Today, companies call current and prospective consumers for several reasons – launch a new product, advertise an existing product, offer deals, and do surveys.
However, companies cannot operate outbound call campaigns of different types and scales without supplying agents with an advanced automatic dialer or an auto dialer system. The auto dialer system dials contact numbers from a database or contact list automatically and sequentially, as its name suggests.
Furthermore, it transfers only related calls to the agents by detecting busy tones, voicemails, answering machines, disconnected calls, and unproductive numbers. By selecting among the various types of automated dialer software (progressive dialers, preview dialers, and predictive dialers), companies will further increase agent productivity and enhance outbound call campaigns. Companies also can choose and use new-age auto dialers as a multi-purpose outbound device to simultaneously operate and manage multiple marketing campaigns simultaneously.
The Main Advantages of Using an Auto Dialer System
- Speed up outbound calls
Agents have to devote more time and effort to manually and sequentially dial telephone numbers. They may also find it hard to distinguish between numbers that are productive and unproductive. By automatically dialing telephone numbers, the auto dialer system allows call centers to improve operational efficiency.
The auto dialer system will only route to live agents those calls which are answered. Thus, it makes it way easier for the agents to concentrate solely on providing excellent customer service and maximize customer interaction. By raising the ratio of a call connection, the predictive dialers further improve agent efficiency.
- Various types of auto dialer systems to choose from
A company has the option to select from various types of auto dialer system. These auto dialer systems can automatically dial telephone numbers and only direct linked calls to live agents. However, they vary from each other in dialing modes.
Preview dialers help agents gather the customer or lead’s details before making an outbound call. In contrast, progressive dialers maximize the volume of call contacts with the use of predictive algorithms. Thus, a business can easily choose which dialer would fit their needs depending on its marketing campaign and scale.
- It will reduce the agent’s idle time
Both the progressive and preview dialers use one-to-one ratios to facilitate outbound calls, but the predictive dialers allow agents to manage more calls in a shorter period of time. The auto dialer system will use predictive algorithms to determine the correct time to start the outbound call.
Thus, just before an agent will be able to answer the next call, the auto dialer will already dial the numbers. Nowadays, several call centers utilize predictive dialers to maximize an agent’s talking time and minimize agents’ waiting times. By allowing them to manage only linked calls, the auto dialers also help make agents be more productive.
- Increase sales conversion ratio
As mentioned above, preview dialers allow agents to have access to a lead’s data before being in a call with him or her. The lead’s updated info will enable the agent to determine how to personalize the call.
The personalized conversations make it easier for agents to make the leads interested and turn them into clients. By turning high value leads into customers, many B2B (business to business) businesses leverage preview dialers to boost sales.
- Organize and effectively handle customer database
To incorporate the cloud-based auto dialer system with its current customer relationship management (CRM) system smoothly, a company could use precise application programming interfaces (APIs). The integration allows companies to update customer details automatically.
The contact list management device software enables marketers to handle clients and leads more effectively. These features assist agents, based on the previous call history, to restructure outbound calls. The agent could also use real-time data to prepare callback lists and regularly follow up with leads.
- Manage multiple campaigns simultaneously
Innovative auto dialer systems are built for outbound multi-purpose devices. They have options to allow companies to simultaneously and effectively operate and handle multiple campaigns. Managers may produce reports based on real-time data to track the performance of each marketing campaign.
The auto dialer system further improves marketing campaigns by automatically changing the time-zone for each campaign, transferring calls to different devices, manage contact lists, and support CRM integration.
- Uses real-time information to produce reports
Companies assess and evaluate their outbound call centers’ quality based on several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They also measure individual agents’ efficiency basing on key metrics such as average talk time and average handling time,
The cloud-based auto dialer systems allow managers to produce reports based on real-time information using a seamless interface. It could be used by managers to determine the performance and effectiveness of agents by periodically making reports.
3 Major Disadvantages of Using an Auto Dialer System
- Possible Predictive Algorithm Failure
Dialers utilize a specialized algorithm that can determine when the agent will be able to facilitate the next outbound call. The predictive algorithms make the auto dialer system successful in connecting a company with more clients and leads.
But the algorithm sometimes makes connected calls to the dialer route without ensuring the availability of agents. Sometimes, as their calls are still in the queue, clients already disconnect the call.
- There might be a need to hire more agents
Sequentially, the auto dialers call clients and route answered calls to the next available agent. To fully leverage predictive dialers, a call center requires to deploy more agents. It will not be able to seamlessly run an outbound voice campaign with only a few agents available.
However, the new-age auto dialers use sophisticated predictive algorithms to activate outbound calls appropriately. They also allow companies to operate different marketing campaigns in a personalized and scalable manner.
- Unable to detect voicemails or answering machines
Auto dialers have the capability to detect voicemails, answering machines, and unproductive numbers by its voice recognition technology. It will only route connected and answered calls to agents. However, most auto dialers only use basic voice recognition technology; that is why there are times that it will be unable to detect between voicemails and human beings. It will then route voicemails or answering machines to live agents.
