Predictive dialer vs auto dialer — what's the difference?

Predictive dialing is metrics-based automatic dialing. At its core, it is a software module—a dialer—that calls your contact database, instead of an operator. Unlike standard auto dialers, predictive dialers do not make successive calls. Rather, they use several lines at once and utilize metrics to make calls. To improve prediction accuracy, the program continuously collects data and calculates the:

• average call time per project;
• average time spent completing call cards;
• average time to answer customer calls, and;
• percentage of calls per project.

These analyses allow you to predict how many contacts to call at one time, so that an operator is available and on the line by the time the client answers. As the program gathers more data, fewer situations will arise where a client answers a call with no available operator. This saves time, both for the employees working these calls and the clients waiting on the line.

Predictive dialers are a type of auto dialer that focus on achieving a higher call rate and streamlining call center workflow. They try to reach as many clients as possible by dialing multiple numbers at once and automatically connecting answering clients with the next available call center operators.

Unlike auto dialers, predictive dialers use metrics to predict how many operators will be available at a given time. The predictive dialer connects potential clients who answer the phone with available operators, filters out inactive numbers and answering systems, and calls non-answering clients again.

With a standard auto dialer, you can have only one operator per line. The software calls the database sequentially. So, to increase the number of lines, the call center has to add more sales managers.

A predictive dialer calls several lines at once and connects answering clients with operators who have just completed their conversations. This approach speeds up the calling process by 3–5 times.