If you were born before the internet, you may remember when marketing and sales practices involved hiring an army of agents to make hundreds of phone calls per hour. These days, the same basic principles are still in play, but modern technology has provided a way to automate a big chunk of that process.
Call center dialers do exactly what they promise—they dial prospective customers for you, and then they assign the calls to real agents. As far as the actual dialing and calling is concerned, call center dialers can do the work of an army in minutes.
But there are many different types of call center dialers, so if you’re in the market and don’t know what to get, it’s important to understand each type so you can narrow down the options according to your needs.
Auto Dialers
As the name implies, auto dialers can automatically punch in phone numbers and call hundreds of customers based on a predetermined list of criteria set by an administrator. When a call gets answered, the dialer connects the customer with a live agent. When a call goes to voicemail, the software shifts to the next number automatically.
Auto dialers are the most commonly used type of dialer because they’re usually the most efficient. Since the auto dialer is always running, it almost necessarily increases the number of answered calls—meaning your agents will wait less and talk more. On the flip side, this also makes these dialers notoriously persistent, which can be annoying both for customers and for agents when they don’t get a break.
Nevertheless, the outbound calling speed of auto dialers is so fast that it enables companies to run multiple campaigns simultaneously, just as long as they have the auto dialer, human operators on standby, and a working phone—be it a landline or VoIP softphone service.
For companies that want to cast the widest net possible for generating sales and converting leads—while also maximizing the working hours of their agents—auto dialers are the way to go.
Just remember that customers who aren’t interested in your services may not appreciate being robocalled, so overusing this type of dialer can have detrimental effects on your brand’s image if you’re not careful.
Predictive Dialers
Predictive dialers are the most modern take on auto dialers because they use a smart algorithm and historical data to anticipate agent availability and adjust their dialing rates according to the best hours for calling customers.
Repeatedly calling when someone isn’t home or calling during sensitive hours can make people instantly annoyed with your company—which is obviously the last thing you want if you’re trying to make a sale. Predictive dialers do away with these problems, as they try to give your agents the best chance of actually reaching a real human.
That said, smaller businesses with fewer agents should be careful with predictive dialers because they can make calls regardless of whether or not an agent is ready for them. Ironically, this can mean potential clients will be put on hold while your reps finish the previous call.
Alternatively, higher-volume businesses with quick sales transactions are great fits for predictive dialers since having many available agents and shorter call times are the keys to making this type of dialer work.
Furthermore, predictive dialers usually come with customizable settings that make them more scalable, so they can be especially valuable to businesses that plan on expanding.
Progressive Dialers
Instead of dialing thousands of numbers looking to reach as many people as possible, progressive dialers will call a pre-chosen set of numbers one at a time—and they’re programmed to disconnect when they ring for too long or go to voicemail.
Think of it this way: while auto dialers take a buckshot approach by calling anything and everything, progressive dialers pick the targets that look the most promising and focus on them. When someone picks up, then and only then will the dialer connect them to a human agent at the call center.
A standout feature of progressive dialers is that they allow for a more personalized approach than other dialers. Before the call starts, for example, agents have access to information that’s specific to the caller who answers. This allows agents to review personal details and customer histories so they can work them into their interactions.
As such, this type of dialer works really well for smaller operations with a more clearly defined set of clients. For example, if you’re only looking to sell to men in New York who are over 50 years old, you’ll most likely want to choose a progressive dialer over an auto dialer or a predictive dialer.
Naturally, the main downside with progressive dialers is that they slow down the calling cycle. Since the list of numbers to call is set manually beforehand, you won’t reach as many people as you otherwise could with an auto dialer running at full blast. This will inevitably narrow down your field of potential customers—so you need to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for your business.
Power Dialers
Power dialers are similar to progressive dialers in that they only call a predetermined list of numbers. However, what makes power dialers different is how they move from call to call.
Power dialers forgo the pre-call information screening that makes progressive dialers unique and instead allow agents to go from one number to the next right away without waiting. In essence, this means power dialers are just simpler progressive dialers that put potential leads in a sequence so your agents can take the calls one at a time.
Unlike auto dialers, which may leave messages on unanswered or busy lines, power dialers just disconnect and move on. This is useful if your marketing team is concerned that your prospective customers are put off by robo-voicemails.
Likewise, since power dialers don’t provide client information beforehand, your agents won’t waste time reading customer profiles for calls that don’t end up happening or get terminated after two seconds.
