Overview
The dialer allows you to make and receive calls, so you can reach prospects directly on Apollo. If you haven't already, get an Apollo phone number and set your call preferences. With your Apollo phone number, you're able to make, receive, and log calls directly on Apollo.
Did you know? While this guide explores dialing one contact at a time, you can also call multiple people with power and parallel dialing.
Check out the following sections to make and receive calls.
Make a Call
Before you start dialing, learn about cold call best practices to optimize your dialing strategy, adhere to regulations, and book more meetings.
You can call saved contacts or new prospects.
If you've purchased multiple phone numbers, Apollo dials from your default number. To change it, go to Settings > Phone numbers. Click ... > Set as default beside the phone number you dial from most often.
- Launch Apollo and click People > Saved.
- Alternatively, click Tasks > Call tasks, or click Calls > Upcoming calls.
- Apollo displays your current call tasks.
- Click Call beside the saved contact you want to dial.
- Select the number you want to dial or click Call Primary to dial the contact's primary number.
- To request a direct dial, click Request direct dial.
What's a direct dial? A direct dial is a phone number that allows you to reach a specific person directly, bypassing the main company number. Direct dial numbers are typically mobile or direct work phone numbers. Apollo charges you credits to access personal phone numbers, regardless of whether the number is on a do not call registry. Learn more about accessing a prospect's phone number.
- To dial manually, navigate to Calls > New call, or click Call on the navbar. Enter a phone number, or search for and select a contact.
If needed, you can manually save an extension to a contact's phone number. Enter the phone number followed by ext and the extension, like +1 001-002-0003 ext 1234. Apollo won't dial the extension automatically, but it can serve as a note to remind you of the extension when you reach the interactive voice response (IVR).
- Complete the call:
- If you're on bridge, your Apollo phone number calls your personal phone. Answer the call and follow the prompt to complete the bridge and connect with your contact.
- If you're on VoIP, the call connects in your browser using your computer sound settings. Use the controls at the bottom to manage the call.
- The contact sees your Apollo phone number as the dialing number, with no name on the caller ID. If you use local presence, the contact sees a phone number with an area code local to theirs.
- If no one answers and you've enabled voicemail drops, you can end the call and automatically leave a voicemail.
- When the call ends, enter details about the call. You can enter a call purpose, a call disposition, and notes for key takeaways. If you enabled call recording in the dialer preferences, you can play back the call or press 🗑 to delete it.
Some phone numbers you dial may be blocked or rejected by Apollo's telephony provider, Twilio, due to dynamic fraud risk and carrier analytics. These controls can change over time, meaning a number that works today may be restricted later based on provider or carrier policies. Because these decisions happen outside of Apollo's direct control, Apollo cannot override them. If you repeatedly encounter this issue, contact Apollo support to learn what options are available.
- When finished, click Save.
You have now made a call to a saved contact on Apollo.
You can access your saved calls to find key takeaways, and share calls to celebrate your wins with the team.
To make an outgoing call to a new prospect:
- Launch Apollo and click People > Net New.
- Use search filters to find the person you want to dial.
- Click Access phone number beside the prospect.
Apollo charges you credits to access a contact phone number, regardless of whether the number is on a do not call registry. Apollo does not charge credits for HQ phone numbers. Learn more about accessing a prospect's phone number.
- Click the phone number to dial the prospect.
- Alternatively, to dial manually, navigate to Calls > New call, or click Call on the navbar. Enter a phone number, or search for and select a contact.
Want to manually dial an extension? Just enter the phone number, followed by ext and the extension number, like +1 001-002-0003 ext 1234.
- Complete the call:
- If you're on bridge, your Apollo phone number calls your personal phone. Answer the call and follow the prompt to complete the bridge and connect with your prospect.
- If you're on VoIP, the call connects in your browser using your computer sound settings. Use the controls at the bottom to manage the call.
- The prospect sees your Apollo phone number as the dialing number, with no name on the caller ID. If you use local presence, the contact sees a phone number with an area code local to theirs.
- If no one answers and you've enabled voicemail drops, you can end the call and automatically leave a voicemail.
