How to Scale Your Call Center With an Auto Dialer

Your call center needs auto dialer software to efficiently manage a high volume of calls. Auto dialers save the time your agents would have spent on manual dialing and make it easier to monitor and optimize agents’ performance.

In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of auto dialers, how they work, and the best auto dialer software tools for outbound call centers.

What Is an Auto Dialer?

Auto dialer software is a call center tool that automates outbound calling. It dials phone numbers from a contact list and only connects agents to the answered calls. That way, they can focus on productive conversations instead of spending time dialing numbers and waiting for a response.

What Are the Key Functions of Auto Dialer Software?

Auto dialer software performs the following functions:

1. Predictive dialing

A predictive dialer calls multiple numbers on the phone list simultaneously and only connects live agents to answered calls. It uses predetermined metrics, like the average call duration, to predict when an agent will be available to handle a new call. Then, it automatically dials and routes answered calls to available agents.

Predictive dialing is best for high-volume calling campaigns, like telemarketing, where you need to reach as many people as possible in the shortest time. It eliminates downtime, ensuring agents don’t waste time manually dialing or being disrupted by voicemail.

2. Progressive dialing

Unlike predictive dialers, which dial numbers simultaneously, progressive dialer systems only dial a number when a live agent is available to take the call. This means they work at a slower pace than predictive dialers but also give the agent time to prepare before jumping on a new call.

Progressive dialing provides a more measured pace than predictive dialing, reducing the likelihood of abandoned calls. It’s best used when:

• Regulatory compliance is strict.
• Customer satisfaction is a high priority.
• The call volume is manageable.

3. Preview dialing

A preview dialer gives the call center agent complete control over the dialing pace and process.

Before dialing the number, the agent reviews the customer information in your customer relationship management (CRM) system, including their past activities and conversation history. That way, they’re best prepared for the conversation and can personalize the interaction in real time.

Preview dialing requires more time and effort from the agent, so it’s used for high-stakes conversations like client upsells and sales follow-ups.

4. Voicemail drop

If a customer doesn’t pick up the call and it goes to voicemail, the auto dialer software will automatically leave a pre-recorded message before dialing the next number.

This means that your contact center agents don’t need to manually leave messages on calls that go to voicemail, reducing the time spent per call. Instead of waiting for the beep and recording the message each time, the agent immediately moves on to the next call, boosting their outreach capacity significantly.

It also makes it much easier to follow up with leads and customers to continue the conversation.

5. Call recording and analytics

Auto dialer software also provides real-time data regarding call center performance, including call success rates, agent performance, and call outcomes. These reports help managers gauge the effectiveness of their ongoing campaigns, allowing for data-driven decision-making.

For instance, they can track which agents are consistently achieving high conversion rates or identify trends in customer responses. You can use this data to provide training and support to boost agents’ productivity and performance.

How Do Auto Dialers Work?

Here’s how to set up your auto dialer software for outbound calling.

1. Upload your contact lists

Import your well-formatted and segmented contact list into your automatic dialer. Most auto dialer software integrates with CRM software, meaning you can access and dial phone numbers directly from tools like Salesforce and HubSpot. You can also bulk import your contact list from a CSV file, such as a spreadsheet.

Here are a few tips for preparing your contact list for use:

• Remove any duplicate information.
• Check that phone numbers are correct and formatted consistently. Remove any invalid numbers or contacts you no longer need.
• Format phone numbers uniformly, making sure you include country codes and use consistent separators.

2. Configure dialing mode

Choose between predictive, progressive, and preview dialing depending on your outbound calling strategy:

• Predictive dialing: Best for high-volume calling campaigns, like telemarketing and sales.
• Progressive dialing: Best when handling a small- to medium-sized contact list.
• Preview dialing: Best for high-stakes conversations involving a small contact list — such as sales follow-ups or debt collection.

3. Automate the call process

Once everything is set up, the user can start the dialing process immediately or at a scheduled time. The outbound dialer initiates the calls based on the predefined configurations.

