What is a predictive dialer?
What is the difference between a predictive dialer and an auto dialer?
Data-driven power dialer that promotes sales-driven success
How does a predictive dialer work?
Predictive dialers vs other auto-dialers
The benefits of predictive dialing software
Predictive Dialer FAQs

Predictive Dialer?

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RingCX predictive dialer software transforms outbound calling operations by intelligently automating the dialing process and connecting agents to more live conversations. With advanced pacing algorithms and seamless integrations, RingCX helps contact centers achieve higher connection rates while maintaining compliance and empowering agents with real-time insights. Whether you're managing sales campaigns, customer service outreach, or debt collection, RingCX delivers the tools you need to maximize productivity and drive results.

What is a predictive dialer?

A predictive dialer is a type of automated dialing system commonly used in an outbound contact center. It places phone calls even before the agents become available to maximize productivity and ensure leads are contacted efficiently.

For sales teams, integrating a sales dialer with a predictive dialing system ensures that agents spend less time manually dialing and more time engaging with potential customers. The system quickly moves on to the next lead after an unanswered call, while answered calls are immediately routed to the next available agent. This guarantees more productive talk time, driving improved efficiency and better results for the call center.

What is the difference between a predictive dialer and an auto dialer?

An auto dialer is a contact center tool that makes the agent's life easier by removing the need for manual dialing. It systematically dials phone numbers and connects the call to the agent if someone picks up their phone.

A predictive dialer, on the other hand, is a type of auto dialer that aims for a higher calling rate by trying to connect to as many customers as possible. It will do this by dialing multiple phone numbers at once then automatically connects answered calls to the next available agent.

Data-driven power dialer that promotes sales-driven success

RingCX predictive algorithm empowers your business to find a frictionless path to greater sales opportunities, connecting agents to more live calls and fewer dead-ends. From proactive customer service call centers to sales, telemarketing, market research, and debt collection teams, contact centers that use outbound predictive dialers are seeing a 200% to 400% increase in connection rates from day one.

How does a predictive dialer work?

Predictive dialers use mathematical algorithms to predict when agents will be available and automatically dial numbers on their behalf. The system's pacing algorithm calculates average call lengths and connection rates, then adjusts the dialing speed accordingly to keep agents continuously engaged. By dialing multiple numbers simultaneously and automatically skipping unanswered calls, predictive dialers minimize downtime and maximize agent productivity.

Here’s a breakdown of how predictive dialing works:

  1. Analyzes call patterns – The system's pacing algorithm calculates the average call duration and typical number of dial attempts needed to reach a live person
  2. Adjusts dialing speed automatically – Based on these calculations, the software modifies its dialing rate in real-time to match agent availability and predicted connection rates
  3. Dials multiple numbers simultaneously – Instead of waiting for one call to finish before starting another, the system places several calls at once to maximize efficiency
  4. Skips unanswered calls – When a call goes unanswered, the dialer immediately moves to the next number in the queue without agent intervention
  5. Routes connected calls to available agents – Once a live person answers, the system instantly transfers the call to a free agent, ensuring continuous workflow with minimal idle time
  6. Tracks unsuccessful attempts – The software monitors calls that didn't connect and flags customers who need follow-up callbacks
  7. Collects performance metrics – Call data is gathered and analyzed to provide insights into campaign effectiveness and agent productivity
  8. Enables multi-campaign management – Using the collected metrics, teams can efficiently run and monitor several calling campaigns at the same time

* A little history: Predictive dialers have been around for 30 years and were used primarily in the banking industry, specifically in debt collection.

Predictive dialers vs other auto-dialers

Predictive dialers should not be confused with other outbound dialers such as progressive dialers, preview dialers, and robo-dialers.

Type

How it works

Use cases

Progressive dialer

Places one call at a time, and only dials numbers when an agent is available
Prioritizing quality interactions over quantity of calls

Preview dialer

Enables agents to view customer call records for better insights
Low-volume calls to high-value clients, complex sales, and follow-ups

Robo-dialer

Send out pre-recorded voicemail or SMS to multiple customers, or leave recorded message on answering machines
Product updates, reminders, segmented prospecting

The benefits of predictive dialing software

Increase output and operational efficiency

Predictive dialers empower agents so they get more done by eliminating manual dialing and reducing agent idle time. By automatically connecting agents only to live calls, teams can handle significantly more conversations per hour while maintaining quality interactions. This intelligent automation transforms how contact centers operate, delivering measurable improvements across key areas:

  • Make stronger connections with automated dialers and blending in the background leading the way to live prospects and increased productivity
  • Count on 99.99% uptime from dependable connections that don’t leave agents or customers hanging
  • Tailor campaigns to your goals with rule-setting and data integration capabilities for establishing who you’re calling, when you’re calling, and how often

Provides better agent experience

When agents are armed with the right information, tools, and guidance, they need to own every moment; their confidence and performance soar. Predictive dialers integrate seamlessly with your existing systems to deliver real-time customer insights, intuitive interfaces, and intelligent guidance that support agents throughout every interaction. This comprehensive support system ensures your team can handle any conversation with professionalism and ease.

  • Keep agents well-informed with quick access to customer information and seamless syncing between the agent desktop and external applications
  • Focus on winning customers, not troubleshooting tech with simplified, intuitive UI
  • Smooth out the sales process with guided engagement flows that automatically adapt to each customer interaction

Improve coaching and analytics

Continuous improvement starts with actionable insights and timely support. Predictive dialers don't just manage calls—they capture valuable data and enable real-time coaching opportunities that help your team grow stronger with every conversation. By combining live monitoring capabilities with comprehensive analytics, managers can identify training needs, celebrate wins, and refine strategies that drive measurable results.