- When the call ends, enter details about the call. You can enter a call purpose, a call disposition, and notes for key takeaways. If you enabled call recording in the dialer preferences, you can play back the call or press Delete to delete it.
- When finished, click Save.
You have now made a call on Apollo.
You can access your saved calls to find key takeaways, and share calls to celebrate your wins with the team.
Apollo counts your talk time by the second, not by the minute. If you talk for 32 seconds, Apollo doesn't round up to the nearest minute — we count 32 seconds! That's more time for you to connect with prospects. To track your team's talk time, navigate to Settings > Manage Plan. Scroll to dialer usage.
Receive Calls
To answer incoming calls:
- When a contact calls your Apollo phone number or a local presence number you generated, your phone rings based on your calling preferences:
- If you're on bridge, your personal phone number rings and displays the contact's caller ID information. Answer the call to connect, or let the call go to your voicemail.
- If you're on VoIP, a dialer rings in browser and displays at the bottom of your screen. Use the controls to manage the call. Apollo uses your computer sound settings for calls.
- When the call ends, enter details about the call. You can enter a call purpose, a call disposition, and notes for key takeaways. If you enabled call recording in the dialer preferences, you can play back the call or press Delete to delete the recording.
- When finished, click Save.
You can access your saved calls to find key takeaways, and share calls to celebrate your wins with the team.
FAQs
| Frequently asked questions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Do I need to unlock prospect phone numbers with credits before making calls? | Does Apollo record calls? | Why was the dialer deactivated even though I have minutes remaining? |
| Can I set a caller ID for my phone number on Apollo? | Why didn't my call record? | |
Do I need to unlock prospect phone numbers with credits before making calls?
It depends on the source of the phone number:
- If a phone number is uploaded from a CRM integration, or you already saved a contact with their phone number, you don't need to use credits.
- If you haven't synced a phone number from your CRM or previously saved the phone number, you use credits to unlock them.
Does Apollo record calls?
Yes, if enabled in your dialer preferences, Apollo can automatically record calls. You can access recordings, transcripts, and AI summaries from the call. Some US states and some countries require that all call participants consent to recording calls. Obtain this consent before using call recording.
Why was the dialer deactivated even though I have minutes remaining?
The dialer may be deactivated across your team if Apollo detects unusual or high-cost usage, even if you have minutes left. To prevent fraud, Apollo temporarily removes your team's access to the dialer when your usage meets all of the following conditions:
- Your team already spent more than 70% of your monthly subscription price on call charges (with a $10 minimum threshold).
- Your team made at least five minutes of billable calls in the past seven days.
- The average cost of those calls exceeds $0.15 per minute, indicating you're dialing higher-priced destinations.
After Apollo deactivates your team's dialer, access resumes at the start of your next billing cycle.
Can I set a caller ID for my phone number on Apollo?
Apollo doesn't support caller ID registration, so your name won't appear when you place calls. In most cases, when you dial a prospect, their device will display the Apollo phone number you're calling from, depending on their phone carrier and device settings.
Why didn't my call record?
You can configure the dialer to record calls, but location based recording rules govern how you can record calls in various locations. Because call recording laws vary by country and US state, your team may define different rules for regions where you make calls. These rules dictate when and whether calls may be recorded by your team.
If your call didn't record as expected, check your location based recording rules. To identify which rule may have affected your recording, search your recording rules by the prospect's area code or your Apollo number's area code.
Next Steps
Keep up the momentum with these next steps:
| Cold Call Best Practices | Make sure your outreach aligns with cold calling best practices, including legal compliance and effective techniques for connecting with prospects. |
|---|---|
| Use Voicemail Drops | Save time on unanswered calls by setting up voicemail drops that deliver a consistent message without manual effort. |
| Log Call Outcomes | Track results consistently by using call dispositions and purposes to tag each call with a goal and outcome. |
| Review and Share Calls | Revisit key moments by reviewing your call recordings and transcripts. Apollo AI generates call summaries, insights, and transcripts. You can even share standout calls with teammates, or get coaching from a team lead. |
| How to Cold Call | Learn the fundamentals and level up your cold call strategy with How to Cold Call: Scripts & Tricks, a webinar by Apollo Academy. |