Countless studies reveal the benefits afforded to charities that get in contact with their donors via the phone. A study from Penelope Burk, author of Donor Centred Fundraising, found that calling donors to thank them for their donation the next day led to a 39 percent increase in the amount donated the next time a donation was requested.
Likewise, The Thistle Foundation found that thanking their regular donors for their support and updating them on what their money has been used for led to a 41 percent increase in donation amounts. Similarly, HJC Nonprofit Consulting found that calling pledge participants to offer encouragement and support in setting up donation pages led to pledge donations increasing by 400 percent!
Despite the clear benefits charities can gain by calling potential donors, many charities and non-profits will only call in traditional manners; manually dialling numbers and recording outcomes in spreadsheets. However, the process could be made far easier and more efficient by employing the use of a predictive dialler. We take a look at some of the ways in which a predictive dialler can benefit charities.
What is a Predictive Dialler?
Predictive diallers call several numbers at once, with the view that, out of those numbers, some calls will be busy, unanswered or disconnected. The dialler can skip these numbers and connect the volunteer with the first person to pick up the phone. As the call comes to a conclusion, the dialler can predict this, and pre-emptively dial the next number, so the volunteer goes from one call to the next. The predictive dialler can also record and store data gained in the conversation automatically, eliminating the need to make notes or perform administrative tasks following the call.
More Time on Calls
Without a predictive dialler, volunteers would need to manually dial each number in turn, wait for the call to connect, and deal with many unanswered calls, answering machines and busy tones. With the predictive dialler automatically connecting volunteers to donors, and eliminating the need to manually dial each number, the amount of time wasted between calls is greatly reduced, allowing volunteers to focus solely on talking to donors.
Better Data
Predictive diallers will typically contain an interface that will allow you to make notes on each donor during the calls. With your predictive dialler integrated with your customer relationship management system, you will be able to keep all of your data up to date, in one place, and securely managed. When that donor is called again, notes on their file may contain information about their interests, or reasons that they have chosen to donate in the past, which can be used to better engage with the donor and make a more personal connection.
Leaving Messages to Reach Everyone
Even if a predictive dialler doesn’t connect a volunteer to a particular number, for example, because an answer machine was detected, that doesn’t mean that the contact is fully avoided. Numbers that a predictive dialler doesn’t connect to a volunteer may instead receive a message, explaining who has called and the reason for the call. That way, when the potential donor checks their answering machine or voicemail, they will hear the message and may be prompted to return the call or make a donation.
Call Prompts
Predictive diallers may have the option to provide your volunteers with scripts. For some smaller charities and nonprofits, volunteers may not be as proficiently trained in such calls, and may need a helping hand with what to say. Using scripts is also beneficial for new volunteers who may not be confident enough to complete their first calls without that support. Scripts can provide volunteers with prompts to reiterate key points, the objective of the call and any information that they may need to give the donor regarding their donation, payment, or charitable event.
Tracking Progress
Predictive diallers can make tracking campaign progress far easier. Metrics regarding the calls made and the results achieved from them will be available. This makes tracking the performance of each volunteer easier, and can highlight areas of the campaign that need to be adapted to gain better results.
Secure Payments
If you are a charity looking to upgrade to a predictive dialler to reap the rewards it can offer, you must also consider PCI DSS compliance. Many charitable organisations will take payments over the phone from their donors, and if this is the case, then you must ensure that the system you are using is PCI-DSS compliant with these regulations. Here at Hostcomm, we offer an agent assisted PCI-DSS compliant payment IVR and predictive dialler in one solution. This combination enables us to offer agent assisted payments at significantly reduced costs compared to standalone payment IVR providers.
You can find out more about our work with other charities by checking out our charities page.
