The Future of Telemarketing: How Predictive Dialers are Reshaping the Landscape

Predictive dialers are the best solution for telemarketing

5 Min
-
September 19, 2023

Telemarketing covers a wide range of responsibilities, but the most challenging of these are undoubtedly all the outbound calls. This is why good dialing software makes such a difference in the telemarketing industry. 

The top telemarketing managers agree - predictive dialer telemarketing is the future of telemarketing. But what exactly is a predictive dialer and how does it simplify the telemarketing agent’s job? Read on to learn why and how predictive dialers are reshaping the landscape.

What is a Predictive Dialer?

A predictive dialer is an automated dialer with the ultimate edge. Like other automated dialers, it offers the convenience of automated dialing, with greater speed and accuracy than manual dialing can achieve. But it also leverages the power of AI algorithms to enhance your outbound calling experience. 

This ensures that you enjoy a range of benefits unique to the predictive dialer. And there are several benefits of predictive dialers that are applicable, especially to the telemarketing industry, too. 

Benefits of Using Predictive Dialers for Telemarketing

All telemarketers have some things in common. They need to:

  • Make high volumes of calls
  • Engage call recipients from the very first second
  • Access supplementary information while on calls 
  • Keep the momentum going with a steady call rate

A predictive dialer meets all these needs, and so much more. 

Makes More Calls

Multiple contact numbers are dialed simultaneously, with the dialing pace adjusted to suit your team’s unique algorithms. As soon as a call ends, an agent can go right into the next call. That means more calls per hour, every hour.

Skips Unanswered Calls

Many calls will either go unanswered or go straight to voicemail. Sometimes, the call recipient will be on a call at the time, and all your agent will get is a busy tone. With a predictive dialer, those problems disappear. It skips those calls, so agents only speak to real people, not answering machines.

Integrates CRM Data During Calls

A prepared telemarketer is a successful telemarketer. That raises the need for supplementary data on calls, like purchase history, customer profiles, and more. With predictive dialer telemarketing, all the info in your CRM is there when they need it.

Increases Agent Utilization

Regardless of the size of your telemarketing team, you can experience maximum call agent utilization, with a predictive dialer. The dialer initiates calls even while agents are all still on calls because it can calculate when they will be free to handle the next call.

How Does a Predictive Dialer Work?

A predictive dialer works a little differently from an average autodialer or power dialer. It’s not difficult to set up or for your staff to understand, though. Here are the basics.

Setting Up the Contact List

Setting up a contact list with a predictive dialer CRM is easy, as you’ll be able to integrate most of your existing CRM tools. You can also customize this contact list, and prioritize certain contacts over others. All can be done in a user-friendly on-screen menu.

Establishing Parameters and Rules

You establish the parameters and rules. Although the algorithms that set the dialing rate are based on AI calculations of your user data, you start with your own dial rate that you set. As you continue to use the predictive dialer, it will continuously refine the algorithms to provide you with optimal dialing rates.

Connecting Agents to Calls

Because the dialer places several calls at once, even before agents are free, many users worry about call recipients being left hanging. This is not likely, as the algorithm will adjust to the number of available agents at any given time. It routes calls to whoever is free first unless set to prioritize particular agents.

Controlling Idle Time and Busy Signals

This is a handy feature that you can set to skip over calls that are not answered because the call recipient was on a call at the time. That call can be rescheduled, and even prioritized for the next shift. In this way, no vital; lead is left unspoken.

Advanced Features in Predictive Dialers

The advanced features in these game-changing bits of software are the reason why predictive dialer cost is higher than the cost of, say, an entry-level automated dialer. Real-time analytics make any telemarketer’s job easier, with actionable data to use for drafting reports and streamlining your future campaign models.  

Choosing the Right Predictive Dialer for Your Needs

A predictive dialer, like AutoReach’s AI-powered predictive dialer, is useful across many outbound call industries.

But can a predictive dialer be used for mortgage telemarketing? Of course, it can. Predictive dialer telemarketing can be used to market any product or service. What about B2B lead generation? Yes, it can be used for that too, as well as customer service feedback and sales!

The question is not so much if a predictive dialer is right for your industry as which one you need for your particular business. There are different types of predictive dialer software too, and choosing the right predictive dialer for your exact needs is crucial.

Will a standard predictive dialer, a parallel dialer, or a progressive predictive dialer be right for you? Perhaps you need to invest in a telemarketing cloud-based predictive dialer. Don’t fret; it’s easy to choose when you consider a few important factors unique to your business. 

Let’s go through your options first, and then how to choose the best predictive dialer for your team.

Different Types of Predictive Dialers Available

Predictive (Standard)

A standard predictive dialer is the most widely used and is suitable for most small-to-medium-sized telemarketing companies. 

It predicts the optimal time to make a new call, even while all are busy on calls. AI-powered algorithms based on past performance data and agent productivity drive the dialing pace. Predictive dialers can dial multiple contacts at once, routing connected calls to the next available agent.

Progressive Predictive

A progressive predictive dialer is ideal for smaller telemarketing companies. 

Whereas the standard predictive dialer can dial multiple contacts at once, even when agents aren’t yet free, the progressive dialer can be set to only make new calls when agents are free. The call columns will thus be lower than with standard predictive dialers.

Parallel Predictive

A parallel predictive dialer is perfect for larger telemarketing companies.

It operates in much the same way as a standard predictive dialer but can handle multiple call lists and campaigns in parallel. The parallel dialer is a great option when you have a lot on the go and want one dialing system to do it all.

Virtual Predictive

An online predictive dialer is the way to go when considering introducing remote telemarketing employees. 

Although essentially the same as a progressive predictive dialer, the cloud-based or “virtual” predictive dialer works online. Your agents can therefore work from home, or anywhere in the world! All they need is a stable internet connection. Calls are made with a headset or the computer’s microphone and speaker.

Factors That Influence Your Choice of Predictive Dialer

Number of Staff

Are you a startup telemarketing company with a smaller team of call agents? These staffing and experience considerations can dictate your choice of predictive dialer. A progressive dialer will prevent a smaller team from becoming overburdened by too many high call volumes at once.

Volume of Calls 

Call volumes differ from one outbound call center to the next, as do the numbers of employees. These are important considerations when choosing a predictive dialer, as is the diversity of your campaigns. If you’re handling several telemarketing campaigns at once, a parallel predictive dialer is the right choice. 

Your Work Model

If you are a telemarketing company operating exclusively from a brick-and-mortar call center, a standard predictive dialer will probably work for you. But if you have a hybrid or even fully remote work model, with staff spread out nationally or even internationally, you need a virtual or cloud-based predictive dialer.

Conclusion

At AutoReach, we’ve helped all sorts of outbound call-oriented businesses, from outreach to sales to telemarketing. When you’ve got targets to reach and you’re racing against time, reliable dialing software is a must! So don’t ignore the advantages that predictive dialer telemarketing will give you.

Watch our demo video, and you’ll discover how other companies have transformed their operations and realized amazing benefits with our dialing software options. No matter the size of your company or goals, we’ll do the same for you.

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