What Is An Autodialer And When Do You Need One?

Many companies and organizations now contact both existing and prospective clients by phone.

They may use this method to launch or advertise a new product or service or perform market research surveys, among other things. 

However, without automated tools, executing call campaigns can be difficult.

Thus, if you want to increase your business’s profitability while also boosting staff efficiency, you’ll need dialer software.  

If you’ve never heard of it, your imagination likely brings to mind notions of robocalling devices dialing incessantly in support of large telemarketing campaigns.

Nonetheless, this technology does far more than make hordes of unwelcome sales calls in fast sequence. 

This article will explore auto dialer systems, including what they are, how they function, and when you may need one. 

What Is an Autodialer? 

An auto dialer is a tool or software program that automatically dials numbers from a contact or leads database.

This software may transfer the individual who answers the phone to a live representative or a pre-recorded message. (1) 

These auto-dialers are available in various configurations and perform a wide range of functions.

They’re useful when you’re pressed for time and can’t concentrate on dialing or when dialing is impossible for an operator to do.

This allows them to concentrate on the message’s purpose and delivery. 

Auto dialers are often used in industries that require a high volume of recurrent phone calls, such as sales, contact centers, healthcare facilities, hotels, and even schools. 

How Do Auto Dialers Work? 

An auto dialer is a form of computer telephony integration (CTI). CTI is a telephone switching system that links with a computer network.

Thus, users must have a computer and a functioning telephone connection to benefit fully from an autodialer. 

Moreover, you need a voice modem and an operator to answer the phones.

While the voice modem enables the system to play audio recordings throughout a call, it becomes useless when utilizing VoIP. 

Following that, the auto-dialer program will connect all of those elements, as well as the database that stores all of your client contact details.

The program will then instruct the computer which contacts to call and how to handle any call based on a list. 

Many auto-dialers even include speech recognition software that determines if the call is being answered by a human rather than a voice recording.

After the speech recognition software determines who picked up the phone, the auto-dialer routes the call to an operator.

If no operators are accessible, the auto-dialer program may play a pre-recorded message and even place the other line on hold. 

What Are the Common Types of Auto Dialers? 

There are several kinds of auto-dialers. Whichever one you choose should be determined by the nature of your company and its needs.

The following are some of the most common types of auto-dialers. 

Preview Dialers 

A preview dialer assists your phone operators in making outgoing calls or skipping particular phone numbers.

Likewise, it enables phone operators to evaluate various client records before initiating an outbound call. (2)

Having real-time access to client information allows your phone operators to arrange their outbound calling processes more effectively. Moreover, it helps to customize their interactions with customers even more. 

However, your phone operators can’t leverage preview dialers to quickly call a large number of customers.

This is because the majority of preview dialers are not built for that purpose. Instead, preview dialers are often used to perform outbound advertising campaigns on a relatively small scale. 

Additionally, it is utilized to improve the outcome-oriented nature of outbound calls. A preview dialer enables agents to tackle more complicated client problems more easily. 

Progressive or Power Dialers 

In comparison to preview dialers, progressive or power dialers don’t provide your phone operators the option of making a call or bypassing a particular number.

Instead, the dialer instantly initiates the next call when the last one concludes. 

Numerous businesses that use phone dialers might benefit from power dialers to increase their upselling and resale operations. Additionally, power dialers help reduce the frequency of muted and dropped calls.  

Progressive dialers are more concerned with quantity than preview dialers.

Therefore, if you want to contact as many potential customers as possible sequentially, a power or progressive dialer is the best alternative. 

Predictive Dialers 

Predictive dialers are not the same as preview or progressive dialers since predictive dialers are capable of dialing numerous telephone numbers simultaneously.

The software employs a pacing algorithm to forecast when the operator is finished with their existing call.

When the phone operator is halfway through a customer interaction script, it will automatically place the following call. 

Predictive dialers may be the most successful among the main types of dialer tools since they have this feature that may improve interactions between customers and operators.

Additionally, predictive dialers are the most practical method of communicating on a large scale. (3)

However, if you’re seeking to conduct more in-depth talks that involve some research ahead, this is probably not the best option for your organization.

Moreover, when adopting predictive dialers, businesses must deploy an adequate number of operators to reduce lost or canceled calls. 

When Do You Need an Autodialer? 

