Ultimate Salesforce-ready Dialer Guide for call centers in 2023
5 min
When operating a call center, you need access to powerful tools that boost efficiency, productivity, and the overall performance of your agents. Automated dialers are one tool that should be prioritized. For many, the Salesforce Lightning Dialer is ideal because it offers a comprehensive suite of valuable functions.
Though, without knowing exactly what to look for in a dialer, you may struggle to find one that is suitable for your business. Likewise, someone who is not well-versed in what automated call management systems can provide risks making the mistake of choosing a platform that does not offer the full utility that their call center operation needs.
To ensure that you are aware of what a premium dialing system should provide, here is an overview of the criteria that should be assessed when choosing a dialer, followed by a breakdown of what you can do with the Salesforce Lightning Dialer and other Lightning Dialers for Salesforce, like PhoneIQ.
What Are Automated Dialers?
In any customer-facing business department, picking up the phone to make or take calls can be a key component of the workers’ daily obligations. Many people who work in these environments are familiar with picking up the phone and entering digits based on a set of numbers they have been provided with, yet, few stop to think about the amount of time they could save if this process were automated.
With an automated dialer, you can make this proposition a reality. These useful machines work effectively to help call center agents eliminate the need to manually dial every phone number they intend to call. Depending on the complexity of the automated dialer you implement, other features may be available as well. For example, predictive dialers offer opportunities to boost efficiency by predicting when an agent will be finished with their current call and then placing another call before the user hangs up.
Another type of automated dialer, the preview dialer, allows users to preview a small amount of information about the next person on their call list. If they do not want to make the call, they can skip them and move to the next number on the list. Though, if they do make the call, the preview dialer allows them to gather helpful information that can be leveraged by agents to prepare better and offer a more personalized experience over the phone.
Why Use an Automated Dialer?
Call center operations benefit from automated dialers because they allow operators to connect with the highest number of leads, prospects, and customers possible in the shortest amount of time. They can be used in a variety of settings, ranging from sales and customer support call centers, to hospitality, healthcare, and education-oriented call centers.
How to get an Automated Dialer?
To use an automated dialer, there are some prerequisites. Primarily, you will need a computer, voice modem, and active phone line. Fortunately, sometimes you can bypass these requirements by getting a cloud-based dialer like PhoneIQ.
Top Criteria For Selecting an Automated Dialer
To get the most from your automated dialer, you need to ensure that the dialer you choose offers all of the functionality your call center operation needs. Here are some criteria you should look for when shopping for a new automated dialing platform.
1. Computer Telephony Integration
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) allows users to connect their computer to their phone center. Doing so allows them to operate fully functional call centers that connect completely to their CRM. For example, PhoneIQ offers a CTI that also features automated dialing capabilities. While the Salesforce Lightning Dialer does allow for some of the features that are available in a CTI, advanced features like extension dialing, PBX integration, cold transfers, and parallel calls are not included. So, when choosing the Salesforce Lightning Dialer, be sure that you do not need any of these other advanced features.
2. Expedited outbound dialing
Not having an automated dialer can cost your company time and effort — a significant amount of it too. If your call center frequently makes outbound calls, ensure that the automated dialer you select is capable of reducing the number of steps that must be done manually when users make calls. Doing so will make it easier for your operators to stay focused on offering the most engaging experience for your customers.
3. Reduced idle time
When agents are idle, they are costing your company money. Of course, breaks are necessary, but while they are on the clock, it is incredibly important to ensure that a majority of their time is spent on the phone. Predictive dialers are great for this, so make sure you find a system that offers one if your goal is to minimize idle time as effectively as possible. A call center that would rather prioritize making personalized calls to consumers at a slower rate can use a preview dialer instead.
4. Mobility
Many call centers currently employ workers who work from home at least some of the time. Others have agents that may need to take calls while they are away from a computer. Choosing an automated dialer that allows users to take calls from the device of their choice is a great way to boost productivity and invite new opportunities. Though, few automated dialing platforms can be used from any device. Unfortunately, the Salesforce Lightning Dialer does not offer support for mobile apps or desk phones. This encourages some to choose platforms like PhoneIQ instead.
