Artisoft TeleVantage PC PBX Phone Systems

Super Dialer System White Paper

The Super Dialer platform was developed for companies using the Vertical TeleVantage phone system. The objective behind this dynamic pressure dialer was to greatly increase the productivity of the call center agent while improving the efficiency, reporting and monitoring for managers running a call center, large or small without the hassles of the predictive dialer regulations.

The Super Dialer differs only slightly from predictive dialing. Predictive Dialers can recognize a live “hello” and then pass the call to an agent immediately. However when an agent is not available to take the call, that call is “abandoned” therefore causing the consumer to hang up in frustration. This issue has become the heart of the new Federal legislation. While predictive dialers are slightly more productive with consumer type sales and dialing, in this day and age of Federal “Do Not Call” legislation, not all companies want or need predictive dialing. For example, when calling a database of customers and sending caller ID, or wanting to leave a message on answering machines or performing business to business calling. The Super Dialer performs brilliantly. By using a power dialing mode you have eliminated the possibility of abandoned calls, and the risk of violating Federal Laws. Match this with comparing calls to the Do Not Call list whether they are manually dialed or called from a campaign and your risk is reduced even greater. We call the Super Dialer a pressure dialer due to the speed that we can dial and pass the call to the agent using targeting queries for each campaign. Most agents will hear the ringing of the call in there headset within 5 seconds of disposition from the previous call. Thus your results are accurate call dispositions; speeding dialing and the opportunity to leave custom messages (Super Dialer Librarian) on valuable answering machines and voicemail. In today’s market all contact with a prospect is coveted.

The Super Dialer is currently designed to operate and integrate with GoldMine Software, (SQL Version only) the number one selling (CRM) Customer Relationship Management software in the industry today. Future plans call for integration with other platforms such as Sales Logix and Siebel. The Super Dialer is compliant with all necessary Federal and State laws. This dialer system uses a 1 to 1; trunk to agent ratio for dialing. As soon as the current call receives a disposition the agent is connected to the next call automatically after the wrap time you define expires. The agent gets a screen pop on screen with all the contact information. This process is the same as a predictive dialer and eliminates agent hesitation or call reluctance, one of the major contributors to poor call center performance. Performance or valuable contacts with prospects equates to profit.

U.S. Infotel Has over 10 years experience in the Call Center arena and 5 years experience with the TeleVantage platform. Our solution has proven to double the productivity of agents. The Super Dialer is written in Microsoft .NET and uses MSSQL or MSDE as its database. Businesses today demand a different kind of dialer solution. Performance, scalability, and reliability are essential, and time to market is critical. Beyond these core enterprise qualities, the Super Dialer with TeleVantage provides agility to your call management and analysis, allowing your organization to adapt quickly and gracefully to derive competitive advantages in a fast-changing environment. From a profit management and analysis perspective, it is critical to turn raw data (contact information) into opportunities. A complete call center solution for your business to business; or business to consumer dialing opens the door to a new generation giving your company a critical competitive advantage.

THREE INTERFACE OPTIONS

Three (3) options for your database Interface:

  1. GoldMine Software
  2. Super Dialer Web Agent (from U.S. Infotel)
  3. Custom Database application used by your company (Screen Pops using CTI Link)

GOLDMINE SOFTWARE

GoldMine has long been the proven leader in CRM technology. A personalized sales process is the key to winning and retaining long-term customer relationships. If you are effective in managing each phase of the contact cycle, you can later reap the benefits of customer satisfaction and top-line growth. The Super Dialer leverages this important process by providing you the ability to get in front of more leads. Getting your call center to make more calls is first step in the contact cycle.

SUPER DIALER WEB AGENT

CUSTOM APPLICATIONS

Many of our clients have their own “in-house” applications that they have purchased or written. If you are using another database source, we can probably integrate to it for an additional fee, which can give you a tighter integration, and perhaps save you the cost of a GoldMine or the Super Dialer Web Agent. If the application is written in Visual Basic, .NET, JAVA, etc; using SQL on the backend, the integration will not be a huge task. It may take our professional services group 4 to 5 days to perform the integration in conjunction with your custom application. If you have a third party application, chances are we can integrate to it, but we will have to have some dialog with the software manufacturer. We need to know if they have a SDK (Software Developer’s Kit) or someway for us to access their database for the Super Dialer to make the necessary database calls. This is required to query the database to adding numbers to a campaign and send the agent a screen pop.

