Online Predictive Dialer Simulator

Call Center Optimization


Throwing more resources at a problem isn't always the best answer. Sometimes it actually winds up costing more. We have a long history of optimizing productivity at blended call centers. Our tools have been designed and refined through years of testing and we think you'll agree that we are the best in the business when it comes to helping you work with the tools you already have.

How do we do it? Our firm is unique in that we use tools such as predictive dialer simulators customized to our customer's outbound environment. This allows our customers to continuously improve their dialer strategies without impacting productivity on the floor.

Our software, plus the strategic partnerships we share with several leading dialer vendors gives us the unique ability to match you with the technology that best suits your needs without "over buying" on hardware.

We want to make sure you're happy. So we're not ones to talk you into a bunch of fancy new gadgets and then toss a fat user-manual and tell you to figure it out. We work with you to provide detailed change management strategies and solutions that ensure that the technology and recommendations we provide are implemented as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Do you need to see some real-world outcomes? Click here to read how we utilized design of experiments in order to improve and outbound center's engagement rate from 9.8% to 22.8%. Or click here to read how we utilized predictive dialer simulation to improve an outbound center's attempt rate by 6% without any additional technology or staff. Still need some coaxing? Click here to read how we utilized predictive analytics to improve an outbound call center's annual revenue by $1.4M.

Go ahead... tinker a bit. Put some numbers in and see what pops out. Not too sure what to input and need some coaching? No problem there. Just give us a call and we can walk you through a quick tutorial to get you going in the right direction.

 

  1. Welcome
  2. Step 1: Staffing
  3. Step 2: Connectivity
  4. Step 3: HT
  5. Step 4: Inbound Calls
  6. Step 5: Dialer Settings
  7. Step 6: Results

Welcome to Exceptional Outcomes' Free Online Predictive Dialer Simulator.


This simulator allows call center managers to optimize their call campaigns by answering questions such as:

* What increase in productivity would I see if I used predictive dialing instead of manual dialing?

* What are the effects of potential staffing and scheduling changes on my campaign's productivity?

* What would be the effects of sending inbound calls to agents logged into the outbound campaign?

* How would increasing or decreasing call handling times affect my productivity goals?

* Should I use the answering machine detect feature associated with my dialer?

This simulator works at the campaign level so each of your campaigns will need to be modeled individually. This free online version of our simulation technology uses an Erlang-B based pacing algorithm, which is the foundation for many commercial and open source dialers. Although the results provided by this simulator will closely approximate what you can expect at your site, its accuracy will vary based on how much your dialer's pacing algorithm differs from what is used in this simulator. This simulator also loses accuracy when the number of agents in the campaign drops below 30 during any hour. In addition, this online version does not include several features associated with specific dialer makes and versions. For more information on acquiring a simulator for your specific dialer, please contact us.

To get started, click on the Step 1: Staffing tab to put in your agents' schedules for the campaign you wish to simulate.

Step 1: Staffing


In this tab you should enter the number of agents you expect to be logged into the dialer during each hour of operation. You can model the expected effects of having agents break during any hour. In the table below, populate the following fields.

Number of Agents on Dialer - Enter the number of agents (whole numbers only) you expect to be logged into the dialer and actively working the campaign during the given hour.

Number of Agents Breaking - Enter the number of agents (whole numbers only) you expect to log out of the dialer at some point during the given hour to go on a scheduled break.

Length of Breaks - Enter the number of minutes the scheduled breaks are to last.

Example: If you have six agents logging in at 2 PM and you expect 2 of them to take a 15 minute break during the 2 PM hour, put '6' in for the number of agents, '2' for number of agents breaking and '15' for the length of the breaks.

The simulator accomodates campaigns that run from 8AM to 8PM local time. If your campaign does not run for that full length of time, place a '0' in each of the fields associated with the hours of inactivity or leave the fields blank.

When you are finished, proceed to the Step 2: Connectivity tab to enter the percentage of calls you expect to connect to right and wrong parties.

Hour

Number of Agents

on Dialer

Number of Agents

Breaking

Length of Breaks

(in minutes)

8AM - 9AM

agents
agents
minutes

9AM - 10AM

agents
agents
minutes

10AM - 11AM

agents
agents
minutes

11AM - Noon

agents
agents
minutes

Noon - 1PM

agents
agents
minutes

1PM - 2PM

agents
agents
minutes

2PM - 3PM

agents
agents
minutes

3PM - 4PM

agents
agents
minutes

4PM - 5PM

agents
agents
minutes

5PM - 6PM

agents
agents
minutes

6PM - 7PM

agents
agents
minutes

7PM - 8PM

agents
agents
minutes

Step 2: Connectivity


In this tab you should enter the expected outbound call connectivities during each hour of campaign operation. In the table below, populate the following fields.

