Non-robot dialers
While the focus of this article is on LeadDesk's robot dialers, no discussion of dialing modes would be complete without a mention of the two dialing modes available that do not rely on traditional call robots and sophisticated algorithms to make calls.
These two dialing modes are available in both outbound and inbound projects where needed.
Preview dialer
In the preview dialing mode, when an agent finishes a call, they will be offered the contact information of the next contact in the list. The agent can review the contact's details, and prepare for the call as needed. When they are ready, they click the call button to begin dialing.
- Agent has time to review case before calling.
- Relies on agent to actively begin calling.
- Agent needs to wait for the call to dial.
- Call may or may not be answered.
Progressive dialer
The simplest possible automatic dialer, in progressive mode, when an agent finishes a call, the dialer will immediately begin dialing the next contact in the list.
- Requires no input from agent.
- Agent needs to wait for the call to dial.
- Call may or may not be answered.
Robot dialers
The progressive dialer is the first of the auto dialers in LeadDesk but is far from the most sophisticated. The true robot dialers use various methods to have calls available for agents as soon as they finish their previous calls. The robot makes calls even when agents are all busy, with the aim that as the contact picks up, and agent will be ready to take the call.
All of these introduce the chance for dropped calls, calls that must be abandoned because there is no agent available when the call connects. The different robots take different approaches to minimising dropped calls.
Power dialer
The Power dialer automatically makes calls and assigns them to agents when an agent is free. It keeps more lines open than you have free agents.
Admins will need to adjust the intensity of the calls to find the level which best matches their use of the dialer. The intensity determines how often the power dialer makes calls, the higher the intensity, the shorter the gap between calls.
- Increases agent efficiency.
- Agents do not have to wait for call to dial or the customer to pick up.
- Admins can set the intensity for the power dialer.
- Power dialer calculates when to make its next call based on the selected intensity and the number of current free agents.
- If settings are wrong, or calls go longer than expected, might result in dropped calls.
- Works best with smaller agent teams working on low quality contact lists with low answer rate.
Predictive dialer
The predictive dialer uses algorithms that adapt to the current call situation, predicts when agents will be available, and places calls to have them to offer to agents when needed.
The predictive dialer allows you to set a target for dropped calls. In some countries, predictive dialers are highly regulated with rules for the percentage of dropped calls allowed.
- Increases agent productivity.
- Works best for larger teams of agents, in a situation where the average call time is short. “Larger teams” in this case means 10+ agents, though can be optimised to work with teams as small as 7.
- Set targets to minimise dropped calls.
- Works well even with low- medium- quality contact lists.
AI Dialer
The revolutionary AI Dialer uses AI-enhanced algorithms to be even more responsive to the flow of calls. With AI, we can monitor and dynamically respond the the changing call situation, making even better estimates about when agents will be available, how many calls to put out, and how often.
- Maximises agent productivity.
- Works with teams as small as 3 agents, with no upper limit on team size.
- Works well with as low as 10% answer rate
- Multiple ways to manage and reduce the number of dropped calls.
- Set targets to minimise dropped calls.
Predictive or AI Dialer?
- Agent Requirements: AI Dialer is more flexible, requiring fewer agents to function effectively than the Predictive dialer.
- Adaptability to Answer Rates: AI Dialer performs better under low answer rates (10%), whereas Predictive dialer needs a higher answer rate (30%) to maintain efficiency.
- Call Drop Strategy: AI Dialer takes a more active approach by potentially disconnecting calls to prevent agent unavailability issues, unlike the Predictive dialer, which opts to slow down call rates.
- Handling Statistical Changes: AI Dialer is equipped to handle significant changes in call metrics without a large impact on its predictions, making it more robust than the Predictive dialer in dynamic environments.
Other dialing modes
Experimental
The experimental dialing mode is a variation on the predictive mode described above. It has the most variation in its algorithm’s behaviour attempting to deliver the best results. The experimental mode is not tested in all circumstances and as such is not recommended for most environments. Works best with very large agent teams and very low answer rates.
Limited
The limited mode is an optional fallback dialing mode for the predictive dialer. If you choose to use it, the dialer will switch to limited mode if it detects a lot of consecutive failed calls. This can prevent burning through many contacts in a short amount of time if your operator is having technical problems. In limited mode, the dialer will only call one number at a time until it stops getting frequent failed calls.
Manual
Of course, Admins can also enable manual calling if needed, and agents can manually type a number to call without that number even being on an existing contact list.