Introduction

The best outbound qualification agents start with clarity: know who you’re reaching out to, what matters to them, and how to spot the real opportunities in your list. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use Oration to build an outbound calling agent that opens conversations, asks smart questions, and helps your sales team focus on leads who are most likely to convert.

Whether you want to qualify new leads, reconnect with dormant ones, or test interest in a new product, we’ll show you how to design, launch, and keep improving your outbound agent—so every cold call feels a little warmer.

What you’ll build

• A strategic qualification framework — Design question flows that surface budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT, or whatever fits your process).
• Evals for simulation and training — Practice on real-world scenarios and safely refine your agent before launch.
• Custom vocabulary — Make sure your agent uses the right product names and industry lingo.
• Performance scorecards — Track quality, consistency, and effectiveness with clear benchmarks.
• Continuous improvement — Use post-call analytics to sharpen your approach and boost conversion.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Create your outbound lead qualification agent

Get started in your Oration dashboard

1. Log in to Oration.
2. Click Agents in the left sidebar.
3. Select Create new agent.

Set up the basics

• Name your agent clearly—“Lead qualification agent” works, or pick something descriptive for your use case.
• For Initiation Type, choose AI speaks first – Fixed.
• Write a professional, warm opening. For example:
  “Hi, this is [Agent Name] calling from [Company Name]. I’m reaching out because [reason for call]. Do you have a quick moment to chat?”

Step 2: Write a system prompt that guides your agent

Your system prompt defines the agent’s approach, tone, and qualification style. You’ll want something clear, human, and practical.

Prompt structure: keep it conversational and respectful

Here’s a template you can make your own:

You are Sam, a helpful and friendly loan specialist at Acme Home Loans. You’re calling people who recently asked about home loans on our website. Your job is to listen, help them figure out what they need, and see if our loans are the right fit. You support without ever pushing.
 
## Your personality
- Professional and patient, but not stiff
- Warm and approachable, genuinely interested in people’s goals
- Always considerate of their time and situation
- Supportive and honest—never use pressure
 
## Your objective
Qualify the prospect by understanding:
- The type of property (first home, investment, refinance, etc.)
- Their timeline to buy or refinance
- What matters most (rate, payment, approval speed, etc.)
- If they’re the decision maker or sharing the choice
- Any prior struggles getting approved
 
## Conversation flow
 
- **Introduction:** Introduce yourself and mention their recent request on our website.
- **Permission to proceed:** Ask if now’s a good time: “Do you have a few minutes to chat about your home loan needs?” Offer to call later if they’re busy.
- **Build rapport:** Listen. Respond with phrases like: “That’s exciting!” or “Thanks for sharing that.”
- **Set the context:** Briefly explain what you offer, for example:  
  *Acme Home Loans offers a wide range of mortgage products tailored to first-time buyers, refinancers, and investors. We keep it simple and give expert guidance so you can feel confident every step of the way.*
- **Qualify naturally:** Ask open-ended questions to learn more:
  1. “Can you tell me a bit about your home buying or refinancing plans?”
  2. “Are you eyeing a specific property or neighborhood?”
  3. “What’s most important to you in a loan?” 
  4. “Is anyone else part of your decision?”
  5. “When do you hope to buy or refinance?”
  6. “Is this your first time working with a lender?”
 
Stay warm and professional every step of the way.
 
## Handling different situations
 
**If they’re not interested or things have changed:**  
“Thanks for letting me know. If you ever need anything, you can always reach out. Would it be helpful if we checked in down the road?”
 
**If they want more info:**  
“I’d be happy to share more details. Would you prefer a call with one of our loan advisors, or info by email first?”
 
**If they’re hesitant or have objections:**  
Listen, acknowledge, and respond: “That’s a common question. Many customers feel the same. Here’s what we can do: [share benefit or solution].”
 
**If they ask about rates or costs:**  
“Our rates depend on your credit and property type. If you’d like, one of our specialists can share a personalized quote and walk you through it.”
 
## Important rules
- Respect their time—offer to reschedule if needed
- Never use pushy tactics
- Outline next steps as the call ends (send info, connect to a specialist, set up follow-up, or close the loop)
- Be honest—if we’re not a fit, say so, and offer help if you can

Make it yours

Adjust your system prompt to fit:

• Your company name and product
• Your qualification criteria
• Your sales methodology (BANT, MEDDIC, etc.)
• What’s different about your offering
• Objections and customer responses you hear most

Align every detail with your real sales process and brand voice.

