Top 5 Power Dialers for B2B Cold Calling Teams

Introduction

If your SDRs are still manually punching numbers into a phone, you’re playing the B2B sales game on hard mode.

Cold calling is still one of the most reliable ways to create pipeline. Cognism’s 2024 data shows an average cold call success rate of 4.82% (meetings booked from conversations) and a 16.6% connection rate across thousands of calls. The problem isn’t that cold calling “doesn’t work”-it’s that most teams can’t get enough quality at-bats.

Manual dialing caps most reps at 10-15 calls an hour, while power dialers routinely push that to 50-60+ calls per hour and 3-4x more live conversations. That’s the difference between 40 dials in a morning and clearing an entire strategic account list before lunch.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

• Why power dialers are essential for modern B2B cold calling teams
• What to look for when evaluating dialers
• The top 5 power dialers for B2B SDR teams (with strengths and trade-offs)
• A practical rollout playbook
• How all of this ties back to your team’s pipeline and whether you should build or outsource

Let’s start with the why.

Why Power Dialers Matter for B2B Cold Calling

The Productivity Gap: Manual vs. Power Dialing

Most B2B reps doing manual dialing hover around 10-15 calls per hour once you factor in:

• Looking up numbers
• Typing them in
• Waiting through rings and voicemails
• Logging calls and notes in the CRM

A power dialer automates everything except the conversation: it dials the next number automatically, drops pre-recorded voicemails, and logs outcomes into your CRM.

Benchmarks from multiple sources show the impact:

• Manual dialing: 10-15 calls/hour is typical.
• With a power dialer: 50-60 or more calls/hour is common.
• Revenue.io reports power dialers can 3-4x call volume and improve connect rates by up to 32%.
• Velocify research found teams using automated dialing completed 92% more calls per hour than those dialing manually.

If you back into your funnel math, that’s huge. Even at a conservative 4-5% meeting rate on connects, doubling conversations can double meetings-and pipeline.

Cold Calling Is Still Very Much Alive

Cold calling may not be glamorous, but the numbers are clear:

• Cognism’s 2024 report found an average 4.82% success rate for cold calls (meetings from conversations) and a 16.6% connection rate.
• Other analyses show it takes around 8 attempts on average to reach a prospect by phone, and once you’re talking to a qualified lead, about 20% convert to a sale.

When calls are that leveraged, squeezing extra conversations out of each hour is one of the highest-ROI moves you can make.

Why Power Dialers Fit B2B (When Done Right)

B2B isn’t a boiler room. You care about:

• Call quality and personalization
• Compliance and brand reputation
• Consistent, coachable processes

That’s why power dialers-which dial one number at a time with automated progression-are a better fit than aggressive predictive systems that can create delays and abandoned calls.

A good power dialer gives you:

• Throughput, More calls per hour with less idle time
• Data accuracy, Automatic logging into Salesforce/HubSpot
• Consistency, Standardized dispositions, scripts, and workflows
• Coaching leverage, Call recordings, live listen/whisper, and analytics

Now, let’s talk about how to evaluate the tools.

What to Look For in a B2B Power Dialer

1. Dialing Modes: Speed vs. Call Quality

You’ll see a few common modes:

• Power dial, One number at a time, automatic progression. Great balance of speed and quality; ideal default for B2B.
• Preview dial, Rep sees the record before dialing. Slower, but useful for high-value accounts.
• Parallel/multi-line, Dials multiple numbers at once and connects the first to answer. Great for max volume, but can introduce delays and dropped calls.
• Predictive dial, Uses algorithms to dial ahead based on agent availability. More common in B2C or call centers.

For high-value B2B, prioritize power or preview modes and use multi-line sparingly. Studies comparing predictive vs. power dialers show predictive can reach ~110 calls/hour vs. ~80 for power dialers-but at the cost of more abandoned calls and potential compliance issues. That trade-off rarely makes sense if you’re calling CIOs, not consumer lists.

2. Local Presence and Spam-Mitigating Features

Prospects are far more likely to answer a local number than an unknown toll-free or out-of-state caller ID.

