If you run or support a B2B sales team, you already know: outbound calling is a slog. Manual dialing, endless voicemails, tracking call notes in spreadsheets—everyone hates it. If you’re looking for a way to make outbound less painful and actually get more reps talking to prospects, this guide is for you. We’re digging into how Orum can help, where it falls short, and what’s just hype.
The Big Problem: Outbound Calling Sucks Up Time
Let’s be real. Most sales reps don’t love pounding the phones. Here’s why:
- Manual dialing eats up hours—even with click-to-call, waiting for rings and voicemails adds up.
- Gatekeepers and phone trees waste more time.
- CRM notes get sloppy when reps are hustling to keep up.
- Call outcome tracking is often an afterthought.
The result? Most reps only spend a fraction of their day actually talking to prospects. Orum says it can fix that. Let’s see how.
What Orum Actually Does
Orum is basically a power dialer built for modern sales teams. The pitch: automate everything between loading a list and having a live conversation. Here’s what Orum brings to the table:
- Parallel dialing: Calls multiple numbers at once, connects you when a human picks up.
- Voicemail drop: Pre-recorded voicemails get left for you, so you’re not repeating yourself.
- CRM integration: Syncs notes and call outcomes to Salesforce, HubSpot, and others.
- Call analytics: Tracks talk time, pickup rates, and more.
- Local presence dialing: Spoofs a local number to improve answer rates.
- Call recording and coaching: Managers can listen in and give feedback.
Sounds good, right? In theory, this means less busywork, more real conversations, and better data.
Step 1: Getting Orum Set Up
Setting up Orum isn’t rocket science, but it does take some prep:
- Connect your CRM. Orum plugs into Salesforce, HubSpot, and a few others. If your CRM isn’t supported, you’ll have to get creative with imports.
- Clean your lists. Garbage in, garbage out. Bad numbers or missing info will wreck your day.
- Set up your dialer preferences. Choose how many lines to dial in parallel (more isn’t always better—see below).
- Record your voicemails. Keep it short and human. Don’t try to sound like a robot.
- Train your reps. Orum’s interface is modern, but it’s still a new workflow. A dry run helps.
Pro tip: Don’t let IT or sales ops dump Orum on reps with zero context. A 30-minute walkthrough saves headaches later.
Step 2: Building Call Lists That Don’t Suck
Orum can blast through a list, but if your data is junk, it’s just faster junk. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Segment by persona and industry. Don’t mix CEOs and interns.
- Double-check phone types. Orum can call mobile and direct lines, but switchboard numbers still flop.
- Prioritize fresh leads. Calling stale lists is a waste, no matter how fancy the dialer.
What doesn’t work: Just dumping your raw CRM export into Orum and hoping for the best. Your connect rates will tank, and reps will burn out.
Step 3: Optimizing Parallel Dialing Without Annoying Everyone
Orum’s “secret sauce” is parallel dialing—calling 4 to 10 numbers at once and connecting the first human that picks up. Used well, it’s a game-changer.
What works: - Start slow. Run a few sessions at 2-4 lines and see how it feels. - Watch your abandonment rate. If too many live answers don’t get a rep, phone carriers may flag you as spam. - Test local presence. In some markets, local numbers really help answer rates; in others, people are wise to the trick.
What doesn’t work: - Cranking it to 11. More lines = more chaos. If you’re missing real people because reps can’t keep up, dial it back. - Ignoring compliance. U.S. rules are strict. Don’t let your team get lazy about opt-outs or DNC lists.
Step 4: Automating the Annoying Stuff
Here’s where Orum actually saves time:
- Voicemail drop: Leave a polished, pre-recorded voicemail without repeating yourself 50 times a day.
- Auto-logging. Orum can push call results, notes, and recordings straight to your CRM—no more “I’ll update Salesforce later.”
- Call disposition shortcuts. Quick buttons let reps move on fast.
It’s not magic, but it does mean reps aren’t stuck doing admin work all afternoon.
Heads up: The CRM sync is only as good as your workflow. If reps skip notes or fudge results, you’ll still have messy data.
Step 5: Measuring What Matters (and Ignoring Vanity Metrics)
Orum’s dashboards look slick, but don’t get distracted by total dials or call time. Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Connect rate: How many live humans did reps actually talk to?
- Conversations per hour: The real measure of productivity.
- Meetings booked: The only metric that really matters to most teams.
- Voicemail vs. talk ratio: Are reps leaving too many voicemails? Time to refresh your list or tweak your approach.
Skip the “dials made” leaderboard—nobody cares how many times you hit redial if nothing’s happening.
Step 6: Coaching and Feedback Loops
Call recordings and live monitoring let managers give targeted feedback. Here’s how to use it without becoming Big Brother:
- Spot patterns in talk tracks. Are reps losing people at the opener? Struggling with objections?
- Share best calls. Let top reps show what works.
- Avoid over-policing. Nobody wants to feel like someone’s always listening in.
Pro tip: Use call data to coach, not punish. If reps feel supported, they’ll buy into the workflow.
What Orum Can’t Fix
Let’s be honest. Orum is a tool, not a silver bullet. Here’s what it won’t solve:
- Bad targeting: If your ICP is off, no dialer will save you.
- Crappy scripts: Automation can make you sound like a robot if you let it.
- Overly aggressive outreach: No one likes a spammer, even if you’re fast.
When Orum Is Overkill
For some teams, Orum might be more than you need:
- Small teams (<5 reps): Manual dialing or a basic power dialer may be enough.
- Low call volume roles: If you’re only making a few calls per day, the setup isn’t worth it.
- Non-dialer-heavy sales motions: If your team relies more on email, LinkedIn, or referrals, focus elsewhere.
What’s Just Hype (and What’s Not)
Worth it: - Orum really does save time when you’re doing high-volume, high-repetition outbound. - The parallel dialing and auto-logging are solid.
Overstated: - “AI” features mostly mean automation, not some magic bot that books meetings for you. - Local presence works, but don’t expect miracles if your pitch is weak.
Ignore: - Claims that Orum will “10x your pipeline overnight.” No tool does that without real work on messaging and targeting.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple
Outbound calling is always going to be some degree of grind. Tools like Orum can absolutely help modern sales teams have more conversations and waste less time, but they’re not a fix for deeper issues. Start simple: clean lists, realistic scripts, and measured use of automation. Tweak as you go. If you keep your process honest and your data clean, you’ll see results—without getting lost in dashboard overload or the latest sales tech hype.