Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.
- What do you need help with?
- A) Dialer setup (parallel dialing, power dialing, number management, spam protection)
- B) AI Coaching Suite (scorecards, coaching portals, roleplay)
- C) Virtual Salesfloor (leaderboards, live listen, team visibility)
- D) Call Intelligence (recordings, transcriptions, objection detection, call library)
- E) Integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, Gong, Apollo)
- F) Comparing Orum to another platform
- G) Pricing or contract questions
- H) Other
-
What's your current setup?
- A) Evaluating Orum — haven't started
- B) Purchased but in implementation
- C) Running but having issues
- D) Expanding to Ascend tier or adding modules
-
Current outbound stack?
- A) No dialer — manual dialing
- B) Single-line power dialer (Kixie, JustCall, etc.)
- C) Another parallel dialer (Nooks, Koncert, etc.)
- D) SEP only (Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo)
- E) Orum already — troubleshooting
-
Team size?
- A) Solo / 1-3 reps
- B) Small team (4-10 reps)
- C) Mid-market (11-50 reps)
- D) Enterprise (50+ reps)
Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
| Problem domain | Route to |
|---|---|
| General outbound cadence strategy (not Orum-specific) | /sales-cadence {user's question} |
| Building a coaching program or training plan | /sales-coaching {user's question} |
| Contact enrichment strategy across multiple tools | /sales-enrich {user's question} |
| Building prospect lists from scratch | /sales-prospect-list {user's question} |
| Email deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup) | /sales-deliverability {user's question} |
| General CRM/tool integration patterns | /sales-integration {user's question} |
| Buyer intent and signal interpretation | /sales-intent {user's question} |
| Comparing parallel dialers (Orum vs Nooks vs Koncert) | Answer directly — use platform guide comparison section |
Otherwise, answer directly using the platform reference below.
Step 3 — Orum platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — modules, pricing, integrations, data model, workflows.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.
Implementation priority order:
- Connect your CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot) — Orum needs activity data flowing before anything else works
- Set up phone numbers and spam protection — register numbers with carriers, configure auto-rotation, enable reputation monitoring
- Start with power dialing — let reps learn the interface on single-line mode first
- Move to parallel dialing after 1-2 weeks — start with 3 lines, increase to 5 as reps get comfortable
- Enable AI Coaching Suite after 2-3 weeks of call data — scorecards need conversation history
- Set up virtual salesfloor for team visibility and manager oversight
When comparing to Nooks: Orum is dialer-focused with deeper telephony infrastructure (proprietary vs Nooks' Twilio-based). Orum offers up to 10 parallel lines (Ascend) vs Nooks' 5. Orum is more expensive (~$3-6K/user/yr vs Nooks ~$5K/user/yr). Nooks is a unified workspace (dialer + sequencing + enrichment + coaching). Orum is phone-only — no email sequencing, SMS, or LinkedIn.
When comparing to Koncert: Koncert offers more dialing modes (AI parallel, flow, agent-assisted). Orum is simpler with power and parallel only. Koncert may suit teams wanting flexibility across dialing motions.
If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
- 1-2 second connection lag on parallel dialing. When AI detects a live answer and bridges the rep, there's a noticeable delay. Prospects hear silence, assume robocall, and hang up. Orum's own data shows parallel converts connects to meetings at ~3.8% vs ~6.4% for power dialing — a 41% penalty per connect. Use power dialing for high-value prospects.
- AI false-positive hangups. The AI detection sometimes misinterprets a quick "Hello?" as voicemail and disconnects real prospects. When two prospects answer simultaneously, only one connects — the other gets dead air.
- Numbers burn fast under parallel dialing. High-volume, short-duration call patterns trigger carrier STIR/SHAKEN algorithms. Numbers flagged "Spam Likely" have 95%+ unanswered rate. Monitor Boost Connect reputation daily.
- Annual contracts only. No monthly billing. You're locked in from day one. Negotiate pilot terms before signing.
