Half a million meetings booked through Orum in 2024

We could spend several paragraphs of introductory fluff discussing the State of Sales Development and the power of the phone, but instead, we’ll get straight to the point.

In 2024, the phone was more dynamic and successful than ever in driving pipeline for Orum users. It remains the most impactful and sustainable outbound channel for building pipeline. And,  like in 2023, last year saw record-setting numbers of connects, conversations, and meetings. Let’s jump into the numbers.

More connections than ever

Cold calling is a nuanced experience that requires a blend of science and art. And while it’s much more than “just a numbers game,” connects remain vital to the health of your outbound efforts.

Orum users had 7.4 million connections in 2024, an astonishing jump from the 3.5 million they had in 2023. Those 7.4 million connections led to 3 million conversations (calls lasting longer than one minute), a 100% increase from the previous year.

Keeping with the 100% growth theme, the number of sellers using Orum daily to build pipeline also doubled in 2024. As the outbound space continues to crowd with new ways to approach prospects, sales leaders see the phone's value in greater numbers than ever. Phone calls empower reps to uncover the challenges of their prospects and partner with them in finding a solution in a way that emails or DM’s simply can’t. Conversations build trust.

As Jillene Golez shared with us earlier in the year, “We coach our reps to understand that in the discovery stage, a seller's role isn’t to pitch our platform. Instead, they should position themselves as trusted advisors, engaging the prospect in a dialogue that challenges their assumptions and provides valuable insights on how a solution can address their pain points.”

While email remains a popular outbound channel, creating a conversation via a decision maker’s inbox can only occur if they respond, something they do less than 5% of the time, according to Belkins. When looking at actual talk time, Orum users experienced 18.9 YEARS of conversations in 2024 alone. This dialogue creates more significant opportunities for uncovering the prospects' challenges and building relationships.

As Austin Mead of Ramp stated, “Our reps are now spending hours every week talking to prospects, which builds a deeper understanding of the value propositions that matter to them.”

Of course, sales will always be about the bottom line, which is why it’s so impactful to see that nearly half a million meetings were booked using the Orum platform in 2024.

Returning to the phones in 2024 and beyond

Overall, the number of phone calls made on the Orum platform increased 105% year over year in 2024. Far more than just an increase in volume, however, these numbers represent the fact that every aspect of the revenue team is using the phone.

SDRs and AEs use Orum to book meetings, multithread accounts, and build pipeline. Customer success teams also use the platform to strengthen relationships with existing accounts and uncover upselling opportunities. 85% of sales leaders believe the phone is an effective way to grow revenue consistently, and we expect these numbers to continue to grow in 2025.

The more often reps pick up the phone, the better they get at overcoming objections and booking meetings. 2024’s meeting-to-conversation rate was 12%, an increase from the all-time number of 11%. This is crucial so reps can identify essential KPIs to hit their goals. If you understand how many conversations you need to meet your goals, you can work backward to build a daily strategy for success.

How sellers booked more meetings on Orum in 2024

Picking up the phone and dialing will always be a dynamic first step, but to maximize the number of conversations you have, you need to ensure you call strategically. That means knowing when your prospects are most likely to engage and ensuring your platform optimizes every opportunity.

Throughout 2024, Mondays had a slightly higher connect rate than any other day of the week, but Tuesdays and Wednesdays saw the most conversations and meetings booked. This may imply that, while prospects are more open to accepting calls at the beginning of the week before they get into a workflow, they’re more likely to engage with your sellers and commit to demos when they fully understand what their week looks like.

As for when to make those phone calls, connect rates are highest at the start of the day, peaking at 10 am (local time). Connect rates start to dip at 2 pm, then decline throughout the rest of the workday. Interestingly, the highest number of dials made occurred in the 2 pm frame.

These types of insights are why we’ve built our "When to Call" feature in your analytics dashboard. It’s designed to help optimize the timing of calls to prospects. It leverages call data to uncover the best times during the week to call prospects, ensuring that your reps optimize their dialing time.

Callbacks made a comeback in 2024

An interesting data point from 2024 dispels the common misconception that cold calls are unwelcome distractions for prospects. Orum users experienced 2.5 million callbacks from prospects. This is vital information because it instills the importance of ensuring your reps have a callback number set up. You can do this easily in Orum and even receive in-browser notifications while working.

Orum platform data shows that:

• 75% of the time, a prospect will call back within 1.75 hours of the sales rep's call.
• 91% of the time, a callback will happen within 24 hours.
• You are 4x more likely to book a meeting on a callback.

Callbacks also have a 50% conversation rate, meaning that half the time, these calls last longer than one minute. This is critical because Orum data shows that the average call resulting in a booked meeting lasts around six minutes, while a call that doesn’t end in a booked meeting lasts less than 60 seconds. These longer conversations allow reps to ask discovery questions and build interest.

AI is everywhere because it works

Setting up a callback number was one way reps increased their conversations using Orum in 2024. Another was using new features leveraging data from nearly one billion calls made in our platform. Hot Numbers identifies which prospects are most likely to pick up, resulting in a 4X increase in connect rates.

Boost Connect analyzes data from hundreds of millions of calls and automatically selects the best call-from number for your reps for each call they make. This eliminates the guesswork about local presence, allowing reps to focus on conversations. Customers who use Boost Connect currently experience a 300% increase in connect rates.

“As Allie Collins, CMO of Centime, shared, “Local presence isn't actually what you need—what you're trying to solve is getting people to pick up the phone. Boost Connect solves that problem and delivers real results.”

Why the phone matters in 2025

The sales landscape will continue to evolve in 2025. Personalization and automation will continue improving. This will make it easier for sales reps to increase their activity numbers. However, it won’t be enough to increase the number of outbound tasks. You’ll need a way to cut through the noise and connect with more prospects directly.

Every industry will be more competitive than ever before, making it vital that you have a way to stand out, have actual conversations with your ICP, and build relationships with prospects. Now, more than ever before, opportunity is calling. Orum is the answer, and we’re excited to be your partner in generating more pipeline than ever before.