Multiple campaigns for several processes get implemented in outbound call centers. Outbound call centers do market research and surveys, lead generation via cold calling, and following up and nurturing of inbound leads. They have competitive targets, which are almost impossible to achieve with mere manual dialing.
When agents use manual dialing, they waste time in disconnected calls, answering machines, facing busy tones, disposing off calls, dialing the contact numbers manually, and other repetitive, unproductive tasks. They end up usually having a talk time of only approximately 10-15 minutes per hour.
By increasing the agents’ talk time per hour proportionately and reducing idle time, Auto dialers boost the productivity of agents significantly. It’s what makes the software commercially and operationally viable for a call center.
In this post, you’ll learn what exactly is a software tool for auto dialing, how they work, and finally, the benefits they can bring to your business.
Auto Dialers: What Are They?
Auto dialers are software that dials phone numbers from a list automatically. The caller will either be connected to a prerecorded message or a person by the software tool once the call gets answered.
Work settings that include so many repetitive telephone conversations, including hospitality, healthcare, sales, and call centers use an auto dialer to streamline processes.
Auto dialer software eliminates the need to spend pointless time dialing each and every telephone number you need to call manually. This way, users can focus more on their message’s content and successful delivery.
Users need an active telephone line, a voice modem, and a computer to benefit from an auto dialer. Cloud-based auto dialer options, however, are also available, depending on the tool you prefer to implement.
Different Types Of Auto Dialers
Predictive, power, or progressive, and preview are the three different major types of auto dialers. Below is a closer look at each of them:
- Predictive Dialers – By dialing multiple telephone numbers at once, predictive dialers take efficiency to a different level. You aren’t expected to communicate with multiple customers at once, though, so there’s no need to worry.
Predictive dialers can determine when the caller will be done talking with a customer in his or her current call. Before the user finishes reciting the entire call script, the predictive dialer places the next call. Predictive auto dialers do this by using a pacing algorithm.
If you want to connect with as many customers as possible on the other end of the line, a predictive dialer is the most efficient way to do it.
- Power Dialers Or Progressive Dialers – Power dialers place the next call immediately once the previous one is already done. Progressive dialers are the option for you if you want to be able to connect with as many people as possible, one after another.
- Preview Dialers – If you want to have the option of placing an outbound call or skipping it, use a preview dialer. On the other hand, both predictive dialer and progressive dialer call the next number on your list automatically without giving you an option.
In situations where users want to view some useful information regarding the person they’re about to speak with before starting the auto dialing process, a preview dialer is an ideal option. Whether it’s a follow up message or a discovery call, auto dialers allow for more preparation for customer interaction and personalization.
That’s why for conversations that will require unique customer information, preview dialers are the go-to option in call centers. It’s your best bet if the outbound calling strategy you’re following gives more value on quality than quantity, requires complex customer situation handling, and runs on a smaller scale.
The type of auto dialer you use should depend on how you’ll be using the auto dialing software to support your business function.
Benefits Of Auto Dialers
Auto dialer systems help the outbound operations of call centers in many ways. Below are some of the amazing benefits they bring to the table.
- Improved Efficiency Of Business Operations
No more manual dialing has to be done when implementing an auto dialer in your business. The system eliminates call drops, excessive wait time, misdialing, and other call constraints. It affects the operational efficiency of your business in a positive way.
When the dialing process gets automated, agents only get connected calls. The call connect ratio will increase remarkably because of the auto dialer’s ability to detect any non-serviceable numbers, voicemails, and busy signals. Of course, more connected calls only result in improved efficiency of business operations.
- Increased Efficiency Of Agents
Compared to a non-dialer environment, agent talk time per hour is significantly higher when a business uses an auto dialer. It’s actually the most tangible benefit of using such software.
As already mentioned, auto dialing solutions make calls in volume just behind the scenes and connect answered calls to agents who are currently available. As a net result, agents experience up to 40- or 50-minutes talk time in an hour throughout the day because of the steady flow of connected calls.
The higher talk time can be easily achieved using a predictive auto dialer. A predictive auto dialer starts dialing numbers before users are ready. It bets on a certain number of calls to be answered in a given time. It achieves a small dropped call percentage but results in the highest agent talk time possible.
- Unproductive Numbers Get Detected And Separated
Auto dialing solutions, especially the most sophisticated ones are designed to detect unproductive numbers, such as fax lines and DNDs (Do Not Disturb numbers).
The good thing about auto dialers is that they can be seamlessly integrated with your customer relationship management or CRM software. Based on updated customer data, the software won’t only detect but also filter unproductive numbers because of the integration.
- Increased Blended Campaign Productivity
There are call centers that only handle either inbound or outbound calls. A large number of call centers worldwide, however, deal with both types of calls simultaneously. The ability to simultaneously deal with these types in an effective manner results in even greater agent productivity.
