Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to provide information to Outreach users about the Outreach Voice feature.
Outreach Voice allows for multiple methods of making and receiving calls. This article will explain how each works.
Intended Audience:
- Outreach Users
Device Considerations: Outbound Dialing
Outreach supports two platforms for outbound dialing to Prospects:
- Computer-based dialing
- Phone-based dialing
Computer
Computer-dialing is the process of utilizing your internet connection to make a call. If you have ever used Skype, you have used a computer-dialing solution. When you use a computer, you are calling via the internet, allowing you to plug your headphones directly into your computer.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Economical - Using your computer for calling is more economical than calling via phone because you get to reduce your leverage of traditional telco lines. For more information on costs, refer to the Outreach Voice Pricing article. |
Quality Depends on Connection - Calling using a computer requires a reliable internet connection for good call quality. This includes both your connection speed and connection quality; therefore, optimal call quality requires specific network configurations to be met. Outreach recommends using a wired network connection. For more information on configuration requirements for optimal call quality, refer to the Network Requirements for IT Admins & Network Engineers article. |
| Convenience - Users can plug their headphones or headset direction into the computer if they wish to make a call. | NA |
| Scalable - Users can leverage Voice when they have an internet connection, but don't have a landline, or very strong cell signal. | NA |
For more information on computer-based calling workflows, refer to the Initiating Calls in Outreach article.
With computer-based dialing, your calls will be placed using your computer's audio devices. It is recommended to use a wired USB headset for the best quality.
When first placing a call using the computer-based dialing method, Outreach will request permission to access your microphone through your browser. You will need to allow microphone access to make calls via your computer. If you need to change the audio device settings, you can click Edit Audio Settings at the bottom of the Voice Settings landing page.
Phone
Dialing by a phone functions by dialing the outbound number through the Outreach Voice system (from your Outreach Voice number) and dialing your landline or mobile number, in order to establish a connection through the standard telco lines. While this method is very high in audio quality, it is less economical than a computer-based dialing method.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quality - The call quality is what you would expect from a mobile phone or landline because this method leverages traditional telco (hard lines) and cell towers. | Cost - The increased footprint on traditional telco channels incurs more cost because they need their slice of the pie when their services are leveraged. For more information on pricing, see our Voice pricing information. |
| Convenience - Users can use their headphones or headset that connects to their landline or mobile phone. | Lag - Phone dialing does take longer to connect than a computer-based call because there is an additional connection to be made to start; however, once a call is initiated, a user could make multiple calls via the user interface, while keeping the line open. |
Note: Using Outreach phone on top of an existing computer-based method is not recommended as this adds additional delay in the call and there may be some feature incompatibility between both systems.
For more information regarding phone-based calling workflows, refer to the Initiating Calls in Outreach article.
Before using a preferred phone, you will need to import the phone number through Outreach's Add Number process. For more information regarding adding numbers to Outreach Voice, refer to the Manage Outreach Numbers article.
Once imported, you can select your preferred phone from the dropdown menu and specify an extension, if applicable.
You can control the behavior between calls by toggling the Keep your phone connected between calls option.
Enabling this option will keep the call connected to your preferred number after the Prospect disconnects, and connect to the next Prospect you dial over the same connection which can save time in setting up new calls.
Device Considerations: Inbound Dialing
When your Prospects call any of your Outreach numbers, you have three options of how Outreach will connect those call to you.
Computer
When this option is selected, calls will ring on your computer within Outreach. Connecting to these calls will use your computer's audio devices. It is recommended to use a wired USB headset for the best quality.
As mentioned above, you will need to ensure you have granted permission for Outreach to utilize your microphone.
When configured to receive calls via your computer, you will have the option of configuring a Voicemail Greeting through Outreach to which callers will be connected if an incoming call is missed.
Phone
If you already have a phone on which you prefer to receive calls, say a desk phone or mobile phone, you can import the preferred phone number into Outreach to receive calls.
Before using a preferred phone, you will need to import the phone number through the Add number process. Please see our guide on how to Manage Your Outreach Numbers for more info.
Once imported, you can select your preferred phone number from the dropdown and specify an extension, if necessary.
Note: When using this option unanswered calls will connect to your preferred phone's voicemail system.
Both
With this option selected, you will need to select an imported preferred phone, as listed above. When receiving an incoming call, the call with ring both on your preferred phone and on your computer within Outreach. You can answer the phone on either device.
Note: When using this option unanswered calls will connect to your preferred phone's voicemail system.
Additional Resources:
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