Call block math for physician recruiting

By Ben Argeband, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat.ai — Reduces stress: sets realistic expectations and next actions.

Physician recruiting call blocks fail for predictable reasons: clinic hours compress your windows, gatekeepers intercept, and stale numbers quietly tank your connects. If you don’t plan the math, you end up “busy” without enough real physician conversations to move a search.

Who this is for

Recruiters who want predictable daily output and fewer wasted hours—especially if you’re juggling multiple reqs and need call blocks that reliably produce physician conversations (not just activity).

Burnout check: If you’re ending the day with high dials and low momentum, don’t add more blocks. Fix the inputs (list quality, segmentation, refresh cadence) so each block produces usable conversations and clean follow-up.

Quick Answer

Core Answer

Plan call blocks by physician conversations (physician answered + next step logged), then compute dials needed using connect rate and answer rate. Size your list and set a refresh trigger when rates drop.

Key Statistic

Heartbeat observed typicals (internal): connect rate ~10% typical. Use a sensitivity view at 5%, 10%, 15% connect to plan dials and refresh cadence.

Best For

Recruiters who want predictable daily output and fewer wasted hours.

Compliance & Safety

This method is for legitimate recruiting outreach only. Always respect candidate privacy, opt-out requests, and local data laws. Heartbeat does not provide medical advice or legal counsel.

Framework: The Call Block Plan: Goal → Dials → List Size → Refresh Trigger

This is the workflow I use to make call blocks predictable:

• Goal: target physician conversations per block (output).
• Dials: compute dials needed from your observed rates (inputs).
• List Size: ensure enough unique physicians so you’re not re-dialing too fast.
• Refresh Trigger: define when list decay forces verification/refresh.

Metric definitions (use these exact denominators):

• Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (report per 100 dials).
• Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (report per 100 connected calls).

Operational note: “human answers” can include gatekeepers. Track physician answered as its own disposition so your answer rate doesn’t hide routing problems.

Step-by-step method

Step 1) Define the block goal in physician conversations

Start with the number of physician conversations you want from a block. A “conversation” should mean: the physician answered, you confirmed interest level, and you logged a next step (screen, CV, referral, or a clean pass).

Why this matters: dials are effort; conversations are output. Your hiring manager doesn’t feel “200 dials.” They feel submitted candidates.

Step 2) Convert conversations → dials needed (the math)

Use your observed connect rate and answer rate to compute dials needed.

Formulas:

• Physician conversations per dial = (connect rate) × (answer rate) × (physician-share of human answers)
• Dials needed = (target physician conversations) / (connect rate × answer rate × physician-share)

If you don’t yet track physician-share, start with the simpler version and add physician-share once you have two weeks of clean dispositions:

• Dials needed (simple) = (target physician conversations) / (connect rate × answer rate)

Keep rates in decimals. Example structure (no assumed rates): if connect rate is B and answer rate is C, then conversations per dial = B×C, and dials needed = A/(B×C).

Step 3) Size the list so the block doesn’t burn your market

Once you know your dials needed, make sure you have enough unique physicians queued for the block. If you’re re-dialing the same people inside the same block, your list is too small or your data quality is too low.

The trade-off is… bigger lists reduce repeat touches and improve candidate experience, but they require tighter targeting and a refresh cadence so you’re not dialing stale numbers.

Step 4) Set a refresh trigger (so you stop wasting blocks)

List decay shows up first in connect rate. If you don’t define a trigger, you’ll keep scheduling blocks on a decaying list and blame execution.

• Refresh cadence: your planned interval to re-verify and suppress bad numbers.
• Refresh trigger: a rule tied to your baseline that forces a refresh early.

Practical rule structure (use your baseline, not mine): if connect rate per 100 dials drops meaningfully versus your baseline for the same segment and call window for two consecutive blocks, refresh before running more blocks on that list.

Diagnostic Table:

Use this to diagnose whether your call block problem is list quality, timing/routing, or follow-up workflow.

Required entities in practice: plan each call block around connect rate and answer rate, and make refresh cadence a calendar item—not a hope.

Weighted Checklist:

Score your call block plan before you run it. Total 100 points. If you’re under 80, fix the plan before you burn time.

• (25) Block goal is written in physician conversations (not dials).
• (20) You track connect rate per 100 dials and answer rate per 100 connected calls for this segment.
• (15) You track physician answered separately from other human answers (gatekeeper, colleague).
• (15) List is sized so you can dial mostly unique physicians in the block (minimal repeats).
• (15) You have a refresh trigger tied to baseline + a scheduled refresh cadence.
• (10) Suppression rules exist and are enforced (wrong number, requested no contact, do-not-call, gatekeeper-only routing notes).

Where Heartbeat.ai fits operationally: teams use verified contact workflows and, when available, ranked mobile numbers by answer probability to prioritize the first dials inside a block.

Outreach Templates:

Short templates designed for physician recruiting realities (gatekeepers, tight windows) while staying respectful and compliant.

Template 1: Voicemail (15 seconds)

“Hi Dr. [Last Name], this is [Your Name]. I’m reaching out about a [specialty] opportunity in [region]. If you’re open to a quick, confidential conversation, call me at [number]. If not, tell me the best way to route this and I’ll update my notes. Thank you.”

Template 2: Gatekeeper routing question (front desk)

“Hi—quick question. I’m trying to reach Dr. [Last Name] for a confidential recruiting call. What’s the best time window to catch them between patients, or is there a preferred way to request a call-back?”

