TL;DR
- The deciding metric when choosing a dialer is not dials per hour but net talk time per rep and cost per real conversation.
- 14 questions cover what matters: five on the dialing itself, four on what happens around the call, and five on implementation, management and pricing.
- An Israeli floor needs to check three things global vendors fail at: spoken Hebrew, Israeli CRM and telephony connections, and implementation in days, not months.
- The most important test is a pilot on your own leads and reps, with a success metric set before you start.
Choosing a dialer for your floor sets every rep's output for years. Almost every vendor promises the same thing, more calls in less time, and in the demo they all look fast. The differences show up in week three: when the list burns out, when reps type after every call, and when your number gets flagged as spam. This guide collects the 14 questions to ask every vendor before you sign, split into three groups. The map of dialer types on the Israeli market, with examples, is in the Israeli dialer comparison.
Part A: the dialing itself
1. How many minutes per hour will our reps talk?
This is the question that replaces all the others. Ask the vendor to commit to a metric: net talk time per rep per hour, before and after. Manual dialing gives you 15 to 20 minutes; a good dialer should get you to 35 or more.
2. Which dialing mode does the system use?
Preview, Power, Progressive or Predictive, and what the abandoned-call risk is in each. A floor of 10 reps does not need Predictive, and a vendor that recommends it without asking about your size is selling a spec, not a result. Details in the dialing modes guide.
3. What sets the dialing order?
List order, or prioritization? A lead that came in a minute ago should ring before a lead from last week. Ask exactly what happens the moment a new lead lands from your website.
4. How do you set a dialing strategy?
How many attempts per lead, at what intervals, at what hours and from which numbers. Can a manager set it up alone in a few minutes, or is every change a support ticket?
5. How does the system protect answer rates?
Rotating numbers, a cap on attempts per outbound number and tracking of numbers flagged as spam. A dialer that dials hundreds of times a day from one number will drag down your answer rates within weeks.
Part B: what happens around the call
6. What happens when the call ends?
Does the status trigger the next step on its own: a no-answer goes back into the sequence, a wrong number leaves the database, an interested lead gets a scheduled follow-up? Or does someone have to remember?
7. Who writes the summary to the CRM?
If the answer is the rep, half of the dialer's gain is lost to typing. A dialer with automatic call summaries saves one to three minutes per call.
8. Is there a real-time assistant?
A dialer multiplies calls, including weak ones. An AI copilot that whispers an objection answer to the rep and reminds them of a skipped step turns volume into closes. Ask to see it working, not a slide. What an AI sales copilot is.
9. How does the system handle Hebrew?
For every capability built on transcription, from summaries to whispers, Hebrew accuracy is the foundation. Ask for a test on one of your real recordings, with slang and switches into English. Why most tools fail in Hebrew.
Part C: implementation, management and pricing
10. Which systems does it connect to?
Your CRM (Fireberry, Monday, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and others), your telephony if you have it, and automation tools. Ask whether the integration exists today, or whether it is "in development".
11. How are opt-out requests handled?
An opt-out request made on a call has to come out of every campaign immediately, with a record. It is not a nice-to-have feature; it is a regulatory obligation.
12. What does the manager see?
Talk time per rep, answer rates by hour and by number, campaign progress, and an alert when a hot lead is waiting. A dialer without manager reports is a dialer you manage on gut feeling.
13. How fast do we go live, and who does the work?
Months of implementation are months of manual dialing. Ask who sets up the numbers, the integrations and the first strategy, and what your IT team needs to do. With Saleso, the entire setup is on us and takes days.
14. How is the price structured?
License per rep, minutes, numbers, setup and integrations. Ask for a quote that includes every component, and calculate cost per real conversation, not per license. And check whether you can start with one module and add others later.
Quick checklist
| Criterion | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Net talk time | The vendor commits to the metric and measures it | They only talk about dials per hour |
| Dialing mode | A recommendation based on team size | Predictive for everyone |
| Prioritization | A new lead rings within minutes | List order only |
| Logging | The summary is written to the CRM on its own | The rep types after every call |
| Hebrew | A test on your own recording | "Works in every language" |
| Implementation | Days, done by the vendor | Months, done by your IT team |
| Pricing | Modular and transparent | One bundle with hidden add-ons |
How to run a pilot that decides
Pick three to five reps, a real list and one metric set in advance: net talk time per hour or meetings booked per rep per day. Measure one week before and two weeks after. The pilot guide walks through every step.
Where Saleso fits
Saleso Live, also known as Call Cannon, is built to answer all 14 questions: automatic dialing that connects only answered calls, AI-powered prioritization and dialing strategies, rotating numbers, status management, call summaries to the CRM, a real-time AI copilot in Hebrew, and full setup by us within days. If you only need the dialing and the summaries, you can start with the dialer alone and add the copilot later. The Call Cannon vs regular dialer comparison shows the difference capability by capability.
Frequently asked questions
What matters most when choosing a dialer?
Net talk time per rep per hour. Everything else, dialing mode, prioritization and automatic logging, is a means of raising it. A good dialer takes you from 15 to 20 minutes per hour with manual dialing to 35 minutes or more.
How much does a call center dialer cost?
The price is usually built from a license per rep per month, minute costs, outbound numbers and sometimes setup fees. Compare cost per real conversation, not license price. Saleso pricing is modular, and the quote is built around your team size and the modules you choose.
Should I pick an Israeli or a global dialer?
A global dialer can be excellent at the dialing itself, but an Israeli floor needs to check three things: spoken Hebrew accuracy in transcription and in the assistant, Israeli CRM and telephony connections, and local support and implementation. Those are the places where most global tools fall short.
How long a pilot do you need to decide?
Two to three weeks with three to five reps is enough to see a change in talk time and results, provided you measure a baseline week before you start and set one success metric in advance.