Best Predictive Dialer Software & Solutions for 2023

What Is a Predictive Dialer? 

A predictive dialer is an algorithm-based automatic dialing mode that places simultaneous outbound calls to lead list phone numbers while the agent is finishing up their current phone call–transferring agents to live prospects only.

Predictive dialers eliminates the process of manually dialing numbers and filters out voicemail boxes, disconnected and busy phone numbers, and unanswered phone calls. They also automatically dial multiple phone numbers at once, and only transfer calls to agents when there is a real person ready to talk to a representative.

This leads to a higher outbound call volume, better lead list penetration, and ideally, an increase in conversions.

Predictive dialers are primarily designed to increase average agent talk time–the most valuable and influential part of the sales process.

Talk time measures the amount of time an agent spends actually talking–and, in outbound call centers, selling–to prospects, including:

• Reading from call scripts
• Making sales pitches and product suggestions
• Collecting customer contact information
• Answering customer questions about available products/services
• Following up with leads
• Closing deals, making service appointments, etc.
• Providing customer service/technical support

Unlike call handle time, which takes both agent talk time and the “busy work” of the sales call process into account, talk time measures only the time the agent and the customer are actively engaged in conversation. Talk time does not include factors like manually dialing phone numbers, scrolling through lead lists, call preparation and after call work, or simply waiting for a prospect to answer the phone.

How Does a Predictive Dialer Work?

A predictive dialer works by developing and continually improving a call pacing algorithm, a calculation that automatically adjusts outbound dialing speed and the number of simultaneous outbound calls according to factors like: 

• The current number of available agents
• Average call handle time
• Average call center abandonment rate
• Connected:Unconnected call ratio (Number of calls that connected a prospect and an agent compared to the number of calls that did not)
• Average downtime between calls
• Average number of outbound calls it takes to connect with a live customer

In addition to automatic algorithm adjustments, admins (and sometimes agents) can manually adjust the outbound dialing speed.

Manual adjustments, especially slowing the pacing ratio, helps to reduce agent burnout and ensure contact center agents are compliant with TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) regulations.

On-Premise vs Cloud-Based Predictive Dialer

Another decision your business needs to make when choosing a predictive dialer software is if an on-premise or cloud-based solution is the right option.

On-Premise Predictive Dialers

Premise-based predictive dialers are physically located on the business premises–the actual office building housing your call center.

On-premise software of any kind, including predictive dialer tools, are linked to one physical address and require the business using it to purchase a software license and any necessary equipment/hardware, in addition to the server itself.

This means the call center using the software, not the predictive dialer provider, is responsible for managing the software installation, setup, updates, and maintenance–including all the associated costs. The initial costs of an on-premise call center can easily reach $10,000-$20,000, even for a small business.

With this higher upfront cost, however, comes greater control over the software and its overall configuration. On-premise solutions are also more secure and private than cloud-based platforms, as companies don’t have to share their servers with other businesses.

Best For

On-premise predictive dialer software is best for in-house (in-office) call centers without remote or blended agents.

Often, companies with on-premise solutions have an in-house IT team, making premise-based dialers a better option for  larger, more established businesses that can afford high upfront costs and ongoing maintenance fees. They’re also a great option for businesses that work in industries with high security standards, such as the government, financial, or healthcare sectors.

Cloud-Based Predictive Dialers

Cloud-based VoIP predictive dialer software (often called hosted predictive dialer software) is hosted and managed offsite, in the cloud, by the software provider itself.

Cloud-based software does not need to be physically installed on the call center premises, meaning agents can access their business phone system on existing desktop and mobile devices anywhere with a working Internet connection.

Some cloud providers allow companies to purchase private servers, but most host multiple businesses on one server installed in a secure facility.

While this may be a security concern for some, the benefit is that the provider, not the end user, is responsible for responding to any security incidents, as well as providing IT technical support and customer service.

Cloud-based auto dialers also provide high-level scalability, operating on a pay-as-you-go basis with tiered pricing and plans that ensure call centers only pay for the features they need.

Best For

Because of its lower upfront costs, scalability, and flexibility, cloud-based predictive dialer software is best for small or growing call centers with remote and blended agents working across time zones.

Cloud-based users either already have or don’t want to purchase on-site equipment, want to outsource maintenance and upgrades to the software provider, and want to be able to easily add more agents and more advanced features as their business evolves.

