If you manage a B2B sales team that lives and dies by the phone, you know the drill: dialing is tedious, reps burn out, and tracking who said what (and when) is a mess. There are plenty of “power dialers” out there, all promising to turn your team into cold-calling machines. But most are either clunky, overhyped, or just plain hard to get right. This review is for managers and reps who want to know if Phoneburner really does what it claims—and where you’ll hit snags.
Let’s cut through the marketing noise and get into what actually matters.
What Is Phoneburner, Really?
Phoneburner bills itself as a “power dialer” for sales teams: software that automates much of the grunt work around cold calling. The idea is simple—upload a list of leads, hit a button, and start making more calls, faster, with fewer headaches. It promises to:
- Increase calls per hour (by eliminating manual dialing, logging, and note-taking)
- Automate voicemails and emails
- Sync with your CRM or act as a lightweight CRM itself
- Make it easy to track performance and coach your team
If you’ve used dialers before, this is familiar territory. But the devil’s in the details.
How Phoneburner Works (Day to Day)
Here’s the real-world workflow:
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Upload a List
You bring in your leads—usually by uploading a CSV, syncing from a CRM, or using Zapier. -
Set Up a “Dial Session”
You pick the list, tweak your email/voicemail templates, and get ready to roll. -
Start Dialing
Click “Begin Dial Session.” Phoneburner dials the first number, waits for a connection, and then you do your pitch. -
Automate the Follow-up
If you hit voicemail, Phoneburner can drop a prerecorded message so you’re not repeating yourself all day. You can fire off templated emails, too. -
Log Outcomes with One Click
After each call, you hit a button to log the result (“Interested,” “Not Interested,” “Call Back Later,” etc.), which can trigger follow-up actions automatically. -
Move to the Next Call
No time wasted. Phoneburner dials the next number instantly.
Pro tip: You can run a dial session from any phone, but to get the fastest workflow, use a headset and the web app together.
Features That Actually Help (and What’s Overhyped)
What Works
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No “Pause” or “Dead Air”
Unlike some predictive dialers, Phoneburner connects you directly with each person—no awkward pause that tips off a robocall. This matters. People hang up fast when they sense a machine. -
Voicemail Drop
You can prerecord voicemails and drop them instantly. This saves time and keeps you from sounding tired on your tenth call. -
One-Click Emails
After a call, you can send follow-ups or info with a single click. Templates help, but you can personalize quickly. -
Simple Reporting
The dashboard tracks calls, talk time, and outcomes for each rep. It’s not fancy, but it’s enough for most small teams to know who’s actually putting in the work. -
CRM Integration
It syncs decently with Salesforce, HubSpot, and others—though “sync” often really means “basic push/pull,” not a deep connection.
What’s Overhyped or Weak
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Built-in CRM
Phoneburner tries to be a lightweight CRM. You can tag contacts, add notes, set callbacks. But honestly, it’s not close to a full CRM. If you already have one, stick with it and just use Phoneburner as a dialer. -
Lead Distribution
You can assign leads to reps, but it’s a manual process and gets messy fast if you have more than a handful of reps or complex territories. -
Power Dialing ≠ Robo-Dialing
This isn’t a predictive dialer. Don’t expect to blast through hundreds of numbers an hour. The focus is on “quality” connects, not just volume.
Honest Pros and Cons
The Good Stuff
- Reps Make More Calls, Period
If you track calls per hour, you’ll see a jump. Most teams see a 2–3x increase over manual dialing. - Easy to Train
The UI is straightforward. Most reps can be up and running in under an hour. - No Install Needed
Everything runs in a browser—no plugins, no weird phone hardware. - Spam Compliance
Since you’re dialing manually (sort of), it avoids a lot of the TCPA issues that predictive dialers can trigger.
The Annoying Stuff
- Pricing Adds Up
It’s per user, per month, and can get expensive for big teams—especially if only some reps are heavy dialers. - Call Quality Depends on Your Connection
If your internet’s spotty, you’ll have dropped calls or delays. - CRM Sync Is Shallow
If you expect real-time, two-way sync with complex field mapping, you’ll be disappointed. You’ll need to double-check your data flows. - Limited Automation
Yes, it automates voicemails and emails, but don’t expect full marketing automation or sophisticated sequences.
Who Phoneburner Is Actually Good For
- Teams With 2–25 Reps
If you’re running a small to midsize team that does a lot of outbound calling, Phoneburner is in its element. - B2B Sales Orgs That Still Believe in the Phone
If your deals start with a real conversation, not a cold email, this tool helps. - Managers Who Want Actionable Data
You can see who’s making calls and what’s happening, without drowning in analytics.
Not for: - Big call centers that need predictive dialing and advanced call routing. - Teams looking for all-in-one sales automation.
Setup and Onboarding: What to Expect
- Getting Started
Sign up, upload your list, record some voicemails, set up a “dial session.” You can run your first calls in about 30 minutes. - Training
The help docs are decent, and support is responsive. Most reps figure it out after a single session. - Integrations
Connecting to Salesforce or HubSpot takes a few steps, but it’s not rocket science. Just be ready for some “field mapping” headaches if your CRM is heavily customized.
Pro Tips for Getting the Most Out of Phoneburner
- Prune Your Lists
Don’t just upload every lead you’ve got. Clean your lists so reps aren’t wasting time on dead numbers. - Use Voicemail Drop Wisely
Don’t overuse it—if every call gets the same canned message, people will notice. - Tweak Templates Often
Update your email and voicemail scripts every couple of weeks. Don’t let them get stale. - Monitor, But Don’t Micromanage
Use the reporting to spot trends, not to hover over your reps.
Should You Buy It? The Bottom Line
If your B2B sales team needs to make a lot of calls—and you’re tired of the time wasted on dialing, logging, and basic follow-up—Phoneburner gets the job done. It’s not magic, and it won’t fix lousy lists or bad sales habits. But it will help good reps move faster, and managers see what’s really happening.
Don’t overcomplicate things: start with a small group, get your workflow dialed in, and tweak as you go. Cold calling is hard enough—your tools should make it easier, not harder.