What Is Phone Banking? A Simple Guide To Get You Started

A good political campaign is the single most influential factor in determining which party or candidate wins an election. Political campaigning entails:

1. Reaching out to your voters.
2. Letting them know who you are.
3. Telling them what you stand for.
4. Educating them about why they should vote for you.

In today’s world, there are many methods campaigns use to attract your attention. The traditional way is through broadcast media like radio, TV, or simply newspapers. The more modern way, and the one that is gaining a lot of traction, is through social media, email, and online advertising.

Read Also: Get out the Vote: Research-backed Strategies and Tools to increase Voter Turnout

However, campaigning works most effectively when there is a personal touch associated with it. After all, a voter might be more influenced to support a campaign through a volunteer than a poster outside a store, right? This is why door-to-door canvassing is so useful for getting heard as well as learning more about your voter. Unfortunately, for larger campaigns or ones that have a time restriction, it just isn’t possible to visit every voter for campaigning. Besides, without a large pool of volunteers, door-to-door canvassing is almost impossible.

This is where phone banking comes in. Political phone banking is a process in a political campaign to reach out to voters via phone calls to canvass or get out the vote. It is often carried out using a call center software, commercial phone banks, or voluntary phone banks run by volunteers.

Through phone banking, you can reach thousands of voters in a quick and efficient manner. How long does calling a single voter take? Just 3 minutes, sometimes even less, depending on the campaign type, list quality, and calling setup.

Just imagine, if you have four or five volunteers calling voters, you can reach a large number of voters in a very short amount of time. And if canvassing is combined with phone banking then the two can be extremely effective in improving voter turnout as well as increasing supporters. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Read more about how you can club door-to-door canvassing and phone banking.

Read Also: 6 ways Political Phone Calls help Campaigns

How does phonebanking work?

Now that we know what phone banking is, the next question is, how exactly does it work?

Well, phone banking basically involves volunteers calling lists of voters and talking to them about their campaign. These campaigns can be of different sorts; some might be for getting out the vote (GOTV), some could be for recruiting volunteers, while others could be for raising funds, or for identifying voters.

Case Study: How Organizing for Change ran a successful GOTV campaign with phone banks

Some campaigns use traditional phone lines to call voters. Each volunteer has to manually dial a number, wait for the caller to pick up, and then talk to them. They have to record information about the call on paper and the manager is then stuck with a pile of survey information that needs to be manually entered into the CRM. Boring and tedious much? You bet! When you have thousands of voters to reach out to, the traditional phone banking method gets monotonous and is inefficient, and expensive in terms of time and money.

Advanced phone banking tools are software-based. Here, volunteers can simply log into the system through their computers and make calls through a browser if need be. The system handles assigning voters to agents, displaying accurate information about the voter, and storing all the feedback from the call.

So how does it help save time? Simply put: by calling the number for you and skipping bad numbers, answering machines, and busy numbers.

Each call made by a volunteer now takes 50% lesser time than the traditional method.

Virtual phone banking is now common, too. Volunteers can call from home, follow the script in the browser, and record call outcomes directly in the campaign database instead of working from paper lists or separate spreadsheets.

What is phone banking used for in politics?

Phone banking in politics is used for more than reminding people to vote. Campaigns use it across the voter contact lifecycle, from finding supporters early to turning them out in the final stretch.

Common political phone banking use cases include:

1. Voter identification
   Campaigns call voters to find out whether they support the candidate, oppose the candidate, or are still undecided. This helps the campaign stop wasting time on the wrong universe and focus future outreach.
2. Get out the vote
   In get out the vote campaigns, volunteers call confirmed supporters to remind them to vote, confirm polling place details, or help them make a vote plan.
3. Persuasion calls
   Persuasion calls are for undecided voters. These calls need trained volunteers, stronger scripts, and enough time for a real conversation.
4. Fundraising calls
   Campaigns use calls to reach existing donors, warm supporters, or people who have already shown interest. A live call can create the ask, and a follow-up text or email can send the donation link.
5. Volunteer recruitment
   A phone bank can also help with recruiting volunteers. Supporters who already like the campaign may be willing to canvass, call, text, host an event, or help on election day.
6. Ballot chasing
   Campaigns call voters who requested mail-in ballots but have not returned them yet. These calls are most useful when paired with updated ballot status data.

