Given the intense rhythm of a contact center, agent efficiency is always essential. When it comes to both customer service and sales, losing time can indeed be costly. However, with a predictive dialing solution , contact centers are empowered, through automated technology, to place calls at optimized times while automatically filtering out obstacles such as answering and fax machines, busy signals, and disconnected calls. A predictive dialer can therefore fuel efficiency, sales, and customer satisfaction while driving down costs. Here are five major benefits of a predictive dialer for the contact center.

Enhanced agent efficiency

Predictive dialers free agents from the task of looking up lists of phone numbers and manually dialing customers. The dialer determines the best times to call, predicts when a current call will be finished, and proceeds to dial the next number. The solution also enables call blending, meaning that the dialer can work together with an automated call distribution system (ACD) to assign calls to available agents on both inbound and outbound channels. Agents therefore experience less idle time as they may switch effortlessly between inbound and outbound depending on call flux.

Stronger and smarter lead management

Predictive dialers that integrate lead management software organize lead data, sales data, customer history, and contact information in one place. The software determines prime call times and filters out any “do not call” numbers, fax lines, or answering machines to provide direct access to the strongest leads at optimal times. The solution automates and captures all call activity directly into the CRM for stronger lead management while also providing valuable real-time metrics and KPIs for greater sales and marketing practices.

Accelerated sales

Being connected to the right customers is key to actually closing a sale. A predictive dialer therefore helps eliminate the guesswork and leads agents directly to customers who are most likely to purchase. Features such as call logging, callback rules, call recording, and other automated processes save agents time and allow them to focus on pursuing the strongest leads and closing sales, leading to performance improvements of over 150%.

Stronger customer service—and satisfaction Predictive dialers can drive customer satisfaction, as customers are contacted at convenient times, at a lower rate than standard telemarketing calls that can be placed at any odd hour, and with the purpose of offering products and services that might actually interest them. By reaching out to customers with the offers they actually want at the most optimal times, customer loyalty increases.

Lower operational costs

While predictive dialers can fuel greater sales, the lower costs to the contact center are just as appealing. Fewer outbound calls need to be placed on the expensive voice channel, while fewer agents are needed to handle calls. Eliminated dead time for agents and lower customer abandonment rates further lead to significant reductions in cost and increased profits, while predictive dialers with CRM integration offer the benefit of not requiring additional costly telecom hardware or integration.