Short answer: An Outbound Dialer (OBD) automates large‑scale calling so you can reach many customers quickly and consistently—saving agent time, improving connect rates, and capturing responses at scale.

Applies to: Web Dashboard & OBD API • Audience: Admins, Supervisors, Ops, Marketing, Collections

🧭 Table of Contents

• What is OBD?
• Top benefits (at a glance)
• Prerequisites & when to choose OBD
• Benefit → KPI mapping
• Real‑world use cases
• Get started (UI & API)
• Expected outcomes & how to confirm
• Edge cases & limitations
• Troubleshooting
• FAQs
• Related articles
• Structured data (SEO)

📞 What is OBD?

Outbound Dialer (OBD) automatically places calls to a list of contacts or contacts provided by your app via API. Messages are played using recorded audio or text‑to‑speech (TTS), with optional key‑press (DTMF) actions like Press 1 to talk to an agent.

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Alt: Diagram showing: List/API → Dialer → IVR/TTS → (DTMF) → Agent/Queue → Reporting.
Caption: “High‑level OBD flow from data source to reporting.”

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⭐ Top benefits (at a glance)

• Scale: Reach hundreds or thousands of customers in minutes.
• Consistency: Deliver the same, compliant message every time.
• Speed to outcome: Trigger calls instantly from your app (API) or on a schedule.
• Lower agent load: Agents join only when needed (on DTMF transfer).
• Measurable: Track attempts, connects, key‑presses, transfers, costs.
• Cost control: Throttle concurrency, set quiet hours, and retry intelligently.
• Integration‑ready: Works with CRM/ERP/data pipelines via API.

🆚 Need 1‑to‑1 right now? Use Click ‘O’ Call for a single, agent‑led call. For 1‑to‑many, use OBD.

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🔑 Prerequisites & when to choose OBD

Prerequisites

• Valid numbers in E.164 format (e.g., +919876543210).
• Sufficient calling credits/plan and OBD enabled.
• If using API: an API key, base URL, and optional callback endpoint.
• Consent where required; follow DND/quiet hours.

Choose OBD when…

• You need to notify many contacts with a clear, consistent message.
• You want automation (on event: payment due, shipment out, OTP, outage).
• You plan to collect responses (e.g., Press 1 to pay, Press 2 to repeat).

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📈 Benefit → KPI mapping

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🧪 Real‑world use cases

• Payments/Collections: “Your bill is due in 3 days—Press 1 to pay now.”
• Service/Logistics: “Delivery today 2–4 PM—Press 1 to confirm, 2 to reschedule.”
• Marketing/Promos: “Festival offer—Press 1 to talk to an advisor.”
• Support/Outages: “We’ve resolved the issue—Press 1 if still impacted.”
• Surveys/CSAT: “Rate your experience from 1 to 5.”

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🏁 Get started (UI & API) {#getstarted}

A) Create an OBD campaign (UI)

1. Go to Outbound → Campaigns → Create.
2. Name the campaign and upload audio or select TTS.
3. Choose Target list (CSV/upload) or API source.
4. Set Schedule, retries (e.g., 2×, 15‑min gap), quiet hours, and concurrency.
5. Start the campaign; monitor attempts, connects, DTMF, transfers.

B) Queue contacts via API (dynamic sends)

curl -X POST \  'https://api.myoperator.com/v1/obd/campaigns/{CAMPAIGN_ID}/queue' \  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <API_TOKEN>' \  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \  -d '{    "contacts": [      {"phone_number": "+919876543210", "name": "Asha Rao"},      {"phone_number": "+911234567890", "name": "Vikram M"}    ],    "audio_url": "https://cdn.example.com/audio/payment-reminder.mp3",    "callback_url": "https://yourapp.example.com/obd/callback"  }'

Tip: For time‑sensitive events (OTP/fraud alerts), call the API immediately after the event to maximize connect rates.

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🎯 Expected outcomes & how to confirm

• Dashboard shows real‑time attempts, connects, DTMF, transfers.
• Exports reflect your filters (date, campaign).
• Webhooks hit your callback URL with call results.

Success checklist

• Connect rate meets target for your list/time window.
• DTMF actions (e.g., Press 1) match expectations.
• Transfers land in the correct queue with recordings/notes.

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⚠️ Edge cases & limitations

• Consent & compliance: Use opted‑in lists; respect local DND/quiet hours.
• Throughput: Concurrency caps vary by plan; over‑throttling can reduce connect rate.
• List hygiene: Invalid numbers or heavy spam lists depress performance.
• Audio quality: Keep messages < 30s; speak clearly; test TTS pronunciations.
• Retries: Too many retries can annoy customers; set a sane max (e.g., 2×).
• Agent coverage: Ensure agents are available if you allow Press 1 transfers.
• Time zones: Align schedules to the contact’s local time.

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🧰 Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Email support@myoperator.com with campaign ID, time window, example numbers, and logs.

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🙋 FAQs

• Is OBD similar to Click ‘O’ Call?
  No—OBD automates one‑to‑many calls; Click ‘O’ Call is one‑to‑one and agent‑initiated.
• Can OBD transfer to agents?
  Yes—use DTMF (e.g., Press 1) to transfer to a queue/agent.
• How many calls can run at once?
  Depends on your plan and concurrency settings; your CSM can advise.
• Do I need recordings, or can I use TTS?
  Both are supported; test to pick the clearest option.
• How do I track ROI?
  Use connect, DTMF, and transfer rates; compare cost per connect over time.

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🔗 Related articles

• OBD vs Click ‘O’ Call — choose the right path for 1:1 vs 1:many
• Upload contacts — CSV template & validation — keep lists clean
• OBD reporting & KPIs — measure connect/DTMF/transfer rates
• Queue contacts via OBD API — endpoints, auth, examples

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🔎 Structured data (SEO)

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🏷️ Keywords

outbound dialer benefits, OBD advantages, automated calling, campaign dialer, IVR TTS, DTMF transfer, connect rate, cost per connect, quiet hours, E.164 formatting

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