Predictive dialing best practices

Predictive dialing can be a powerful tool for maximizing agents’ effectiveness while minimizing customer wait time and abandoned calls. Genesys recommends these best practices when using the predictive dialing mode in Genesys Cloud.

• Make sure that the agent script that you select for the predictive campaign has at least one Set Stage action. The campaign uses the Set Stage action to predict when the agent will finish the current call. Based on the prediction, the campaign places calls for the agent before the agent completes the current call. If the agent script does not set a stage during a predictive campaign, the campaign functions like a power campaign: it waits for the agent to complete the current call before placing any calls. For more information, see Set Stage under Outbound actions in Available script actions.
• To avoid major fluctuations in contact rate that could result in high abandons or high agent wait times, randomize the contact list records for a steadier contact rate. Use an external database tool, such as SQL or Excel, or sort the contact list inside Genesys Cloud as described in step 25 in Create a predictive dialing campaign. Certain types of sorting, for example, by geographical area, can result in peaks and valleys. 
• To improve predictive algorithm accuracy, make sure that the algorithm has sufficient data. When the list of agents is less than 15, the limited data set can make the agent availability calculations inaccurate. Note that if agents are logged into other campaigns, they are not “whole agents” in any one campaign. For example, if 20 agents are logged into both Campaign A and Campaign B, each of these campaigns effectively has only 10 concurrent agents, which is under the recommended minimum for an accurate predictive algorithm. For more information, see the Predictive section in Dialing modes. 
• As with all dialing modes, take these steps to reduce the time for Genesys Cloud to deliver outbound calls to agents: Disable answering machine detection, turn on auto-answer for agents, use persistent connection with Polycom and WebRTC phones, and make sure that there are no hardware or headset issues with agents’ phones. For more information, see How Genesys Cloud delivers outbound calls to agents.
• If needed, you can throttle an existing campaign. Adjust the Number of Outbound Lines and the Abandon Rate in Dialing Mode Options. For more information, see the Predictive tab in Campaign Editor.
• If the system is still dialing too fast, adjust Max Calls Per Agent in Outbound Settings. For more information, see Outbound settings.
• If agents do not take inbound calls, raise Max Line Utilization to 100% to free up more outbound lines. For more information, see Outbound settings. Note that when outbound lines have full use of the Genesys Cloud Edge(s), input call load may be affected.