Using the Predictive Dialer
The Predictive Dialer calls several Leads in a Smart View at the same time and connects you only when a person answers. Voicemails, busy signals, and unanswered calls never reach you. For background on predictive dialing and when it fits a sales process, see our predictive dialer guide.
The Predictive Dialer is available on the Scale plan. The Growth plan includes the Power Dialer but not the Predictive Dialer.
Set up predictive calling
On any Smart View, click the Call dropdown and select Manage. Under Dialer Options, open the Predictive Calling setup.
The first time you turn on predictive calling, you complete the steps below.
Set the caller ID
Predictive calling dials from the system, not from a specific user, so it needs a number anyone in your organization can call from. Choose a number with Available to non-members turned on.
If none of your numbers has this setting on, an admin can turn it on from the number’s settings page under Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail. See Outbound Caller ID.
You can also set the session’s caller ID to Local Presence. The dialer then picks a number per call from the numbers with Available to non-members turned on — the number closest to each contact’s area code, or one the contact has connected with before. See Local Presence.
If none of your numbers has it on, an admin can enable it on the number’s settings page under Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail. See Outbound Caller ID.
Each Smart View can use a different caller ID. If your calling teams each have their own number, assign each team’s number to their predictive calling Smart Views.
Record an abandonment message
An abandoned call is one a Lead answers when no user is free to take it. When this happens, the Lead hears your abandonment message. The message must include:
- Your organization’s name
- A phone number the Lead can call
Your organization has one abandonment message. You can change it at any time under Settings > Communication > Dialer.
Sample message:
This is an automated call from [Business Name]. Unfortunately, due to a technical error, no agent is available to speak to you at this time. You do not need to take any action as we will call back at another time. If you wish to receive no further calls from us, please call [number] and we will be happy to remove you from our calling list. Thank you.
Turn on predictive mode
After setup, you can turn on predictive dialing for any Smart View. The calling icon on that Smart View changes to show it’s in predictive mode.
Call in predictive mode
The calling queue
While you’re waiting for a call, you see:
- The Smart View being called and how many of its Leads have been dialed
- Total predictive calls made to that Smart View today
- Other users dialing the same Smart View and their status
- Leads currently being dialed
The dialer adjusts how many Leads it calls at once based on:
- The number of users available to take calls
- The average number of dials before someone answers
- The answer rate and abandonment rate
- The average conversation length
Close Pro-tip
The Predictive Dialer will adjust the automatic call rate continuously. It will consider these call metrics to do so:
- The number of sales reps available to take calls: One person could use a dialer software, but, to avail of its potential fully, you should have at least 4 people logged in to the system. The most optimal number of reps for predictive dialing is 10 and over.
- The average number of dials before a person picks up a phone: This metric helps a predictive dialer estimate how many numbers to dial to avoid call abandonment.
- The ratio of answered calls and call abandonment rate: A predictive dialer aims to bring reps closer to a conversation. It also aims to prevent answered calls to get abandoned because there’s nobody to take them. So, the system will automatically calculate how many numbers to call simultaneously to ensure the lowest abandonment rate.
- The average length of the conversation: How long your reps spend on each call will also affect the call ratio.
Leads the dialer skips
The dialer skips Leads that were:
- Called in the last hour
- Abandoned in the last 72 hours
To call recently called Leads again, click Call > Start from Scratch. You can’t call abandoned Leads with the Predictive Dialer until 72 hours have passed.
Connecting to a call
When a Lead answers, their Lead page opens and Close adds a call note to it.
After the call ends, take notes and update the Lead as usual. The dialer doesn’t put you back in the queue while you’re editing. Use Pause or Call Next Lead in the call bar to step away or rejoin.
Find abandoned calls
To find Leads that received your abandonment message, use this query:
Abandoned calls appear in the Lead’s activity as outgoing call attempts.
Close Pro-tip
The Predictive Dialer is designed for teams with multiple callers. It places calls ahead of time and routes answered calls to the next available user, which helps reduce downtime and increase total call volume.
Solo-user limitation: If you’re dialing alone (or with a very small team), the Predictive Dialer is less effective because there may not be another available user to receive answered calls. In these cases, another dialer mode may be a better fit.
If you are the only sales rep from your organization in the predictive dialer session, then it will be unlikely you will see the call rates jump above 1x. This is in line with compliance rules about number of reps to number of dialees at one time and abandonment rates. The more people who join the session, the more likely the call rate will jump above 1x.
Please note: The Power/Predictive Dialer will call the primary number (number listed at the top) of the primary contact (contact listed at the top). This is also the case if you click the Call button on the top of the lead page. There isn’t a way to make our automated dialers call the same number multiple times, multiple numbers on a single contact, or multiple contacts.
Limitations
Primary contact and number only: The Power and Predictive Dialers call the primary number (listed first) of the primary contact (listed first). The Call button at the top of the Lead page works the same way. The dialers can’t call the same number more than once, call multiple numbers on one contact, or call multiple contacts.
Lead Visibility: The Predictive Dialer isn’t compatible with Lead Visibility. If you start dialing from a role with Lead Visibility turned on, you see this error:
