3:1.
Note: As per TCPA regulations, your call abandonment rate cannot exceed 3%.
Robo dialer: Ideal for large-scale outreach campaigns. It is widely used for delivering service announcements, surveys, political mobilization, event reminders, and business promotions.
With no agent-related costs, you only pay per dial via this dialer, making it an affordable solution for large outreach efforts.
What is considered an auto dialer?
The Supreme Court, as part of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), defines an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS), also known as an auto dialer, as equipment that has the capacity to
- Store numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator (RoSNG), or
- Produce numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator.
Learn about the new definition of an auto dialer, and how it affects the way you use them.
| “We hold that a necessary feature of an autodialer under [the TCPA] is the capacity to use a random or sequential number generator to either store or produce phone numbers to be called.” – Justice Sonia Sotomayor |
Key features of an auto dialer
From cold calling to sending appointment reminders, auto dialers are used for a variety of purposes. However, an auto dialer is of no use if it doesn’t meet all your requirements- accommodating the features and functionalities that align with your use cases.
Here are 10 such features an auto dialer should have.
Auto dialer CRM integrations
A CRM helps you keep track of your contacts’ previous interactions, their preferences, their position in the buyer’s journey, and so on. They can store all the necessary data, allowing you to analyze it later and make informed decisions.
After your call ends, any details you record in your automated dialing software should sync with your CRM, allowing your upcoming calls to be more informed and targeted. Having a CRM integration makes the whole process smoother and automated.
Answering machine detection in auto dialers
Making a call only to land up on a voicemail is neither a good experience for an agent nor a good sign for the campaign. CallHub’s answering machine detection feature is designed to identify if a call is answered by a human or a machine. Once the dialer detects a machine, it takes the appropriate action, either leaving a voicemail or hanging up the call.
This helps the agent maintain occupancy and productivity by preventing them from wasting their time on unanswered calls.
List filtering in auto dialers
Some of your contacts may ask you to call them again. As an organization, to maintain your reputation and prevent legal repercussions, you need to respect their wishes.
A DNC list helps ensure that such contacts aren’t reached out to in the future. An auto dialer constantly checks the list, making sure no ‘forbidden’ numbers are dialed.
CallHub offers the tools you need to have a clean list for every campaign. See how to clean an existing list on CallHub.
Time zone management through auto dialers
According to TCPA regulations, you can only call your contacts between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Following this regulation is a walk in the park when all your contacts are from the same timezone.
However, what do you do when your list includes contacts from different states with varying time zones, and you need to share an important update, such as alerting them to potential fraud?
Timezone management feature. This allows you to reach your contacts in their time zones, and therefore at a time when they are available to answer your call. See how you can contact people in their time zones using CallHub.
Call transfer in an auto dialer
Say you’re running a voter persuasion campaign where a contact needs to get in touch with your representative. You need a virtual means to do so from your calling software.
The call transfer option in an auto dialer can do that for you. The ‘Press-1/Transfer’ feature on CallHub, in addition to helping with call transfers, lets your contact leave a message after pressing a digit.
Voice message broadcasting using auto dialers
In the event of an emergency situation, such as a natural disaster, state and local governments require the means to send timely warning messages and safety instructions.
The voice message broadcasting feature in an auto dialer is an effective tool for this. Auto dialers can deliver a prerecorded message once the contact answers the call. CallHub’s voice message broadcasting feature also includes a text-to-speech option, allowing you to personalize your voice messages using merge tags.
For example, say you are a travel agency and the ride is delayed by an hour. The audio message you play when your passenger answers the call goes like this: “Mr. John, your train leaves at 7:00 pm instead of 6:00 pm. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
IVR on CallHub supplies interactive menus on outgoing calls. For example, a political organization can dial a contact and present a few questions that the recipients can answer by pressing certain keys on their keypad.
For example, your voice message can be: “Press 1 if you support <candidate_a> and 2 if you support <candidate_b>.”
This serves as a valuable list segmentation tool, enabling you to refine your contact list and eliminate uninterested leads, resulting in a high-quality contact list.
Call reports in an auto dialer software
An auto dialer provides a real-time overview of your campaigns by updating dashboards with your campaign metrics in real-time. This will allow you to constantly optimize your campaigns for the best results.
CallHub lets you access all calls you made from your campaigns in a single place, instantly.
Read Also: 22 Successful Call Center Metrics Everyone Must Know
Call monitoring, whispering, and recording
Which approaches are working? At what time of the day are contacts tend to be attentive on the calls? Which audience segment is the most interested in your offerings?
Call monitoring helps provide answers to all these and more.
Call monitoring is used to supervise agents and the quality of their conversations by listening to the calls. This technology enables managers to assess agent performance, evaluate conversation quality, and provide feedback.
See how you can monitor calls on CallHub.
With call whispering, a manager can speak to the agent without the contact hearing them. This makes it an integral tool used to improve the agents’ performance in real-time while also enhancing the contact’s experience.
For example, when an agent faces a situation they don’t know how to handle, the manager can guide them toward solving the problem. This makes it extremely useful for onboarding new agents.
Call recording is used to train representatives by yielding the necessary information from a call and turning it into actionable strategies for future calls. See how you can find call recordings of a campaign on CallHub.
Scheduling callbacks using an auto dialer
The data from campaigns run on CallHub shows that 40% of calls go unanswered on the first attempt, and 15-20% of those callers call back.
CallHub’s auto dialers accommodate these callbacks and connect them with a live agent through Inbound Calling.
Now, say your customer calls you back to ask about the status of their order, and they can’t get in touch with you. In that case, they get re-added to the calling list, increasing your chances of connecting with them.
Bonus: What additional features do CallHub auto dialers have?
In addition to all the features we discussed above, CallHub’s Auto Dialer also:
- Allows agents to dial remotely using our web version or the mobile app.
- Has ticketing, live phone support, email support, live chat support, and an online knowledge base.
- Has a built-in Do Not Call list that filters out cellphone numbers without opt-ins and litigators, to comply with TCPA regulations.
Remember: Relying solely on one dialer will not effectively solve your problems. Choosing a dialer that suits you depends on the dynamics of your team, your use cases, and many other factors.
Featured image: Photo by Markus Spiske
