Using Local Presence Dialing to Improve Call Answer Rates
What is Local Presence Dialing?
Local Presence Dialing is a feature that automatically selects the most appropriate outbound caller ID from your available phone numbers based on the area code of the contact you are calling. By displaying a local or regional number, the call appears more familiar to the recipient, which can encourage them to answer. This is particularly useful for businesses that serve customers across different geographic areas.
Key Benefits
Using Local Presence Dialing offers several key advantages for your outreach efforts.
- Increased Answer Rates: People are more likely to answer a call from a number that looks local.
- Enhanced Trust: A consistent local presence helps build credibility and reduces the chance of your call being perceived as spam.
- Automatic Operation: The system handles the number selection for you, so you don't have to manually change caller IDs.
- Flexible Fallback: If an exact area code match isn't available, the system uses a number from the same region or your default number.
- Account-Level Control: You can enable or disable this feature for each sub-account.
How Local Presence Dialing Works
When you make an outbound call, the CRM follows a specific process to choose the caller ID.
- It first checks if you have a phone number with the exact area code as your contact's number.
- If an exact match is not found, it then looks for a number from the same geographic region (for example, a different area code within the same city).
- If no regional number is available, the call will be placed using your sub-account's default phone number.
This entire selection happens automatically each time you make a call.
How to Set Up Local Presence Dialing
To activate this feature, follow these steps in your sub-account settings.
- Navigate to Sub-account Settings > Phone Numbers > Advanced Settings > Voice Calls > Outbound Call > Default Phone Number for Outbound Calls.
- Find the toggle for Enable Local Presence Dialing and switch it to the On position.
Once enabled, the system will begin using the logic described above for all outbound calls from that sub-account.
Example Scenario
Imagine you need to call a contact in Dallas, Texas, which has area codes like 214 and 972.
- If you have a phone number with area code 214, the call will display that number.
- If you don't have a 214 number but do have a 972 number (also a Dallas area code), the system will use your 972 number.
- If you have no Dallas numbers at all, the call will use your sub-account's default phone number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if a contact's area code doesn't match any of my numbers?
The system will fall back to using your sub-account's default caller ID for the call.
Can I manually choose a different number for a specific call?
Yes. Before placing a call, you can click the Change option on the dialer to select a different phone number from your list. After the call, the system will revert to using Local Presence Dialing for the next call. You can also disable the feature entirely if you prefer to always select a number manually.
Are there limits to how many numbers I can use with this feature?
No, the feature works with all the phone numbers and Verified Caller IDs you have added to your sub-account.
Does it work with Verified Caller IDs?
Yes, the area code of your Verified Caller IDs is considered when selecting the caller ID for a call.
Can I use this with my own Twilio account?
Yes, Local Presence Dialing is compatible with numbers from your own Twilio account.
Can I disable it for specific users?
This setting is managed at the sub-account level and cannot be configured for individual users.
Is this feature available outside the U.S. and Canada?
Currently, Local Presence Dialing is only supported for calls to numbers in the United States and Canada.
Does it guarantee higher answer rates?
While presenting a local number significantly increases the likelihood of a call being answered, it does not provide a guarantee, as recipient behavior can vary.