Auto Dialer vs Power Dialer: The Difference and Obvious Choice

Summary

• Auto dialers automatically call numbers and can leave messages or connect calls to an agent, often starting with a delay and a recorded message. Power dialers like PhoneBurner dial pre-selected leads to provide instant real-time connections with live agents.
• Auto dialers are efficient for high-volume outreach but lack personalization, using the same recorded message for all calls. Power dialers enhance efficiency with direct agent involvement and allow personalized connections based on lead data.
• Calls from auto dialers can feel impersonal and intrusive, potentially leading to negative reactions. Power dialers offer a more engaging and personal experience, as prospects always speak to live representatives.
• Auto dialers are suitable for broad information dissemination where personal connection is not vital. Power dialers are better for sales teams aiming to establish meaningful connections and effective follow-ups.
• PhoneBurner lets sales representatives approach the speed of using an auto dialer without the connection delay or other drawbacks that risk burning leads. It also provides better call quality via Tier 1 carrier support, automation for key tasks, and built-in CRM integrations.

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Dialers are a must for organizations that make high volumes of sales calls. Today, they've become sophisticated enough to manage a sales team’s lead generation, qualifications, and customer retention.

Phone dialers let you rapidly call prospects and improve calling efficiency by automatically dialing your prospects for you. The quicker you can call people, the more people you can call, and the more sales you can make. Simple enough.

So what kind of phone dialer should you get?

There are two primary types of phone dialers: auto dialers and power dialers like PhoneBurner, so let's compare the two to help you find the right kind of dialer.

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Why PhoneBurner Is an Ideal Power Dialer for Sales Teams

PhoneBurner is a power dialer that uses intuitive features to approach the speed of auto dialers without sacrificing call quality or burning leads. Here are some of the unique features our platform offers:

• Zero connection delay (common with auto dialers)
• Better call deliverability via Tier 1 carrier support that reduces spam flags and dropped calls
• Multi-touch call sequences speed up dialing and post-call workflows
• Built-in CRM plus integrations with 200+ other platforms

Try Phoneburner for free now or keep reading to learn more about how power dialers and auto dialers compare.

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Comparison Chart: Auto Dialers vs. Power Dialers

If you’re short on time, here’s how these two types of dialing software compare at a glance:

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Next, we’ll dive deeper into how these two different types of dialing software work and what’s great (or not so great) about each one.

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What is an Auto Dialer?

An auto dialer is a computer or software program that automatically calls numbers, determines whether it has reached an answering machine or a person, and then leaves a message or connects the call to an agent.

Here’s what it’s like to receive a call from an automated dialer.

• You get a phone call from a name and phone number you don’t recognize. If you choose to answer the call, your “Hello?” is met with a short pause.
• Then, to your dismay, there isn’t even a live person on the other end of the line. Instead, a recorded voice exclaims that you’ve been approved for a new credit card.
• You hang up the phone and wish you never picked it up in the first place. If this sounds familiar, you’ve experienced an auto dialer.

Although the auto dialer is not great for building a connection with prospects, some people still use them. To understand why, let’s dive deeper into their advantages and disadvantages.

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Advantages of an Auto Dialer:

• Auto dialers can efficiently reach a lot of people with less need for human effort. An actual sales rep is only needed once a prospect shows interest. This potentially allows sales reps to spend more time closing sales—at the cost of potentially burning leads.
• These can be good tools to disseminate information—like school closures or political announcements—without the need for an employee. This can make them cost-effective for certain applications.
• Because it’s automated, you won’t have to endure the wrath of the person whose dinner you just interrupted.

Ideal Use Case: These might be useful if you want to send automated messages to tons of people and only have agents speak to those who show interest.

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Disadvantages of an Auto Dialer:

• Just like predictive dialers, auto dialers have a delay between the time a prospect answers to the moment the recorded greeting begins or the agent comes on the line. This makes it obvious that it’s a sales call.
• Calls begin with a recorded greeting, or after an awkward pause or beep as the call gets transferred to a live agent. Many people will end the call quickly as soon as they hear a recording or an awkward pause. This results in wasted leads and can increase risk for spam flags.
• Auto dialers using recorded messages lack personalization, leaving contacts to feel like you don’t care about them. Auto dialers transferring answered calls to live agents lack personalization as well, since the agents don’t know who they are speaking with until after they are on the line.