Template 3: Same-day follow-up email after a physician answer

Subject: Follow-up — [Role] in [Region]

“Dr. [Last Name], thanks for taking a minute today. As promised, here are the basics: [1–2 bullets]. If it’s worth a 10-minute screen, what does your calendar look like this week? If not, reply ‘pass’ (or ‘stop’) and I’ll close the loop and won’t follow up.”

Common pitfalls

• Planning by dials instead of conversations. You can hit activity targets and still miss submissions.
• Not separating physician answers from gatekeeper answers. Your answer rate can look “fine” while physician access is the real bottleneck.
• Mixing segments in one block. Different specialties/geos/practice types behave differently; your rates become noise.
• No refresh trigger. Decay turns into wasted blocks and recruiter frustration.
• Repeating the same physicians too fast. You burn goodwill and reduce future pickup likelihood.

Mini-case (what decay looks like): A recruiter runs two blocks on the same list segment and sees connect rate fall versus their baseline while dispositions show more wrong numbers. The fix isn’t longer blocks—it’s an immediate refresh cadence action: suppress bad numbers, re-verify, and rebuild the next call block list.

How to improve results

1) Build the “dials needed” worksheet (CALCULATOR uniqueness hook)

This is the simplest way to make call block math repeatable and extractable for your team.

Worksheet columns (one row per call block):

• Date
• Segment (specialty + geo + practice type)
• Call window (e.g., early AM / lunch / late PM)
• Total dials
• Connected calls
• Human answers
• Physician answers
• Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials
• Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls
• Physician-share = physician answers / human answers
• Physician conversations per dial = connect rate × answer rate × physician-share
• Dials needed for next block = target conversations / (connect rate × answer rate × physician-share)

Start with the simple version if you don’t have physician-share yet, then add it once your dispositions are consistent.

2) Add a sensitivity table (5%, 10%, 15% connect)

Use this to see how list quality changes your day without guessing. Enter your observed answer rate (and physician-share if you track it), then compute dials needed.

Formula (use once for all rows): Physician conversations per 100 dials = (connect rate per 100 dials) × (answer rate as a decimal) × (physician-share as a decimal).

Interpretation: if your connect rate slides from 10 per 100 dials toward 5 per 100 dials, your dials needed roughly double for the same target conversations (holding other inputs constant). That’s why refresh cadence is a margin and morale lever.

3) Measurement instructions (required)

Measure this by… treating each call block as a unit with consistent denominators and segment labels:

• Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials, reported per 100 dials.
• Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls, reported per 100 connected calls.
• Physician-share = physician answers / human answers, reported per 100 human answers.
• Physician conversations per 100 dials = (connect rate per 100 dials) × (answer rate as a decimal) × (physician-share as a decimal).

Make the data usable:

• Track by segment and call window. Don’t mix segments in the same report.
• Use consistent dispositions (wrong number, voicemail, gatekeeper answered, physician answered, requested no contact).
• When connect rate drops versus baseline for that segment/window, trigger refresh cadence: re-verify, suppress, and rebuild the next call block list.

Legal and ethical use

Physician outreach is regulated and reputation-sensitive. Use compliant processes, honor opt-outs immediately, and avoid any approach that looks like mass automation. For U.S. outreach baseline context, review: Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) — FCC.

• Be transparent about who you are and why you’re calling.
• Maintain suppression lists and respect requested no-contact.
• Keep notes minimal and protect candidate privacy.

Evidence and trust notes

This playbook is designed to be auditable: you can validate it with your own call block logs and denominators. For how Heartbeat approaches data quality, verification, and sourcing integrity, see: Heartbeat Trust Methodology.

Compliance baseline reference (not legal advice): FCC TCPA overview.

For deeper metric nuance and how to interpret each denominator in recruiting ops, read: connect rate vs answer rate.

FAQs

What’s the difference between connect rate and answer rate in a call block?

Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (per 100 dials). Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (per 100 connected calls). Track physician-answered separately so you know whether routing is the bottleneck.

How do I calculate dials needed for a physician recruiting call block?

Use: dials needed = target physician conversations / (connect rate × answer rate). If you track physician-share (physician answers / human answers), include it: dials needed = target / (connect × answer × physician-share).

How do I know when to refresh my call list?

Track connect rate per 100 dials by segment and call window. If it drops meaningfully versus your baseline for that same segment/window across consecutive blocks, trigger refresh cadence: re-verify, suppress bad numbers, and rebuild the next call block list.

Why do my connects look fine but I’m not reaching physicians?

Your answer rate may be driven by gatekeepers or non-physician human answers. Add a physician-answered disposition and track physician-share so you can separate routing issues from list quality issues.

Should I plan call blocks by time or by outcomes?

Plan by outcomes first (physician conversations), then back into dials and list size. Time is the container; outcomes are what move the search.

Next steps

• Build a cleaner call list so your call block math isn’t built on stale inputs: how to build a physician call list.
• Sanity-check what “direct dial” really means before you operationalize it: physician direct dial database: what to check.
• Ready to run this with real data? start free search & preview data.

About the Author

Ben Argeband is the Founder and CEO of Swordfish.ai and Heartbeat.ai. With deep expertise in data and SaaS, he has built two successful platforms trusted by over 50,000 sales and recruitment professionals. Ben’s mission is to help teams find direct contact information for hard-to-reach professionals and decision-makers, providing the shortest route to their next win. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.