Helpful Summary
- Overview: We introduce you to parallel dialers—what they are, how they work, why (and when) you might need one, and how ServiceBell's parallel dialer can help your business.
- Why Listen to Us: We’ve helped our customers drive tens of thousands of dollars worth of pipeline within weeks of signing up for ServiceBell.
- Why It Matters: Optimizing cold calling campaigns with parallel dialers is crucial for boosting lead conversion rates, saving time and resources, and increasing overall sales performance.
- Action Points: Incorporate parallel dialers into your sales strategy to reach more prospects efficiently. Prioritize systems that offer AI call prioritization and seamless CRM integration for personalized outreach.
- Further Research: Visit the ServiceBell blog for more tips and tricks on supercharging your allbound efforts.
Wondering How to Take Full Advantage of a Parallel Dialer?
Outbound is a numbers game.
Sure, your approach to prospecting counts. But ultimately, the more people you connect with, the higher your chances of converting leads. And this is exactly why so many sales teams are turning to autodialers to increase cold-calling efficiency.
There are a few different types of auto-dialers out there—but one type that is gaining popularity among sales teams is the parallel dialer. In this ServiceBell guide, we’re going to break down exactly what parallel dialers are and explain how using one can maximize your outbound strategy.
But first…
Why Listen To Us?
At ServiceBell, our allbound platform has helped thousands of businesses enhance customer engagement and sales productivity.
With tools ranging from video-enabled live chat to parallel and power dialing, scheduling, chatbots, routing, and more, we give businesses an all-in-one platform for managing outbound and inbound sales activities.
By leveraging these tools, businesses can quickly qualify leads and maintain momentum from the initial contact to the final sale. This approach has been a game-changer for our customers, as it helps bridge the gap between customer intent and actual sales.
Now, let’s get started.
What Is a Parallel Dialer?
A parallel dialer is a specific kind of auto-dialing tool that makes multiple calls simultaneously (or in parallel). When a call connects, the parallel dialing system routes it to an available agent who can handle the conversation.
The idea is pretty simple—by making multiple calls at once, the chances of successfully connecting with a prospect increase. This is especially useful for outbound sales, where the goal is to reach as many potential customers as possible in a short amount of time.
To give you a better understanding of how a parallel dialer works, here are some common features of parallel dialers like ServiceBell’s:
- Multiple Simultaneous Calls: This is the core feature. Parallel dialers typically dial 2 to 9 phone numbers at once to maximize the chances of a successful connection. Our parallel dialer lets you choose the number of simultaneous calls, so you can tailor it to your specific needs.
- Dynamic Call Allocation: Parallel dialers are also responsible for routing calls to the first available agent. This minimizes prospect wait times and maximizes agent productivity.
- Answer Detection: Another common feature is the ability to detect different types of answers (e.g., human, answering machine, busy signal, etc.). Ideally, only human answers are connected to agents.
- Integration with CRM Systems: Many parallel dialers integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems to provide agents with in-depth information about the prospects they are speaking to. For example, ServiceBell integrates with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce.
- Virtual Salesfloor: This feature lets managers monitor and coach agents in real-time. They can listen in on calls, offer support, and even take over a call if needed.
There are plenty of other features that may vary depending on the specific parallel dialer software being used—but we’ll dive into those later.
Parallel Dialer vs. Power Dialer
Parallel dialers and power dialers are both auto-dialing tools.
Parallel dialers (as we’ve discussed) call multiple numbers at once and connect agents with the first person to answer. Power dialers (also called sequential dialers) call one number at a time and connect agents with the next available contact.
Which is better? There’s no clear answer—it depends on your specific business needs and preferences. That’s why ServiceBell lets you switch between parallel and power dialing modes to find what works best for you.
However, in general:
- Parallel dialers are best for high-volume campaigns where speed is the priority. Ideal for telemarketing and sales calls.
- Power dialers are best for higher-touch campaigns where personalization and relationship-building are important.
What Is an AI Parallel Dialer?
We’ve covered parallel dialers in general. Now, let’s take a closer look at AI parallel dialers specifically.
As the name suggests, AI parallel dialers use artificial intelligence technology to enhance their capabilities and limit the problems that come from dialing multiple lines at once. This AI Answer Detection is used to detect human answers with a high level of accuracy, so your agents can spend more time talking to real people and less time listening to voicemails or dead air.
This kind of AI is common to most leading parallel dialers, to prevent you from connecting with voicemails. The way it works is that, within the first microseconds of a connection, AI listens to the connected line to determine whether a voicemail or real person was connected.