Predictive Dialers vs Power, Progressive, and Preview Dialers

Predictive dialers are just one of several outbound auto dialing modes, alongside Power, Progressive, and Preview dialers.

Most call centers use a combination of at least two dialing strategies, or switch between all of them based on factors like available agents, lead list length, and sales goals.

All the below dialing modes automatically skip unanswered, busy, or disconnected numbers for improved lead list scrubbing.

Below, we’ll outline the differences between each mode and weigh in on which one best fits your business needs.

Predictive Dialers

Dialing Strategy: Uses automatic or manual dialer pacing to place the next call(s) while the agent is finishing up the previous one, and only connects the agent to a live lead.

Agent Control: Admins choose to allow agents to adjust or pause the dialing pace, and whether or not agents can leave voicemail messages if the call is unanswered.

Best For: Increasing agent talk time and the number of overall outbound calls by eliminating agent idle time, boosting call center productivity levels, and avoiding having to hire additional agents.

Power Dialers

Dialing Strategy: Dials the next lead list phone number immediately after the previous call is complete, and shows agents a CRM pop-up of any existing caller data only once the call is connected.

Agent Control: Agents can’t choose to accept or skip connected calls, but they can choose whether or not to leave a voicemail message.

Best For: Telemarketing firms where agents rely on call scripts to maximize their number of outbound calls per day, and businesses focused on lead list penetration as opposed to highly personalized service.

Progressive Dialers

Dialing Strategy: Shows agents lead data/interaction for a preset amount of time, counting down until automatically placing the next call.

Agent Control: Agents cannot choose to skip or accept calls, nor can they control the time limit before the next call is placed.

Best For: Second outreach attempts where lead qualification and filtering is the primary goal, meaning agents need to provide a moderate level of personalization, but can’t spend too much time on each call–especially if the customer isn’t interested.

Preview Dialers

Dialing Strategy: Automatically displays prior caller interaction notes and data, allowing agents to review the call history at their own pace before hitting the “dial” button.

Agent Control: Highest level of agent control, as agent indicates when they’re ready to start the dialing process for the next phone number and whether to skip or accept calls.

Best For: Larger order follow-ups and/or closing sales calls  that require personalized, data-driven agent:customer communication, or customer service/tech support calls that require agents to review tickets and agent notes regarding prior support interactions.

Predictive Dialer Key Features

Whether you opt for an on-site or cloud-based predictive dialer system, the most important factors to consider are the features and functionality each plan offers.

Top predictive dialer features include:

List Management And Lead Filtering

The list management (also called campaign management) feature lets admins create, monitor, update, and work through multiple call lists at the same time, with a unique workflow for each one.

Outdated, duplicate, or disconnected numbers–as well as those on the Do Not Call Registry–are automatically scrubbed.  Admins can customize and edit list management automation rules to pause, stop, start, delete, or reuse campaign lists in real-time.

Admins can also implement skills-based routing, so top leads and campaigns are sent only to the most qualified agents.

In addition to filtering calls by disposition codes agents and admins can filter contact lists by:

• Customer demographic
• Lead source
• Unanswered calls
• Time zone
• Lead quality
• Date of last contact
• Number of times lead has been contacted

Call Disposition Codes

Call disposition codes simplify and shorten the after-call work process by letting agents select one of several preset “codes” based on the customer’s response or call outcome.

 Lists can also be sorted according to disposition codes, which include:

• Call disconnected
• Busy signal
• Hang up
• Sale made
• Call transferred
• Left voicemail message
• Follow-up call requested
• Appointment set
• Not interested

Adjustable Pacing

While predictive dialers are known for their automated dial placing algorithm, admins can also manually adjust the dialing rate to reduce agent workload, test the effectiveness of different speeds, or switch up the number of simultaneous calls.

This is especially helpful at the start of each work week, as the algorithm doesn’t yet have enough data to generate a highly accurate dialing pace.

CRM Integration 

Third-party integrations allow users to access their existing business communication tools directly within the predictive dialer interface–no app switching required.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software is the most vital integration for predictive dialers, as it means agents can access key customer information like:

• Contact details/demographics
• Prior agent notes
• Account value
• Order history
• Conversation history
• Customer interests, preferred products, etc.

