There are many innovative ways that automation can improve sales and marketing. But how does this apply to the outbound calls environment? It’s more relevant in outbound call centers than anywhere else! 

Automated dialing software has made sweeping changes to the telemarketing and telesales arena. As technology has progressed, new dialers have been introduced to streamline your outbound call experience. And one of the more innovative offerings is parallel dialing software. 

So, what is a parallel dialer and why do you need one? Parallel dialing software may be all you need to boost your team’s productivity and performance and see bigger profits. We have all the inside information, right here. Keep reading to uncover the secrets of parallel dialer functionality and its top benefits. 

What Is Parallel Dialing?

Parallel dialing is the process of making multiple outbound calls at the same time, in parallel. The best dialers will give teams access to more than one leads list. It allows your agents to call leads on different campaigns and target multiple audiences.

This is done without the hassle of installing separate automated dialer hardware or multiple software packages. That makes the parallel dialer a fantastic option for outbound call centers that handle various types of call campaigns, like sales, marketing, outreach, and customer service.

How Does It Work?

Parallel dialing technology works through easily installed computer software. It can then be used in conjunction with your service provider to make up to 10 outbound calls at a time, concurrently. 

When powered by AI, it’ll also screen out calls that have busy tones, as well as calls that are answered by voicemail. This means that all calls routed to available agents will be live calls, offering only live conversations that can lead to conversions.

When paired with an integrated CRM, your leads’ information and existing customer profiles will appear on-screen at the same time. This simplifies everything, from cold calls for marketing to follow-up calls to your existing customers. You can easily find all the information that will help your cold call conversations, in real time.

Parallel Dialing Vs. Power Dialing

You might be more familiar with earlier auto dialer systems or have experience with power dialing. If so, you’re probably wondering how they compare with parallel dialing. This largely depends on what your outbound dialing needs are. Both methods aim to increase your chances of reaching live contacts, but there are key differences, too.

Parallel dialing involves initiating multiple calls at the same time, allowing agents to chat to the first available connection. This method will boost your odds of having a live conversation, but may also lead to a higher rate of abandoned calls.

Power dialing uses automation to dial one number at a time, giving agents a live connection only once someone picks up the call. This method reduces the likelihood of dropped calls, but it also results in longer idle time for your agents. 

Striking the right balance between parallel dialing and power dialing is essential for your outbound call center to reach maximum efficiency. You want a good equilibrium between agent utilization and call completion rates.

Is the Investment Worth It?

Parallel dialer and predictive dialer pricing is higher than these other automated systems. But there’s a good reason for this. The extra benefits that improve your outbound call efficiency and productivity make the investment worthwhile. 

We’ll get to those benefits shortly. But before we do, here’s a quick explanation of how to use parallel dialing for your outbound calls.

How Do I Use Parallel Dialing?

Parallel dialing is easy to use and can save your team lots of time and frustration. It dials multiple numbers and screens out anything that does not qualify as a live call. Then, it routes calls to the next available agent. 

When the agent hears a beep, that’s their signal to move ahead with their script. Cold calls can be stressful without the right opening lines guaranteed to hook a lead’s attention. So be sure to familiarize your team with effective cold call openers.

With an integrated CRM, agents are better prepared for cold call success. Your team may have new members with little experience with outbound calls in a busy environment. If they have any uncertainty in answering customers’ questions, they can ask them to hold for another representative and reroute the call.

Your team won’t be overwhelmed, though. You can adjust the dialing pace to fit the number of agents you have, and their average call duration times. This lets you tailor the parallel dialer functionality to your unique workplace.

What Happens if 2 People Pick Up Simultaneously?

One of the most common queries about parallel dialers is regarding simultaneous call pick-up. The software dials multiple numbers at a time. So, what happens if two people pick up simultaneously? Fortunately, the way parallel dialing works ensures that this won’t be a problem.

A parallel dialer does have the capability to dial multiple numbers simultaneously. However, you can adjust this according to your unique requirements. As soon as an agent becomes available and takes a call, other calls are automatically routed to other agents on the team.

During busy times when calls take longer than usual, this becomes trickier. If the parallel dialing software detects that no agents will be free shortly, it momentarily pauses dialing. This feature ensures that no customer answers a call without an agent being available to talk to.

Parallel Dialer Benefits

Switching to parallel dialing offers so much more than the convenience of automated dialing. Here are the top benefits:

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

A parallel dialer is the ultimate automated dialer solution for increasing efficiency and productivity. When outbound calls are the heart of your business, you need to increase your call volumes to increase your efficiency and productivity.

Parallel dialing software is the key to increasing call volumes. Because it allows you to run multiple call campaigns simultaneously, and in parallel, the sky’s the limit for your call volumes.

Improved Contact Rates

One of your most important metrics in the outbound call environment is the contact rate. This refers to the number of answered calls divided by the number of dialed calls. The contact rates of your various call campaigns help you to gauge how effective they are.

But this is a metric that can easily be improved with the right parallel dialing software. 

Cold-calling campaigns can be a challenge. They rely on high call volumes to succeed. A parallel dialer will dial each successive number on each list, even before the agent is free, but just in time for them to take the call when it’s answered.

Scalability and Flexibility

To succeed in the high-pressure outbound calls environment, you need to scale your business. This is the process of growing your business incrementally so that you expand its reach (and ultimately, its profits). This is preferably done with fewer resources at minimal cost, to give a good return on investment.

Parallel dialing software fits the bill. It is not that complicated and does not require a lengthy training or setup process. Yet it provides the infrastructure to handle a larger volume of calls, with enhanced efficiency. 

A parallel predictive dialer is not only on the cutting edge of automated dialer technology, but it’s also one of the best ways to scale your outbound calls business.

Analytics and Reporting

The latest parallel dialers have the advantage of analytics and reporting features. You don’t have to wait until the end of a call campaign to measure its effectiveness. You can do so while the campaigns are running!

When data and analytics are accessed from the digital dashboard, it’s easy to see if any course-correcting measures are necessary. This also gives you deeper insights into how you can improve training for your call agents.

Enhanced Lead Management

When you install a parallel predictive dialer, you have access to another benefit that’ll enhance your lead management - a predictive dialer CRM. This gives your outbound call agents everything they need when initiating each sales call.

All the available information on those valuable leads is right there on the computer screen for them to see before and during a call. This will give them the confidence they need to close the deal.

But this feature has an even bigger benefit. It improves the customer experience. A pitch from a confident telemarketing or telesales agent, who has all their facts correct, is more likely to resonate with the person they’re calling.

Conclusion

Thanks to the latest parallel dialer functionality, no outbound call workload is ever too great. Your teams will blaze through those multiple-call campaign lists in next to no time. And best of all, they can do it all with just one software package from AutoReach.

Top companies use our dialing software to dial up their processes and scale their businesses. To discover for yourself how our innovative auto dialers can make all the difference, start your free trial today!