An automatic dialing system isn’t a pain to set up. You typically only need the dialer software, a computer, a voice modem*, and an active telephone line. If you’re using VoIP, you won’t need a modem (and the physical telephone line).
It all starts with the auto dialing software telling the computer which numbers to auto dial and how to respond to different scenarios (i.e. when it gets a busy signal or a voicemail, or when a live person picks up the phone). But before the phone system connects, the software decides which number to call and the duration of talk time.
Calls are usually answered within 25 seconds, which is about the amount of time it takes for a phone to ring four times. If no one answers, the call will be dropped and forwarded to voicemail. This is also the case for busy signals. Here are some key technologies behind a dialing system:
Voice broadcast - Relay an important message to a list of customers simultaneously.
Interactive voice response (IVR) - You can use voice broadcast with an IVR and include an option that involves pressing a key to generate touch tones, allowing the recipient to listen to a call recording and interact with the system.
Answering machine detection - As the name implies, it detects whether or not a call is being picked up by an actual person.
Call routing - Once the software recognizes a person or an answering machine, it takes action accordingly.
* A voice modem is a device that enables the computer to play prerecorded voicemails and other forms of audio messages over the phone line.