Predictive Dialer Use in Call Centers

Individuals often receive telemarketing calls on their home phones. These calls are attempts to sell products or enroll customers in company programs. However, telemarketers do not make individual calls themselves; the call process is automated. Call center technology, such as the predictive dialer, is used to ensure that call centers can make as many outbound calls as possible. A predictive dialer, using a predetermined list of phone numbers, makes phone calls and subsequently connects a call center worker with the person who has answered the call. Call center workers, known as phone agents, usually hear a beep that lets them know an active call is on the line.

They then answer the call with a scripted message, which has been approved by the company for which they work. However, sometimes a call center agent may be momentarily unavailable. If she has not set her phone line to auxiliary to indicate her unavailability, an active call can still be routed to her line. A predictive dialer ensures that the call is still answered. It uses sensors to determine if a call is answered in a timely manner by a call agent. If a call is sent to a queue and does not receive an audible response by an agent within two seconds of the customer’s greeting, an automated response is activated so that the customer does not receive a blank response. At times, there may be delays in the automated dialing process.

Only a percentage of the outbound calls that are made will be answered. Individuals may not be home at the time of the call, or they may choose not to answer the phone. A predictive dialer makes several attempts to contact a person at the specified number. Approximately 33 percent of automated calls are answered. A predictive dialer will determine if call agents are available and redial a targeted phone line. If the call is answered, it is routed to an open call agent. If the call is not answer, it is returned to the queue to be redialed. The redialing process can cause delays. In addition, answered calls take time to complete. No new calls may be routed to a call agent who is already on a phone call. An automated call generally rings for about 10 seconds before it is answered. Then, conversations with a phone representative last at least 60 seconds.

A predictive dialer will start dialing a new number after the call has been in progress for 60 seconds. This dial pattern gives the agent enough time to complete the current call, and it accounts for the 10-second delay that occurs when the outbound call is waiting to be answered. If phone numbers are dialed one at a time, phone agents are usually occupied on active calls for only 40 minutes out of every hour. However, the call overlap of a predictive dialer increases the agent's time on active calls to approximately 57 minutes out of every work hour. For predictive dialing to be effective, it must be consistent, and customers must reach a call agent or automated response system.

The FCC regulates the use of predictive dialers to ensure that calls are consistently conducted in a polite manner and are not regularly abandoned. In fact, federal regulations prohibit predictive dialers from dropping or abandoning more than 3 percent of answered outbound calls. Predictive dialing is frequently used in telemarketing. The call agents are trained to solicit individuals to purchase items or services. At times, they may attempt to schedule an appointment with a salesperson who can demonstrate the usefulness of the product or service being offered. Scripts are used by the call agents. However, recorded solicitation messages are also employed.