ENGAGE VOICE
What is a Predictive Dialer?
Auto-Dialer Software for Efficient Predictive Dialing
Maximize agent productivity and minimize worries of idle time, answering machines, and time zone navigation with Engage Voice’s predictive auto dialer algorithm.
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Written by Andy Watson
Senior Manager, Product Marketing
Reviewed by John Finch
VP, Product Marketing, AI Customer Experience
Updated: 01 October 2024
What is a predictive dialer?
A predictive dialer is a type of automated dialer that places phone calls even before the agents become available. It’s designed to increase agents’ efficiency by calling as many leads as possible.
The system quickly moves on to the next lead after an unanswered call. Calls answered, on the other hand, are quickly routed to the next available agent. This guarantees more productive talk time, ensuring improved productivity for the call center.
What is the difference between a predictive dialer and an auto dialer?
An auto dialer is a contact center tool that makes the agent's life easier by removing the need for manual dialing. It systematically dials phone numbers and connects the call to the agent if someone picks up their phone.
A predictive dialer, on the other hand, is a type of auto dialer that aims for a higher calling rate by trying to connect to as many customers as possible. It will do this by dialing multiple phone numbers at once then automatically connects answered calls to the next available agent.
Data-driven power dialer that promotes sales-driven success
Engage Voice’s predictive algorithm empowers your business to find a frictionless path to greater sales opportunities, connecting agents to more live calls and fewer dead-ends. From proactive customer service call centers to sales, telemarketing, market research, and debt collection teams, contact centers that use outbound predictive dialers are seeing a 200% to 400% increase in connection rates from day one.
How does a predictive dialer work?
Predict the number of
free agents when the
dialer starts
free agents when the
dialer starts
Model probability of calls
connected to a real
person
connected to a real
person
The agent connects and
accomplishes the
business goal
accomplishes the
business goal
Analyze and rebuild the
predictive model in
real-time
predictive model in
real-time
The agent connects
(Again) and accomplishes
the business goal with
virtually zero idle time
(Again) and accomplishes
the business goal with
virtually zero idle time
Take a look at these four factors that drive how predictive dialer solutions work.
- Pacing algorithm - How effective the predictive dialer software can be lies in its capacity to achieve a balance between the number of free agents and the number of outbound calls placed. Think of the pacing algorithm as a mathematical formula that helps the dialer predict the number of calls that should be placed and based on when the agents are available. Also, the pacing algorithm is adaptive, meaning that if many agents are available at one given time, the dialing increases and more calls are dialed, but if less agents are available, the dialing is slowed down, and less calls are dialed, to give time for the busy agents to finish their calls.
- Abandon Rate - While it’s important for the predictive dialing software to be aggressive in dialing numbers, it should also be precise. If too many calls are placed before agents become available, it will take too long before a potential customer is connected to a live agent, he or she might begin to hear long silence before the agent is connected, and will abandon the call. Call center managers should approach calling campaigns with the goal of minimizing the number of abandoned calls along with cutting back idle time among agents.
- Campaign management and call center size - Predictive dialers typically perform better with large campaigns, in which there’s bigger statistical data to learn from and more room for the prediction algorithm to improve.
- Agent awareness - Timing is everything in predictive dialing. That’s why the dialing software needs significant agent data and call details, such as the number of live and idle agents and the average call duration.
* A little history: Predictive dialers have been around for 30 years and were used primarily in the banking industry, specifically in debt collection.
OUTPUT & OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Empower agents so they get more done
Make stronger connections
with automated dialers and blending in the background leading the way to live prospects and increased productivity
Count on 99.99% uptime
from dependable connections that don’t leave agents or customers hanging
Tailor campaigns to your goals
with rule-setting and data integration capabilities for establishing who you’re calling, when you’re calling, and how often
AGENT EXPERIENCE
Arm agents with the information, tools, and guidance they need to own every moment
Keep agents well-informed
with quick access to customer information and seamless syncing between agent desktop and external applications
Focus on winning customers, not troubleshooting tech
with simplified, intuitive UI
Smooth out the sales process
with guided engagement flows that automatically adapt to each customer interaction
COACHING AND ANALYTICS
Never stop improving the way your business wins–and serves–customers
Boost agent performance
with real-time call center manager or supervisor coaching capabilities from Monitor, Chat Suggestions, and Barge-in
Understand where help is needed
with at-a-glance visibility of live reporting dashboards that analyze agent success
Improve quality assurance
with closed feedback loops from readily available automated call recordings
BUILT FOR TRUST
Create trust and promote positive customer engagements
Mind regulations as you go
with ManualDial, featuring TCPA risk mitigation-supporting tools, human intervention, and time zone conscious technology
Respect your customers
with seamless DNC list integration that lets customers opt out and helps agents stay aware of their choice
Encourage call-backs
with around-the-clock reachability from real call back numbers, IVR, intelligent blending, and inbound routing
Predictive Dialer FAQs
What is the difference between predictive and progressive dialer?
