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Destination CRM recently listed steps to take to improve the overall performance of an outbound call center. First on the list was investing in a good automatic predictive dialer, which can dial the numbers and connect the call to a live agent only when someone answers the call at the other end. This will significantly save the live agent time that might otherwise be spent listening to a busy signal or a ringtone.

On average, a predictive dialer will reduce the length of an outbound call by seven seconds by virtually eliminating polling time. With an average expected outbound call volume per agent close to 60 connections or calls, a better dialer can increase efficiency by raising your outbound tolerance plus 10 in a given interval.

LiveVox (News - Alert) delivers all outbound dialing modes without the limitations of hardware licenses and telephony infrastructure. It develops predictive, preview or manual dialing campaigns on demand to suit a variety of portfolios. Features of the LiveVox dialer include dynamic preview dialing for wireless treatments, account strategy and execution customization via GUI, call list management and re-queue methodology, campaign-level metrics and business analytics, and integration with LiveVox ACD, IVR, call recording and business analytics applications.

Other steps to improve an outbound call center’s performance include using a sophisticated algorithm that can help improve right party contact (RPC) rates. RPC rates are a critical measure of success for a collections-oriented call center because the law prevents discussing credit matters with even family members. When RPC rates are improved, collection costs come down in two ways: reaching the right person with fewer calls and reaching the same number of customers with a smaller staff. Algorithms have been written and implemented that schedule calls in a near optimal manner based on factors such as capacity of agents and most successful time to call based on individual customer account information.

Simulation tools are another item on the list for improving call center performance. These tools allow call centers to simulate the call center environment, including agent leaves, break times, and different outgoing call patterns. While an outbound call center has more control over scheduling than an inbound call center, it’s still important to simulate a new rule base before you roll it out so you can identify any potential problems in meeting SLAs up front. Today’s simulation tools allow you to see the effect of change before implementation.