Power dialers for sales

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.

Ready to dial in?

• What is a power dialer?

• Common features on sales power dialers

• Benefits of using power dialers

• FAQs

• Try one for free

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.

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

• 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.