Outbound AI Auto Dialers 101: What Your B2B Sales Team Needs to Know

Introduction

Offering B2B sales teams the ability to dial numbers automatically is a “hot” technology right now — because companies have seen how well it works. One of the companies that have proven the concept is Koncert With 11+ years in the auto-dialing business, Koncert has developed a platform of five auto-dialers that work with any sales workflow. Proven, stable, reliable telephony and a feature set that is second to none.

A cloud-based AI dialer from Koncert eliminates the need for manual dialing, provides valuable coaching tools, and is far more affordable than other dialer solutions. Where other providers offer only one dialing solution, Koncert offers five unique solutions to fit your sales workflow needs, meaning you can focus on conversations, setting meetings, and building relationships with customers and prospects.

In this article, we’ll explore how outbound AI dialers work, how they’re beneficial for any business with a dedicated sales team, and the various types of dialers available to help you decide which option is best for your business!

How Do Outbound Dialers Work?

Phone use for business is nothing new, and even the concept of auto dialing has its roots in the 20th century. However, nowadays, companies use software and cloud-based solutions to power their auto dialing. While many autodialers run on voice over internet protocol (VoIP), Koncert has built out its own telephony system with a dedicated phone bridge, for better connection and reliability of calls. There is no need for Koncert clients to install VoIP systems to use the AI dialing platform.

The dialing software handles the call routing and caller ID information, enabling you to reach your prospects from anywhere using their local call prefixes. Auto dialing, such as the Koncert's AI dialing platform, manages these local caller IDs with a proprietary Heat Map so that sales reps can be aware when certain numbers are being used too often. Another thing Caller ID Management with Koncert provides is allowing call recipients to call back using the number they received their calls from — calling the sales rep back seamlessly.

The Benefits of Outbound AI Auto Dialers

The functionality of an AI outbound dialer is undeniable; the benefits speak for themselves and include the following:

• Increased agent efficiency and productivity - Outbound dialing with AI dialer software helps streamline the outreach process by eliminating manual dialing. Sales reps can dial with a click or, using list-based dialing, automatically move to the next number without lifting a finger. That means customers are the focus of the representatives’ time, not the laborious process of looking up numbers and dialing them one by one. Note that the average call-to-pickup rate in sales calling is 25-1. That is 25 dials for one live person answering the phone.
• Time-saving automation - Outbound AI dialers can automate portions of the outbound contact process, not just dialing phone numbers. Through integrations with CRMs, the dialers can provide instant customer information to sellers when the calls are answered. These automations help improve sales productivity across the board.
• Increased conversion rates - Answering machines can’t make buying decisions. With an outbound auto dialer equipped with AI capabilities (or Agent-Assisted Dialing), you increase the chance of closing deals because reps are increasing their numbers of live calls. When your reps spend more time on the customer experience, conversion rates improve.
• Voicemail Messages - The best auto dialers provide the capability to drop pre-recorded voicemails to those call pickups that go directly to VM. Koncert, for instance, allows reps to make recordings based on a specific campaign or provide a short introduction with an invitation to call back. These “drops” of pre-recorded voicemails are then part of the CRM record of communication with the prospects so that subsequent calls can refer to “did you receive my recent voicemail?” and go into a conversation with that hook.
• Improved quality management - Managers use several metrics to determine performance, such as upsell percentage, previous call handle times, or conversion rates. Koncert Dialers have built-in real-time reporting, call recording, and live coaching tools to help improve the quality of customer interactions.
  
  

You might think that pricing for an omnichannel solution would be prohibitively expensive. Despite that misconception, AI auto dialer software is more affordable than other software solutions. You can even request a demo from Koncert to see the benefits firsthand!

Types of Outbound AI Dialers

It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing there is only one type of auto dialer. In fact, there are several types of outbound dialers, and many have different features to accomplish your B2B campaign goals. Here are a few types of outbound dialers to help you decide which one is right for your business!

AI Parallel Dialer

A parallel dialer (sometimes called a power dialer) calls multiple lines at once during a dialing session. Used for large lists, a parallel dialer will call two, four, six — even as many as 10 numbers at once, stopping the dialing when a live person answers.

Again, understanding that the average B2B customer call will take 25+ phone calls before reaching that live person, a parallel dialer vastly increases the speed at which a salesperson can reach a person. With a long prospect list, instead of taking a week to dial each number at least once, a power dialer such as Koncert’s AI Parallel Dialer can easily dial more than 125 numbers in an hour, and the salesperson can average 11-12 in-person calls with prospects.

This will streamline much of the outbound call process, saving countless labor hours.

AI Flow Dialer

A single-line dialer with the AI power to navigate through voice mail (dropping pre-recorded voicemails, recording call dispositions, moving uncallable numbers to a “parking lot” for further research, etc.)

Agent-Assisted Dialer(Predictive Dialer)

Predictive dialing involves calling multiple prospective clients simultaneously, then connecting with the sales rep as soon as a live person answers the phone. The system pauses automatically while the phone conversation is conducted and starts again when the sales rep is ready.

Many predictive dialer programs rely heavily on algorithms to determine the cadence of calls. While this can make managing calls easier, it can create some unfortunate results. For example, if an algorithm isn’t updated or no longer matches business needs, it can lead to a high number of abandoned or useless calls. Predictive dialers are sometimes associated with spam calling because of this.

Best practices for using auto-dialers include using lists created from current, in-house CRMs so that the call recipients are opted-in business prospects who are researched. Also, utilize a platform like Koncert’s Agent Assisted Dialer, which uses live reps behind a parallel dialing application, and helps connect your prospect to your business more effectively by navigating IVRs (phone trees), gatekeepers, and voicemail, connecting to the sales rep seamlessly.

Flow Dialer(Workflow Dialer)

Single-line list dialing allows sales reps to upload a pre-researched list of prospects from their CRM into the dialer and start a session with every call aimed at a particular campaign or product. The dialer moves through the list, and when a live person answers, the CRM integration shows a pop-up giving specific information about the person associated with that phone number. Or, depending on how the sales rep has set it up, it might open that person’s LinkedIn profile.

A company offering several different products might prefer the single-line auto dialer because the sales reps will be attuned to that particular product or campaign per the list they are dialing.

Click to Call Dialers

For the salesperson who needs to make a single call to a prospect or customer, it’s also ideal to make it within the CRM, so that information and call disposition can be automatically uploaded for future reference. The salesperson doesn’t have to remember what was said or decided or what follow-up to take next and input that into the CRM — it’s already done for them. No misspellings that create confusion in the CRM later. Click Dialer from Koncert, like all dialers on its platform, also comes with Koncert Cadence, which provides an automatic follow-up communication path within the CRM based on call disposition.

Invest in Quality Outbound AI Dialers with Koncert

Business is moving too fast to rely on traditional methods or old-fashioned, manual dialing while trying to remember accurately for notes later. Upgrading to cloud-based software, such as CRM-integrated outbound AI auto-dialers, can help streamline your sales processes. Through AI dialer technology, your agents can engage in more customer interactions during the business day. And a Salesforce CRM integration allows users to manage selling activities and calls all in one single window, using a tab within the CRM instead of having to toggle back and forth.

The benefits are clear, and only one provider on the market provides all the dialing modes for any situation. Koncert’s robust lineup of dialers means your sales leadership can find a solution that works for your team. Plus, every dialer comes with Koncert Cadence to fully support your B2B workflow. CRM integration, real-time best-in-class reporting, a dedicated Customer Success team, and world-class customer support are all built-in. Try a demo today and uncover the benefits of an outbound auto-dialing platform.