If you’re using progressive dialing, the software will dial the phone numbers on the contact list simultaneously. Then, it will connect the answered phone calls to available agents. If a call goes to voicemail, the dialer software will leave a message and dial the next set of numbers automatically — right until the end of the list.

4. Monitor and optimize performance

At the end of the outbound campaign, the auto dialer system will provide real-time call analytics, which will help you to optimize your call center performance.

For example, if the data shows a low volume of answered calls, you can review your call list to ensure you have the correct phone numbers or change your strategy to call at a different time of day.

Top 5 Automated Dialer Solutions

Here are the best auto dialer software tools for contact centers.

1. Nextiva

As a cloud-based VoIP phone system, Nextiva offers comprehensive outbound tools with advanced dialing capabilities. It provides different types of auto dialing, including predictive, preview, and progressive dialer software.

What makes Nextiva stand out is its flexible plans and pricing, which are suited for contact centers of all sizes. Nextiva also offers comprehensive and reliable customer support with minimal downtime.

Top features

• Customizable predictive and progressive dialers
• Interactive voice response
• CRM integration
• Real-time analytics

Pricing

Nextiva offers affordable VoIP plans starting at $20 per month.

2. Five9

Five9 offers decent auto dialing features to help contact centers scale outbound calling efficiently. It also provides real-time call analytics to help you track and optimize contact center performance.

Top features

• TCPA manual touch mode
• Number reputation management
• Campaign and list management
• Dialer software (predictive, preview, and progressive)

Pricing

Five9’s pricing plans start at $119 per month.

3. RingCentral

RingCentral might be a decent option if you’re looking for automated dialer software with seamless CRM integration. It provides multiple dialer setups, including predictive and preview dialing. RingCentral also offers multi-channel support, allowing you to run an efficient omnichannel contact center.

Top features

• Streamlined sales workflows
• Seamless integrations with contact center tools
• TCPA safe dial

Pricing

RingCentral’s pricing starts at $20 per user per month.

4. Genesys Cloud

Genesys Cloud dialer software supports predictive, preview, and manual dialing. It also provides built-in compliance tools and integrations with popular call center software, such as CRM and email tools.

This makes it a decent option for enterprise businesses looking for dialer software that offers personalization, flexibility, and omnichannel support.

Top features

• Outbound IVR and alert messaging
• Unproductive call filtering
• Scheduled callback
• Dynamic phone list management

Pricing

Genesys contact center pricing starts at $75 per user per month.

5. VanillaSoft

VanillaSoft offers automated, cloud-based dialer software for outbound call centers. It’s ideal for sales teams running high-volume marketing or sales campaigns.

Top features

• Progressive and power dialing
• Queue-based lead management
• Voicemail drop
• SMS texting

Pricing

VanillaSoft’s pricing starts at $110 per month.

Do’s and Don’ts of Automated Dialing

Keep these in mind before you dial.

Do	Don’t
Follow TCPA, DNC, and 10DLC texting regulations to avoid penalties.	Ignore abandoned calls.
Ensure your contact list is up to date and segmented to target the right audience.	Overuse automation at the expense of the human touch.
Schedule calls during business hours.	Ignore caller feedback.
Prepare customized scripts for agents to use.	Overuse predictive dialing.
Train agents on how to handle auto-dialed calls and use call scripts.

Scale Your Outbound Efforts With Nextiva

Nextiva’s omnichannel contact center software provides advanced dialing capabilities for outbound campaigns. With progressive, predictive, and preview dialing modes, Nextiva makes it super easy to launch and scale different outbound campaigns — from telemarketing to debt recovery.

Nextiva also integrates with your CRM software, making it easier to maintain up-to-date contact lists and track call outcomes.

Managing outbound calls effectively is crucial for growing businesses. For Reliance Partners, Nextiva provided the tools and analytics needed to scale seamlessly and ensure every outbound call made an impact.

“We really needed a business phone system that could grow rapidly with us and provide the data that we needed to make sure phone calls were going out and being received well. Nextiva really handled all the analytics we needed.” — Lee Baker, Systems Administrator at Reliance Partners

Check out Nextiva’s call center solutions to learn more about their benefits for your organization. 👇