Types of Predictive Dialler

Preview dialling — also known as click to dial — is the most controlled dialler mode. When a lead is presented to an agent, they can see all the customer details on screen before the call is placed. The agent reviews the information and manually clicks to initiate the call when they're ready.

This mode is ideal for:

• Complex or high-value clients — where agents need to review account history, previous interactions, or specific details before speaking
• Sensitive calls — such as debt collection, financial services, or healthcare, where preparation improves the quality of the conversation
• B2B campaigns — where each call is tailored and research matters
• New or less experienced agents — who benefit from time to prepare before each call

While preview dialling has the lowest call volume per hour, it typically produces higher-quality conversations and better outcomes on complex campaigns. Studies show click to dial alone can improve agent productivity by up to 75% compared to fully manual dialling.

Progressive dialling automates the process of placing calls while still giving agents access to lead information. As soon as an agent becomes available, the system automatically dials the next number on the list. The agent sees the lead's details on their screen as the call connects.

Key characteristics:

• One call per agent — the system only dials when an agent is free, so there are no abandoned calls
• Lead details displayed automatically — agents see who they're calling as the phone rings
• No awkward pauses — because calls are placed one-to-one, the customer hears the agent immediately when they answer
• Higher throughput than preview — eliminates the time agents spend deciding when to click

Progressive mode strikes an excellent balance between call volume and call quality. It's widely used for campaigns where compliance matters (since there are zero abandoned calls) but where the volume of manual preview dialling isn't sufficient. It's a popular choice for regulated industries and customer service follow-ups.

Predictive dialling is the most aggressive and highest-volume mode. The system uses algorithms to predict when agents will become available and begins dialling multiple numbers in advance. By the time an agent finishes their current call, the next answered call is already waiting.

How it works:

• Dials independently of agents — the algorithm places calls based on predicted agent availability, average call duration, and answer rates
• Multiple simultaneous calls — the system may dial 2, 3, or more numbers for each available agent, depending on the campaign's answer rate
• Maximises talk time — agents can spend up to 50 minutes per hour on live calls, compared to an average of 10 minutes with manual dialling
• Answer Machine Detection (AMD) — identifies voicemails and answering machines, filtering them out so agents only speak to live contacts

Important compliance note: Because predictive dialling dials ahead of agent availability, some calls will be answered when no agent is free. These are known as "abandoned" or "dropped" calls. Ofcom regulations in the UK require that the abandoned call rate stays below 3%. A well-configured predictive dialler will manage this automatically, but it's essential to monitor closely.

Predictive dialling is best suited to high-volume campaigns such as telesales, telemarketing, and large-scale surveys where maximising agent productivity is the top priority. It delivers the highest increase in performance — up to 500% compared to manual dialling.

"Power dialler" is largely a legacy term from the early days of automated outbound calling. It originally referred to a system that dialled a fixed ratio of calls per agent — for example, always dialling 3 numbers per available agent regardless of answer rates or call durations.

In practice, modern predictive diallers have made the power dialler concept obsolete. Predictive algorithms dynamically adjust the dialling ratio based on real-time data, which is far more efficient and compliant than a fixed-ratio approach.

If you see "power dialler" mentioned by a provider, it's worth clarifying exactly what they mean — in most cases, it refers to either predictive or progressive dialling under a different name. True fixed-ratio power dialling is rarely used in modern contact centres due to its tendency to produce high abandoned call rates.