Power dialers for sales

Power up your outbound call efforts with the best sales dialer for your business.

Let's learn about sales dialers!

Imagine the time it would take to dial all of your customers using a rotary phone. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

Although there’s a great deal of vintage charm wrapped up in the rotary phone, we’re luckily no longer beholden to this 19th-century technology. In fact, nowadays even the click of a button on your smartphone is arguably too much effort when calling leads. Especially when there’s tech out there that eliminates the need for any manual involvement at all: the power dialer.

Sales teams using their own ten digits to dial numbers have an average talk time of only 10-15 minutes per hour. That’s a lot of in-between time punching in numbers, waiting through ringtones, and leaving voicemails. Implementing an automated system for dialing can increase agents’ talk time by 200-300 percent without them having to lift a finger.

In this guide, we’ll demystify the power dialer by providing a comprehensive definition as well as clarifying different types of dialers. We’ll highlight a variety of dialer features and benefits, and we’ll wrap with a round-up of your most frequently asked questions.

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What is a power dialer?

A power dialer is software that agents use to dial telephone numbers automatically. As soon as an agent completes a call, the dialer simply moves on to the next number on the list with no need for manual entry.

How a power dialer works

Power dialers automatically connect customers with agents. When an agent becomes available, the system dials the next contact in the list. Power dialers utilize a set ratio of calls to agents so that active calls can be connected with a rep right away.

Is a sales dialer the same as a power dialer?

A power dialer is a type of sales dialer, like a square is a type of rectangle. A sales dialer is any software tool that allows agents to reach out to contacts quickly without all the repetitive tasks that come along with making so many calls in a row. Not all sales dialers are power dialers, just as not all rectangles are squares.

Power dialers aren’t just sales tools, however. They’re useful for other types of call centers as well, including customer service centers, political campaigns, and even school districts. When you get a call about a snow day (remember those?), that can come from a power dialer.

CRM power dialer

Your customer relationship management platform is a vital tool for helping sales reps deliver fast and personalized care while strategically moving prospects through the buyer’s journey. Since the sales dialer platform you use is a huge part of that journey, it’s important that you’re able to connect it to your CRM.

A CRM dialer allows you to make even better use of the data collected during sales calls. It also provides a single point of entry for all customer interactions, letting your agents perform all of their sales-related tasks without juggling multiple browsers and sales apps.

You’ll find many different iterations of power dialing software on the market. Some power dialers integrate with comprehensive CRM platforms like Zendesk Sell, meaning you’ll get the best of both worlds right out of the box. With more than a thousand apps available in Zendesk’s Marketplace, it’s easy to expand Sell’s native functionality in tandem with a CRM dialer.

These all-inclusive CRM systems are excellent engagement tools for unifying all of your customer-centric touch points on a single platform. With a seamless CRM, sales reps can easily shift between tasks and access accurate data in real time. Powerful automations and an intuitive system make it simple to streamline the sales process and develop a smoother, more profitable operation.

Power dialer software features

Zendesk’s industry-leading power dialer boasts impressive call analytics, logging every detail from customer interactions. Your reps have access to all the information they need to provide personalized customer care at the drop of a hat, or click of a mouse.

Our long list of intelligent features includes:

  • CRM integration and call summaries
  • Conference calls
  • Predictive dialing
  • Setting up an auto dialer call list
  • Making outbound and answering inbound calls in Sell Voice
  • Call scripting
  • SMS messaging and real-time chat
  • Blended call center
  • Reporting and analytics

Benefits of using a sales power dialer

  • The agent is always ready. Power dialing utilizes a 1:1 ratio of agents to calls, meaning for every phone ringing there’s an agent ready to speak to a contact. In industries where success depends on interpersonal connections during the sales process, power dialers provide a significant advantage.

  • There’s no awkward pause. When a contact answers their phone, they’re immediately greeted with a human voice on the other end. This gesture of respect for the contact’s time establishes trust and good will, which, in turn, contributes positively to their attitude toward your business.

  • You’ll never forget an interaction. Power dialers don’t just automatically dial outbound calls—they also let users store and access important information about call history and past interactions. This includes dates, times, topics discussed, and outcomes. Plus, when these records are available to all relevant users within your CRM, calls can be passed between agents without skipping a beat.

  • Increase customer trust. An integrated CRM dialer gives agents fast and easy access to their customer data, so every call feels personalized and human. With customer details at their fingertips, agents never have to start over again; they’ll always be able to guide discussions down the most productive path.

  • There are more opportunities to sell. Agents can make more calls in less time simply by not having to sift through numbers, check their accuracy, and dial them digit by painstaking digit. This time saved adds up to more time connecting with prospects, thus increasing their chances of closing a deal and boosting their sales numbers.

Power dialer software FAQs

How much is a power dialer?

The cost of your power dialer depends on a number of factors. Pricing will vary based on team size, the number of lines required, and the software you choose. Providers typically bill monthly or annually, with annual subscriptions sometimes offering a discounted rate.

Are there free power dialers?

Providers may offer a free trial version of their software, but these typically have limitations on allotted time or available features.

What is the difference between a power dialer and a predictive dialer?

Predictive dialing uses more advanced automation than power dialing. Whereas a power dialer only dials one number at a time per agent, a predictive dialer dials multiple numbers at once. Using algorithms to anticipate agent availability, a predictive dialer ensures that when a call is answered it can be routed quickly to an available agent with minimal dead space.

What is the difference between an automatic dialer and a power dialer?

Automatic dialers are similar to power dialers in that they both automatically dial numbers. The key difference is in the ratio of agents to calls being placed, and how the calls are handled once they’re answered.

Auto dialers will call many numbers at once with the expectation that many of them will be dropped or go to voicemail. If the call is answered, the software will detect that the line is live and play an automated message. If the contact is interested in what the message has to say, they’ll stay on the line and eventually be connected with an available agent.

Auto dialers are great tools for getting information out to your contacts quickly without getting a human agent involved. They’re ideal for situations like school closures or political campaign messaging. In these instances, hearing a recorded message doesn’t hurt the relationship with the contact. The value of the call is in the information provided, not the interaction with an individual.

What is a progressive dialer?

Similar to a power dialer, a progressive dialer moves through a prepared list of numbers. Calls are initiated once the agent indicates that they are ready for a call, typically after reading through the provided pre-call information. A progressive dialer gives agents more control when preparing for each call and setting the pace of dialing.

The main difference between a power dialer and a progressive dialer is the speed at which a call is answered. With a power dialer, a new number is dialed as soon as the previous call ends. A progressive dialer allows agents to pause before a new number is dialed to gather information about the next call. While a little bit slower, this gives agents the chance to provide more nuanced customer service.

When’s the right time to get a power dialer?

Power dialers are best suited for agents who need to reach a large number of prospects in a short amount of time. It may be that your contact list is large enough that automatic dialing saves time, but your contacts will still respond best to personalized attention. With a CRM dialer, agents can easily access relevant customer information before they connect, increasing their likelihood of conversion.

Should small businesses use power dialers too?

Absolutely. CRM dialers are particularly useful for small businesses where the quality of contact goes a long way to building customer relationships.

Try free power dialer software for sales

If you want to expand your reach without sacrificing your agents’ ability to deliver personalized care, Zendesk Sell is an accessible sales CRM solution with a clean and user-friendly interface. Its sleek CRM power dialer lets your agents reach more contacts without sacrificing the careful attention that increases the strength and longevity of your buyer-seller relationships.

Interested in seeing how a power dialer can boost your sales performance? Test-drive power dialer software today with Zendesk’s 14-day free trial.