We generally do not recommend using auto dialers for sales and customer outreach. It may help you reach a higher call volume, but dramatically hurts your chances of converting a sale or making a positive impression.

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What is a Power Dialer?

A power dialer provides real-time live connections without pauses or delays. The agent is on the line the entire time and can begin speaking immediately when a prospect answers.

Power dialers like Phoneburner can dial pre-selected leads for the agent, drop voicemails and send emails in one click, log calls, automate post-call workflows, and perform other time-consuming tasks. The agent is in control the entire time.

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Advantages of a Power Dialer

• Prospects always speak to live sales reps. There will never be a delay at the beginning of the call.
• Dialing efficiency. Power dialers are the most efficient system for calling prospects with live agents. As soon as a sales rep is ready, the power dialer calls the next contact.
• Simple CRM integration. Power dialers come with a CRM system that integrates with many popular CRM programs, making it easy to sort, search, and segment your contacts.

Power dialers, like PhoneBurner, also have some useful features like:

• Playing testimonials during your sales call. For example, you can use a recorded client testimonial as a sales tool during your call while you remain in complete control.
• Leaving a pre-recorded message when you reach a prospect’s voicemail, so you send the exact message you want with just a single click.
• Skipping past each prospect’s voicemail, so you don’t have to listen to the recording or wait for the beep when dropping your message.
• Sending emails based on the call result, to maximize outbound prospecting efficiency and effectiveness, any call can end with a fully personalized email sent in seconds.

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Disadvantages of a Power Dialer

• The only real disadvantage of a power dialer is that you might reach fewer total prospects—but it’s important to remember that the way you reach them will be more meaningful because they’ll actually be speaking with a human being when they answer.
• Some people feel that power dialers don’t pre-qualify leads the way auto dialers do (by making it so that agents only end up speaking with leads who have already expressed interest). But this is arguably offset by the number of prospective leads likely to be burned by auto dialers.

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How PhoneBurner Provides the Speed of an Auto Dialer with Better Answer Rates

Power dialers burn fewer leads and can lead to more quality conversations than auto dialers.

PhoneBurner goes one step further than other power dialers by adding features that increase the number of leads sales reps can reach—facilitating up to 4x as many conversations.

• Faster dialing by automating small but time-consuming tasks
• Save time with automatic lead tracking and performance reports
• Effortless multi-channel outreach via one-touch email and SMS follow-ups
• Allows repeatable processes that increase opportunity by reaching leads at the right times

With PhoneBurner, you don’t just get speed—you also get tools that improve the quality of your calls to drive positive outcomes. Start a free trial of PhoneBurner here and see the results for yourself.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are auto dialers illegal in the US and Canada?

No. Auto dialers are not illegal—but they are subject to specific regulations and restrictions including those set forth by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), individual states, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in Canada, and others. Breaking these rules can result in hefty fines and other penalties for organizations.

Does PhoneBurner call multiple numbers at once?

No—PhoneBurner is not a multi-line dialer. Multi-line dialers drop calls, which is also strictly regulated by the TSR and TCPA and can lead to costly penalties.

PhoneBurner is a power dialer—our features are designed to improve dialing efficiency and connection rates for sales reps engaging in strategic outreach. Quality conversations with specific, high-value contacts is key. For more information, see our Responsible Communications Initiative.

How does PhoneBurner improve prospect experience on calls?

With PhoneBurner, connections are 100% instant, with no awkward pause or beep when prospects answer the phone—a common frustration for auto dialers. Our software combines smart technology with human expertise to help you engage in efficient human-centric 1-to-1 outreach, responsibly. As the only power dialer with a Tier 1 carrier, our high performance telecom can improve call quality and help reduce the risk of your calls being flagged as spam. Features like Branded Caller ID can increase trust, resulting in more and longer conversations.