***

title: Outbound Campaigns Overview
description: >-
Learn how to use outbound campaigns to proactively reach your contacts with
automated voice calls.
----------------------

# Outbound Campaigns Overview

Outbound campaigns allow you to proactively reach out to contacts with automated voice calls. Whether you're sending appointment reminders, conducting follow-ups, or running marketing campaigns, Gail's outbound system helps you scale your communications efficiently.

## How It Works

1. **Create a contact list** - Import or build a list of contacts to reach
2. **Configure a campaign** - Set up the campaign with your agent, scripts, and rules
3. **Define sequences** - Specify the steps and timing for outreach attempts
4. **Launch and monitor** - Start the campaign and track results in real-time

## Key Features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Multi-Step Sequences" icon="list-ol" href="/platform/communications/outbound/sequences">
    Create sophisticated outreach flows with multiple attempts and conditions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Smart Redialing" icon="phone-volume" href="/platform/communications/outbound/redialing-rules">
    Control how often and when contacts are called back
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contact Management" icon="address-book" href="/platform/communications/outbound/managing-contacts">
    Organize contacts into lists that sync automatically with campaigns
  </Card>

  <Card title="SMS & Text Messaging" icon="message" href="/platform/sms/sms-text-messaging">
    Create and manage SMS templates for text-based outreach campaigns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-Time Results" icon="chart-line">
    Monitor campaign performance with detailed metrics and reports
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Campaign Types

Outbound campaigns support various use cases:

| Use Case                  | Description                                                      |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Appointment Reminders** | Remind customers of upcoming appointments and allow rescheduling |
| **Payment Reminders**     | Follow up on overdue payments with payment options               |
| **Lead Follow-Up**        | Qualify and nurture leads with automated outreach                |
| **Customer Surveys**      | Collect feedback through conversational surveys                  |
| **Service Notifications** | Alert customers about service changes or updates                 |
| **Marketing Campaigns**   | Promote offers and drive engagement at scale                     |

## Campaign Results

After running a campaign, you can access detailed analytics:

* **Total talk time** - Combined duration of all calls
* **Connection rate** - Percentage of calls that reached a person
* **Completion rate** - Percentage of calls that achieved the desired outcome
* **Outcome breakdown** - Distribution of call results
* **Downloadable reports** - Export detailed data for further analysis

## Getting Started

Ready to launch your first outbound campaign? Follow these steps:

1. **[Set up your contacts](/platform/communications/outbound/managing-contacts)** - Create a contact list with the people you want to reach
2. **[Create a campaign](/platform/communications/outbound/creating-campaigns)** - Configure your campaign settings and agent
3. **[Set up SMS & text messaging](/platform/sms/sms-text-messaging)** - Build reusable SMS messages for text campaigns (after SMS approval)
4. **[Define sequences](/platform/communications/outbound/sequences)** - Set up the outreach flow and timing
5. **[Configure redialing](/platform/communications/outbound/redialing-rules)** - Control how contacts are re-attempted

## Best Practices

### Start Small

Test your campaign with a small subset of contacts before scaling up. This helps you identify issues and refine your approach.

### Respect Contact Preferences

Always honor do-not-call requests and contact preferences. Gail automatically tracks opt-outs to keep you compliant.

### Time Your Calls

Schedule calls during appropriate hours for your contacts' time zones. Avoid early mornings, late evenings, and holidays.

### Monitor and Iterate

Review campaign results regularly and make adjustments. Small improvements to scripts or timing can significantly impact success rates.

## Next Steps

* [Managing Contacts](/platform/communications/outbound/managing-contacts) - Learn how to organize your contact lists
* [Creating Campaigns](/platform/communications/outbound/creating-campaigns) - Set up your first campaign
* [SMS & Text Messaging](/platform/sms/sms-text-messaging) - Set up and manage text messages for outreach