Now that you understand what an autodialer is and how it works, continue reading to learn when your company might need one. 

1. When You Want to Improve Operational Efficiency 

An auto dialer eliminates the need for manual dialing. As a result, the technology increases operational productivity by minimizing human error.

In addition, bear in mind that a human employee might make an error while manually dialing.

It may seem like a little blunder, but wasting precious time on an incorrect phone number might result in major losses for your business. 

Moreover, don’t forget that you aren’t alone in this industry. There will be a lot of competition for your business in the same or comparable markets.

Remember that time is valuable, and a few seconds wasted might cost your company a lot of money in missed sales chances. 

Bottom line, auto-dialers reduce the possibility of making mistakes while calling phone numbers, enabling your employees to work more efficiently and expanding your company’s development prospects. 

2. When You Want to Comply with Marketing Laws 

Unexpected phone calls are generally rejected by the majority of individuals who may consider them to be both annoying and invasive.

Moreover, most people are interested in listening to your offer and will most probably end the call before you’ve finished.

Additionally, you risk reaching the individual at an inconvenient time or being routed to their voicemail because the call is unexpected. (4) 

These are also some of the reasons behind the establishment of stringent marketing regulations.

Among these regulations is the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. The registry allows individuals to opt out of receiving marketing calls from companies. (5) 

Numerous firms have difficulties contacting prospects while being compliant with the DNC Registry.

Nevertheless, you may limit the likelihood of unintentionally phoning DNC-registered individuals by using reliable auto-dialing services.

The system’s algorithms help guarantee that your team contacts only those prospects who are interested in receiving calls. 

3. When You Want to Increase Talk-Time with Clients

Operators may now devote considerable time connecting with customers since they don’t have to wait on the phone as much.

Even more importantly, they can give superior customer service and tailor-made marketing offers since they can speak with clients for longer. 

It also relieves the operator from stress since they don’t have to waste time searching through client data or continuously asking for it.

All of the customer information necessary is there before them, and they can easily obtain whatever data they need before making a call. 

4. When You Want to Monitor Operators Real-Time 

Autodialer software includes real-time management and analytics, which may be very beneficial to both employees and managers.

Supervisors can easily see how their employees are doing using dashboard-based reports, which are configurable. 

It’s also possible for supervisors to instantly acknowledge any difficulties or if one of their operators is having difficulty with a call, so they can respond promptly.

Moreover, an internal database may also be set up to record every call handled by operators.

Operators and management may then utilize these recordings to review their interactions with customers and train new employees. 

5. When You Want to Boost Sales 

As mentioned earlier, auto-dialers provide operators access to the most up-to-date data on the customer.

Operators may use this information to tailor their interaction to each individual caller.

Hence, they have an easier time retaining leads and converting them into clients when they can communicate with them on a more personal level. 

6. When You Want to Improve Employee’s Morale 

As a bonus, correctly implementing auto dialer software may significantly improve your operators’ attitude and morale.

One benefit is they’ll spend less time typing contact numbers, hearing countless busy tones, and doing other monotonous, repetitive chores.

Instead, they’ll be able to concentrate exclusively on their callers’ and clients’ requirements. 

Additionally, when operators use an auto-dialer on a regular basis, they may accomplish their work goals considerably quicker.

For instance, if your marketing team is paid on a commission basis, they might make significantly more calls within the time saved by the autodialer. 

Furthermore, they can tailor pitches for each client using information already in their monitors.

Hence, they’ll have an easier time persuading customers, resulting in increased operator earnings. 

Bottom Line 

Auto dialers are an excellent tool for automating a time-consuming activity and freeing up time to concentrate on your company’s lifeblood: the customer.

These types of software may increase staff efficiency, mitigate risks, and increase income.

Employ a reliable auto-dialing technology now, and you may find that it’s among the finest acquisition your company has ever made.

Resources:

1. “Auto Dialer”, Source: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/25990/auto-dialer
2. “Preview Dialer”, Source: https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/preview-dialer 
3. “Predictive Dialer”, Source: https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/predictive-dialer 
4. “The Pros And Cons Of Cold Calling”, Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2020/03/17/the-pros-and-cons-of-cold-calling/
5. “Cold Calling – Know Your Rights”, Source: https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubscoldcallhtm.html