CRM-powered call pops are especially valuable for predictive dialer users–who don’t get to review customer data before accepting a call–because they instantly display the above information on the agent’s screen as soon as they connect to the customer (via outbound or inbound call.) Popular integrations include CRM tools like Salesforce, Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Zoho. Third-party integrations with omnichannel communication solutions, video calling systems, SMS texting platforms, and team chat messaging tools are also available.

Answering Machine Detection

The Answering Machine Detection (AMD) feature determines if an outbound dialer is being transferred to a voicemail box or a live person.

Some AMD technology can even automatically bypass ACD and IVR systems, increasing agent efficiency by either disconnecting the call or connecting the agent to the voicemail box.

AMDs work by analyzing and identifying common indicators of a voicemail box like answer and speech pacing, background noise, silence/pause length, human speech recognition, and more.

DNC Management

DNC (Do Not Call) Management automatically filters out lead lists and customer phone numbers that are registered with the Do Not Call database, ensuring businesses aren’t fined for making illegal calls.

Local Presence

Predictive dialer software offers businesses local virtual phone numbers that increase consumer trust by creating a local presence in the areas where your target markets live.

Having a familiar, local area code pop up on a customer’s caller ID makes it more likely they’ll accept the call and potentially make a purchase–even if agents are actually calling from another state.

Businesses can purchase multiple local phone numbers to cover all areas they do business in.

Agent Assist and Call Scripts

The AI-powered Live Agent Assist feature uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to “listen in” on real-time customer conversations, making relevant support suggestions to the agent via internal knowledge base integrations.

These suggestions may include call scripts, return policy information, pricing tables, and other key details.

Call scripts are also stored and organized in a searchable database for quick agent access, so sales teams can easily pitch multiple products/services or handle different customer requests throughout their shift.

Both these tools help prevent long hold times and customer callbacks, increasing first call resolution rates as a result.

Voice Broadcasts

Also called voicemail message drops, voice broadcasts automatically send mass pre-recorded messages to all the numbers on a campaign list or lists, keeping agents free to focus on personalized calls.

The voice broadcast feature can also be used to leave voicemail messages for leads that did not answer an agent’s outbound sales call.

Call Monitoring

The call monitoring feature allows managers to listen in on real-time sales calls, while call barge lets managers take over calls from struggling agents or unhappy customers.

The call whisper feature is an excellent agent training tool, as managers can coach agents through live calls without the customer hearing.

Call recording records and often transcribes outbound calls, allowing managers to evaluate agent performance, identify conversational trends and areas for improvement, and use successful calls as examples to train other agents.

These records are saved in the cloud for future review and can be sorted by agent, date range, and other metrics.

Call Metrics and Analytics

Real-time and historical analytics and reports offer insight into customer behavior, agent productivity, sales cycles, peak call times, and much more.

Admins can choose from reporting templates or customize their own to measure popular call center KPIs like: 

• Inbound: Outbound call ratio
• Cost per call
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rating
• Average call duration, talk time, handle time
• Call transfer rate
• Call Abandonment rate
• Agent turnover rate
• Average speed of answer

Benefits of Predictive Dialers

Below, we’ll examine the top predictive dialer benefits.

Lower Operating Costs

Predictive dialers significantly decrease call center operating costs by: 

• Eliminating the need to hire additional agents
• Increasing the number of outbound calls/hour
• If using cloud-based software, using existing equipment/hardware
• Decreasing the overall cost per contact
• Optimizing agent schedules
• Providing insight into agent activity to eliminate silos, streamline market research, and improve agent training

Increased Sales and Productivity 

The more calls agents make, the more likely they are to make a sale–but it takes about 18 calls just to connect with one live lead.

Agents lost nearly 25% of their work day to “idle time,” which includes mundane tasks like manual dialing, looking up client information, waiting for calls to connect to a live person or voicemail box, and wrapping up calls.

Predictive dialer call center software automates time wasters like manual dialing and lets admins set time limits for how long outbound calls can ring (unanswered) before moving to the next number on the list.

They also filter out busy signals, disconnected numbers, repeat numbers, and let admins decide if agents can leave voicemails.

These dialers don’t allow agents to review caller data before connecting with a caller, but instead, display caller data during an active call–eliminating pre-call work.

Finally, because predictive dialers automate post-call work and instantly dial the next number at the end of the current call, agents don’t lose time between calls.