- Phone-only platform. No email sequences, LinkedIn automation, or SMS. You need separate tools for multi-channel outbound — budget an additional $100-300/user/month for SEP + data providers.
- Launch tier limits data enrichment to 200 credits/rep/month. If your team burns through enrichment credits, you'll need Ascend or a separate provider.
- iOS 26 call screening. Apple's AI screening intercepts unknown numbers before ringing. Parallel dialers can't respond to screening prompts — calls may disconnect before prospects see them.
Related skills
/sales-nooks— Nooks platform help (parallel dialer competitor)/sales-cadence— Design multi-channel outbound cadences/sales-coaching— Sales coaching and training programs/sales-enrich— Contact enrichment across providers/sales-prospect-list— Build targeted prospect lists/sales-deliverability— Email deliverability and warmup/sales-integration— Connect tools with CRM and automations/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do
Examples
Example 1: Our numbers keep getting flagged as spam
User says: "Half our Orum numbers are showing up as Spam Likely and our connect rates tanked" Skill does:
- Diagnoses number reputation issues — check Boost Connect dashboard for flagged numbers
- Walks through number rotation strategy — at least 10 numbers per rep, auto-rotate
- Recommends reducing parallel lines from 5 to 3 temporarily
- Explains STIR/SHAKEN compliance and carrier registration Result: Number remediation plan with monitoring checklist
Example 2: Evaluating Orum vs Nooks for SDR team
User says: "We have 20 SDRs and need a parallel dialer — should we go with Orum or Nooks?" Skill does:
- Compares parallel lines (Orum up to 10 vs Nooks 5), pricing (Orum $3-6K vs Nooks $5K/yr), and feature scope
- Explains Orum is dialer-only while Nooks bundles sequencing + enrichment + coaching
- Recommends Orum for teams with existing SEP (Outreach/Salesloft) who want best-in-class dialing
- Recommends Nooks for teams wanting to consolidate tools into one workspace Result: Side-by-side comparison with recommendation based on team's existing stack
Example 3: Setting up AI coaching scorecards
User says: "How do I configure Orum's AI scorecards for my team?" Skill does:
- Explains AI Coaching Suite is Ascend-tier only — verify plan access
- Walks through scorecard configuration — define rubrics for opening, discovery, objection handling, close
- Recommends waiting 2-3 weeks after deployment for enough call data
- Shows how to use coaching portals for manager-rep 1:1s Result: Scorecard setup guide with rubric recommendations
Troubleshooting
Connect rates dropping after initial deployment
Symptom: Connect rates start strong (15-20%) but decline to 4-8% over 3-6 months Cause: Carrier spam algorithms flag numbers with high-volume, short-duration call patterns. This is the #1 operational risk with parallel dialers — the pattern is inherent to how parallel dialing works. Solution: Rotate at least 10 numbers per rep. Use Boost Connect to monitor reputation. Reduce parallel lines during decline periods. Register all numbers through STIR/SHAKEN attestation. Consider alternating between parallel and power dialing modes weekly. If connect rates don't recover, request new DIDs from Orum.
Prospects hearing silence when they answer
Symptom: Prospects pick up and hear 1-2 seconds of dead air before the rep connects, leading to immediate hangups Cause: Parallel dialing requires AI to detect a live answer, then bridge the call to the rep. Detection + bridging adds latency that doesn't exist in power dialing. Solution: Train reps to have their opening line ready instantly. Use power dialing for high-value targets where first impressions matter. Accept that parallel dialing trades connect quality for volume — 3.8% connect-to-meeting vs 6.4% for power dialing. For strategic accounts, always power dial.
CRM activities not syncing
Symptom: Calls made in Orum don't appear in Salesforce/HubSpot, or recordings are missing Cause: Integration may not be fully configured, or field mapping is incomplete Solution: Verify the CRM connection in Orum settings. Confirm field mappings for call outcome, duration, recording URL, and notes. Check for duplicate contact records in CRM that prevent matching. Test with a single call and verify it appears within 5 minutes. If using Outreach/Salesloft as intermediary, verify the SEP integration is syncing both directions.