  • Boost agent performance with real-time call center manager or supervisor coaching capabilities from Monitor, Chat Suggestions, and Barge-in
  • Understand where help is needed with at-a-glance visibility of live reporting dashboards that analyze agent success
  • Improve quality assurance with closed feedback loops from readily available automated call recordings

Built for trust

Building lasting customer relationships requires more than just reaching people—it demands respect for their preferences, privacy, and time. Predictive dialers equipped with compliance features and customer-centric capabilities ensure every interaction honors regulatory requirements while maintaining a positive brand experience. These built-in safeguards protect both your business and your customers, fostering the trust that turns prospects into loyal advocates.

  • Mind regulations as you go with ManualDial, featuring TCPA risk mitigation-supporting tools, human intervention, and time zone-conscious technology
  • Respect your customers with seamless DNC list integration that lets customers opt out and helps agents stay aware of their choice
  • Encourage call-backs with around-the-clock reachability from real call-back numbers, IVR, intelligent blending, and inbound routing

Predictive Dialer FAQs

Predictive and progressive dialers are two of the more popular automatic dialer systems used by organizations. Both have their merits and drawbacks. Find out which which one will work better for your business with the table below.
Predictive Dialer Progressive Dialer
Dials numbers even before an agent becomes available Dials numbers only when an agent becomes available
Places multiple calls for each available agent Places a call for each available agent
Uses pacing algorithm to determine availability of agent Doesn’t use algorithm since dialing is done in real time

An efficient outbound call process

Simply put, a cloud-based predictive dialer automates the dialing process, using call metrics, analytics, and reports to dramatically increase the dialing rate and improve outbound call center efficiency. But in order to maximize its usage, your team should exceed the minimum required number of agents or you might encounter prediction failures

Not just for sales teams

A predictive dialer helps accelerate the efforts of every sales rep or sales teams in an outbound or inbound-outbound (blended) call center setting, but it’s even more beneficial to industries and projects that prioritize leads and volume. Examples include appointment scheduling, debt collection, nonprofit fundraising, political canvassing, and public awareness.

Are predictive dialers illegal?

Auto dialers, predictive dialers in particular, are not illegal. However, like anything else, it’s prone to abuse.
In the past, organizations with aggressive outbound sales teams would use it to push their products or services to everyone, even those who did not even give out their numbers and just wanted to be left alone.
This is where TCPA comes in. TCPA, or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, restricts organizations from using auto dialers, which includes predictive dialing, from placing uninvited calls like telemarketing and robocalls to cell phone numbers without a prior written consent of the customer. In fact, there is even a National Do Not Call Registry where people can register their phone numbers to signify that they want to limit the number of telemarketing and solicitation calls they receive.
There’s a lot more to the TCPA but the gist of it is that auto dialers like predictive dialing become illegal if the owners of the cell phone numbers they are automatically dialing gave no prior consent. If the organization does its due diligence in keeping a Do not Call database and provides consumers an avenue to give or take their consent, they will mitigate their risks of breaking any laws significantly.

How much is auto dialer software?

What is the top predictive dialer software?
Depending on your needs, be prepared to shell out a few hundred dollars for standard, downloadable software that can manage only one outbound call at a time, to thousands of dollars for professional, more advanced software that allows thousands of automated outbound calls per hour. Dialer software providers can charge upfront, per call, monthly, or annually. You’ll be able to save more when you get an enterprise cloud contact center software like RingCentral Engage Voice The best dialer software is one that empowers your call center agents, boosts sales through your outbound calling strategy, promotes workflow automation, and ultimately helps deliver enhanced customer experiences. RingCentral Engage, for instance, is an omnichannel contact center solution that features dialer phone systems aimed at championing your agents so they could deliver beyond expectations,while mitigating your compliance risks, like TCPA. Your best option is the one that can give you everything you need now and in the future.
What to get: Depending on your individual marketing needs, your contact center platform can switch between these two different outbound dialers. But rather than getting them separately, you’re better off getting intelligent call center software like RingCentral Engage Voice, which offers comprehensive contact center solutions. That way, you won’t have to look elsewhere for different dialing modes.
You’d think something as beneficial as a predictive dialer could only have a hefty price tag that no one but large outbound call centers can afford. That may be true if you don’t pick the right provider.
Call center dialers are available as both an on-premises and a hosted solution. When you choose to install it on your computers and have it managed by your in-house IT team, an on-premises solution could take up a lot of your resources. After all, you’ll be the one shouldering maintenance and upgrade costs.
A standalone predictive dialer could set you back around $5,000 for a system that can only accommodate a small number of agents. A large call center can make that shoot up a few hundred more dollars. That’s not even including installation and maintenance costs that could take up a significant portion of your budget.
Learn more about call center efficiency: Reach out to a cloud provider like RingCentral and learn how you can economize while boosting call center performance with software that includes multiple dialing modes, such as progressive and preview dialers.
Predictive dialers started as hardware solutions, but for modern, omnichannel contact centers, it’s hard to ignore the benefits offered by cloud dialers. These include reduced upfront capital expenses and IT costs as well as more time spent talking to clients.
Tools for increased productivity: Apart from call routing, call recording, call transfer, call monitoring, and automatic call distribution, the best cloud predictive dialers also come with the following features:
  • Voice broadcast - relays important messages to multiple customers simultaneously
  • Answering machine detection - dialer allows agents to leave a message and move on to other clients
  • Time zone awareness - delays calls until optimum answer times
  • Local presence caller ID - improves answer rate
  • CRM integration - enables seamless lead generation

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Written by Andy Watson
Senior Manager, Product Marketing
Reviewed by John Finch
VP, Product Marketing, AI Customer Experience
Updated: 01 October 2024

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