Automate and Customize: VSA’s Search for the Right Power Dialer Technology

As with many businesses, using the right technology has been a key to growth at VSA.

That being said, lead generation isn’t just one flashy tool — it’s an entire process that combines digital and AI-powered methodologies with timeless, human-powered ones like persistence, thoughtfulness, and elocution. Since our inception, we’ve prided ourselves in our ability to have executive-level conversations and present ourselves as a direct extension of our clients’ sales teams.

And because of that, we held out for a long time before implementing any type of call assisting technology. We feared sounding like the telemarketers who probably call your home or mobile phone and leave a long pause before introducing themselves. Until a few years ago, this was an unfortunate feature of almost all dialers — and a sure-tell sign to prospects that they were about to be sold.

But then, two things happened:

1) Reaching decision makers got more expensive, to the point where we needed a way to cut the costs for our clients, and

2) Technology improved to the point that using certain power dialer technologies became as seamless as making direct calls.

Thus, about two years ago, we decided to change tack and search for a dialing tool that would fit the needs of both our internal team and our clients — eventually investing in the power dialer we have now.

But what is a power dialer, anyway?

The short answer is that it’s a sophisticated CRM system designed specifically for managing huge calling lists and far-reaching programs. In fact, the dialer is too powerful for some of our more niche programs. We don’t use it for everything.

On the programs where we do use it, though, the power dialer boosts our results tremendously in two key ways.

First, it allows each Business Development Representative (BDR) to dial several numbers simultaneously, automatically connecting them when someone answers. This allows our teams to make up to 5 times more calls than they would be capable of manually — and drastically reduces dead time and busywork. It also allows us to pre-record voicemail messages that it can automatically drop into a prospect’s inbox at the press of a button. The result is a significant cost reduction that we’re able to pass along to our clients.

Second — and just as importantly — the power dialer doesn’t automate the entire calling process. Instead, it allows BDRs to easily override its automated features when they know there’s a need for more complex navigation or to leave a custom-tailored voicemail for a specific prospect. In that way, we can still control our calls — rather than having the technology control us.

In addition, the power dialer is a tremendous task management tool that allows our tech team and program managers to simplify many of an outbound calling campaign’s most intricate on-the-fly issues. For instance, it can automatically sort and prioritize lists according to factors such as disposition, time zone, or date of last call. These automated processes, too, can be overridden whenever necessary. It’s the perfect combination of efficiency and customization.

All of this only scratches the surface: from masking local area codes to enhancing reporting, there are dozens of other ways that our power dialer can actually improve customization. And that allows VSA to increase the complexity and sophistication of our lead gen services and rapidly expand the variety of campaign types we offer our clients.

Though it took us a while to select a power dialer technology, we learned a valuable lesson in the process: that selecting (or not selecting) technology tools involves keeping an open mind, assessing the full array of what’s available, and identifying the right tool to complement a sophisticated process rather than hindering it.

Now, programs of a scope that was once considered outside the realm of possibility for VSA are fairly typical of the services we provide our clients. Our power dialer provides exactly the right tools for this job — and so much more. In fact, we’re still learning about everything it can do!