Smart Dialers

Erika CTM

May 27, 2022 15:43

Smart Dialers allow you to upload a set of phone numbers to call. The list will be dynamically populated based on form entries and triggers from call events. This can be accomplished using a voice menu or custom trigger. The rate of outbound dialing is based on the availability of agents in a call queue. There is an option to adjust the frequently attempted dials until a given success criteria is met. As an example, a call is transferred or a conversation is started. The dialer will avoid dialing a contact if it detects that the contact has already been dialed manually when already added to the dialer list.

Note: It is best practice to stop the Dialer before making any changes.

Requirements

Agents must use the softphone to answer calls from a dialer (Softphone Agent). This is important when using the mode to dial the contact first.

Smart dialers are available on the Connect plan.

There are two primary dialer modes. Follow the guide below for the mode that is preferred.

Dial agent first: dials the agents in your queue; when they answer, initiates an outbound dial to the contact.
Dial contact first: dials the contact number; when they answer, initiates a call to one or more agents in the queue.
- Dial contact first allows the use of Answering Machine Detection, which detects if an answering machine picks up.
- Dial contact first allows the use of broadcast mode, which dials contacts from your dialer list even if no agents are not currently available.

Smart Dialer Modes

There are two primary smart dialer modes. Follow the guide below for the mode that you prefer to use.
- Dial agent first: dials the agents in your queue; when they answer, initiates an outbound dial to the contact.
  - Dial contact first allows the use of answering machine detection, which detects if an answering machine picks up.
- Dial contact first: dials the contact number; when they answer it will initiate a call to one or more agents in your queue.
  - Dial contact first also allows the use of broadcast mode, which will dial contacts from your dialer list even if no agents in the assigned queue are currently available.

If you would like the dialer to run even when no agents are available, toggle on broadcast mode.
If you have enabled broadcast mode, select the dialer rate.
- Fast Dial distributes calls as quickly as possible.
- Evenly Distribute sends calls between the dates provided. A dial rate will be calculated based on the time between the end date and the start date.
Select → Create Dialer to save.
Next → Select the dialer order.

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Creating Dial Agent First

Navigate to Flows → Smart Dialers
If there are no dialers in your account, you will be directed to a setup page. Otherwise, select → Add New Dialer in the upper right of the page.
Enter the name of the dialer.
Use the drop-down menu to select → Dial Agent First.
Select the dialer order you wish to use.

First in First Out: the oldest contact in the dialer list will be called first.
Last in First Out: the newest contact in the dialer list will be called first.

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Routing

In the Routing section in the Agent Selection it shows the default for Queue. There is also an option to select a drop-down for Lambda functions.
When using the queue option, go to → Agent Selection and select the queue you would like to associate the dialer with.

Tips:

If you select a call queue that dials more than one agent, per inbound call using dial the agent first. CTM will dial multiple agents, per contact. You most likely do not want this, so set your call queue to Round Robin. Using this option will ensure we only dial one agent, per contact.
When dialing the contact first, the queue will be used only to determine the availability of the agents if using an interactive voice menu (IVR).
There is also an option available to use in the Message to play to the agent before dialing out. This feature is customizable.
Min required agents – When dialing a contact or agent first you must have at least the following number of agents available per contact and agent dialed.
There’s also the option to select the drop-down list for Do Not Call (DNC) within the contact list.
Apply a tag to calls generated by the dialer and enter them into the tag field.

Select → Create Dialer

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Caller ID

In the Dialer Caller ID section, use the drop-down menu to select how you would like the outbound caller ID to be determined.

Specific Number will always dial using the same tracking number. If no number is selected, the best match will be used.
Best Match will select the closest matching tracking number to the number being dialed (based on location).
Agent’s Number allows you to use the agent’s assigned tracking number. If no number is assigned to the agent, the best match will be used.
Last Number or Best Match will use the last number or best match for outbound calls.
Last Number or Specific Number will use either the last number or use the same tracking number.

There is an option to select a Best Match Team.
You can select a default Outbound Campaign using the drop-down menu.
Choose to enable Enhanced Caller ID by clicking the toggle button. Enhanced caller ID helps to determine if you are dialing a mobile number. It also can provide the address of the subscriber to the number, contact timezone, etc. Additional charges apply.

Next, select → Create Dialer to save changes

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Time Controls

Time Controls provides a way to determine times of the day so it’s safe to dial your contact records. Dialing times are based on the contact's time zone. Advanced CallerID will use the local address information to determine the timezone. Otherwise, the Country Code, Area Code, and Prefix will determine the location.