Super Dialer Features

The Controller is the real heart of Odyssey:

This can be embedded into our web agent, or your custom application. It may also sit on top of Goldmine to give the agent call control. The agent has the ability to:

  1. Login
  2. Set up the Campaign desired
  3. Click the “Ready” status when they are available for the next call
  4. Record calls
  5. Go to Wrap status (we report on this)
  6. Break
  7. Make manual calls

SUPER DIALER SPECS

CONTROLLER – AGENT SIDE

ADMINISTRATOR – SUPERVISOR SIDE and SERVER SIDE

ODYSSEY SUPER DIALER VS. PREDICTIVE DIALER Q & A

We realize the differences between the Odyssey Super Dialer and Odyssey Predictive Dialer can be confusing, so hopefully this document will help you understand the differences.

  1. The Odyssey Super Dialer is a Power Dialer, or Preview Dialer that runs on top of Televantage. It does not require any additional hardware. This system has a 1:1 ratio of Trunks/Agents. Thus requires 1 trunk per agent. Also only requires the standard Televantage Station License, ViewPoint License, and of course, Trunk License. Should you want these agents to have the attributes of the Call Center Agent License from Televantage, you would of course need to have that license as well. No additional IVR licenses are required to run the standard Super Dialer System.
  2. The Odyssey Predictive Dialer System is a Stand Alone Predictive Dialing system that utilizes a 2:1 ratio of Trunks/Agents. Thus you will need 2 trunks for each Agent. That way, one trunk is dialing while the other is talking. The Odyssey Predictive Dialer System is an inbound/outbound system, thus does not require a PBX to perform inbound or outbound calls. This system also can perform call transfers to inside or outside parties, and can do conferencing with the consumer called and another person in your organization. Recording is also available on this system.
  3. The only way that this free standing predictive dialing system will run with TeleVantage is through a T-1 Tie line between the two Telephony Servers as shown below.
  1. What is the difference between Predictive Dialing, Super Dialing, and Autodialing?
    1. Predictive Dialing uses 2 lines to every agent on the phone. Thus, one line can be dialing while the other line is being used for talking. We are actually “predicting” when the next agent is going to be off the phone, so as soon as they are, and the Dialogic Call Progress Analysis detects the “live hello”, the call is passed to the agent. The agent receives a screen pop of the customer’s record and a faint beep in the headset to alert them a call has been connected. One of the challenges with Predictive is that IF we get a live hello, and an agent is not available to take the call, this person is hung up on. The contact is automatically put into the database to be called back at a later date. This “hang up” is known as abandoning a call. If you abandon over 3% of the calls made in a shift, you are potentially subject to an $11,000 fine from the federal government. Our Odyssey Predictive Dialer system has safeguards built in to avoid this abandonment. Unfortunately with small call centers (under 20 seats) this can slow the progress down for the agent and they could have several minutes of lag time between calls if calling into a slow area or if it is during the middle of a workday. The Odyssey Predictive Dialer has its own built in CRM system for maintaining database information. The backend database is SQL.
    2. Super Dialing uses a 1:1 ratio of lines / agents thus the agent can hear everything taking place on the call such as busies, no answers, voice mail etc; While Super Dialing can have Call Progress Analysis (the ability to detect busies, answering machines) etc; our studies have shown that CPA slows down the call acquisition for the agent. We have also found that even though the agent can hear these activities in their headset, it keeps the agent busy, active, and alert, thus is not necessarily a bad thing. The Odyssey Super Dialer can connect to various databases such as SQL, or MySQL, and can be configured to work with CRM packages such as Goldmine, Sales Logix, and ACT.
    3. Auto Dialing is the method of using a special computer with dialogic card(s) installed. You import a calling list into the autodialer, record a message that you want broadcast to your database, then initiate the dialer. The dialer will automatically make the calls, and when a live person or answering machine answers, the dialer will leave a message. If a live person picks up the phone, they can be given an option to press a number on their dial pad such as 8, and be transferred to a live agent. Surveys can also be done allowing the person to press a number for yes or another number for no. U.S. Infotel has written code for a system we call AutoVoice used for autodialing. This is a stand alone system and does not run on top of TeleVantage at this time.
  2. Is Predictive Dialing, Autodialing, or Super Dialing Better?
    This ultimately depends on the call center. If you are performing 100% consumer based dialing, have more than 8 agents, and 80% of this is outbound, then chances are Predictive may be better for your operation. However if you are doing a balanced amount of inbound/outbound, and calling some businesses, or do not want to abandon (hang up) on people that potentially could answer the phone, SUPER DIALING is going to suit you better. Autodialing is a very specialized methodology, and should only be used for projects that interact with a current customer database.
  3. Why not just put Predictive Dialing on top of TeleVantage?
    We have looked at this, unfortunately, TV uses a different driver set for Dialogic than the standard, thus will require a completely new rewrite of the Super Dialer system. Assuming we can acquire a partner willing to Sponsor this, we would be willing to embark upon the project. Keep in mind; you will still need to add additional hardware to TeleVantage to obtain a 2:1 ratio of trunks:agents.
  4. What about the new Federal laws imposed on Predictive Dialing?
    There are a couple of federal laws that certainly discourage Predictive Dialing, and potentially encourage Super Dialing.
    1. The Federal Do Not Call list is the most common, and applies whether you are doing Predictive, Power, Preview, or Super Dialing. (Power, Preview, and Super Dialing are the same terms for the same type of dialing). Both of our systems check the DNC list on the system prior to dialing a number. If that number exists on the DNC database, the dialer will not dial that number.
    2. There is a restriction against abandoning over 3 % of the calls you can hang up on during a campaign. Often times, this can slow down predictive dialing to the point that it does not pay to engage in the method. You are potentially subject to an $11,000 fine for abusing this.
    3. If you abandon a call with Predictive, you must leave a recorded message for the caller, announcing who you are, leave your phone number, and why you are calling. Failure to do so exposes you to the $11,000 per incident federal fine.
    Super Dialing is not subject to (B) and (C) since live agent interaction is taking place. Also, since the agent can hear the ringing, live answer, or answering machine, the agent’s reaction time may be quicker since they can respond immediately to the caller.

