Predictive dialers dial phone numbers for your outbound call center. They listen for busy signals, fax lines or a human voice. The predictive phone dialer then passes the live customer to a free agent and continues the dialing process. If the predictive dialer reaches a fax, busy signal or voice mail, it leaves a message or takes appropriate action according to how you program it.

Get more out of your call center agents. Predictive dialing systems allow agents to talk to live customers instead of spending the time dialing.

Predictive telephone dialers:

1. Call outbound cold calling leads.

2. Can integrate with your inbound calling system.

3. Use hosted predictive dialer systems.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use predictive dialing systems to handle your outbound calls

Program your predictive phone dialer to call back the busy calls in ten minutes. Program it to leave a call back number or message of your choice on any voice mail or answering machine.

I recommend: Touch Star predictive phone dialers call from any directory you provide, business-to-business or residential. Program it to comply with federal and state do not call lists, time zones, and other features your business needs. These predictive telephone dialers can even predict the average length of the phone call. Tell it how many representatives are available for calls, and watch your reps answer live calls, not dead air. Amcat predictive telephone dialers work with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology for Internet phones. Amcat gets the call to your agent quickly so there is less abandonment rate. Your customer just does not get the chance to hang up before your agent speaks to him. Make an informed predictive dialer comparison before you buy.

Deploy hosted predictive dialing systems and save

Hosted predictive dialing systems allow you to connect via a broadband Internet connection. There is no need to buy or maintain expensive equipment or extra phone lines.

I recommend: Five 9 is the answer to outbound call center needs. Their predictive dialer compares favorably to hardware you buy, but you save costs by not buying or maintaining the equipment. Make My Calls, Inc offers a hosted predictive dialing service that you can try before you buy. Therefore, you can do your own predictive dialer comparison to see if hosted predictive dialing solutions are right for your business. They also offer month-to-month contracts for short-term use.

Integrate your predictive dialer with your current system

By integrating your autodialer with your already existing call center solution, you'll save money and the time it would take to learn a brand new system.

I recommend: Oracle sells predictive phone dialers that integrate with existing customer care services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Prices for predictive dialers vary widely from company to company. Some companies have packages that save money if you need all the services provided, but they are more costly if you don't. Request a quote with only the services your business will use now. You can add later if your needs change.