How Smart is a Smart Dialer?

Contact centers have evolved tremendously through their implementation of new technology designed to help them deliver a better agent and customer experience. One aspect of this new wave is a smart dialer. Smart dialers allow agents to maximize the completion of their target goals. Read on to learn what a smart dialer is and how common features make them “smart.”

What is a smart dialer?

A smart dialer is a software tool that provides numerous convenient features that help optimize workflows, which is what contributes to its name. The “smartest” smart dialer platforms are compatible with contact center software and offer a friendly UI. Their ease of use along with the multiple benefits they bring make smart dialers a critical asset for any contact center. Below are some examples of features smart dialers offer and descriptions of how they can impact the overall success of a contact center.

Automated Dialing

Automated dialing is a highly efficient feature contact center agents need to dial through a long list of prospects. This software does the dialing for the agents, and if no one picks up the phone, the dialer disconnects and automatically goes on to the next lead. Agents aren’t connected until a live person answers the phone. This saves a substantial amount of time that agents would generally spend looking up numbers, entering them manually into their softphones, waiting on a ringing line, and getting voicemails.

Predictive Dialing

Predictive dialing incorporates the use of past metrics to determine the appropriate frequency and workload for automatic outbound calling. This allows contact centers to perform efficiently as the dialer makes a certain number of calls within a given timeframe, routing each one to the right agents.

Live Call Recording

Smart dialers allow call centers to record each agents’ conversation with the customer. Advanced platforms even offer keyword transcription, which allows team supervisors to easily find calls they need to listen to.

Local Presence

Gaining customers’ trust is made simple through this feature that many smart dialers offer. When the dialer makes a call, the caller ID on the receiving end shows up as a local (to the customer) number. Many people hesitate answering 800 numbers or numbers with unknown area codes, and a local presence significantly boosts answer rates.

Smart dialer Vs. power dialer

The terminology companies use to describe their dialer platforms can be a little confusing, especially since many features overlap with one another. Some dialers may have different features than others but simultaneously have the same name.

A power dialer is a tool that many call centers use to help agents move faster through lead lists. The dialer performs outbound calls on behalf of a live agent, and the agent disconnects after speaking with a customer or leaving a voicemail. The dialer then moves on to the next number and so on.

A smart dialer is more sophisticated than a power dialer. A smart dialer is capable of using past metrics to effectively route calls to each agent and to efficiently make the right amount of outbound calls for a contact center’s capacity. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably; in addition, a smart dialer could also offer a power dialing feature. 
Smart dialers are a crucial part of a contact center’s operations. Agent and customer satisfaction levels depend heavily on the capabilities that smart dialers offer. NICEunified platform seamlessly integrates numerous smart dialing features that make the agent experience a smooth one. Learn more about the NICE dialers here and find out how our platform helps bring contact centers to the next level.

Frequently asked questions

What is a VoIP mobile dialer?

A VoIP mobile dialer is much like a standard dialer except that it uses the Internet to make and receive calls.

How do I use a smart dialer?

A smart dialer can be used as a powerful outbound marketing tool. Agents can quickly and efficiently power through lists of leads using the automated dialing feature.

What is the difference between a phone system and a dialer?

A phone system is a network of phones within a company (such as a contact center) that allows users to make and receive calls simultaneously. A dialer is a tool that provides agents a faster way to make and receive calls.