Teams overthink dialer modes. The question that settles it: would a wrong first sentence cost you the deal? If yes, the agent needs to see history, notes and talking points before the call starts. That’s preview. If no, let the queue do the work.
When preview wins
Enterprise renewals, account management, anything where the last conversation matters more than the next one. The preview dialer shows the record, then waits for Start Call.
When auto wins
Prospecting, event follow-up, re-engagement. The record still appears as the call connects, but the agent doesn’t pause to study it.
Mixing both
Modes are set per campaign, not per team. Run the renewals list on preview in the morning and the prospecting list on auto after lunch. Retries, schedules and CRM logging behave the same in both.