There are plenty of tools that call centers can’t do without. (Phones are a good example…)
But what about a power dialer? Is that a must-have item? Or is it possible to get by entirely on manual dialing?
We’re going to try and answer those questions. But first, let’s get our definitions straight.
What is a power dialer?
Dialers are software that makes phone calls automatically. All the business needs to do is feed in a list of phone numbers. The dialer places those calls and connects customer service agents as the calls are answered.
There are several kinds of dialer, including progressive, predictive and preview. Each offers a spin on the same basic concept.
Power dialers are about as simple as they come. There are no fancy algorithmic predictions or deep data integrations; you give it phone numbers and it gives you customers on the line.
Why do call centers want to automate dialing?
The benefit for call centers is simple; automated dialing saves time.
Think about two scenarios:
- In scenario one, an agent finishes a call and does some after call work. Then they dial the next number.
- In scenario two, an agent finishes a call and does some after call work. The dialer has another call for them, ready to go.
That’s likely to save them between ten and twenty seconds per call.
Not impressed? Think about it this way. A contact center agent might easily make forty calls in a single day. If they can save twenty seconds on every call, that’s just over thirteen extra minutes in their day.
Still not impressed? You have to think about the cumulative value of all that time. What if there are one hundred agents in that call center, all saving time? The total saving is over 110 hours across a week!
That’s better than having two extra members of staff for free!
What kinds of call centers use power dialers?
Here’s the best way to decide whether your call center needs a power dialer: look at other call centers that use one.
What size is their business? One of the useful things about a power dialer is that it works well even for very small businesses. That’s because it’s a ‘one in, one out’ system. If you have five agents, the per-call efficiency is the same as if you had fifty.
Compare that with, say, a predictive dialer. Predictive dialers are far more sophisticated; they dial phone numbers before there’s an agent ready to answer, using an algorithm to get the timing just right. (Mostly)
The more agents the contact center has, the better it works – meaning it’s far less useful for smaller operations.
What kind of business do they do? Speeding up calling means increasing the total scale of your operation. That’s great if you’re in a highly competitive sales area – more calls will usually mean more sales.
A good integration between your dialer and lead generation tools can also increase success by prioritizing fresh leads. After all, the odds of a lead entering your sales process are 21 times greater when they’re contacted within 5 minutes, versus 30 minutes.
But what if your business model is less about volume? If you need the right people, calling the right leads at the right time… a dialer might not be the easiest way to achieve that. Likewise, if your call center handles mostly inbound traffic, there may be better investments.
Is compliance a big concern for them? Here’s another benefit of power dialers over other kinds of dialing: they tend to make it easier to comply with relevant regulation.
Here’s why. Plenty of territories – especially the USA and Europe – have strict rules about silent and dropped calls. (Your phone rings and there’s either nobody there, or the line goes dead.)
These calls are mostly caused by the predictions of a clever auto dialer which aren’t 100% on the money. They start to dial you, but it turns out there’s no agent to connect.
Obviously, any business making calls should take the relevant legislation seriously. But if you want total peace of mind, it’s good to know that a power dialer will basically never make silent or dropped calls.
If you’re working in certain areas that already have tricky legislation to deal with, that can be a load off your mind.
Conclusion
So… do you need a power dialer?
You should have a fairly clear idea now. If you run a small to medium contact center, making a lot of outbound calls – and you’re keen to obey the law – there’s a pretty good chance that a power dialer would make a good investment!
About babelforce
babelforce is a global cloud communications platform focused on No-Code integration and automation. It allows non-technical people to build even the most complex integrated processes for customer-facing teams, particularly in the call center.