The following Q & A ONLY pertains to the ODYSSEY SUPER DIALER that runs on the TeleVantage PC/PBX Server.

  1. 0.How do we access the TV Server?
    Super Dialer is comprised of 3 components the Controller, Administrator and Server Side. The controller provides agent control. The administrator controls all campaigns. The Server Side interacts with the TeleVantage server directly. This portion of the Super Dialer is installed on the TeleVantage Server.
  2. Do we require an IVR license? Why not?
    Yes, if you plan to use Call Progress Analysis. If CPA will not be used then it is not a requirement.
  3. How does the dialer work?
    Dials numbers from your Goldmine database or the internal database for each campaign created. The number is checked against the Do Not Call database and then transferred to the agent. Another call will not be dialed for that agent until they are in the ready status. This prevents the possibility of drop calls.
  4. How do reports work?
    The Super Dialer Report writer provides access to all agent and call statistics. Such as wrap time, manual dial time, break time and all call history.
  5. How do I monitor calls?
    Utilizing the features of the TeleVantage Call Center Agent. This feature of TeleVantage will allow you to Monitor, Coach and Join calls.
  6. You mentioned 1:1 dialing ratio for phone lines so does this means it will not dial on all 10 lines available  at same time 10 different numbers from the Database.
    This is correct.  Each agent would need a phone line, and you may want a few extras for inbound calls on TV.   Predictive dialing is diminishing (if not going away) in the U.S. and the U.K. due to the abuse and new federal regulations and fines.  Most people are finding it more effective to do Super dialing or Progressive dialing as it is also called.  We can keep an agent busier, they don't experience the same level of burnout, and we can still DOUBLE their calling productivity.   
  7. To hang up call on busy signal or answering machine, not working signal, or no answer etc. Only transfer live phones.
    The new TeleVantage 6.0 does give us CALL PROGRESS ANALYSIS, i.e.; busies, answering machines etc;  but I can tell you from experience that so far, everyone of our customers has disabled CPA because it slows the process down considerably. 
  8. The Super Dialer has built in Wrap Time. Thus you can set the system to automatically dial the next phone number in a series, based on the setting you established at 5,10,15, or 20 seconds. This allows you to greatly increase your productivity.
  9. Can the super dialer dial an extension after the number dialed then transfer call to Agent?
    The super dialer simply runs on top of Televantage, therefore it gives you ALL of the features that Televantage also gives you on the inbound side etc;

In conclusion, if you are in question about which type of dialing is best suited for your organization, call your U.S. Infotel representative. They can assist you in making the right decision.

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