Manual Dial Pacing Overview


ThruTalk dials multiple numbers at once and connects live answers to available callers, while filtering out calls that go to voicemail or don’t pick up. This allows your organization to reach a large number of contacts efficiently. To keep things running smoothly, ThruTalk staff manages how fast calls are placed using Manual Dial Pacing.


Manual Dial Pacing helps your callers connect quickly without creating long wait times or unnecessary dropped calls. ThruTalk monitors each active phonebank and adjusts dialing speed in real time so pacing stays “just right” for your list and caller count.


This guide explains what pacing is, how the throttle and drop rate work together, what wait times to expect, and when to reach out for help.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Key Terms

  • Throttle: The number of calls ThruTalk attempts when a caller becomes available. Increasing the throttle results in faster dialing; decreasing it slows dialing.
  • Wait Time: The amount of time a caller stays idle between completed calls, waiting for ThruTalk to connect them to a live answer. Lower wait times mean callers spend less time in between calls waiting and more time talking to contacts.
  • Drop / Dropped Call: A dial is made and the contact answers, but no caller is available to take the call, so the system must hang up.
  • Drop Rate: The percentage of recent calls that were answered by a contact but dropped because no caller was available. ThruTalk staff works to keep this low while also keeping wait times low.


How Manual Dial Pacing Works

During live calling, ThruTalk staff monitors your campaign’s performance and continuously adjusts the throttle to ensure optimal wait times and drop rates. If wait times start to increase, the throttle is increased; if drops increase, the throttle is lowered.


Here's how throttle works in practice:

  • 2 callers x 3 throttle = 6 concurrent dials
  • 4 callers x 6 throttle = 24 concurrent dials

How throttle relates to drops:

  • If 24 dials are happening and 4 callers are available to pick them up, then you can have a maximum of 4 connected calls at any given time. The extras will be dropped because no caller is available to take them.
  • If 8 dials out of 24 pick up, and only 4 callers are free, 4 connect and 4 drop → 50% recent drop rate.


Expected Average Wait Times

Typical wait times depend heavily on the number of active callers:

  • 1-2 Callers: 1:30 m - 4:00 minutes
  • 3-5 Callers: 1:00 m - 1:30 minutes
  • 5-10 Callers: 0:45 m - 1:00 minutes
  • 11-20 Callers: 0:30 m - 0:45 minutes
  • 20+ Callers: less than 0:30 minutes

When possible, ThruTalk staff aims to keep both wait times and drop rates low. 


Why Pacing Varies

Wait times and drop rates depend on several factors like list quality, number of callers, the time of day/week/year, campaign type (for example, PatchThru calls tend to keep callers on the line longer), and local pickup conditions. Automated single-speed systems can’t account for these variables; manual pacing can and does adjust speed and scale continuously to meet conditions.


Best Practices

  • Staff appropriately: More simultaneous callers generally produces shorter average waits (see ranges above).
  • List Quality: List quality refers to how accurate and up-to-date your contact list is. High-quality lists contain valid phone numbers that are likely to connect to real people. Poor list quality can increase the number of unanswered or failed calls, which affects pacing performance. 
  • Phonebank Timing: Lower-quality lists or off-peak hours may need a lower throttle to control drops; high-quality lists at peak hours can support higher throttles.
  • Review calling sessions: A caller's individual performance and behavior can impact the phonebank's efficiency. Use the Caller Activity Details report to calculate Dials per Hour per Caller. For details, review our guide, Caller Activity Details Report. 


Getting Help

If you have questions about your current pacing or want guidance on caller staffing, contact GetThru Support in Live Chat during Support hours or email support@getthru.io. We can review performance and discuss potential throttle adjustments with you. Review our guide ThruTalk Managed Calling Hours for details on when ThruTalk staff is available for Dial Pacing.