The auto-dialer: outbound campaigns

The auto-dialer removes the most expensive part of an operator’s work — dialling the number and waiting through the ringing. The system takes the next customer from the queue itself, dials them and connects a free operator at “hello”. In exchange the operator commits to staying in the “Ready” state and setting a result code after every conversation. This page covers everything: from creating a campaign to working out why the dialer has stopped.

#How the calling cycle works

1. The operator joins a campaign and switches to Ready.
2. The system takes the next lead from the queue — by priority, then by the time it was added — and reserves it for that operator.
3. The CRM dials the customer. If they answer, the conversation goes straight into the operator’s headset and the lead card opens by itself.
4. After the call the operator gets wrap-up time to finish filling the lead in, and sets a result code.
5. The operator returns to “Ready” and the system takes the next lead. The cycle repeats while the queue holds numbers and the campaign is active.

#Step 1. Create a campaign

1. 01

   Open the “Campaigns” section

   The Campaigns item in the side menu. It lists every campaign with filters by project and status and a short progress bar for each.

2. 02

   Click “New campaign”

   The minimum to start is a name and a project. Write the name so that it still makes sense in a month: Uncollected May, Cold base Kyiv — not “Campaign 3”.

3. 03

   Choose the dial mode and check the basics

   Then the call timeout and the maximum number of attempts. Everything else lives under Advanced settings.

#Step 2. Fill the queue

A campaign with no queue does nothing. There are two ways to fill it, and in 90% of cases the first one is used.

• From the dashboard, as a bulk action. Filter leads the way you need them (status, source, date, manager), select them and pick the Add to a calling campaign action — then choose the campaign from the list of active ones. It is the same mechanism as the other bulk actions.
• From the campaign itself. The Queue tab → search by phone or name → add individually. Handy when a few specific customers need topping up.

Queue item states

#Step 3. Operators

On the Operators tab the manager decides who works the campaign: adds people by searching for a name or login, sees each person’s current state and, if needed, forces a break or removes them from the campaign.

The operator joins from the side menu: the status button opens a Join a campaign window listing the active campaigns. The current state is always visible in the menu.

#Wrap-up: what the operator sees after the call

Filling a lead in — the address, the branch, the cart — takes one to three minutes. That is why by default the operator leaves wrap-up themselves with the Ready button, and the timer stays as a safeguard against getting stuck.

• When the call ends, a “Post-call work” bar appears at the top with a countdown and the hint “Fill the lead in and press Ready”.
• A Call result window opens: the result codes, a notes field and, for call-back codes, a time picker.
• The Ready button returns the operator to the queue for the next customer.

#Result (disposition) codes

The result code is the whole reason outbound reporting exists. It is configured per campaign on the Settings tab under “Result codes”.

#The DID pool and number rotation

Which number the customer sees is handled on the DID pool tab. Numbers from the telephony are added there, and a rotation strategy is chosen.

• The cooldown before reuse (60 minutes by default) prevents calling the same customer from the same number twice in a row.
• The system keeps statistics for every number: how many calls and how many answers. A number whose answer rate suddenly drops is the first candidate to check with the carrier.

#Starting, scheduling and campaign states

• The Start · Pause · Stop · Archive buttons are in the campaign header.
• The schedule sets the days of the week and the time window. A campaign in the “Scheduled” state starts and stops on its own — that is the mechanism which stops you calling customers at 9 pm.
• Restart failed returns everything that ended as “Failed” to the queue — handy the next day after a wave of missed calls.

#The number blacklist

The blacklist holds numbers that must not be called: people who asked not to be disturbed, complaints, wrong contacts. It can be global (for every campaign) or limited to one. The dialer does not call a blacklisted number — in the queue it is immediately marked as “Blocked” and skipped.

#Oversight while the campaign runs

The data updates in real time — no need to reload the page. Listening to a live call, whispering to the operator and barging into a conversation are described separately in “Supervisor work”.

#Permissions

#The dialer is not calling: what to check

#Campaign launch checklist

• Telephony works: a test outbound call from the browser goes through
• The campaign has operators, and each of them has tested the softphone at their own desk
• The queue holds a targeted selection, not “all leads”
• Result codes are configured, and each one leads to a lead status
• The maximum attempts and retry intervals match your cycle rather than being set to the maximum
• The schedule closes evenings and weekends if you do not call then
• The DID pool is filled and the rotation strategy is a deliberate choice
• The time allowed to fill a lead in matches how long the paperwork really takes
• The manager knows where to look at conversion per campaign and per operator