Most of us (in the Contact Center industry that is) are aware of what the dialer technology is about. Dialer simply does the dirty work for us - eliminate the busy numbers, answering machines, FAX tones and connect us to the live callers only. But it is easy to get lost in that technology jargon we regularly come across, so I am simply going to try to clear up the air for those who get lost in the maze of technology-related terms and phrases

Predictive Dialer (Dynamic Pacing Dialer)

The predictive dialer is the smartest of them all. Managed either in-premise or hosted (SaaS), the dialer uses internal algorithms and methods to make more calls than the number of agents, and connect only the live calls to agents. The system “learns” intelligently how many calls to make at any moment, depending on various parameters such as agent availability, average talk time, average wrap-up time, and “paces” the call-making mechanism accordingly. For instance, out of 100 calls made any moment, about 60 calls are answered by Answering Machines or are busy/unreachable. Out of the rest 40, another 10 could be FAX or SIT tones (maybe just incomplete numbers too). That leaves us with 30 calls, which are connected to the agents. The pacing varies depending on the connection and response rates. For example, in 1:3 pacing, the system can make about 90 calls for 30 agents any moment. The ratio varies as system becomes more sensitive to fluctuations in the parameters and minimizes idle time as well as call drops.

Now the agents save up a lot of time this way (it takes about 20 secs to 1 min just to dial a number once or multiple times in case it’s busy/wrong/unreachable), and as a result, we get over 400% increase in call connects and about 50-100% increase in effective sales. Number of calls can range upto 500 calls per day with occupancy rates of above 80%!

This mode is ideal for huge call lists (usually B2C), where businesses can afford a few dropped calls too. Not recommended for small or expensive high-quality lists with high priority customers.

Good systems also take care of Do-Not-Call and regulatory compliances. Some systems integrate with external systems while others have inbuilt DNC modules.

Fixed Pacing Dialer

Now be wary on this one. Lots of vendors claim to offer Predictive Dialing, but instead provide what we call “Static Pacing”. The system will make a certain number of calls depending on the pacing limit (for instance maximum of 150 calls for 100 agents if the ratio is 1:1.5). The system does not intelligently change pace as per the various parameters, but has to be modified (rather intuitively) by the system admin, as the agent occupancy and dropped call rates fluctuate. This is a good mode if you are not very hung-up about the live connection rates, and if you have a dedicated guy running the show. Less  expensive than the predictive dialer.

Broadcast/IVR dialer (also Autodialer)

This dialer does not require any agents. The system simply takes a lead list, and starts calling prospects/customers. The customers are then made to listen to pre-recorded messages or take actions via an IVR menu. This is good for reminder & notification calls and political campaigns, but requires an IVR system that works in conjunction with it.

Preview Dialer

This is a better version of manual dialer, and is ideal for very high value and/or expensive lead-lists. In this case, the customers details pop-up on the agent screen and the agent can continue with the call if he/she so desires. The lead list (like in most cases) is uploaded in the system, but the agent has the control over accpeting/denying the call.

Progressive Dialer (Also forced-preview or precise dialer)

The same as preview dialer, with the difference that agent does not have control over accepting/denying the call. The agent has a few seconds to go over the customer details before the call is connected to him/her. Good when you’re dealing with high net worth clients, who don’t like to wait at all.

Power dialer

In this mode, the system ensures availability of the agent by connecting him/her first to the system, and then dials out the call to the customer. In case the agent hangs up before the customer is connected, the system will cancel the call, and initiate the next call(s) to the available agent(s). Useful in scenarios where the lead lists are of very high quality and there is zero tolerance for dropped/abandoned calls.

Interactive Voice Messaging

This has become prominent off-late and involves an IVR’s involvement too. The system plays a pre-recorded greeting for the customer in case the agents are engaged in other interactions, and connects him/her as soon as an agent becomes available. This is particulary useful in lowering the abandonment rates, and in boosting cross-selling and up-selling with minimal resources. Not very widely used, however.

So that’s the fodder on dialer terminology. It becomes important to know the requirements and criticality of the process before deciding on what kind of technology would be apt for your outbound process. For most B2C campaigns, predictive dialer would perhaps be the best option. Preview, power or progressive dialer would suffice on other cases where you’re not looking at dialing hundreds of numbers everyday. However, it becomes imperative to choose the right vendor with the right technology. It would be advisable to have a demo run (if your vendor can provide it), or check with a few clients about the productivity increase they’ve seen, before you zero in on the technology.

But good technology will not be cheap, and you may have to shell out a little more. Good premise based solutions require one to invest upfront in the infrastructure. There is another alternative however if cost is a deterrent - a “hosted dialer” offering for which you’ll need to pay a small one-time charge and a per-user-per-month recurring fee. More on these later.