Run a dialing session
Start a dialing session from Today and let SmileLine call each lead for you as you work down the queue.
The Power Dialer turns the Today queue into a calling session: your audio connects once, and every lead you open is dialed for you — no copying numbers, no dead air.
This is a single-line power dialer: it places one call at a time, only when you open a lead, and you hear the real ringing tone. It cannot make silent or abandoned calls — the behaviour Ofcom penalises in the UK.
Before you start
Start dialing appears in the Today header only when all three are true:
- A calling add-on is enabled — SmileLine Voice or the standalone Power Dialer (see Set up dialing).
- Something can actually place the call: either SmileLine Voice is provisioned with an active default caller ID, or the practice's own phone system is connected in Phone providers.
- Your role can run dialing sessions — owners, managers, coordinators and telesales can; analysts can't.
You'll also need a working microphone. Use headphones if you can — they stop the caller's audio leaking back into your mic.
On an external phone system the session runs in assisted mode: your provider's own app places each call and holds the audio, so no microphone is needed here and the bar offers Done, No answer and Skip instead of mute and hang-up. See Assisted dialing.
Start a session
On Today, click Start dialing in the header.
Allow microphone access when the browser asks. Your audio connects once and stays connected for the whole session — there's no per-call setup.
Once the bar under the header reads Ready, SmileLine opens the first workable lead in your queue and dials it. If you already had a lead open, it dials that one instead.
The auto-dial loop
While the session is live, opening any lead with a mobile number dials it automatically — click a row, press Enter, or let the queue advance for you. You hear real ringback while the patient's phone rings, so there's never silence on either end.
Two rules keep the loop safe:
- A live call is never interrupted. Opening another row mid-call just shows that lead in the work panel; the dialer only calls when the line is free.
- Leads without a phone number are simply worked without a call. Record their outcome as usual and move on.
If you open a lead without dialing (for example after ending a call early), the bar shows a Call button — click it to dial the open lead whenever you're ready.
The dialer bar
A slim bar sits under the header for the whole session. It shows:
- The call state — Connecting your audio…, Ready, Dialing, Ringing, then On call with the patient's name and a live timer.
- Calls placed — a running count for the session.
- Call — dials the open lead (shown when the line is free).
- Mute / Unmute — mutes your microphone during a call.
- Hang up — ends the current call.
- End session — disconnects your audio and closes the session.
After each call
When a call ends, the bar reads Call ended — record the outcome, then open the next lead. Record what happened with the normal outcome wizard — reached, no answer, booked, and so on. As soon as the outcome is saved, the queue auto-advances to the next actionable lead and dials it.
Every call is also logged automatically on the patient's timeline — who called, when, how long, and whether it was answered — whatever outcome you record. If call recording is on, answered calls get a Play recording control there too.
Ending a session
A session ends when any of these happens:
- You click End session in the bar.
- You leave or close the Today page.
- Fifteen minutes pass without a call — the session ends automatically and a notice tells you why.
Just start a new session whenever you're ready to keep going.
What calls cost
Calls aren't metered. With SmileLine Voice, calling is unlimited fair-use and the Power Dialer is included; the standalone Power Dialer is a flat monthly add-on. Each number the practice holds is billed monthly until it's released. See Billing for the full pricing picture.