By default, the option to restrict dialing outside the given times is enabled. We recommend keeping this setting on.
Use the Allowed Dial Start Time and Allowed Dial End Time fields to adjust the times when the dialer runs. The dialing times will be based on the contact’s time zone.

Select → Create Dialer to save changes

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Scheduling

Scheduling allows you to determine the times during the day and week when it is safe to run the dialer. A schedule that can determine when the dialer runs is useful when a broadcast queue is directing callers to a Voice Menu.

In addition to monitoring a queue for agent availability associate a schedule to limit when the dialer will be active.

If a custom schedule is applied use the → Only Dial During Scheduled Times drop-down menu to select the custom menu.

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Frequency

The frequency is for each contact performing the following ordered actions until success/not success for all actions that have run. The frequency action determines when to dial/text each contact added to the dialer. If a callback is successful or not successful, no further attempts will be made. Each callback is run in relation to the previous action. e.g. if you text the contact in 1 minute and then call in 2 minutes. The call will happen 2 minutes after the text message.

Note: To trigger an immediate dial to a contact make sure to add a 0-minute frequency.

Select → Create Dialer to save changes

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Criteria

Criteria provide how to confirm whether a dialed number was reached and should not be dialed again. If not using confirmation CTM will assume a call is connected it can be safely removed from the list e.g. success. This does not mean a real person was reached. At a minimum, we recommend at least a talk time confirmation criteria should be used.

There are multiple confirmation methods. Manual confirmations will need to process the updates before we can process the automatic updates. Make sure to give the agents ample time to answer the confirmation prompt. The confirmation methods will mark the dialed party as successfully reached. This will make sure the dialed party is not called again.

Select → Dialer Criteria section. This allows you to customize how the dialer should determine whether a dialed number was reached and should not be dialed again.

If you do not enable any confirmation, the default behavior will remove the contact from the dialer list when the call is connected. This does not necessarily mean a live person was reached. CTM recommends at least setting minimum talk time criteria.

If you select multiple confirmation methods, any one of the confirmation methods will mark the dialed party as successful. This means the person who called will not be dialed again.

The default for Confirmation Prompt is automatically selected to default but can be disabled. Agent Confirmation of Success or Failure to Connect requires the agent to click a softphone button to confirm the contact was reached.

Enter a prompt and a label for the button. There is an option to set the wait time for the agent prompt before processing automatic confirmation. If the Agent Confirmation is disabled, select Automatic Confirmation of Success or Failure to Connect. These features provide:

Confirmation on Transfer: confirms a contact is reached and when a call is transferred.
Confirmation by talk time: confirms a contact is reached when a call has reached a minimum duration (talk time).
Confirmation by key press: requires an agent to make a keypress to confirm the contact was reached. Enter the required keypress.
Consider an inbound call after the dialed number is added as a success: This confirms a contact has been reached. This allows the contact to make an inbound call before they are removed from the dialer by others.
Consider a manual outbound call after the dialed number is added as a success. Please be aware disabling this check can result in over dialing. Note: success/failure triggers will not run when this condition is met.
Consider a chat after the dialed number is added as a success: Note success/failure triggers will not run when this condition is met.

Select → Create Dialer to save changes

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Triggers

Triggers optionally enable triggers that execute after a successful or failed call to a dialer number

Select → Success Trigger
Select → Failed Trigger

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Contact List

With the contact list use an existing list or create a new list. By selecting either add numbers manually or upload a .csv file select the Country Code for the list of numbers you want to dial. If uploading a file select choose the → File upload

Select → Create Dialer to save changes

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Creating a Dial Contact First

Navigate to Flows → Smart Dialers
If there are no dialers in your account select → New Smart Dialer in the upper right of the page.
Enter the name of the dialer.
Next use the drop-down menu to select a Preset of Missed Call Dial Contact First Smart Dialer.

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Mode (Broadcast Mode)

There are two primary smart dialer modes. Follow the guide below for the mode that you prefer to use.
- Dial agent first: dials the agents in your queue; when they answer, initiates an outbound dial to the contact.
- Dial contact first: dials the contact number; when they answer, initiates a call to one or more agents in your queue.
  - Dial contact first allows the use of answering machine detection, which detects if an answering machine picks up.
  - Dial contact first also allows the use of broadcast mode, which will dial contacts from your dialer list even if no agents in the assigned queue are currently available

If you would like the dialer to run even when no agents are available, click to toggle broadcast mode.
If you have enabled broadcast mode, select the dialer rate.
- Fast Dial distributes calls as quickly as possible.
- Evenly Distribute sends calls between the dates provided. A dial rate will be calculated based on the time between the end date and the start date.

