Despite their growth in popularity, predictive diallers are frequently misunderstood. Unfortunately, these misconceptions can limit businesses who could unlock new efficiencies and drive productivity with the support of a high-quality dialler. In reality, predictive diallers offer excellent opportunities for any business, from small sales teams to large-scale outbound call centres. We tackle some of the most common misconceptions held against predictive diallers and uncover the truth about how they can help your business.
“Predictive diallers take away your control.”
The misconception: A predictive dialler means that you don’t have precision control over who you’re calling and how your agents are working. Instead, it’s all left down to a server somewhere.
The truth: Predictive diallers give you complete control with added flexibility.
Despite being hosted off-site, diallers can be controlled through a convenient management interface, complete with detailed auditing and reporting. They also offer varying levels of control over dialling:
Preview dialling
Agents can preview customer records before clicking a button to dial. This offers control while being faster than manually inputting numbers.
Progressive dialling
Call centre administrators control the pace of dialling through a ratio of outbound calls per agent – this is usually 2:1, but can be changed freely.
Predictive dialling
The dialler predicts when agents will become available. Call centre administrators can configure how this prediction is made and how much downtime should be permitted between calls.
You can find out more about what the different types of dialling can offer you in our guide to preview, progressive and predictive dialling.
“Predictive diallers drop calls and cause regulatory breaches.”
The misconception: Predictive diallers make more outbound calls than there are agents. Before you know it, you’re dropping calls, wasting good leads, and getting in trouble with Ofcom.
The truth: Predictive diallers only drop as many calls as you allow
In preview dialling mode, a hosted dialler is no more likely to drop calls than a manual approach. However, progressive and predictive dialling make multiple outbound calls for each available agent, making dropped calls inevitable. However, dropped calls are not necessarily a major regulatory issue. With the help of a professional service provider, you can monitor your dropped call rate and define a ‘drop limit’ (usually 3%) which must not be exceeded.
“Predictive diallers frustrate agents.”
The misconception: Predictive diallers flood agents with calls, so they barely have time to think. That means that everyone’s frustrated, rushed, and unable to deliver the best customer service.
The truth: Predictive diallers motivate agents. In any mode, a dialler removes administration, simplifies call dispositioning, and ensures a steady, balanced stream of calls. As a result, agents can concentrate on the things that really matter – staying productive, maximising performance, and talking to customers.
“Predictive diallers depend on expensive data.”
The misconception: Without the biggest – and most expensive – data lists, diallers are unable to perform. They need the best data at all times to deliver any real value.
The truth: Predictive diallers get the best from your data.
While progressive and predictive dialler modes can get through large quantities of data at once, this does not necessarily mean paying for significantly larger lists. In fact, these dialler modes deliver the best possible list penetration, making the most of poor or stale lists.
