How to Use an Auto

If you’ve never seen an auto-dialer before, your mind probably conjures up images of robocalling machines automatically dialing relentlessly for massive telemarketing efforts. However, auto-dialers do much more than automate unsolicited sales calls and leave pre-recorded messages to tens of thousands of phone numbers in rapid succession.

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Auto-dialers are a timesaving, predictive dialing software available in a handful of formats, including preview dialers, voice broadcasters, progressive dialers and predictive dialers. In most instances, their purpose is to improve your customer's experience and ensure agents of all types can work as efficiently as possible.

Auto-dialers excel in time-sensitive situations with helpful automation to boost productivity and profitability for call center services, schools and local emergency services.

While saving a few seconds to find and dial a phone number may not seem significant, large call centers and sales teams that handle tens of thousands of calls each year can benefit from such seemingly small improvements. Compared to manual dialing, an auto-dialer can significantly increase productivity by saving your employees time or entirely automating outreach.

They can also make it possible for local and state governments to send timely warning messages and important safety instructions in the form of audio messages to everyone affected by a natural disaster or emergency.

Traditional auto-dialers work alongside software and voice modems to assist human agents by eliminating time-consuming tasks and dialing the phone number automatically. Once a call is answered, an auto-dialer can connect the call to a live agent or play a pre-recorded message. If the call goes to the recipient's voicemail, auto-dialers can either leave a message or flag the number in their system to be contacted another day.

These systems can free personnel to focus on their customers’ needs without wasting a moment dealing with ringing or unanswered calls. Generally speaking, auto-dialing systems work in four parts:

Auto-dialing systems are made possible through the use of computer software. All of the available features and capabilities of an auto-dialer are dictated by the software and service provider you select. Most basic auto-dialing systems can run on everyday computers with a direct correlation between CPU power and audio quality. However, once you get into contact centers that handle upward of 10,000 channels, you’ll need a powerful server rack with numerous CPU cores, ample memory and a fast broadband connection to support your system.

While some auto-dialing systems are implemented to send pre-recorded messages, live agents play a key role in many auto-dialing scenarios. At a minimum, you’ll need an employee to record any messages, select the appropriate call list, choose the dialing mode and initiate the system. Many auto-dialing systems require a large number of personnel to handle inbound calls.

Voice modems are necessary to transmit and receive voice recordings over the phone line. This technology was developed for data and fax communications, so make sure any modem or device you use can handle voice transmissions. If you’re unsure whether a specific modem can handle voice communications, look for any indication that the hardware comes with some form of voicemail software.

Connecting calls with auto-dialing systems can be accomplished through either VoIP or landlines. However, large-scale auto-dialing systems are moving toward cloud-based, integrated systems that connect with top CRM software solutions, and include an extensive list of advanced features that may eliminate the need for a voice modem.

If you’ve ever contacted a customer service department and been given the option to hold on the line or have someone return your call as soon as a representative is available, then you’ve likely been routed through an auto-dialing system with a callback feature. If you opt to receive a callback when the customer service team can get to you, you’re essentially waiting for the auto-dialer software to find the next available agent and place your call the moment an agent is free.

Auto-dialing software is used across many industries, including outbound sales, customer service, charities, political groups, local governments and debt collection agencies.

Large customer service teams with a high volume of incoming calls can use auto-dialing software to let their customers skip long hold times and instead wait for a callback. Political organizations and campaigns rely on auto-dialing software to reach potential voters with pre-recorded messages designed to influence decision-making during election cycles. Local government agencies and schools use dialer solutions to send important messages to residents about natural disasters or school closures due to inclement weather.

Many of the best business phone systems offer an auto-dialer feature as one of their many tools, which can automate how your business reaches a wide audience.

There are four main types of auto-dialing products that are utilized by sales teams, call centers and government agencies.

Preview dialers provide agents access to the customer or sales lead's identity. With this information, agents can personalize their sales pitch or access the appropriate tools they’ll need to perform technical support.

Voice broadcasting – or robocalling – is auto-dialing technology that sends a pre-recorded message to the call recipient. If the recipient doesn't answer the phone, voice broadcasting leaves a message. This system can also be used with surveys, where the recipient is instructed to press a number on their phone with a corresponding touch tone to indicate the answer – an outbound interactive voice response (IVR).

Progressive dialers – or power dialers – will automatically call every number on your contact list in search of a live caller. Once an individual answers the phone call, progressive dialers route them to an available live agent. These systems increase productivity by giving agents more time to focus on selling, learning or collecting information.

Predictive dialers use algorithms to predict when the next agent will become available, and place a call seconds before their prediction. This high-rate dialer allows the computer to handle every unanswered call, freeing workers to focus on speaking with the individual on the other line. In instances where no agents are available, despite the prediction, the caller on the other end can be left without anyone on the line.

While auto-dialers have suffered from their association with robocalling and unwanted telemarketing, their widespread use benefits businesses and customers.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) was enacted to address increasing telephone marketing calls using auto-dialers. In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revised the TCPA laws requiring telemarketers "(1) to obtain prior express written consent from consumers before robocalling them, (2) to no longer allow telemarketers to use an ‘established business relationship’ to avoid getting consent from consumers when their home phones, and (3) to require telemarketers to provide an automated, interactive ‘opt-out’ mechanism during each robocall so consumers can immediately tell the telemarketer to stop calling." These rules work alongside the National Do Not Call Registry, which exists to let us opt out of telemarketing calls, with exceptions for "charities, political groups, debt collectors and surveys."