This does produce a microscopic lag effect for the recipient, which is more pronounced the more lines you dial at once. For instance, if you dial 2 lines at once, the lag is incredibly short, whereas 9 lines at once requires analysis of more lines simultaneously.
This is why ServiceBell’s AI parallel dialer allows you to switch seamlessly between power and parallel dial modes.
What Are the Benefits of a Parallel Dialer?
Improved Connection Rates
Your connection rate is a key factor in the success of your sales team. More connections mean more opportunities, which in turn mean more sales.
With a parallel dialer, you can boost your connection rate significantly. Since you’re dialing multiple lines at once, you’ll be more likely to reach prospects. This means your reps spend less time waiting for calls to connect and more time actually talking to leads.
The results can be pretty significant, too.
Sila added $1 million to its pipeline within four months of implementing ServiceBell. A core part of its strategy involved using ServiceBell’s tools to cold-call website visitors with high intent. One rep actually increased his sales-qualified leads by 50% with this approach.
Scalability and Reduced Costs
If your business is scaling up, using a parallel dialer can be a game changer. Parallel dialers let small sales teams tackle a larger number of calls, without having to add more reps. This can save your company significant costs in terms of hiring and onboarding new employees.
Plus, parallel dialers help you reduce your costs per call and appointment by increasing your team’s efficiency. This is especially true if you’re using a tool like ServiceBell that also helps you identify and target your most promising leads.
More Engaged Sales Reps
Nobody likes feeling unproductive—especially sales reps who thrive on closing deals and meeting quotas. That’s why one of the less-discussed benefits of using a parallel dialer tool like ServiceBell’s is a happier, more engaged sales team.
The tools you add to your stack should make your sales team's job easier. When reps can quickly and efficiently reach out to potential customers without the hassle of manual dialing, they can focus on what they do best—selling.
How to Choose the Right Parallel Dialer
1. Understand Your Needs
Before exploring options, clearly outline what you need the parallel dialer to achieve. Are you looking to improve contact rates, reduce agent idle time, or handle a high volume of calls more efficiently?
Your goals will influence which features are most important. Make a list of:
- Must-Haves: These are the essential features that your team needs. An example might be “Salesforce integration” if you use that CRM system.
- Nice-to-Haves: These are not essential, but could greatly enhance your team's productivity. Examples might include “voicemail drop” or “call recording and analytics.”
You’ll screen options using the “must-haves” list, and then use the “nice-to-haves” list to differentiate between top contenders.
2. Think About Security & Compliance
Whenever you contact prospects, you need to make sure you’re following all relevant regulations and laws. This includes obtaining consent for recording calls, protecting sensitive information, and adhering to do-not-call lists.
So, as you start considering options, check out each provider’s compliance features. For example, what certifications do they have? Is user data steamed or processed on their servers? How do they handle data breaches?
At ServiceBell, take data privacy and protection extremely seriously. Not only are we fully compliant with SOC 2 Type 1 & 2, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and more, but we also offer security measures and features like::
- Hiding sensitive user inputs
- WebRTC data streaming (this means we have no way to access conversation data)
3. Look Into Features & Functionality
Finally, you want to look at the full range of features each parallel dialing provider offers. You’ll quickly notice that there’s a pretty wide spectrum of options available—some tools are solely focused on parallel dialing while others (like ServiceBell) offer a full suite of features.
At ServiceBell, we aim to give sales teams a complete solution for outbound and inbound sales.
Our platform offers features like:
- AI parallel and power dialing
- Integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and 20+ additional tools
- Video-enabled live chat
- Chatbots
- Live visitor feeds and segmentation
- Advanced routing and alerts
- Deep analytics
Everything is integrated into a unified platform that gives your sales teams an edge.
For example, you can set up Slack alerts for ICPs on high-intent web pages, enrich their data with integrations, engage them instantly with on-site video chat, and offer spontaneous product demos with screen sharing.
Conclusion
Parallel dialers stand out as a transformative technology in sales and customer engagement. By initiating multiple calls simultaneously, these tools boost sales reps' efficiency and enhance the overall effectiveness of outreach campaigns.
By slashing the time between calls and automating manual tasks, parallel dialers empower sales teams to reach more prospects in less time, leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue. ServiceBell, with its AI-powered parallel dialer feature, showcases the potential of this technology to reshape customer interactions and sales processes.
See ServiceBell in action by calling our sales team or scheduling a demo.