For a broader breakdown of campaign calling strategy, use this political phone banking guide.

How to set up a phone bank

Phone banking is extremely easy to set up if you have a phone banking software like CallHub. However, there are a few things you need planned for your campaign, such as:

List of voters to be called

The script that volunteers need to follow when talking to voters

Recruit a list of volunteers who can phone bank for you

Survey questions to be answered, if any.

Your volunteers need to be trained on what to talk about and what feedback to store. Read more about How to train your campaign volunteers.

10 tips on how to run a successful phone bank

Phone bank party

Phone banking can be super boring at times with the repetitive tasks involved. But it can be a lot of fun when done in a group, for which a party or a get together of sorts can improve moods. Also, most volunteers aren’t used to calling and talking to strangers. They need to be motivated and in a group setting, volunteers working towards the same goal can encourage each other to do better. It also gives them a chance to bond and feel closer to the campaign. By throwing a party where all attendees can mix, mingle, interact and call voters, the quality of the calls is better and the number of calls made is higher too.

Different kinds of phone banking

There are two types of phone banking that can be used, automated and manual. Let’s understand how the two of them work, shall we?

1. Automated

An automated dialer dials through a contact list and when a call is answered connects it to a live agent. This type of system is called a virtual outbound call center.

Relax, it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Just click here to understand it and see how simple it actually is.

So the next question is…how do agents connect to this software offered by CallHub? Well, there are two ways for this to happen:

Using a browser

The agent merely requires a computer and a headset and he/she is good to go. As simple as that! The agent would have to use the CallHub browser interface to read through the given script and answer surveys.

The advantages of using a browser are that it is affordable, only a single device is required, and well, it’s hands-free!

Using a phone

Here the agent uses a phone to connect to the campaign. Using another device, say a computer, the CallHub application is opened on the browser to read the script, answer surveys, etc.

There are two modes that can be used: Either the agent dials into the campaign, or the agent receives a call to be connected. How are the modes chosen? They are based on the phone plans in your country and the respective pricing.

The advantage of using a phone is that it is more convenient for older volunteers, and you do not require a high-speed internet connection to make your calls. On the flip side, it is a tad more expensive and requires more than one device.

In automated phone banking, there are three types of dialers that users can employ according to their needs:

1. Predictive dialer

A predictive dialer is extremely useful if you want to reach out to as many people as possible. This is necessary in the case of large campaigns such as voter identification, etc. The dialer calls a contact list and only connects those calls which are answered to the agents.

This helps save a massive amount of time as dial tones, unanswered calls, answering machines, etc get weeded out. So agents are focused only on talking to supporters instead of listening to an unending dial tone or a robotic answering machine.

2. Power dialer

The power dialer dials the numbers automatically while the caller focuses on the live call at hand. It is a less rushed form of calling where the agent has time to fill up the survey, enter notes, and then begin the next call.

You can also set a dial rate which helps speed up the campaign while giving volunteers adequate time to fill up survey questions.

3. Preview dialer

The preview dialer is a flexible type of dialer where an agent requires time to research the contact. The conversations are generally of a more in-depth manner and could be follow-ups to previous conversations.

The manager still has control over the people being called and gets a detailed recording of each call.

2. Manual

Also known as collective calling, manual calling has the same interface as the automated dialer. So what’s the difference? Well, the calls, in this case, are not made by CallHub; the agent would have to manually dial in the number on a phone, then use CallHub to go through the script and answer survey questions.

So why use collective calling over dialing a number yourself, or with a group of volunteers?

This might work if all the agents are in the same place, but if everyone is spread geographically, coordinating with each other will be a major hassle.

What collective calling does is make the calling process seamless and dynamic: based on the number of active agents at a particular time, contacts are assigned to them.

This ensures that all contacts get called and no one is missed out. Besides, using CallHub’s software it is possible to remove agents who aren’t doing too well.

So what should you use, an automated or manual dialer?

