A predictive dialer is generally a computerized system that automatically dials batches of telephone numbers, and developed from the auto dialer. Predictive dialers are widely used in call centers.
A predictive dialer can dramatically increase the time an agent spends on communication rather than waiting: a 2002 survey indicated an increase in talk time from twenty minutes in the hour to almost fifty. The system is most suitable for low quality lists and large numbers of agents; a high contact rate can overwhelm the system.
Predictive dialer systems are commonly used by telemarketing organizations involved in B2C (business to consumer) calling as it allows their sales representatives to have much more customer contact time. Predictive dialers may also be used by market survey companies and debt collection services that need to contact and personally speak to a lot of people by telephone.
Types of Predictive Dialer
Predictive dialers perform the same function but the architecture and delivery methods can vary greatly between manufacturers. There are several types of predictive dialing Software, Hardware, Smart, and
Hosted dialers.
In recent years, ‘mixed’ type predictive dialers have emerged. These predictive dialers are based on simpler hardware, such as voice modems, and more powerful software for answering machine detection and call progress detection.
Soft dialers
Software only solutions use ISDN messaging, or a CTI link to provide call progress analysis for calls made. Software only dialers are often cheaper because they do not require expensive telephony components, but in some cases can offer less functionality than more traditional ‘hard dialer’ solutions, particularly when it comes to detecting answering machines (AMD) and integration with other ‘voice’ related functions (voice recording, IVR, speech recognition, text-to-speech etc.
Hard dialers
Hardware dialers use dedicated telephony switches to perform call progress analysis and answering machine detection. Those switches usually have two main types of connections, agent audio and external audio. The agent audio connections are usually simple T1/E1/ISDN etc. telephony spans which are connected directly to an existing PBX (although other connection types that do not require a PBX are available such as Analogue or VoIP connections). When an agent first logs in for the day, the dialer will place a call from the switch directly to the phone on the agent’s desk.
Smart predictive dialers
Smart predictive dialers combine auto dialing with voice messaging and phone agents who are prepared to handle calls initiated by the dialer. Answering machines, busy signals, and no answer calls are processed in a manner similar to that of a normal predictive dialing system. However, when a ‘live’ answer is detected, the dialer plays an introductory recorded message, giving the call recipient the option to talk with an agent to complete the transaction. This message is a consistent greeting that identifies the caller, the nature of the call, and the option to speak with an agent. This process requires a more sophisticated predictive algorithm to ensure that a phone agent is available when the call recipient asks to speak with an agent.
Hosted predictive dialers
The another type of predictive dialer is Hosted predictive dialers (aka Virtual Predictive Dialers, Web-Enabled Predictive Dialers, and VoIP Predictive Dialers) use the SaaS (Software as a Service) model to provide organizations and individuals with a predictive dialer capability. Typically, the only requirement for a firm to use a hosted predictive dialer system is a computer with an Internet connection and a telephone line for each agent.
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