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A predictive dialer is an indispensible resource for large enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses alike. Making sure your call center agents maximize their time in the office is extremely important for a company’s bottom line. Intelligent skills-based routing is a critical component of that.

A predictive dialer with skills-based routing uses information provided by the caller (via IVR) or already known about a specific account to assign inbound calls to the most suitable agent or groups of agents. Instead of simply assigning the call to the next available agent, like traditional automatic call distribution (ACD), predictive dialing software automatically determines who’s most capable of handling a particular request, client, or inquiry, and instantly routes the call to their queue.

For example, certain agents may have training in upselling customers and answering technical questions, while others may be proficient in handling return requests and are fluent in other languages. Skill profiles can be created for each individual agent, which are cross-checked by the predictive dialer before connecting a customer to an agent. Customer profiles are simultaneously taken into account before routing, evaluating criteria like account balance, actual of perceived value of the customer, location, telephone number, and IVR selections. With a predictive dialer, the entire process is carried out in matter of microseconds, saving call center managers the hassle of manually assigning agents with certain skill sets to corresponding queues.

Pairing customers with the right agents leads to faster call resolution, lower abandonment rates, and higher agent productivity. Furthermore, since agents no longer need to be capable of handling every possible inquiry, less overall training is required. Such specialization is also conducive toward happier call center agents, as they will certainly experience higher success rates, leading to more pleasant customer interactions. Altogether, this means lower call center expenditures and increased call center performance. 

Predictive dialers are thus an ideal solution for call centers looking to get the most out of their call center. By indentifying the most qualified agent for each individual call, a business can be sure that every customer is getting the best attention and service it has to offer.