Next, Select → Create Dialer to save

Select the dialer order you wish to use.
- First in First Out: the oldest contact in the dialer list will be called first.
- Last in First Out: the newest contact in the dialer list will be called first.

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Routing

Select the Route To drop-down menu
- Linked Queue
- Voice Menu (IVR)
- Smart Router
If Voice Menu (IVR) is selected you will want to Route on Answer/Detection. If no route option is selected connected callers will be directed to the linked call queue.
Using a Smart Router select the Smart Router you designate. If no route option is selected connected callers will be directed to the linked call queue.
For Dialer Routing, use the Link to call queue drop-down to select the queue you wish to associate with this dialer (if broadcast mode is not enabled). When dialing the contact first, this queue will be used only to determine the availability of your agents using a Voice Menu (IVR). If you have not already created a queue for the smart dialer, click here to learn how to set up a call queue.
Set the minimum number of agents that must be available for the dialer to run (this will default to 3 agents).

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Answering Machine Detection (Additional charges apply)

The system allows enablement for answering machine detection. Answering machine detection supports calling to the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden. The AMD system has a 94% accuracy rate across large call samples. This is a set that is tuned with a bias toward recognizing humans. It is recommended to instruct agents answering calls to leave a voicemail. The system will automatically apply the following tags to each call based on the results of the classification:
- machine: tagged when we detected an answering machine.
- human: tagged when we detected a human.
- fax: tagged when we detected a fax machine.
- unknown: tagged when are not able to determine a result.
Use the Route to drop-down to choose to route callers to a voice menu or a smart router.
- Choose the name of the voice menu or smart router you would like to use. If no route option is selected, connected callers will be directed to the linked call queue.11) If you wish to apply a tag to calls generated by the dialer, enter the tag in the tag field.
- In the Dialer Caller ID section, use the drop-down menu to select how you would like the outbound caller ID to be determined.
- Specific Number will always dial using the same tracking number. If no number is selected, the best match will be used.
- Best Match will select the closest matching tracking number to the number being dialed (based on location).
- Agent’s Number uses the agent’s assigned tracking number. If no number is assigned to the agent, the best match will be used.

You may choose to enable Enhanced Caller ID by selecting the toggle button. (Enhanced Caller ID helps to determine if you are dialing a mobile number, the address of the subscriber to the number, contact timezone, and more)
By default, the option to restrict dialing outside the given times is enabled. It is recommended to keep this setting on.
Use the Allowed Dial Start Time and Allowed Dial End Time fields to adjust the times when the dialer is allowed to run. The dialing times will be based on the contact’s time zone.
If you prefer to use a custom schedule for allowed dialing times, use the Only dial during scheduled times drop-down to select the schedule you would like to use.
Use the toggles in the Dialer Criteria section to customize how the dialer should determine whether a dialed number was reached and should not be dialed again.

If you do not enable any confirmation toggles, the default behavior will remove the contact from the dialer list when the call is connected. This does not necessarily mean a live person was reached. It is recommended to at least set minimum talk time criteria.

If you select multiple confirmation methods, any one of the confirmation methods will mark the dialed party as successfully reached, and that person will not be dialed again.

Confirmation Button or Prompt: requires an agent to click a softphone button after the call has ended to confirm the contact was reached. Enter a voice prompt and a label for the button.
Confirmation on Transfer: confirms a contact as reached when a call is transferred.
Confirmation by talk time: confirms a contact as reached when a call has reached a minimum duration (talk time).
Confirmation by key press: requires an agent to make a keypress to confirm the contact was reached. Enter the required keypress.
Consider an inbound call after the dialed number is added a success: confirms a contact has reached if the contact makes an inbound call before they are removed from the dialer by other means.

Use the Callback Frequency section to determine the frequency for dialing or texting contacts. If a callback is successful, no further attempts will be made. Select to call or text and use the field to specify how long to wait (minutes, hours, or days) before re-attempting to dial a contact.

Click +Add Callback Time to add additional callback attempts as needed.
Save Changes.