• Revenue.io’s Local Presence functionality can lift connection rates by up to 400% by automatically dialing from local area codes.
• Kixie’s ConnectionBoost combines AI-powered local presence, spam detection, and progressive caller ID (rotating numbers) to increase pickup rates by 40-500% while avoiding “Spam Likely” flags.

When you evaluate dialers, dig into:

• How they source and rotate numbers
• Whether they monitor spam flags and retire bad numbers
• How inbound callbacks are routed (back to the right rep)

3. CRM & Sales Engagement Integration

Your dialer should sit inside your existing workflow, not next to it.

Look for:

• Deep Salesforce/HubSpot integration, Click-to-call from records, automatic logging, and disposition syncing.
• Sales engagement platform (SEP) connections, Native integrations with tools like Salesloft or Outreach so calls flow from cadences and update them in real time.
• Bi-directional sync, So fields like status, next steps, and outcomes stay accurate without manual work.

If reps have to alt-tab between five windows and double-log every call, you’re losing the very efficiency you bought the dialer for.

4. Coaching, Analytics, and AI

Dialers aren’t just about speed-they’re data and coaching engines.

Prioritize features like:

• Call recording, transcription, and searchable call libraries
• Live listening, whisper, and barge-in for managers
• Dashboards for calls/hour, connect rate, meeting rate, and talk time
• AI-assisted insights (e.g., Revenue.io’s real-time guidance, Orum’s AI filters, Kixie’s AI Insights)

You want to be able to answer questions like:

• Which openers actually keep prospects on the line?
• Which reps get the most meetings per conversation?
• Which segments or time windows yield the best connect rates?

5. Compliance and Call Pattern Controls

Regulations and carrier rules are tightening, especially around spam and dialing behavior.

Look for the ability to:

• Control max attempts per contact per day/week
• Respect time-zone rules and quiet hours
• Register caller IDs properly (CNAM, Free Caller Registry, etc.)
• Easily suppress DNC or opted-out contacts

A good vendor will advise you here. If they wave this off with “don’t worry about it,” that’s a red flag.

6. Usability, Onboarding, and Pricing

Finally, the basics:

• Is the UI simple enough that a new SDR can be productive in a day or two?
• Does the vendor offer strong onboarding and support?
• Are there month-to-month or low-commitment options for testing?
• Does pricing scale reasonably with seats and usage?

With the criteria in mind, let’s get into the tools.

Top 5 Power Dialers for B2B Cold Calling Teams

There’s no single “best” dialer for everyone. The right one depends on your stack, team size, and motion. But these five come up again and again in serious B2B outbound programs.

1. PhoneBurner, High-Throughput Power Dialer with Built-In CRM

PhoneBurner is one of the most widely used standalone power dialers for inside sales teams. It’s built for teams that want to crank out calls and manage basic contact workflows in one place.

Why B2B teams like it

• Serious speed, PhoneBurner advertises that reps can reach up to 80 contacts per hour, thanks to fast dialing, voicemail drop, and automated post-call workflows.
• Integrated light CRM, You can manage contacts, notes, tags, and follow-ups in PhoneBurner itself, or integrate with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot.
• Voicemail and email automation, Drop pre-recorded voicemails with one click and trigger follow-up emails automatically after calls.
• Simple pricing, Unlimited dialing from a flat per-user fee with no contracts or per-minute charges.

Real-world example

Unishippers, a shipping and logistics company, used to average around 50 calls per AE per day. After adopting PhoneBurner, reps were making 200+ calls per day-a 4x increase-and saw substantial revenue gains and happier reps.

Best fit

• SMB and mid-market B2B teams that:
• Want a straightforward power dialer with built-in CRM
• Don’t necessarily have a heavy Salesloft/Outreach motion
• Care about throughput and simplicity

Watch-outs

• Less native alignment with advanced multi-channel sequences compared to dialing inside a SEP
• You’ll want to be disciplined about data sync if you use an external CRM-set up integration properly from day one.

2. Kixie PowerCall, Multi-Line Power Dialer with Aggressive Local Presence

Kixie PowerCall is a sales dialer with a strong emphasis on AI-driven local presence, spam mitigation, and CRM integration. It’s particularly popular with teams on HubSpot and Salesforce.

