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Power Dialer vs Predictive Dialer: Which Suits Your Needs?

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Power Dialer vs Predictive Dialer: Which Suits Your Needs? power dialer vs predictive dialer
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Dialing our friend’s and family’s numbers to make a call seems natural to us. But for a salesperson or contact center agent manually dialing numbers can slow down productivity. However, a small telephone feature like auto-dialers can save you time with its automation and boost efficiency. 

In this article, we will be exploring two such auto-dialers to understand the differences. We will discuss power dialer vs predictive dialer; which best fits your business.

What is a power dialer?

The power dialer is a type of auto-dialer that performs outbound dialing. It automatically dials the number from the contact lists when your agent is ready to take a call. 

The dialer automatically dials the next number on the list when an agent finishes a call. It connects the agent to the call when it detects a live answer. 

The dialer waits for the agent to be available before it makes the next call. This means that you can take some time to fill in the conversation detail or the survey. 

What is a predictive dialer?

The predictive dialer is a type of auto-dialer that makes outbound calls based on an algorithm. The dialer estimates when the agent will be free and makes the next call. 

The dialer estimates the availability of an agent based on factors such as average length of talk time, number of agents, average downtime between calls, etc. 

The predictive dialing software evaluates how many calls are answered and uses it to determine how many times it can make calls to avoid idle time for the agents. 

It calls a prospect before an agent is available. And connects you to the call only when a live human answers the call. 

The definitions are the basic functional difference between a power dialer vs predictive dialer. Now, let’s take a look at some more differences in their features.

Related read: Top 15 auto-dialers!

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Power dialer vs predictive dialer: differences

Power Dialer vs Predictive Dialer: Which Suits Your Needs? power dialer vs predictive dialer

The table above highlights three major points of difference in the debate about a power dialer vs predictive dialer. Let’s explore these differences in detail. 

Call control: Predictive dialer vs power dialer

Predictive dialer: The software calls the next number on the contact list regardless of the agent’s availability. It evaluates the workflow of the call center and runs an algorithm by analyzing data in order to predict agent availability. 

Power dialer: The software selects and dials the next number only when an agent has ended the call and is ready to take the next call. 

Call connect time: Predictive dialer vs power dialer

Predictive dialer: The calls are made even when there are no agents available and the call is connected when the receiver answers it. This leads to the receiver listening to awkward silence or ringtone until an agent connects. 

Power dialer: The call is made only when an agent is available and it connects the agent before the receiver answers it. This means the prospect hears an agent instead of awkward silence. 

Productivity & efficiency: Predictive dialer vs power dialer

Predictive dialer: It prioritizes an agent’s time. The software dials the next number to keep the ideal time low and productivity high. This ensures that your predictive dialer-based campaigns are finished faster. 

Power dialer: It waits for an agent to finish the call before dialing the next number. This means power dialer-based campaigns take longer to complete. 

This sums up the functional difference between a power dialer vs predictive dialer. Now let’s also explore the ideal use cases for each automated dialing mode. 

Related read: Best predictive dialer software.

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Power dialer vs predictive dialer: ideal use cases

Automated dialing software boost productivity and increases efficiency for sales and contact centers. Here we will discuss the ideal use cases of each dialer to help you understand which dialing software would be best for your team. 

Predictive dialer: 

For a large team aiming for the volume of calls, predictive dialing software is a better choice. It offers scalable software that enables contact centers to amplify their contact rates and reduce the ideal time for agents. 

The dialer makes multiple calls at a time and connects the call to any free agent. This means your team should have an extensive number of agents. 

Political campaigns, debt collection, or cold calling are some use cases where a predictive dialer is a natural fit. When a predictive dialer makes calls the agent have no prior knowledge of who they are connecting to. This means the agent must have good communication and improvisation skills to personalize the call. 

Power dialer: 

For a small or mid-sized team aiming to increase efficiency a power dialer is a good fit. The power dialer gives every agent enough time to fill in the conversation or survey details. The data will appear if an agent contacts that prospect. 

The dialer allows for personalized conversation since agents can continue a conversation and gather enough context around it. It also allows agents to record a voicemail message to important leads.  

For a growing business, a power dialer helps add a human touch and build a personal brand.

Power dialer vs predictive dialer: how to choose?

Power Dialer vs Predictive Dialer: Which Suits Your Needs? power dialer vs predictive dialer

The use case and the functionality should help you understand and decide which automated dialing software is good for you. However, we have also explored a few more things your need to consider when you determine which is better; power dialer vs predictive dialer. 

Call metrics: 

  1. Call ring time accounts for when a call starts ringing until someone answers it or it’s dropped. 

The power dialer waits for an answer, which means your agents lose productive time. 

Productive dialing software, on the other hand, has a set calling ratio. This means it will not wait for a long time in order to keep active calls ready for your agents. 

  1. Average call duration differs depending on the purpose of the call. A survey call may be quick, whereas a sales call may need a longer conversation. 

A power dialer is the best fit if your average call duration is high. With a 1:1 dialing ratio, there’s less risk of multiple prospects picking up and being dropped off the call. 

A predictive dialer uses this factor to run an algorithm and adjust the call ratio. 

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General factors:

  1. The number of agents or volunteers your organization has is also a contributing factor to what kind of dialer you need. 

A predictive dialer is a good fit for large teams. The dialer makes multiple calls and with more callers available the chance of connecting a large volume of calls is high. 

The power dialer is a better fit for a small or mid-sized team. It ensures fewer abandoned calls and higher engagement. 

  1. The purpose of your call also impacts the decision on the power dialer vs predictive dialer. 

When your objective is a sales call the conversation may be longer. Moreover, your agents may need to personalize the conversation. A power dialer in such a case would be an ideal choice.

A predictive dialer is better when your objective is to conduct a survey. The calls are likely to be shorter and the agents won’t need to prepare for a personalized conversation. 

Regulations:

According to FCC regulation abandoned calls should go past 3% of all answered calls. 

What does FCC consider an abandoned call? Anytime a prospect answers a call and no agent is assigned to the call within 2 seconds, the FCC regulation tags this call as an abandoned call.

When you use a power dialer, it is possible to comply with this regulation. A power dialer only dials the next number when you are ready to take the next call. 

However, with a predictive dialer, it could be a risk. If you don’t have a large team or if the ratio of calls to agents is high, it can be difficult to comply with the FCC regulation. 

Related read: Predictive dialer vs progressive dialer.

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Wrapping up;

This sums up our guide on which automated dialer would suit your team the best; power dialer vs predictive dialer. Take into consideration the factors we have mentioned, which will help you better understand which dialer would fit your purpose. 

FAQs on power dialer vs predictive dialer

A power dialer is an outbound dialer that dials the next number after an agent finishes a call. It only calls the next no. when an agent is free and selects to start the next call. 

Predictive dialer takes into a number of factors such as no. of agents, avg. call duration, etc. to predict the agent’s availability. The dialer makes multiple no. of calls and connects a free agent to the call when a prospect answers it. 

Power dialers dial the next call when an agent ends the current call. It dials numbers on a 1:1 ratio, i.e., one call per agent. 

The progressive dialer on the other hand makes multiple calls simultaneously after an agent is free based on the agent’s availability, likelihood to answer the call, and other factors. 

There are three types of dialers: 

  1. Preview dialer.
  2. Power dialer.
  3. Predictive dialer.

 

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