When using a blended campaign, wherein the same team of agents or people handle inbound and outbound calls at the same time, auto dialers make it possible for agents to always be able to talk to a customer.
When done manually, transitioning between inbound and outbound calling can be really confusing for an agent and results in decreased productivity generally. Auto dialer solutions, however, can automate the process for increased productivity.
Using several features such as call queuing and variable dial ratios, the auto dialer balances outbound and inbound calls. As a result, it’s able to regulate the call flow’s pace.
Note that for the agent, multi-tasking results in more interesting work. It positively affects his or her morale, especially when handling campaigns with high throughput predictive dialing.
- Real-Time Monitoring And Reporting
Through customizable reports and dashboards, an auto dialer contributes acumen into agent activities and call center operations.
By distinguishing real-time problems using real-time dashboards, agents can take prompt actions to improve, and the decision making of the call center’s manager becomes better.
To assure call quality levels, managers can also monitor the performance of agents by accessing call recordings with the help of the auto dialer software. That means key metrics in the call center can be tracked efficiently, especially for new hires. To achieve greater operational efficiency, you can also measure key metrics at particular intervals.
- Quick Adoption Of Any Change In Product Sales Strategy
Following changes in the weather, the economy, or legislation, many companies have to implement alterations into their sales strategy quickly. Since auto dialer software solutions already contain a large percentage of what’s required for your team to be successful, it makes the process of transitioning to the new product sales strategy easier.
In case the agent team needs to undergo some retraining, auto dialer allows supervisors to do it quickly using scripting, call recording, and live call coaching.
- Fresh Data
Call data consist of sales leads, that’s why they generally need to be called very quickly. Fortunately, data can be transferred to a dialer either manually or by an automated process like database synchronization. The auto dialer can work its way through the call data at an extremely fast pace. With that, you can ensure that your business leads are kept warm.
Certain activities such as calling back or recycling unanswered calls, busy numbers, and voicemails is also automated by an auto dialing system. It ensures that you’re following up a large percentage of leads within a short time very quickly and professionally.
- Consistent Branding
In a non-automated outbound calling environment, setting and sticking to service level targets can be very difficult. What makes it difficult are the differing levels of experience, motivation, and capability of individual agents and supervisors. Increased staff churn, bad feelings within your agent team, and inconsistent service can all result into differing levels of performance. An auto dialing system forces discipline onto your team and smooths out any inconsistencies by automating dialing.
- More Leads Generated
Auto dialers can be a robust tool for businesses in generating more leads. The software makes interacting with more meaningful prospects and customers easier for telemarketers by increasing agent talk time.
By providing self-service options to customers, the most sophisticated auto dialers even facilitate the collection of customer information.
Press 1 campaigns are an example of a set of self-service options that an auto dialing software solution provides. Even without a live agent, these self-service options enable customers to gather relevant information about a service or product being offered by your company. Your business can generate qualified leads through these options by allowing interaction between customers and a live agent right after playing the appropriate recorded audio file.
You or the managers in your business can simplify lead generation and management further by importing contacts from different sources. Also, by increasing the number of call connections, software for auto dialing can be further leveraged by business managers in generating more new and promising leads.
- Better Lead Conversion Ratio
When you implement an intelligent auto dialer for complex in-house sales processes that involve high value leads, you can bring agility to your business’ outbound calling process.
A preview auto dialer solution helps agents prepare just before they get connected to a call by providing a quick snapshot of the contact details and other relevant information about a particular customer. A preview dialer does it before dialing the call. As a result, the agent can drive personalized conversation with prior information at his/her disposal. It helps in engaging the prospect, leading to a significant increase in the chances of converting the lead.
- Improved Agent Morale
In any business, agent or telemarketer morale is a very important issue. It’s true whether your company is dealing with debt collection, sales, outbound call marketing, inbound calling, or a combination of these processes.
Contrary to what most people think, an auto dialer actually improves agent morale generally. It becomes possible by helping agents and telemarketers become more successful in hitting objectives, whether it be collecting debt or converting leads. If the sales agents in your business are paid commission, a system for auto dialing makes it possible for them to earn more.
In addition, listening to endless ringing tones, manual dispositioning of calls, dialing phone numbers, and other mundane, repetitive tasks are all stripped away by auto dialers. No wonder why once an agent started working with an auto dialer, he or she wouldn’t want to move back to a non-automated call environment.
One challenge that businesses will face when moving into an automated environment is how to accustom their sales teams with the software. The good news is that you can slowly change to an auto dialer over time. So that change isn’t as abrupt, you can go to predictive mode from manual ‘click-to-dial’ mode slowly.
Final Thoughts
After considering the benefits that an auto dialer software solution brings to the table, you surely can’t afford to ignore the need for one in your business.
Keep in mind, though, that every business has different needs. Therefore, it’s important that business owners like you know how to select the specific type of auto dialer that’s right for your company before investing in one.
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