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Glossary · Dialing

What is Preview dialing?

Reviewed by Sujan ThapaliyaLast updated

Definition

Preview dialling shows the agent the contact record before the call is placed and lets them decide when to dial. It is the slowest automated mode and the right one when preparation matters more than volume.
The three STIR/SHAKEN attestation levels, which underpin how preview dialing behaves in practice: A asserts both that the carrier knows the customer and that the customer may use the calling number, B asserts the customer only, and C asserts neither. A shared number pool can reach B at best, which is why number ownership keeps recurring in these definitions.
Attestation is the backdrop to most caller-ID and deliverability terms, preview dialing included.

In practice

How preview dialing actually works

Used for high-value accounts, collections with sensitive histories, and any conversation where opening with the wrong context loses the relationship.

Throughput is close to manual dialling; the benefit is accuracy, logging, and compliance rather than speed.

The mode also produces the cleanest data of any dialer, because reps correct records as they go. Wrong numbers get marked wrong rather than redialled, stale contacts get suppressed, and the list improves week over week — which is worth something on a named-account list you will work for months.

Worked example

On a list of 40 named accounts, a rep who reads the last interaction first typically skips 6 to 8 records as stale or badly timed. Those skips are the mode working, not the rep avoiding calls.

Preview dialing: common questions

When is preview dialing worth the slower pace?
When the call is worth preparing for: named accounts, high contract values, complex products, or any conversation where knowing the last interaction changes the opening. On a cold list of thousands, the preparation has nothing to work with and the mode just costs time.
Can a rep skip a record in preview mode?
Yes, and the skip is the feature. The rep sees the contact before dialing and can pass on a record that is stale, wrong or badly timed, which is exactly what an automatic mode cannot do.
Does preview dialing need answering machine detection?
Not usually. The rep is on the line from the start and hears the greeting themselves, so detection adds a pause without adding information.

Sources

  1. Combating Spoofed Robocalls with Caller ID Authentication — Federal Communications CommissionThe STIR/SHAKEN framework, the attestation levels carriers sign calls with, and the mandate requiring providers to authenticate caller ID.
  2. 47 U.S.C. § 227 — Restrictions on the use of telephone equipment — Cornell Legal Information InstituteThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act itself — the consent requirements, calling-hours limits, and private right of action.
  3. ITU-T Recommendation E.164 — The international public telecommunication numbering plan — International Telecommunication UnionThe international number format, the 15-digit maximum, and how country codes and national numbers compose.

See preview dialing in the product

A power dialer places one outbound call at a time from a loaded list, automatically dialling the next contact the moment the previous call ends. It removes manual dialling and hold time without the connection delay that makes predictive dialling feel robotic to the person who answers.

Explore power dialerGet early access