A call center solution has different technical words connected with it. Normally, people using call center software know the meaning of all major technical terms. However, sometimes, there are some uncertainties related to some of these terms.
In this blog, our call center solution experts are going to cover one of the majorly used terms of call center solutions: call center dialers.
- What is a call center dialer?
- What is the use of a call center dialer?
- Are there multiple call center dialers available in the call center software?
- Who uses call center dialers?
In this blog, all these and many more questions related to “Call Center Dialers” will be resolved.
What is a call center dialer?
- Many years ago, the major use of a call center solution was to make automated outbound dialing. Therefore, the call center software itself was referred to as a call center dialer or just a dialer. It is not an ancient story. Even today, many people, who might be using this software for more than seven years, call it a dialer.
- In the market, a mobile SIP dialer and a PC dialer are also available. Therefore, to be more precise, people started calling it a call center dialer.
- With the evolutions in call center technology, many features are invented and added to the call center solutions. Aside from auto dialing, call center solutions can perform many more actions. Therefore, people started calling this software, a call center solution.
Then, what is a call center dialer in 2021?
- A call center solution is still referred to as a call center dialer.
- To be more precise, in 2021, a call center dialer is one of the features available in the call center solutions.
- The call center dialer can enable agents to make automated to manual outgoing calls.
- A call center dialer is one of the best features available in call center software nowadays. It is very useful when your business makes several outgoing calls daily. Whether your business is a startup with just a few agents or if you are an MNC call center, your business can leverage multiple advantages by using call center dialers such as:
- Boosted agent productivity
- Increased reach
- Improved call connect ratio
- Increased success ratio
- Improved business
- And more
The secret of success is to pick the most suitable dialer type for the campaign. Yes, in a call center software, you can have multiple types of call center dialers.
Types of Call Center Dialers:
Manual Dialer:
- It is a fundamental call center dialer.
- All you get is a keypad, similar to the one you have on your phone, in the call center software.
- You need to fetch the phone number and begin dialing it manually.
- It is used only when the number is not in the lead list and the agent needs to reach that person. For example, if a customer gives a reference number to an agent offering eCommerce web development services. In this case, the agent will need to use a manual dialer to reach the lead.
- A manual dialer gets rarely used in a call center because it mirrors manual dialing in a phone. It is not that effective means of making outgoing calls as it wastes the time of the agent and reduces productivity.
Auto Dialer:
- It is a common term used to refer to all dialers in the call center software that perform automated dialing.
- The auto dialer fetches the number from the lead list available in the call center software and dials it automatically.
- Different call center solutions have different auto dialers. Each auto dialer would have its own working method, pros, and cons.
Power Dialer:
- It is a basic auto dialer.
- It works by adhering to the calls-to-agent ratio.
- As soon as an agent is available, by following the aforementioned ratio, it automatically fetches and dials the number.
Preview Dialer:
- This call center dialer has a feature of click2call in addition to auto dialing.
- It shows a preview of the lead to be contacted by agents before dialing the number.
- It dials the number only if the agent selects the “Dial” option. Agents will also have the option of “Skip”. If “Skip” is selected, the next lead will be fetched from the list and shown to the agent.
- As agents need to click on the “Dial” button manually, it is also cited as a manual dialer by many companies. However, as it fetches the lead from the list and dials the number automatically, and connects the agent and leads, it is an auto dialer and many companies call it auto dialer. We are one of the companies, which consider the preview dialer as an auto dialer.
- This dialer is excellent when you employ lead scoring or work on complex leads, which need research or study before initiating the conversation such as debt collection or B2B sales calls.
- As agents take time in studying lead, it reduces productivity somewhat. However, it is effective in some types of campaigns, which need personalization and information-driven communication.
Predictive Dialer:
- It is the most suitable call center dialer for huge campaigns, in which many leads need to be reached.
- When agents need to go through a prolonged list of contacts, predictive dialing gives the best results.
- It automatically dials numbers from the list similar to other auto dialers.
- What makes it different is its working model, also called an algorithm, which gives it predictive power. The smart predictive dialer available in the smart call center software can predict the following and based on prediction selects and dials the numbers:
- When agents will be available for the next call?
- How many agents will be available for the next call?
- How long will it take for a dialed lead to pick up the call?
- How many leads will pick up the call?
- Which leads are more likely to pick up the call at this time?
- For all these, it considers the following:
- Total agents
- Campaign type
- Average call duration
- Day and time
- Average call ringing time
- And other values
- This call center dialer can also bifurcate answering machines, unreachable and busy numbers.
- It only connects the call to the agent when a live person answers the call.
- This reduces the idle time of the agents, which is why it increases productivity excellently. However, it jeopardizes call abandonment because of possible lags in connecting the call to the agent.
- It is perfect for campaigns like:
- Cold calling
- Lead verification
- Quality assurance
- Reminders and notifications
- And more
- Always remember, even if a call is abandoned on the first attempt, the predictive dialer will again try to reach the same lead. Moreover, in smart call center solutions, it can adjust its ratio automatically with self-learning algorithms built using machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
Progressive Dialer:
- Similar to other auto dialers, a progressive dialer also automatically dials numbers from the lead list saved in the call center software. It only fetches and dials the next number when the agent shows the availability to take the next call. It only passes the call to the agent when it is answered by a human. All calls that got modem or busy signals and no answers get filtered. However, it cannot filter answering machines. The agent needs to identify an answering machine and hang up the call and show the availability status again.
- As you can imagine, it wastes some time and therefore, reduces the agent productivity as agents wait till the call gets connected to the live human. However, it is good to use a progressive dialer when you are running a campaign to talk to your existing customers or trying to approach quality leads.
- The main goal of a progressive dialer is to minimize downtime between calls and reduce the abandoned rate.
Which Call Center Dialer is the Best for You?
- The dialer that works the most suitably for one call center may not give similar returns to yours.
- Therefore, to choose an auto dialer, you must make a strategic decision based on:
- Nature of your business
- Type of campaign
- Quality of leads
- Relation of leads with your business, take a look at your operations and assess the best-fit call center dialer for your needs.
- For example, if you have hot or warm leads, then preview or progressive dialers are better choices. They might be slow, but will ensure the quality of the call and personalized conversations to close the deals.
- If you have collected random leads from email marketing, blog subscription, or any similar option, then you should use predictive dialing using a predictive dialer.
- If you are not sure, which call center dialer will work for you, you can choose a mix-and-match strategy. Use multiple dialers for different campaigns and measure the results. This will help you identify the right dialer for the right type of campaign.
The first step in leveraging the advantages of auto dialers of call center solutions is selecting the right dialer.