Right Party Connect % - Enter the percentage (an integer between 1 and 100) of your outbound attempts that will connect with the right party.

Wrong Party Connect % - Enter the percentage (an integer between 1 and 100) of your outbound attempts that a connection will be made, but it will not be made to the right party. NOTE: Wrong Party Connects account for a live connection, not for answering machines.

Answering Machine % - Enter the percentage (and integer between 1 and 100) of your outbound attempts that will connect with an answering machine.

For each hour, the sum of the percentages can not be greater than 100%, but it may be less. The remaining percentage of calls will be associated with attempts without a connection, such as special information tones or no answers.

The simulator accomodates campaigns that run from 8AM to 8PM local time. If your campaign does not run for that full length of time, place a '0' in each of the fields associated with the hours of inactivity.

When you are finished, proceed to the Step 3:Handle Times (HT) tab to enter the expected handle times for each type of call.

Hour

Right Party

Connect %

Wrong Party

Connect %

Answering

Machine %

8AM - 9AM

%
%
%

9AM - 10AM

%
%
%

10AM - 11AM

%
%
%

11AM - Noon

%
%
%

Noon - 1PM

%
%
%

1PM - 2PM

%
%
%

2PM - 3PM

%
%
%

3PM - 4PM

%
%
%

4PM - 5PM

%
%
%

5PM - 6PM

%
%
%

6PM - 7PM

%
%
%

7PM - 8PM

%
%
%

Step 3: Handle Times


In this tab you should enter the expected handle times for each type of call.

Right Party Connects - Enter the minimum and maximum expected handle time for a call connected to a right party.

Wrong Party Connects - Enter the minimum and maximum expected handle time for a call that is connected to a live person who is not the right party.

Answering Machine Connects - Enter the minimum and maximum expected handle time for a call that is connected to a answering machine.

Note that the handle times should include any post call activity.

When you are finished, proceed to the Step 4: Inbound Calls tab to input inbound call activity.

Call Type

Minimum Handle

Time (in minutes)

Maximum Handle

Time (in minutes)

Right Party Connects

minutes
minutes

Wrong Party Connects

minutes
minutes

Answering Machine Connects

minutes
minutes

Step 4: Inbound Calls


In this tab should enter any inbound call activity that is serviced by this campaign.

Inbound Call Rate - Enter the number of inbound calls you expect the camapaign to receive during each hour. If this campaign is an outbound campaign only, place a '0' in each field.

IThis online simulator assumes that inbound calls will always be given a higher priority than outbound calls. The handle time used for the inbound calls will be the average handle time associated with right party connects.

When you are finished, proceed to the Step 5: Dialer Settings tab to input the abandon rate and answering machine detect feature settings.

Hour

Inbound Call

Rate (per hour)

8AM - 9AM

inbound calls per hour

9AM - 10AM

inbound calls per hour

10AM - 11AM

inbound calls per hour

11AM - Noon

inbound calls per hour

Noon - 1PM

inbound calls per hour

1PM - 2PM

inbound calls per hour

2PM - 3PM

inbound calls per hour

3PM - 4PM

inbound calls per hour

4PM - 5PM

inbound calls per hour

5PM - 6PM

inbound calls per hour

6PM - 7PM

inbound calls per hour

7PM - 8PM

inbound calls per hour

Step 5: Dialer Settings


In this tab should enter the abandonment rate % and Answering Machine Detect settings used with is campaign. Note that this online version of our simulator assumes that a party will immediately hang up the phone if they do not hear a response to their greeting.

Abandonment Rate % - Enter the Abandonment Rate % used for this campaign. The rate should be an integer between 1 and 100.

Answering Machine Detect - Choose to turn this dialer feature on or off. When on, the simulator will simulate leaving an automated answering machine message if an answering machine is reached.

When you are finished, proceed to the Step 6: Results tab and click on the Run Simulation button to execute the program.

Abandonment Rate(%)

% calls abandoned

Answering Machine Detect

On Off

Step 6: Running the Simulation


Press the Run Simulation button below to begin the simulation. If there are any errors in your inputs you will be instructed on how to fix them.

Note that this program is a not a calculator, but rather a simulatior which utilizes random variables. You may run the simulator twice using the same inputs and gets results that vary slightly. Also hours with similar inputs may generate slightly different results.