Predictive Dialers - Links

A predictive dialer is an intelligent outbound call processing system.

Predictive dialers are designed to increase efficiency in the contact center by screening out unnecessary calls such as answering machines and busy signals, and by monitoring average call length to keep call agents fed with live connections.

In addition to dialing calls, predictive dialers monitor the length of each call and develop an average call length. Once the system knows the average call length, the predictive dialer can make the next call and "hand it off" to the call agent as soon as the first call has ended. This system maximizes the on-phone time of each call agent, and the overall result is, more potential customers are contacted in a shorter period of time.

Autodialer is the umbrella term for physical devices or else computer applications that make automated phone calls.

Autodialers can be set up to send a prerecorded message to the party on the receiving end of a phone call, and often have a feature to automatically transfer the customer to a live operator should the customer signal willingness to purchase, for example by pressing buttons on the phone in response to instructions. More recent web-based autodialers operate without any physical device, and generate calls via software from pre-entered call lists.