You can use Automated Calling if

You are a political campaign looking to reach voters

An advocacy group

You are not bound by any TCPA regulations

And similarly, you can use Collective Calling if

You are restricted by TCPA regulations but still would like to optimize your campaign

Most of your contacts are mobile numbers, not landline numbers; you’d prefer dialing them rather than calling using an automated dialer…again due to TCPA regulations

For campaigns comparing dialer options, start with the overall phone banking software setup and then choose the dialer mode based on your list, compliance needs, and volunteer capacity.

Is phone banking effective?

Phone banking is effective when it is done well. Live, genuine conversations from trained volunteers can move voter behavior in ways robocalls and generic digital ads often do not.

StatesWin’s 2022 Phonebanking Research summarizes evidence that quality calls from trained callers can produce a 3–5% boost in voter turnout. The same research notes that volume-focused calling from poorly trained callers may produce only about a 0.5% boost.

That gap is the main lesson. The quality of the call matters more than the raw number of dials.

Phone banking also has limits. Many voters screen unknown numbers. Spam labels can lower pickup rates. Heavy-contact periods can create call fatigue. A cold list with a weak script will not perform like a warm supporter list with trained volunteers.

Phone banking works best when campaigns use it for the right job:

• Calling identified supporters close to election day
• Following up with voters who already engaged by text or email
• Persuading undecided voters with trained callers
• Confirming vote plans
• Reaching donors or volunteer prospects who already know the campaign

Door-to-door canvassing remains one of the strongest voter contact methods. A J-PAL summary of Gerber and Green’s New Haven field experiment found that personal canvassing increased turnout by 8.7 percentage points. But canvassing takes more time per contact, while phone banking lets campaigns reach more voters in less time.

For a deeper breakdown, see our full article on whether phone banking is effective.

Phone banking vs. canvassing: when to use each

Phone banking and canvassing are not replacements for each other. They are stronger when campaigns use them together.

Canvassing is better for high-value persuasion and dense neighborhoods. Phone banking is better for scale, follow-up, GOTV, and large voter lists.

The practical answer is simple: use canvassing when the conversation needs to be personal and place-based. Use phone banking when the campaign needs reach, speed, follow-up, or a final turnout push.

Frequently asked questions about phone banking

What is a phone bank?

A phone bank is the setup, system, or group of people used to make outreach calls. Phone banking is the act of making those calls.

What is the difference between phone banking and robocalling?

Phone banking usually involves live conversations between real volunteers or agents and voters. Robocalls are prerecorded automated messages, and the StatesWin 2022 phone banking research notes that robocalls have generally shown little to no turnout effect compared with live calls.

Can you do phone banking from home?

Yes. Virtual phone banking lets volunteers call from home using phone banking software. They can see the script, call list, and survey questions in the browser while the campaign tracks responses centrally.

What do phone bankers do?

Phone bankers follow a phone banking script to have structured conversations with voters. They may identify support levels, share candidate information, remind people to vote, recruit volunteers, ask for donations, or record survey answers.

How long does a phone banking shift last?

Most campaigns run two to three hour phone banking shifts. That is usually long enough to make meaningful progress without exhausting volunteers.

What is the best time to call voters?

Most campaigns test evening calling windows because voters are more likely to be available after work. A common starting window is 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time, but campaigns should track their own answer rates by list and region.

Is phone banking legal?

Yes, but campaigns need to follow compliance rules. The FCC’s TCPA guidance explains rules around autodialed calls, prerecorded messages, and mobile numbers. Always confirm the rules for your campaign type, dialing method, and jurisdiction before starting.

What is phone banking in politics specifically?

In politics, phone banking is the organized practice of calling voters to identify supporters, turn out the vote, persuade undecided voters, recruit volunteers, or raise campaign funds. It remains useful because it gives campaigns a direct conversation channel, especially when combined with canvassing, texting, and email.

What’s next?

We know that with a range of software solutions available today, choosing the one which will work for you can get a little confusing. Take our quiz Which Autodialer Works Best For Your Campaign? to find out which autodialer will work best for your campaign.

You can also explore CallHub’s phone banking software to see how campaigns set up calling lists, scripts, survey questions, volunteer access, and live reporting in one place.

Featured Image Source: Olha Ruskykh

Sheela Sequeira

Sheela is a marketer with a love for all things digital and creative. She has helped build products, market them, and sell them too. When not at the desk, Sheela keeps busy recording music with her band, staring at desserts, and chasing her cats.