Why B2B teams like it

• Multi-line PowerDialer, Kixie lets you call up to 10 leads at a time for maximum throughput, or run a classic one-by-one power dial with full CRM context. It’s not unusual for teams to clear hundreds of calls per day per rep when configured correctly.
• ConnectionBoost, A bundle of AI local presence, spam detection, and progressive caller ID that Kixie says can boost pickup rates by 40-500%.
• Massive number pool, Over 50,000 local numbers across US/Canada and 65+ countries, with AI monitoring to retire underperforming or spam-flagged numbers.
• Tight CRM integrations, Bi-directional, out-of-the-box integrations with 25+ CRMs and tools.

Best fit

• Outbound-heavy B2B teams that:
• Want to maximize connect rates with advanced local presence
• Are comfortable with multi-line dialing in certain motions
• Run a lot of outreach in Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar CRMs

Watch-outs

• Parallel/multi-line dialing can introduce brief connection delays if misconfigured. For high-value prospects, you’ll often want to favor single-line power dialing and reserve multi-line for lower-intent campaigns.
• You’ll need clear rules on when reps can use 10-line blitzing vs. more measured calling.

3. Orum, AI-Driven Live Conversation Engine for SDR Teams

Orum brands itself as a live conversation platform rather than just a dialer-and that’s pretty accurate. It’s built for high-volume SDR teams that want to crush call blocks inside Salesforce, Salesloft, or Outreach.

Why B2B teams like it

• Parallel + power dialing, Orum’s platform can dial multiple numbers at once (parallel) or run in classic power mode, using AI to detect voicemails, bad numbers, and dial trees so reps only talk when a human is on the line.
• Hands-free Express PowerDialer, Launched as a "hands-free" power dialer that lets reps multi-task while achieving a 2-3x increase in live conversations per day compared with traditional click-to-call systems.
• Serious AI and data, Orum’s AI is trained on 1 billion+ calls on its platform, powering things like better number selection, connect-time optimization, and call analytics.
• Proven connect lifts, Case studies highlight results like a 75% increase in connect rates (Centime), 43% boost (Ramp), and 26% increase (Abstrakt) after implementing Orum’s AI-powered dialing and Boost Connect.
• Security & compliance, SOC 2 Type II compliant, which matters for enterprise IT and security reviews.

Best fit

• Fast-growing or enterprise B2B teams that:
• Already use Salesforce + Salesloft/Outreach
• Want to turn their existing cadences into far more live conversations
• Have the volume and data to benefit from AI-driven optimization

Watch-outs

• There’s a learning curve and change management; you’ll want 2-3 strong SDRs to champion it.
• Parallel dialing must be used thoughtfully to avoid the common pitfalls (delays, dropped calls) that can drag down perceived call quality-many B2B teams choose to start in power mode and add parallel only where it truly fits.

4. Revenue.io (RingDNA Dialer), Salesforce-Native Power Dialer with Real-Time Guidance

If Salesforce is your system of record and you want the dialer inside that world, Revenue.io (formerly ringDNA) is hard to ignore.

Why B2B teams like it

• Salesforce-native, The RingDNA Dialer is built directly on Salesforce, giving reps click-to-call from any record, automatic logging, and seamless reporting.
• Power dialer with big lifts, Revenue.io notes that teams using its power dialer often see call volume increase 3-4x and connect rates improve up to 32%.
• Local presence dialing, Their local presence feature can lift connection rates by as much as 400% by automatically dialing from local numbers.
• Voicemail drop and time savings, Voicemail Drop alone can save a 10-rep team 30+ hours per week by automating message leaving.
• AI conversation intelligence, Real-time guidance, call coaching, and conversation analytics baked into the dialer, with strong analyst recognition.

Best fit

• Salesforce-centric B2B organizations that:
• Want a tightly integrated voice channel (calls, SMS, logging) in Salesforce
• Value AI coaching and compliance monitoring alongside the dialer
• Are willing to invest in an enterprise-grade solution

Watch-outs

• This is more of a platform than a point solution; you should have at least a small RevOps function or admin who can configure and support it.
• Best for teams committed to Salesforce as the single source of truth-not ideal if you’re on a lightweight CRM.