Step 3: Fine-tune your agent’s settings

Configure your agent’s behavior precisely by using the available options in “Configurations” and “Advanced settings.”

Essential settings

LLM (Large language model):

• Pick a provider that suits you (OpenAI, Azure, or Oration OpenAI is great if you want lower latency).
• For outbound calls, a temperature of 0.3 to 0.5 keeps things consistent but conversational.

TTS (Text-to-speech):

• Choose a voice that’s professional and friendly.
• You can tweak accent and speed—slightly faster (1.1x) often sounds more energetic.

STT (Speech-to-text):

• Use an STT provider with the speed and accuracy you need; enhanced models can help with varied accents.

Conversation settings:

• Max call duration: 8–10 minutes is usually plenty to qualify a lead while respecting their time.
• Silence timeout: Wait 7–10 seconds before prompting again—enough space for the prospect to respond.
• Interruption threshold: 3 is a good place to start for a balance of flow and responsiveness.

Advanced options

• Enable noise suppression for clearer calls.
• For outbound, use either no background or subtle office ambience to make the conversation feel more natural.

Step 4: Post-call analysis (PCA): Turn conversations into insight

Post-call analysis unlocks patterns from the conversations—think objection trends, common questions, and where your approach can improve.

How to enable post-call analysis

1. Open your agent and find the Post Call Analysis tab.
2. Switch Enable to on.
3. Be clear and explicit in your PCA instructions about what you need the analysis to cover—don’t hesitate to specify details and expectations. You can also click “Generate prompt” for an AI-suggested prompt.
4. Create a schema—choose tag names like lead_status, qualification_score, or objections, and briefly define each.

Once PCA is set up, new calls are automatically analyzed.

Reviewing results

• Visit History → click a conversation → Analysis to see your PCA tags.
• For older calls, run Generate analysis on any you want.

Get the most from PCA

• Track qualification rates and reasons for “no.”
• Use PCA to decide which questions and openings work best.
• Share insights with your sales team before follow-ups.
• Regular review helps you keep improving script and agent.

Step 5: Build your knowledge base

Your knowledge base is what helps your agent answer real questions, clearly and accurately.

Collect your content

Start with:

• Product or service summaries
• Core features and benefits
• Pricing or plan info (if you share this)
• Customer stories and proof points
• Objection-handling guidance
• Competitor comparisons
• Industry context

Keep your uploads clear, accurate, and up-to-date.

Uploading in Oration

1. Go to Knowledge Base in the left nav.
2. Click Create knowledge base and name it (e.g., “Lead qualification knowledge”).
3. Add your documents.
4. Click Save. Repeat if you need more than one topic area.
5. Link your new knowledge base to your agent.

Step 6: Define your custom terms

Consistent language makes your agent feel professional and natural. Custom terms control spelling, pronunciation, or phrasing for product names, jargon, and acronyms.

What are custom terms?

They help you:

• Standardize how industry terms, acronyms, and product names are said (and spelled)
• Reinforce your brand voice
• Avoid mispronunciations, especially for unfamiliar terms

How to add terms

1. In the sidebar, go to Terms and click New term.
2. Enter original phrase and what you want instead.
3. Check “Strict replace” if it should always swap.
4. Change status to “Approved” when ready.

Example terms for outbound calls

Term: Yeah
Replacement: "Yes"
 
Term: Cheap
Replacement: "Affordable"

Step 7: Add real-time tools

Tools connect your agent to live data—think CRM lookups or meeting scheduling.

Getting started with tools

1. Click Tools in the Oration sidebar.
2. Click New tool (e.g., “Update lead status”).
3. Add actions (such as look up lead, update score, schedule meeting).

Building an action

Each tool can have one or more actions (like “Check CRM,” “Schedule Meeting”). Oration will prompt you for a description, URL template, required details, and how to map fields.

