Guest Contributor
Trending

When should you invest in a predictive dialer?

By | Samantha Roberson

Don’t get confused when you hear the word ‘predictive dialer’. It has nothing to do with prediction. It doesn’t predict anything. In fact, it is nothing but a regular dialing system where the list of numbers is being loaded into the software via EXCEL, CSV or HTML to simultaneous and multiple calls at the same time in multiple formats such as round-robin, fixed sequence or alternate.

Predictive dialer is also known as an auto-dialer.

The word ‘predictive’ here means to find the right sequence set by the user to dial calls. Mostly the predictive dialer is used by outbound call centers to make calls for different purposes such as sales, feedback, and marketing.

A virtual phone number is being used in the predictive dialer to make calls. One can feed multiple virtual numbers to make calls with so that incoming call flow can also be managed properly in case of the callback.

So how does a business know- when is the right time to invest in the predictive dialer and who should invest in it? In this blog, we are going to learn more about the same. This article will also help sales guys to make more sales by applying different techniques.

Who should use a predictive dialer?

Predictive dialer is most frequently being used by large call center operations of banking, manufacturing and healthcare institutions to make calls to reach out to their customers. These calls are related to a fresh customer lead or existing customer upgrade or a feedback call.

If you are an outsourcing company and have large teams that are contracted to perform any of the activities listed above, a predictive dialer is a must for you.

There are multiple advantages of using a predictive dialer. Some of them are:

It saves time- it takes a minimum of 1 minute to load a contact lead and dial a phone call to the customer. With the use of a predictive dialer, this time comes down to just 5 seconds. If you put it into perspective, it doesn’t only save time but also increases the efficiency of the employees to perform faster and better.

Cost-effective- When you are required to make calls in bulk or large volumes, you will be able to negotiate better with the service provider to provide you better calling rates and sometimes even unlimited calling based on the contract feasibility. Another additional advantage is that it helps you reduce the cost of the operations by a minimum 40%.

When should you start using a predictive dialer?

Only a handful of companies use a predictive dialer. This is not because it is more infrastructure oriented but it’s simply not feasible to auto-dial the number when you have a smaller customer base or fewer employees. However, you must start exploring your options for the predictive dialer when your call center is required to make more outbound calls in huge volume. By experience, we would say about 200 calls a day per person.

How does predictive dialer work?

The mechanism is very simple and is the same as any regular telephone line. The only difference is that there are multiple ports and lines on the route that allows the system to make multiple calls at the same time. Another matter of fact is that it is called predictive dialer because the system is able to understand the availability of the agent whether free or taking calls and throws the calls accordingly.

How much does it cost to implement a predictive dialer?

It truly depends on your negotiation skills and volume of calls. In general, it may cost anything between $80 to $200 per day person. This cost covers all your expenses such as phone systems, call charges, features, etc.

What are the drawbacks of a predictive dialer?

Since the phone infrastructure is set to make a large volume of calls. You might observe the call drops based on how your telephony infrastructure is. This means that out of every 100 calls you make, 2 calls may not connect or disconnect as soon as they are connected. Nevertheless, it is still the best solution for outbound dialers or large call volumes.

Having said that, please keep in mind that it is illegal to have calls drop more than 3% in the United States of America. As per FCC guidelines, you may be imposed on fines if such instances occur and are notified by the customer. This means that you have to select the auto-dialer with a great track record and brilliant infrastructure that is capable of managing hundreds and thousands of calls at the same time.

In the end, if you are able to understand the aspects or autodialer, also known as predictive dialer, you can make a decision whether or not you want to use such a service in your business.

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button