In short, predictive dialer software decreases agent idle time while increasing the time agents actually spend on the phone with customers–leading to more sales in less time.

Decreased Agent Turnover 

It’s no secret that constant manual dialing, repeating the same pitch over and over again, and of course, being yelled at by angry customers, quickly leads to agent burnout.

Filtering out non-working numbers, automating the dialing process, and instantly displaying CRM call pops with relevant caller information and a variety of scripts to choose from eliminates the most tedious parts of call center agent work.

This increases employee loyalty and turnover rates–meaning time and money savings for your call center.

Improved Lead List Management

Predictive dialers not only optimize lead list penetration–they also ensure quality leads are followed up with, tracked and updated, and ultimately, converted to paying customers.

A large percentage of lead list contact information is outdated, but predictive dialers offer automatic list scrubbing by removing disconnected or wrong numbers, an easy way to save agent time.

They also make it easier to run multiple campaigns at once, even if agents are using the same lists to market different products. This is because predictive dialers can stagger prospect phone numbers, preventing high-value leads from being bombarded with too many phone calls in a short time period.

Because agents can quickly assign post-call custom dispositions, it’s easy for managers to manually scroll through or filter leads according to their quality and their level of interest in your business.

Once agents are finished with their current lead lists?

It’s easy to import the next one directly into predictive dialing software.

Scalability and Flexibility 

In addition to granting businesses access to advanced outbound calling features and analytics, predictive dialer software provides a high level of scalability. Tiered, pay-as-you-go pricing models ensure call centers only pay for the features they need–never the ones they don’t.

As your business grows, you can add new features or increase the number of agents’ seats.

Call centers with mostly remote or blended agents will reap the benefits of a highly mobile, flexible software that lets teams make outbound calls from anywhere, and on any device, with a working internet connection.

Automated TCPA and Regulatory Compliance

Today’s predictive dialer platforms automate FCC and TCPA Compliance by updating Do Not Call Lists, simplifying customer opt-out functionality, and regularly updating and maintaining compliance documentation.

This prevents expensive and reputation-damaging lawsuits, ensuring your business can continue to operate without issue.

Predictive Dialer Software Use Cases

Although predictive dialers are best known for the benefits they offer telemarketing firms, they have more diverse use cases than most realize.

Popular predictive dialing system use cases include:

• Software/IT: Proactive customer support outreach, product update notifications, contract renewal, data breach management/notification
• Sales: Automated upselling and cross-selling opportunities, confirming/updating customer contact information
• Political Campaigns/Nonprofits: Collecting donations, providing polling/election information, playing pre-recorded candidate statements/information, event invitations, thank-you phone calls
• Customer Service: Appointment reminders/confirmation, payment reminders, automated customer experience surveys and feedback
• Banking: Bill payment reminders, account balance updates, fraud detection alerts, loan applications, debt collection
• Healthcare: Appointment reminders/scheduling, follow-up appointments, insurance processing, medication updates and reminders, patient information collection and verification

Limitations of Predictive Dialer Software

Though predictive dialer software increases daily call output volume and average talk time, it has limitations.

The biggest drawback to predictive dialers is that they make personalization difficult–if not outright impossible–by failing to give reps a chance to review caller data before speaking with a lead.

Constant, repetitive sales calls with virtually no prep time can feel tedious to sales teams, leading to increased agent burnout and high employee turnover rates.

This lack of personalization also makes customers feel like they’re not a priority, but just a name on a list–causing frequent hang-ups or aggression towards agents.

Caller hang-ups also happen because the predictive dialer algorithm isn’t always perfect.

Sometimes, the software incorrectly detects a voicemail box or transfers connected leads to an agent phone line when the rep isn’t actually available or is on another call. As a result, leads assume they’ve received a spam call and hang up–or asked to be placed on the Do Not Call list.

As such, predictive dialers are often the best fit for enterprise-level call centers and telemarketing firms selling relatively inexpensive products. These businesses approach sales as a numbers game–the more lead lists they can get through and the more prospects they speak with, the higher likelihood of a sale.

Small businesses are better served by preview dialers, which allow for more personalized, less rushed, customer service and sales pitches.

Predictive Dialer Software FAQs

Below, we’ve answered the top predictive dialer FAQs.