If you’re in B2B sales and your team still dreads “call block” hours, you’ve probably heard about tools that promise to make cold calling less painful—or at least more efficient. Orum is one of the big names in this space, claiming to automate the dialing, cut out wasted time, and help reps focus on real conversations instead of ringing phones and voicemails. Sound great, right? Well, that depends on what you actually need, how your team works, and how much you’re willing to adapt.
This review cuts through the marketing fluff. We’ll dig into what Orum really does, its strengths and weaknesses, and whether it’s worth bringing into your sales stack—especially if you’re a B2B team with real quotas and not much patience for “magic bullet” promises.
Who Should Care About Orum?
Let’s be clear: Orum isn’t for everyone. If your sales team closes mostly via email or LinkedIn, or you’re running a tiny shop with just a couple of reps, the payoff probably isn’t there. Orum is built for teams who:
- Rely on phone outreach as a main pipeline driver (SDRs/BDRs, outbound-heavy teams)
- Deal with long lists of prospects and need to cover a lot of ground
- Have at least a handful of reps making calls every day (think: 5+)
- Use Salesforce, HubSpot, or Outreach as a CRM (Orum plays nicest with these)
If that describes you, read on. If not, you might be better off improving your list quality or tightening your email game before adding another tool.
What Does Orum Actually Do?
Orum is what’s called a “parallel dialer.” In plain English: it auto-dials multiple numbers at once, listens for a live human, and—when it finds one—connects your rep instantly. No more listening to ringtones, waiting for voicemails, or manually dialing each prospect.
Here’s the core promise:
- More live conversations per hour: Orum claims most reps see 2–4x more connects.
- Faster call blocks: Less time dialing and waiting, more time talking.
- No need to leave your CRM: It plugs into your workflow (as long as you’re on Salesforce, HubSpot, or Outreach).
It’s not a predictive dialer (the kind of robo-dialer telemarketers use), but it’s still aggressive. You load up a list, let Orum do its thing, and talk to whoever picks up.
Setup and Onboarding: What’s It Like?
No one loves onboarding new sales software, but Orum’s setup is pretty painless—if your CRM is compatible. Here’s what to expect:
- CRM integration: Connect your Salesforce, HubSpot, or Outreach account. This takes a few clicks if you have admin rights.
- List building: You still have to build your call lists. Orum doesn’t do data enrichment or prospecting for you.
- Training: Orum offers live and recorded sessions, plus a decent help center. Most reps “get it” after a single session.
- Call compliance: You’ll need to check your own legal/regulatory boxes, especially if your team calls outside the US.
Pro tip: Budget at least a week for rollout if you’ve got a big team, mostly to handle training and CRM permissions. The technical part is easy, but changing team habits always takes longer than you think.
Day-to-Day Use: What Works
Let’s talk about what Orum does well—and where it actually delivers.
1. It Kills Dead Time
The biggest win is how it wipes out the mindless parts of cold calling. You hit “start,” and Orum dials a bunch of numbers in parallel. The second a live person picks up, you’re talking. No more thumb-twiddling between calls.
- Call Connect Rates: Most teams see a big bump in live conversations per hour—sometimes double or triple, depending on your industry.
- Burnout Factor: Reps spend less time frustrated, so morale goes up. Nobody misses listening to 30 seconds of ringing every call.
2. Integrations That Mostly Just Work
If you’re on Salesforce, HubSpot, or Outreach, Orum integrates pretty smoothly. Calls, notes, and outcomes sync back to the CRM, so you’re not stuck copying/pasting or manually logging activity.
- Call Recording: Most plans include automatic recording, which is handy for coaching.
- Disposition Logging: Reps can quickly tag call outcomes, making reporting less of a slog.
3. Conversation Intelligence Lite
Orum isn’t a full-fledged conversation intelligence platform (like Gong or Chorus), but it does give you basic analytics:
- Calls made, connects, talk time, and outcome tracking
- Team and individual dashboards to spot who’s actually making calls—and who’s not
If you want deep transcript analysis, you’ll still need a separate tool.
Where Orum Falls Short
No tool is perfect, and Orum is no exception. Here’s what to watch out for.
1. Parallel Dialing ≠ Magic
Let’s be honest: Orum gets you more connects, but you’re still cold calling. If your messaging is weak or your list is garbage, Orum just helps you fail faster. It automates the slog—it doesn’t fix it.
- Bad Data Still = Bad Calls: Orum can’t fix list quality or wrong numbers.
- Reps Still Need to Sell: You get more conversations, but you still need solid talk tracks and objection handling.
2. Cost Adds Up Fast
Orum isn’t cheap, especially for small teams. Pricing isn’t public, but expect a per-user, per-month fee that really only makes sense if your team is making hundreds of calls per week.
- ROI Depends on Volume: If reps make just a handful of calls a day, you’ll struggle to justify the cost.
- “Unlimited” Plans Have Limits: Watch the fine print—some plans have fair use policies or throttle if you go overboard.
3. Compliance and Call Quality
Parallel dialing is legal, but it can trip flags with phone carriers or spam filters, especially if you’re hammering the same area codes or using recycled numbers.
- Call Blocking: Some reps see higher rates of calls going straight to spam or voicemail.
- International Calling: Orum is US-focused. Calling internationally can be tricky or unsupported.
4. It’s Not a “Set and Forget” Tool
You’ll need someone to own list hygiene, deal with CRM sync issues, and keep an eye on rep usage. Orum is easy to use, but it still needs management. If you’re already stretched thin, factor that in.
Pro Tips for Getting the Most Out of Orum
If you’re going to try Orum, keep these in mind:
- Start with a pilot: Roll it out to your most phone-heavy reps first. Measure before/after connect rates honestly.
- Keep lists clean: Garbage in, garbage out. Invest in data hygiene upfront.
- Coach on talk tracks: More conversations mean nothing if you’re not prepared. Use call recordings for feedback loops.
- Watch your numbers: Monitor for call quality issues or spam flags. Rotate numbers if needed.
- Don’t ditch other channels: Orum is best as part of a multi-channel strategy. Don’t expect it to replace email or LinkedIn touches.
Should You Buy Orum? The Bottom Line
Orum is a solid tool for B2B teams who live and die by the phone. If you’ve got reps grinding through big lists, and you care about squeezing more value out of every hour, it’s worth a serious look. Just don’t expect it to “revolutionize” your outbound game overnight. It’ll amplify what you’re already doing—for better or worse.
If your lists are strong, your reps are trained, and you’re already tracking call activity in your CRM, Orum can make you faster. But it’s not a substitute for good sales management or a fix for bad processes.
Keep your stack simple. Try Orum with a small team, measure real results, and iterate from there. Don’t fall for shiny-object syndrome—focus on what actually moves the needle for your business.