Using call pools

Call pools are groups of people who will be called using a specific script. Think of them as “phone bank lists” with rules about how people get called.

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Understanding pool types

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Random pools (Default)

How they work:

• System automatically selects the next person for each caller
• Each person is called once per caller
• People are locked while being called to prevent duplicates
• Callers don’t see who’s next until the call starts

Best For:

• Large-scale outreach where every contact is equally important
• GOTV campaigns
• General surveys
• Situations where you want to prevent caller bias in selecting contacts

Example: You have 500 members to call for a contract vote. You want each person called exactly once in random order.

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At-Will pools (List-based)

How they work:

• Callers see a full list of everyone in the pool
• Callers choose who to call from the list
• Still includes call locking to prevent duplicates (Caller can override in an At-Will pool)
• List can be sorted and filtered

Best For:

• Targeted calling where caller judgment matters
• Follow-up calls
• VIP or leadership outreach
• Situations where callers need to see context (e.g., previous call outcomes)

Example: You have 50 shop stewards to call with important updates. Callers know the stewards personally and can prioritize who to reach first.

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Authenticated pools

How they work:

• Additional verification step before calling begins
• Used for sensitive or official processes
• Can include password protection
• Often tied to specific custom fields (like “Ratification Vote”)

Best For:

• Contract ratification votes
• Officer elections
• Sensitive surveys
• Any situation requiring verified identity

Example: Contract ratification vote where each member gets one verified vote recorded.

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Creating a call pool

1. Search for people
   • Go to Search and find the people you want to call
   • Use search filters to target specific groups
   • Example: department:Warehouse shift:Night
2. Select people
   • Click Select All or individually check people
3. Create pool
   • Go to Communications → Create call pool
4. Configure basic settings
   • Call pool name: Descriptive name (e.g., “Warehouse Night Shift - GOTV Week 1”)
   • Choose a call script: Select from your active scripts
   • Choose a call station (optional): Track location if running multi-site phone banks
5. Choose pool type
   • Check “Allow callers to see pool as list and make calls at will” for At-Will pool (Leave unchecked for Random pool)
6. Add password (Optional)
   • For restricted access pools
   • Callers must enter password to start calling
7. Create pool
   • Click Create call pool
   • System generates a unique link
8. Share the link
   • Copy the provided link
   • Share with your phone bank volunteers

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Edit existing call pools

1. Go to Communications → Call Pools
2. Find the pool you want to edit

3. Click Edit icon in the Actions column on the far right

4. On the edit page, you may:
   • Edit the pool name
   • Disable the call pool
   • Edit the pool type
   • Change the call script
   • Update the password
   • Set a start and end date for the pool
5. Make your changes and click Save

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Adding and removing people from pools

Adding people to an existing pool

1. Search and select the people you want to add
2. Go to Communications → Add to call pool
3. Choose the existing pool from the dropdown
4. Click Add
5. The people are immediately available for calling

Use Case: You created a GOTV pool with 500 people, but then identified 50 more voters who should be included. Removing people from a pool

1. Search and select the people you want to remove
2. Go to Communications → Remove from call pool
3. Choose the pool
4. Click Remove
5. The people are immediately removed (even if currently being called)

Use Case: Someone already voted early, so you remove them from the GOTV pool.

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Managing multiple call pools

You can run multiple pools simultaneously:

• Different scripts: One pool for GOTV, another for member surveys
• Different target groups: One pool for members, another for non-members
• Different campaigns: One pool per worksite or department
• Sequential pools: Create new pools as campaigns progress

Example setup:

• “GOTV Week 1 - High Priority” (At-Will pool, 200 people)
• “GOTV Week 1 - General” (Random pool, 1,800 people)
• “Member Check-in - Warehouse” (Random pool, 500 people)

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Call pool scheduling

Setting start times Why use it:

• Coordinate phone banks across time zones
• Prevent callers from starting too early
• Align with campaign launch times

Example:

• Start date: November 1, 2024
• Start time: 5:00 PM
• Time zone: Eastern
• Start message: “Thank you for volunteering! This phone bank opens at 5pm Eastern time. Please return after 5pm to begin calling.”

Setting end times Why use it:

• Respect calling hours (e.g., no calls after 9pm)
• Close pools when campaigns end
• Ensure accurate reporting periods

Example:

• End date: November 5, 2024
• End time: 9:00 PM
• Time zone: Eastern
• End message: “This phone bank has closed. Thank you for your hard work! Check back for future calling opportunities.”

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Call pool strategy

1. Size your pools appropriately Small pools (< 100 people):

• Use At-Will pools for more control
• Good for targeted follow-up
• Personal touch important

Medium Pools (100-1,000 people):

• Random pools work well
• Consider splitting by geography or demographic
• Monitor daily progress

Large Pools (1,000+ people):

• Random pools are essential
• Break into multiple pools by priority
• Assign dedicated project admins

2. Prioritize contacts Create multiple pools:

1. “High Priority” (At-Will) - VIPs, leaders, known supporters
2. “Medium Priority” (Random) - Members, past participants
3. “Low Priority” (Random) - Cold contacts, wide outreach

Call high-priority pools first. 3. Refresh Pools Regularly

• Remove people who’ve been called
• Add newly identified contacts
• Update as campaign progresses
• Don’t let pools grow stale

4. Name Pools Clearly Good naming:

• “GOTV 2024 - Week 1 - High Priority”
• “Member Survey - Oct”
• “Pledge Cards - North Side - Evening”

Bad naming:

• “Pool 1”
• “Test”
• “Calling list”

5. Set Realistic Schedules

• Don’t start too early (before 9am)
• Don’t end too late (after 9pm)
• Consider time zones
• Respect calling hour norms

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