5. Salesloft Dialer + AutoReach, Dialer Inside a Leading Sales Engagement Platform

Salesloft is one of the dominant sales engagement platforms for SDR and BDR teams, with an integrated dialer (Salesloft Dialer) and a rich partner ecosystem. When you combine the native dialer with a specialist like AutoReach, you effectively get a full-featured power dialer inside your cadence engine.

Why B2B teams like it

• Click-to-call everywhere, Salesloft’s dialer lets reps click-to-call from within Salesloft, Salesforce, or Dynamics, and handle inbound calls, voicemails, and call logging from a single interface.
• Cadence-driven calling, Calls are part of structured multi-touch cadences that mix email, social, and calls, which helps teams nearly double their call volume while keeping messaging consistent. One Kallidus case study reports BDRs nearly doubling daily calls after adopting Salesloft cadences.
• AutoReach integration for power dialing, AutoReach’s Intelligent Sales Dialer (a Salesloft partner) brings preview, power, and predictive modes, plus smart contact prioritization based on engagement data, into the Salesloft workflow.

Best fit

• Teams already piloting or running Salesloft that:
• Want to keep calls tightly integrated with cadences
• Prefer to extend their existing SEP rather than bolt on an external dialer
• Have a RevOps or admin resource to manage integrations and configs

Watch-outs

• If you’re not already committed to Salesloft as your SEP, this can be heavier than you need just to get a dialer live.
• You’ll want to be deliberate about how you combine native calling and partner dialers (like AutoReach) to avoid confusion.

Common Pitfalls When Rolling Out a Power Dialer

Let’s be blunt: a lot of teams buy a great dialer and still don’t move the revenue needle. Here’s why.

1. Focusing on Dials, Not Conversations

If your only success metric is “300 dials per day,” reps will find a way to hit that number-even if it means blasting through low-quality lists, rushing calls, and burning numbers.

What to do instead:

• Track calls/hour, connect rate, meetings per conversation, and opportunities created.
• Set expectations like, “We’re aiming for a 3-5% meeting rate on connects,” and coach to that.

2. Feeding the Dialer Bad Data

Power dialers magnify your data-good or bad. If your lists are full of switchboards, wrong titles, or outdated numbers, a dialer just helps you waste that data faster.

Fix it by:

• Investing in phone-verified data providers and enrichment
• Enforcing ICP rules on who makes it into call queues
• Regularly purging bounced or low-signal contacts

3. Ignoring Caller ID Reputation and Compliance

Call patterns like 10+ attempts per week to the same prospect or blasting from a single number all day can get you flagged as spam.

Avoid this by:

• Using your dialer’s local presence and number-rotation features
• Following vendor best practices on max attempts and spacing calls
• Registering numbers and monitoring spam indicators

4. No Coaching Loop Around the New Volume

Power dialers increase your sample size. If you’re not listening to calls and iterating scripts, you’re missing the best part.

Instead:

• Pick 3-5 calls per rep per week for coaching
• Use call libraries to share “golden calls” with the team
• Update scripts and objection-handling based on what actually works

5. Flipping It On for Everyone at Once

A big-bang rollout amplifies any data, process, or configuration mistakes-and overwhelms managers.

Better:

• Start with a pilot pod (two to three reps)
• Get metrics, fix issues, document playbooks
• Then roll out in waves

How to Implement a Power Dialer in 30-60 Days

Here’s a practical implementation plan you can steal.

Step 1: Benchmark Your Current Performance (Week 1)

Before you touch tools, measure where you are:

• Calls per hour and per day
• Connect rate (live conversations ÷ dials)
• Meeting rate (meetings ÷ conversations)
• Average talk time per connect

Use at least two weeks of data if you can. This baseline is how you’ll prove ROI later.

Step 2: Shortlist 2-3 Tools That Fit Your Stack (Weeks 1-2)

Map your environment:

• Salesforce-heavy? Shortlist Revenue.io, Kixie, and Orum.
• On Salesloft? Look at the native dialer + AutoReach or Orum.
• Need a clean standalone dialer? PhoneBurner is a strong candidate.

