Call Center Software: Predictive Dialing Explained

If you’re assessing the relative merits of one call center software package over another, you will probably run into the term “predictive dialing.” Predictive dialing is an important feature well worth considering. Let’s dig a little deeper.

In the simplest terms, the predictive dialer automatically places calls and routes those calls when answered to call center agents. It does this by employing mathematical algorithms that predict the number of answered calls on the call list, and the number of available live agents who will be available to take those calls. The purpose is to reduce drastically the amount of time live agents spend waiting for a call.

The predictive dialer software manages the calls it makes, abandoning calls that go to busy numbers, fax machines, answering machines, and disconnected lines. The predictive dialer then only connects calls answered by a person to a waiting call center agent. It is quite effective: Some studies have found that the software more than doubles the time per hour a call center agent spends on a live sales call. That translates into very significant savings in call center operational costs.

Predicative dialing is only one consideration when evaluating competing call center software packages, but it’s an important one.

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