Benefits of Predictive Dialers in the Call Center and Beyond

Predictive dialers are nothing new. They’re widely used in call centers across the world to manage outbound calls, both live and automated.

Predictive dialers are computer-based systems that automatically dial a list of phone numbers. When the system is used to make live calls, the computer immediately routes the call to an agent or salesperson when – and if – someone answers the phone. With automated messages, the technology is often used for surveys, appointment confirmations and collection efforts. Either way, the predictive dialer can be set up to leave a message if no one answers the phone.

Most large companies are already using predictive dialers, but small and mid-size businesses can benefit from the technology, too. Predictive dialers also have significant advantages for political campaigns and nonprofits. In order to better understand what a predictive dialer can do for your company or organization, we’ll walk you through the benefits here.

1. Better Call Efficiency and Productivity

You might not think it takes much time to dial a phone number, but when you have employees who are on the phone all day, those lost seconds turn into lost minutes and hours. Factor in all the time wasted calling disconnected numbers or people who aren’t home, and your outgoing call volume has plummeted. That means fewer sales and fewer happy customers.

With a predictive dialer, you can input a list of contacts and have the computer handle all of the dialing. If someone picks up, the call goes directly to a customer service rep or salesperson. If the number is busy, disconnected or a fax line, the dialer moves on to the next.

Predictive dialers are even more efficient when you’re making calls that don’t require a live person. Rather than having your staff members make individual calls for surveys, appointment reminders or collections, the computer can send out hundreds or thousands of automated messages at once. You achieve the same goal – ideally – without tying up staff hours.

Outside of the business world, automated calls are widely used by political campaigns to send messages to voters, seek donations or conduct surveys. Nonprofits use predictive dialers to ask for donations or send legislation updates relevant to their cause. In all sorts of situations where efficiency is important and resources are limited, predictive dialers are useful.

2. Decreased Call Center Costs

Better efficiency equals lower costs – we all know that. The cost savings are difficult to measure because they vary from one company to another, but they’re real. One of the biggest areas of savings is personnel costs. A predictive dialer can cut down on the number of staff members and/or staff hours needed because each person can make far more calls. There’s less downtime, which allows you to make the most out of the staff members you have.

Predictive dialers do come at a cost, of course, but the investment is minimal and it is easily recouped. A la carte predictive dialers cost anywhere from $50-$200 per agent per month, depending on the system’s capabilities. Or, you can opt for a complete cloud-based call center software package that includes a predictive dialer for $100-$300 per agent per month.

3. Increased Sales

Most experts say predictive dialers have the potential to double your outbound call volume. The results aren’t always that dramatic, but they can be. So the salespeople or telemarketers who are making 50 calls per day are suddenly capable of making 100. We all know what happens when a sales staff dramatically increases the number of calls: sales go up.

Predictive dialers also increase sales by eliminating downtime. Salespeople and telemarketers can’t sit around pretending to look busy or waste time on the phone with their friends when the numbers are automatically being dialed for them.

It’s important to note, however, that people are not machines. While predictive dialers can greatly increase staff efficiency, it’s important to set reasonable expectations for the amount of time each employee spends on the phone. The one thing you don’t want to do is create a bunch of overworked and miserable employees in the name of efficiency.

Kunnect sells 100% cloud-based call center software that includes a predictive dialer to businesses and political campaigns. Our software, hosted in the Amazon platform, seamlessly manages all inbound and outbound calling for a flat rate of $125 per agent per month with a flat deposit of $125 per user.

Learn how Kunnect can help you, why not get in touch with us? >>>Contact us