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Types of Predictive Dialing Solution

Predictive dialing solutions are used in outbound call centers to reduce average agent idle time and place calls automatically to customers without an agent being on the line. The key idea here is to anticipate when agents will complete their calls and to time new calls so that the next called person will answer shortly after an agent becomes idle. Predictive dialing solution is a fundamental step forward in improving efficiency as compared to earlier dialing attempts when call centre industry was in nascent phase. In earlier days the dialers used to begin a new dialing attempt every n seconds (3 to 10 seconds).These earlier dialers resulted in lots of agent idle time and abandoned calls.

Predictive dialing solution uses complex algorithms to predict calls. There are two basic types of predictive dialing : Soft Predictive and hard Predictive .

Soft Predictive dialing solution provide a software approach using ISDN messaging or computer telephony integration – CTI (CTI is a technology that allows interactions on a telephone and a computer to be integrated or coordinated). The advantage of this implementation lies in their low cost, as they make use of fewer components. The flexible architecture of soft predictive dialing works well in multi-site and distributed environments. This type of dialing solution is often part of an integrated inbound/outbound call handling package and integrate easily to existing desktop applications and management information systems. The downside of this approach is they require more number of telephony connections and the quality of certain capabilities such as answering machine detection may suffer.

Hardware Predictive dialing solution makes use of dedicated telephony switch to perform call progress analysis and answering machine detection. This approach requires less telephony connections and has superior answering machine and call progress detection abilities. The downside of this approach is that it is more expensive, more suited for larger call centers. The architecture of this type of dialing solution is typically less flexible than the software alternative. Most current hardware solutions available in market are more than a decade old and struggle to keep pace with new requirements. Most of the available varieties are typically USA centric and fail to comply with international legislation.