• Carefully follow the instructions and requirements from the API you are connecting to
• Use action names that clearly state their function (“Lookup lead in HubSpot”)
• Mark parameters as required only if the API documentation specifies them as needed
• Write agent-friendly, accurate descriptions that reflect the API’s instructions

Connect tools to your agent

1. On your agent’s page, scroll to Tools.
2. Click Add tool and select.
3. Save.

That’s it—your agent now has real-time access where it counts.

Useful actions to try

• Schedule meeting — Book a call or demo on the spot
• Update lead status — Change stage in your CRM
• Add to nurture campaign — If they’re not ready but might be later

When and how to use tools

Add specifics to your system prompt (“If they’re interested in speaking to the sales team, use the Schedule Meeting tool to book the time.”)

Example:

Before you start your qualification questions, use the CRM Lookup Tool. If this prospect is in our system, mention anything you know:  
“I see you downloaded our [guide] last month, so I wanted to follow up.”
 
After each call, use Update Lead Score:
- 8–10: Strong fit, urgent need, right person
- 5–7: Some interest, not sure about timeline or budget
- 1–4: Not interested, not a good fit right now
 
If they want a demo, use Schedule Meeting to book the time.

Handle tool errors gracefully

If something goes wrong, keep things smooth:
“Let me make a note of that—I’ll have our team follow up with more details.”

Step 8: Test your agent

Test before launch. Evals help you cover lots of ground; Preview mode lets you see and feel the real thing.

Part 1: Build test cases with Evals

Evals (evaluations) simulate the common and critical conversations your agent might face.

Getting started

1. Go to Evals in Oration.
2. Click Create new eval.
3. Name it clearly (“Lead qualification scenarios,” “Objection handling,” etc.).

Create scenarios

Each should mimic a real conversation. For example:

Scenario 2: Too busy

Evaluation Name: Too busy right now
Success Criteria: Agent acknowledges politely, offers to call back at a different time, doesn’t push or launch into pitch
 
Prospect responses:
- "I'm in the middle of something right now."
 
Success criteria:
- Agent acknowledges politely, offers to reschedule, doesn’t push or launch into pitch

Scenario 3: Interested in speaking to the sales team

Evaluation Name: Interested in speaking to the sales team
Success Criteria: Agent calls the tool to schedule a meeting with the sales team
 
Prospect responses:
- "Yes, I'd like to speak to the sales team."
 
Success criteria:
- Agent calls the tool to schedule a meeting with the sales team

Build a robust Eval suite

Aim for 10–15 scenarios across:

• Different personas (curious, busy, skeptical, enthusiastic)
• Common objections (price, timing, “no need”, competitor)
• Odd cases (wrong number)
• Tool usage (CRM, meetings)

Run and review

• Run your evals and check results—did the agent meet the goal in each case?
• Look for consistent misses or problematic patterns.

Part 2: Manual testing with Preview

Live preview tests are great for catching awkward phrasing or unnatural flows.

How to test:

1. Go to your Agent and click Preview. Try both chat and voice calls.

2. Role-play: Be the friendly lead, the skeptic, or the busy exec—try all the personalities.

3. Use these checklists as you go:

Voice and tone

• Agent sounds natural and confident—not robotic
• Good pacing, not too fast or slow
• Correct use of custom terms and company/product names

Opening

• Clear, friendly introduction
• States reason for calling upfront
• Asks if now’s a good time

Qualification

• Questions feel like a conversation, not a checklist
• Agent listens and follows up naturally
• Adapts to how the lead responds

Objection handling

• Handles “not interested” and “already use competitor” with grace
• Offers to follow up by email when asked
• Remains professional, never pushy

Tool integration

• All Tools are called at the right time and with the right parameters
• Handles tool errors gracefully

Ending the call

• Next steps are clear (demo, follow-up, info sent)
• Polite, professional goodbye regardless of outcome

Part 3: Iterate and improve

Testing is ongoing—fix, re-test, and note improvements.

After evals

• Fix failed scenarios first.
• Find patterns (are objections a trouble spot?).
• Edit prompts, knowledge, or tool use based on findings.

After manual calls

• Note awkward responses or unclear moments.
• Listen back to call recordings, paying attention to flow and naturalness.
• Update prompts and knowledge for smoother calls.

Good habits

• Change a couple things at once, not everything.
• Keep notes on changes and improvements.
• Aim for a 90%+ pass rate on Evals before going live.
• Get feedback from others—they’ll notice things you miss.