Salesforce-ready Dialer features
Dialers built for Salesforce are a great solution for call center outbound operations that can be enhanced with inbound calling functionality. They exist to help organizations increase call center productivity by allowing them to get in touch with prospects and customers more efficiently. Though the Lightning Dialer can be quite limited in some areas, its core functionality includes:
Call List Import
Lightning Dialer loads lists of leads and contacts so users can access their personal information right in the interface. Having these contacts on hand makes it easier for users to find exactly which number they are looking for and make calls immediately.
Click and Talk
Many people use the Salesforce Lightning Dialer because of its simplicity. Using this platform, you can simply click a customer from your call list and instantly place a call. This allows reps to make calls without needing to manually input the phone number; all they need to do is click to dial.
Call Recording
This dialer can be used to record calls. Doing so could be helpful if your goal is to review them later and document certain notes. Though another primary benefit of having calls recorded is that you can use them as resources when training new call center agents. By having them listen to the recorded calls, you can give them insight into what the role’s responsibilities look like in real-time.
Receive Inbound Calls
While automated dialers are primarily used for outbound calling; Lightning Dialer does offer users the ability to receive inbound calls. Though, receiving inbound calls does cost more on top of the initial price of this product.
Activity Logging
Caller information is vital in this business. That’s why the Lightning Dialer automatically logs information related to each call to Salesforce. This information can be referenced later by agents, managers, and their supervisors.
Prerecorded Voicemail Messages
One handy feature offered by Lightning Dialer is the ability to leave custom voice messages for call recipients. For example, if you need to engage with someone who speaks another language, you can leave them a voice message recorded by someone in the company who speaks the appropriate language.
Need More From Your Dialer? Choose PhoneIQ Instead
Salesforce Lightning Dialer may be a popular product, but it does not offer everything that a more complex CTI would. PhoneIQ is one of their most noteworthy competitors, and for good reason. This platform offers a variety of valuable features that your call center can leverage, including everything listed in the previous section.
Some additional features you can get from PhoneIQ include:
Call Routing
If you have an important lead calling you, it is important to ensure that the call reaches the appropriate person. When callers are directed to someone that cannot help them, they may get frustrated and give up on the process entirely. You can avoid this outcome by implementing a CTI that offers call routing.
With call routing, you can have incoming calls directed to specific agents based on information provided by the caller. In some instances, callers do not even need to submit their information. Instead, notes that include their call history and information inputted by an agent can be used to route their calls. For a call center that frequently takes inbound calls, this is invaluable!
Text Messaging
Text messaging is the most common form of communication in today’s world. By offering customers the ability to text you, you open up a wide variety of new opportunities. Similarly, companies that text their prospects instead of calling can win business far easier. If your goal is to connect effectively with your prospects and customers, text messaging capabilities are a must.
International Calling
Being able to engage with people who live in other countries can allow you to expand your marketability. Fortunately, PhoneIQ has VoIP technology that makes it easy to make and take calls internationally. You can also get local, toll-free numbers from around the world, which increases answer ratios in many instances.
Automatic Call Distribution
Distributing calls appropriately allows you to boost efficiency in your inbound operation. Using these systems, calls are divided amongst a specific group of representatives. There is an algorithm guiding the entire process, ensuring that calls are queued and routed in the most effective way possible. People who are on hold will also receive automatic messages and alerts that help keep them on the line long enough to speak to an agent.
How to create Call Lists in Salesforce and perform a Power Dialer session
To get the most out of Salesforce in a call center, you need a CTI that offers full integration with Salesforce. PhoneIQ is a great option because our product is designed specifically for Salesforce. Our support team is also very well-versed in everything Salesforce, so we can help you get setup and start making and taking calls quickly!
If you are curious about what PhoneIQ can offer you, try it for free today.
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