Predictive and progressive dialers are two of the more popular automatic dialer systems used by organizations. Both have their merits and drawbacks. Find out which which one will work better for your business with the table below.
Predictive dialers vs. progressive dialers
Dialing Modes |
Outbound Dialing |
Call Frequency |
Algorithms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predictive Dialer | Outbound DialingDials numbers even before an agent becomes available |
Call FrequencyPlaces multiple calls for each available agent |
AlgorithmsUses pacing algorithm to determine availability of agent |
| Progressive Dialer | Outbound DialingDials numbers only when an agent becomes available |
Call FrequencyPlaces a call for each available agent |
AlgorithmsDoesn’t use algorithm since dialing is done in real time |
What is predictive dialer in a call center?
An efficient outbound call process
Simply put, a cloud-based predictive dialer automates the dialing process, using call metrics, analytics, and reports to dramatically increase the dialing rate and improve outbound call center efficiency. But in order to maximize its usage, your team should exceed the minimum required number of agents or you might encounter prediction failures
Not just for sales teams
A predictive dialer helps accelerate the efforts of every sales rep or sales teams in an outbound or inbound-outbound (blended) call center setting, but it’s even more beneficial to industries and projects that prioritize leads and volume. Examples include appointment scheduling, debt collection, nonprofit fundraising, political canvassing, and public awareness.
Are predictive dialers illegal?
Auto dialers, predictive dialers in particular, are not illegal. However, like anything else, it’s prone to abuse.
In the past, organizations with aggressive outbound sales teams would use it to push their products or services to everyone, even those who did not even give out their numbers and just wanted to be left alone.
This is where TCPA comes in. TCPA, or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, restricts organizations from using auto dialers, which includes predictive dialing, from placing uninvited calls like telemarketing and robocalls to cell phone numbers without a prior written consent of the customer. In fact, there is even a National Do Not Call Registry where people can register their phone numbers to signify that they want to limit the number of telemarketing and solicitation calls they receive.
There’s a lot more to the TCPA but the gist of it is that auto dialers like predictive dialing become illegal if the owners of the cell phone numbers they are automatically dialing gave no prior consent. If the organization does its due diligence in keeping a Do not Call database and provides consumers an avenue to give or take their consent, they will mitigate their risks of breaking any laws significantly.
How much is auto dialer software?
Depending on your needs, be prepared to shell out a few hundred dollars for standard, downloadable software that can manage only one outbound call at a time, to thousands of dollars for professional, more advanced software that allows thousands of automated outbound calls per hour. Dialer software providers can charge upfront, per call, monthly, or annually. You’ll be able to save more when you get an enterprise cloud contact center software like RingCentral Engage Voice.
What is the top predictive dialer software?
The best dialer software is one that empowers your call center agents, boosts sales through your outbound calling strategy, promotes workflow automation, and ultimately helps deliver enhanced customer experiences. RingCentral Engage, for instance, is an omnichannel contact center solution that features dialer phone systems aimed at championing your agents so they could deliver beyond expectations,while mitigating your compliance risks, like TCPA. Your best option is the one that can give you everything you need now and in the future.
What to get: Depending on your individual marketing needs, your contact center platform can switch between these two different outbound dialers. But rather than getting them separately, you’re better off getting intelligent call center software like RingCentral Engage Voice, which offers comprehensive contact center solutions. That way, you won’t have to look elsewhere for different dialing modes.
How much is a predictive dialing software?
You’d think something as beneficial as a predictive dialer could only have a hefty price tag that no one but large outbound call centers can afford. That may be true if you don’t pick the right provider.
Call center dialers are available as both an on-premises and a hosted solution. When you choose to install it on your computers and have it managed by your in-house IT team, an on-premises solution could take up a lot of your resources. After all, you’ll be the one shouldering maintenance and upgrade costs.
A standalone predictive dialer could set you back around $5,000 for a system that can only accommodate a small number of agents. A large call center can make that shoot up a few hundred more dollars. That’s not even including installation and maintenance costs that could take up a significant portion of your budget.
Learn more about call center efficiency: Reach out to a cloud provider like RingCentral and learn how you can economize while boosting call center performance with software that includes multiple dialing modes, such as progressive and preview dialers.
Why get a cloud-hosted predictive dialer software?
Predictive dialers started as hardware solutions, but for modern, omnichannel contact centers, it’s hard to ignore the benefits offered by cloud dialers. These include reduced upfront capital expenses and IT costs as well as more time spent talking to clients.
Tools for increased productivity: Apart from call routing, call recording, call transfer, call monitoring, and automatic call distribution, the best cloud predictive dialers also come with the following features:
- Voice broadcast - relays important messages to multiple customers simultaneously
- Answering machine detection - dialer allows agents to leave a message and move on to other clients
- Time zone awareness - delays calls until optimum answer times
- Local presence caller ID - improves answer rate
- CRM integration - enables seamless lead generation
Achieve more with a leading cloud-based call center software solution from RingCentral!
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