Setting Up the Power Dialer in Close CRM

Get these basics right before any rep opens the dialer:

1. A phone number for each rep (or a shared team number), set up in the calling settings. Decide whether to buy new numbers or port existing ones.
2. Call and voicemail settings, including caller ID and how missed calls and voicemails are handled.
3. A clean lead list. Duplicate and outdated numbers waste dials. Deduplicate and remove numbers that don't belong to your target buyers.
4. A do-not-call check. Remove numbers on your internal opt-out list and consider whether registries apply to your region and calling type.
5. Call recording rules. Some places require consent from everyone on a call, so ask an attorney which notice you need before turning recording on.
6. An agreed script and objective. Decide what a good call outcome is, such as a booked meeting or a qualified next step.

The dialer works from a saved list of leads, so build lists that reflect a reason to call. In Close, that's typically a saved search or "Smart View" that filters leads by criteria, such as industry, status and last contact date.

Design lists around a decision, not a database dump:

• New leads with a phone number and no call yet, sorted by fit.
• Leads that were emailed but haven't replied, as a follow-up list.
• Warm leads with a scheduled follow-up due today.
• Leads by time zone, so reps call in reasonable hours.

Keep each list short enough to finish in a session. A rep who sees 400 leads will cherry-pick. A rep with 60 works down the list.

Standardize the routine so results are comparable across reps:

1. Open the list and start the dialer, which moves through leads one after another.
2. Use a short opening that states who you are and why you're calling, then asks permission to continue.
3. When there's no answer, leave a voicemail or use a prerecorded drop if you've set one up. Keep it short, with a clear reason and a callback number.
4. After each call, log the outcome immediately with a fixed set of choices such as No answer, Left voicemail, Not interested, Call back later and Meeting booked.
5. Set the next step with a date, either a follow-up task or an email step in a sequence.

Consistent outcomes matter more than long notes. If every rep uses the same short list of outcomes, you can measure connect rate, conversations and meetings booked per hour.

Two features cause the most compliance and reputation trouble:

• Voicemail drops: rules on prerecorded messages vary by country and by how the message is delivered. Check with an attorney before using them at scale, and keep the message honest and identifiable.
• Texting: business texting in the US requires carrier registration for application-to-person messages, and consent rules apply. Check your provider's registration steps and get them done before reps start texting prospects.

See also cold call voicemail drops and AI dialer rules for the wider set of restrictions on automated calling.

Teams tend to trip on the same few things in the first month:

• Starting with dirty numbers. Reps burn their first hour on disconnected lines and wrong contacts, then decide the dialer doesn't work.
• Too many outcome choices. A dozen outcomes leads to inconsistent logging. Six or fewer is easier to keep clean.
• Ignoring time zones. A list that mixes coasts sends reps calling at the wrong hours. Split lists by region.
• No pilot. Run the setup with two reps for a week, fix what they hit and then roll it out.
• No coaching loop. A dialer produces recordings and numbers, and without a weekly review nobody turns them into better calls.

Look at these measures weekly, per rep and for the team:

• Dials per hour of calling time, and how many reached a person.
• Conversations, meaning calls beyond a short exchange.
• Meetings booked per hundred dials.
• Time to first call on new leads.
• Follow-ups completed against those scheduled.

Compare reps on the same lists and hours. A rep with a lower connect rate on a harder list isn't automatically weaker. Then use recordings, where permitted, to coach on openings and objections.

Close combines power dialing, texting and email sequences in one CRM, which suits teams that work leads by phone first and follow up in writing. If you're still weighing options, see Close vs Pipedrive, and for setting up the note-taking side, AI meeting notes and CRM sync.