It is a development of the telemarketing autodialer, a computerized system that automatically dials batches of telephone numbers. The basic autodialer disgards unanswered calls, disconnected lines, faxes and similar and directs the answered calls to waiting sales representatives.
The predictive system is different because of its use of algorithms to route calls and predict answers - differentiating itself from simpler autodial systems by adjusting the calling process to the number of sales representatives available. Commonly the dialer interfaces into CRM software.
The system can dramatically increase the time an agent spends on communication rather than waiting, a survey in 2002 indicated an increase in talk time from twenty minutes in the hour to almost fifty. The sytem is most suitable for low quality lists and large numbers of agents; a high contact rate can overwhelm the system.
The experience for those who receive a predictive dialer call is less satisfactory. There is an appreciable period of non-response before a call is routed to a sales representative, this annoys people and also gives them a chance to 'abandon' the call. If no sales representatives is available for a successful call it is disconnected. In certain countries this disconnection is a breach of regulatory codes.
See also :autodialer, telemarketing