If you like the pre-set format of a progressive dialer but don’t want agents to be burdened with client info, you’ll want to go with a power dialer.
Preview Dialers
Preview dialers are like power dialers, only less automated.
Instead of simply moving from one call to the next with no delays, preview dialers give call center reps a preview of the next client’s data in between each call. The call won’t go through until agents manually decide whether or not they want to initiate the call.
Agents using preview dialers will be more prepared for interactions and more in control of who they speak to, since they can pace themselves much more effectively. Of course, this approach will also limit the call volume compared to other dialers—but for some businesses, that won’t matter.
You should use a preview dialer if you’re less concerned with making lots of calls and more concerned with making each call worthwhile. They’re also great for keeping your agents from being overwhelmed, as each call is made via a conscious choice as opposed to automatic dialing.
How To Decide Which Call Center Dialer To Use
At the end of the day, the various types of call center dialers aren’t that different from one another, but some types can definitely be better for certain types of businesses.
To compare them more directly, it’s important to consider how they affect your company’s call volume and the quality of your company’s customer service interactions. Unfortunately, no dialer is a perfect solution, so you’ll usually want to use one that provides a good mix of both.
Call center dialers for speed and volume
For businesses that deal with hundreds or even thousands of customers, calling time is money—even when the calls are free. If you think about it, metrics like call speed and volume are closely intertwined since the longer the call takes, the fewer agents there are to get to the next customer.
Let’s say you want to rank the five different types of dialers for call speed and volume. Your list may look like this:
- If minimizing call time is your goal, auto dialers are the fastest. They can dial a thousand numbers without any input from your agents at all, which is great if you want to run an all-robot team.
- The next fastest would be predictive dialers, which, based on how you configure the software, can start calling new customers moments before agents even become available.
- Power dialers come in third place, as they wait until an agent is available to dial the next number—but as soon as that’s the case, they’ll start the call immediately.
- Progressive dialers are next in line since they give agents a preview of the upcoming customer’s contact info before accepting the call, which obviously slows down the process.
- The slowest call speed of all belongs to preview dialers since they won’t put the call through until the agent gives the green light, allowing them to assess each contact fully between calls.
So that’s the order you may want to consider first if your business is built for high call volumes and short sales cycles—but call speed and volume are not everything. Most businesses need a balance of quantity and quality.
Call center dialers for quality customer service
If your business sells higher-priced products to select clientele, and each sale is a pretty big deal, you may want to opt for a slower, more quality-oriented dialer. If you were to rank the dialer types based on personalization potential and overall customer service quality, your list might look like this:
- Preview dialers allow agents to view client information in detail and give them the most time to prepare for the interaction, so they come in first place. The dialer won’t place the call until an agent is ready, which means the agent can even take or refuse calls based on what they feel would be the best use of their time. Preview dialers are ultimately lower in efficiency, but they maximize the potential for quality customer service.
- Next are progressive dialers, which give agents contact info to review before the call starts. These still dial on an automated basis, but they won’t put the call through until they detect a live person on the other end. This slows things down significantly, which can help the agents prepare for a more personable call.
- Power dialers are like progressive dialers, only without the contact info. They’ll call a preset list of numbers, moving from call to call quickly and without delay. Agents won’t be completely overwhelmed with calls, but the numbers won’t be completely random, either.
- Predictive dialers work like auto dialers by calling as many people as fast as possible, but they’re beholden to an algorithm that only places calls at times when customers are most likely to be available. This can be jarring to potential customers if they’re not interested.
- Finally, auto dialers are the least personable of all. They’re your classic robocall machine, complete with fully automated messages and zero sympathy for customers who let it go to voicemail. If your business values positive brand engagement, auto dialers may not provide the best brand image.
Of course, call speed and customer service quality are not the only two metrics to consider when choosing a call center dialer for your business, but they do simplify the choice. When it comes to your business, it’s important to strike an appropriate balance between call volume and qualified lead generation.
The Takeaway for Businesses
Call center dialers are crucial tools for outreach-oriented businesses. Since time is money, any marketing campaign that provides new opportunities to generate leads can be valuable, including old-school cold calling with new-school automations.
Taking a closer look at the five main types of dialers can help your business decide which will accomplish your marketing objectives most effectively. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there’s probably one that will work best for you.