Run structured demos using your real workflows:

• “Show me how a rep does a call block from a Salesforce list.”
• “Show me a manager coaching from call recordings.”
• “Show me how local presence and spam monitoring are configured.”

Step 3: Launch a Pilot Pod (Weeks 3-6)

Pick 2-3 reps (ideally:

• 1 top performer
• 1 solid middle-of-the-pack rep
• 1 newer SDR

Give them:

• The dialer
• Clean, prioritized lists
• Clear call blocks on the calendar
• New or updated scripts optimized for volume (short, punchy intros)

Track daily for the pilot pod vs. control group:

• Dials per day / per hour
• Connect rate
• Meetings booked
• No-show rate and downstream opportunity metrics (when possible)

You’re looking for at least a 2x improvement in calls/hour and a noticeable lift in connects and meetings.

Step 4: Build Processes Around the Dialer

Once you see signal, formalize:

• Cadences, Where do calls sit in your multi-touch sequences?
• Dispositions, Standardize outcomes (Connected, Not Interested, Meeting Booked, Follow-up Needed, etc.).
• List operations, Who owns building, cleaning, and feeding lists into the dialer queues?
• Coaching rhythm, Weekly call reviews, monthly script refreshes.

Document this in a simple playbook so new reps and managers know how to run.

Step 5: Roll Out in Waves (Weeks 6+)

Expand to the rest of the team in 3-5 rep chunks:

• Do quick trainings focused on hands-on practice, not slideware.
• Pair each new wave with someone from the pilot pod.
• Keep a close eye on spam metrics and call quality as volume scales.

If you hit snags-data, compliance, or morale-adjust before rolling to the next wave.

How This Applies to Your Sales Team

Every team is in a different spot with outbound. A few common scenarios:

Early-Stage Startup with 1-3 Sellers

You don’t have a formal SDR team yet, but you know cold outbound needs to happen.

• Start with a lighter-weight dialer like PhoneBurner or Kixie that can act as both dialer and simple CRM.
• Focus on a narrow ICP and a short, tight script.
• Use the dialer data to validate messaging and targets before you over-hire.

Growing SDR Team (5-20 Reps)

You’ve got product-market fit, some SDRs, and a messy mix of tools.

• Standardize on a dialer that fits your CRM and SEP: e.g., Salesforce + Salesloft + Orum, or Salesforce + Revenue.io.
• Use a pilot to pick your platform, then codify cadences, scripts, and coaching.
• Put someone in RevOps in charge of data hygiene and caller ID reputation.

Enterprise Sales Org

You’ve got regions, segments, and a complex tech stack.

• Think in pods: each region/segment gets its own dialer configuration and playbook.
• Lean into advanced features-AI call guidance, local presence at scale, detailed analytics.
• Run quarterly business reviews with your dialer vendor to keep evolving.

When It Makes Sense to Outsource Instead

Building an in-house power-dialer-driven SDR team is absolutely doable-but it’s not trivial. You need:

• Hiring and training programs
• RevOps to own tools and data
• Managers who can coach at call volume

If that’s not your core competency (or you need pipeline now), outsourcing cold calling and appointment setting to a specialist like SalesHive can be smarter:

• SalesHive has already booked 85,000+ to 100,000+ meetings for hundreds of B2B clients using dialer-enabled outbound programs.
• They bring the SDRs, the tech, the scripts, and the data while you keep your AEs focused on demos and closing.

You can always build your own SDR engine later once you’ve proven the motion and seen the economics.

Conclusion + Next Steps

Power dialers aren’t magic-but they are leverage. In a world where cold calling still converts, a tool that gives you 3-4x more calls and better connect rates without adding headcount is tough to ignore.

If you’re running B2B outbound today, your next steps are pretty clear:

1. Benchmark your current cold calling performance.
2. Shortlist 2-3 dialers that fit your CRM and sales engagement stack.
3. Run a 30-60 day pilot with a small pod and real metrics.
4. Formalize cadences, scripts, and coaching once you see the lift.
5. Decide whether you’re going to own the whole engine in-house or partner with an expert like SalesHive to shortcut the heavy lifting.

Whichever route you choose, the days of manual dialing should be behind you. Your buyers still pick up the phone. Your only decision is whether your team will be on the other end often enough to matter.