Auto Dialer – Overview and Setup

If a hardworking call center agent manually dials phone numbers, he will be able to speak on average for no more than 20 minutes per hour. In such a situation, he would spend the rest of the time dialing numbers, listening to long beeps in the receiver, or ringing back busy numbers.

Here is where auto dialers come in, making life easier for call center agents. This blog article will focus on what auto dialers are, their types, and what they do.

What is an auto dialer?

An auto dialer is software that automatically dials phone numbers. The system calls the client from the numbers’ base and connects him to the IVR or an agent. 

With the ever-increasing power of modern computers, auto-dialing tools and software using VoIP can scale very well.

The main goal of an auto dialer is to make as many calls as quickly as possible. The system also delivers essential information to customers or connects them to an agent when they answer a call.

If your business uses a lot of outbound calls, introducing an auto dialer can increase agents’ efficiency. The employee won’t have to manually dial numbers, listen to the dial tone, or wait for an answer with an auto dialer. 

An auto dialer makes outbound calls on a planned basis, using information from a prepared database. This way, the auto redial function chooses a phone number and dials it. 

Types of auto dialers 

There are three main phone dialers for call centers – preview dialers, predictive dialers, and progressive dialers.

Preview dialer allows call center agents themselves to determine when to answer a call, depending on the information they have about it. 

And this is where the preview dialer plays a role, providing the agents with info and details about a prospective call before it takes place. With this dialer, agents can deliver a more personalized service to clients. 

With predictive dialers, the system calls up multiple phone numbers. Using an algorithm determines when an agent is available and places a call for him to answer. With this auto caller, one call is made after another. The dialing with a predictive dialer begins when the agent is free, and usually, the number of calls depends on the number of agents. 

With predictive dialing, the agents do not call anyone themselves – instead, the system calls clients, and those that answer get to speak with the available agents.

A progressive dialer is when the system, using unique algorithms, makes so many calls that it allows all agents to engage in conversations. This method is used in large call centers to reduce the agent’s waiting time for outgoing calls. 

The system lets agents connect with as many clients as possible with progressive dialers, focusing on the overall number of calls. 

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How does a dialer work? 

The auto dialer software also determines the number of agents working on a given project, considering the average speed of the agent’s conversation and the amount of time it takes to search the phone numbers. After all of these details, it can connect clients with an agent. 

Using all of this info, it predicts how many phone numbers at any given moment it needs to dial and to connect them with those agents that are available.

The system is also helpful to prevent such situations when a client will answer a call, and there is no free agent to handle the call. Dialers are also designed to handle many tasks and work with a large number of agents. Thus, the system can collect enough statistical data to predict subsequent calls.

Dialing systems can also integrate with CRM systems, determine the time zone and the presence of agents at the workplace, and come up with the optimal number of call attempts and waiting times.

Who uses auto dialer software?

Auto dialers are efficient in work environments that include repetitive calls, such as call centers, sales, hospitality, etc.

Call center agents spend a lot of time dialing phone numbers that don’t answer, and it takes extra time to take notes to remind them to call back later. It also takes spare time to make those calls again.  

In most call centers, agents do not have the time for manual calling, so instead of them, an automated system is already dialing a number, waiting for an answer, or a busy signal. 

The agent only needs to accept the customer who answered a call, which helps increase the operator’s productivity when speaking to customers.

Optimizing the agent’s work is a necessary step in any call center. In turn, this entails increasing profits, freeing agents from monotonous or redundant labor, and focusing only on what matters. 

According to Ameyo’s estimates, a predictive dialer, for example, can increase agent efficiency up to 350%, compared to making manual calls. 

For instance, CloudTalk’s predictive dialer feature ensures that more calls are made in a short time, providing the best possible results. 

When an agent is on a call and the time from the conversation elapses, CloudTalk automatically calls the next customer on the campaign list. In turn, an agent doesn’t need to go through contact lists and search manually.

Auto dialers and compliance

A significant downside to auto dialers and auto dialer apps is that people often complain that they are spammy. Because of this, they are often subject to various regulations. Therefore, as auto dialers are also primarily used for cold calling, they must adhere to specific laws. 

Most of the time, auto dialers need to comply with the TCPA or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The TCPA was enacted in the US in 1991 to impose restrictions on automatic dialing systems. The act aims to prevent calling practices that are deemed intrusive or repetitive. 

Since then, regulators have taken additional steps to ensure that consumers can block automated calls and other automated calls. Sometimes, customers also need to give written consent to receive marketing and similar inquiries over the phone. So, when using an auto dialer, always have in mind which type would suit your business the best while also respecting the regulatory framework for its use. 

Conclusion 

Modern dialing technology isn’t just about improving productivity and managing information. It also aims to actively support call center teams and ease their work and enable them to achieve the best quality. This is what an auto dialer does, taking the hassle out of additional, unnecessary, and repetitive work.

Therefore, all you need to do is choose which type of auto dialer is the right one for your call center. That choice often depends on the work dynamics of your agents and your sales team, so make sure that it will be the one that fits your needs the best. 

In turn, this will make life easier for your agents while increasing their efficiency and helping you grow your business.