Your agent’s ready for launch when you’re passing your Evals consistently and the conversations just feel right. Solid testing now means fewer surprises later.

Step 9: Quality assurance (QA) for your agent

QA means reviewing real calls to make sure your AI agent always sounds like your brand and does its job.

Create a scorecard

Scorecards give you objective grading criteria.

How to set up in Oration:

1. Go to Scorecards and click Create scorecard.
2. Name it clearly (e.g., “Outbound lead qualification QA”).
3. Add a description (e.g., “For professionalism, qualification, and conversation quality”).
4. Set your passing score (40 out of 50, or whatever you decide).
5. Add questions to your scorecard, including prompts, descriptions, maximum points, and evaluation type (Score or Pass/Fail). Mark any critical question as Fatal if needed.
6. Once your scorecard and questions are set up, go to your Agent and attach this scorecard to your agent.

Prompt for your QA agent:

You are an expert QA agent and your job is to evaluate the conversation between a user and ai agent on the basis of certain pre-defined evaluations criteria. If in any situation, a certain criteria is not applicable, assign full score to the criteria.

Sample Questions:

Professional introduction
   Did the agent clearly introduce themselves, the company, and why they called?
   Points: 10 (Pass/Fail)
 
Asked permission
   Did the agent check if it was a good time to chat?
   Points: 5 (Pass/Fail)
 
Asked qualification questions
   Did the agent learn about the prospect’s needs and fit?
   Points: 15 (Score)
 
Handled objections well
   Did the agent respond professionally to any concerns?
   Points: 10 (Score)
 
Clear next steps
   Did the agent confirm what happens next?
   Points: 10 (Pass/Fail)

QA tips

• Review every call early on—this helps you catch and fix issues fast.
• Assign the scorecard to your agent in the Quality Assurance tab and set how often you want to review.

QA leads to better, more consistent calls and helps your team learn what works.

Troubleshooting: Common issues and fixes

Even well-tuned agents run into the occasional bump. Here’s how to spot problems and smooth them out.

If prospects keep saying they’re too busy

• Why: Your opener might sound generic or lack clear value.
• What to do:

  • Try openers that clearly explain what’s in it for them.
  • Ask directly: “Do you have 2 minutes for a quick question about [pain point]?”
  • Offer to reschedule right away: “Got it! Is there a better time for a call?”
  • Check PCA reports: is call timing an issue?

If your agent sounds scripted or stiff

• Why: The system prompt may be too rigid.
• What to do:

  • Add more natural, conversational examples and transitions to your prompt.
  • Include rapport-builders (“That makes sense,” “Glad you mentioned that”).
  • Make sure the temperature isn’t set too low (0.3–0.5 is good).

If objections are catching your agent off guard

• Why: Your knowledge base doesn’t cover the latest objections.
• What to do:

  • Review transcripts for new or repeat objections.
  • Add responses to your knowledge base and prompt.
  • Train your agent with general objection-handling approaches.
  • If needed, let your agent offer to connect callers with a human for extra help.

Important: Compliance and ethics first

Before launching any outbound calling campaign, ensure you're following all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction. This includes:

• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and similar regulations in your region
• Do Not Call (DNC) or Do Not Disturb (DND) registries — scrub your lists regularly and honor opt-out requests immediately
• Consent requirements — only call leads who have given proper consent to be contacted
• Calling time restrictions — respect appropriate calling hours for your target regions
• Recording and disclosure laws — inform callers when conversations are being recorded
• Data privacy regulations — handle personal information according to GDPR, CCPA, or local equivalents

Your outbound agent should be configured to respect opt-outs, maintain accurate records of consent, and operate within ethical boundaries.

Next steps

You’re almost there. A quick checklist to keep up momentum:

1. Start small: Launch with 50–100 leads and tune your process before going bigger.
2. Monitor closely: Review calls each day in week one for quick fixes.
3. Iterate often: Make small, regular changes based on what you hear.
4. Keep score: Track key metrics—connections, qualification rates, bookings, and lead quality.
5. Scale up: When you’re confident, gradually increase the call volume.

Building a strong outbound qualification agent takes some iteration. As you learn, your agent will become more human, more effective, and a true asset to your sales team.