If you’re running a business that requires a lot of calls to customers, it’s worthwhile to invest in a predictive dialer. These software systems automatically dial a set amount of numbers off a list and connect answered calls to the phones of available agents.

While the average predictive dialer on-site can run from $5000 to as high as $250,000, you can get a hosted dialer for much less. A hosted plan can start as low as $350 for a one-time cost per user with a high price of around $500 per agent. Prices vary depending on your business needs, how many agents you need, and what extras services you need. Some companies have monthly host fees as low as $14.00 to as high as $175 per month per user, depending on the company you choose. Using a predictive dialer should help you recap many of the costs in return on your investment through increased agent productivity and customer satisfaction.

How Much Can A Predictive Dialer Cost Your Business?

There are two main categories of predictive dialers: hosted and on-site. Your costs will vary depending on which one you choose. Based on our research, the 2021 rates for a predictive dialer will cost your business somewhere around $3000 to $200,000 if you want it on-site or cost you between $15 to $250 per agent if you go with a hosted predictive dialer. 

Prices will vary depending on how many agents you need for an on-site predictive dialer, your required business software specifics, or whether you choose a hosted site.

On-Site Versus Hosted Predictive Dialers

Then you will have additional fees depending on your companies needs for things like: 

• CRM or Customer relationship management integration.
• Customized messages for voicemail.
• What kind of analysis your business needs.
• Call recording.
• Point of sale technology.
• DNC Integration to put callers on DO NOT CALL lists. 
• Extra minutes.
• Many other specialized services.

Is the Cost of a Predictive Dialer Worth the Cost?

According to an article at Software Suggest, return on Investment from purchasing a predictive dialer can quickly offset the expensive by the increased productivity, which is increased by as much as 200-300% by cutting idle time by 92%.

One of the benefits of using predictive dialer software is that it increases customer satisfaction when customers can quickly get the service they deserve. Happy customers mean repeat sales and word-of-mouth traffic. Branding is essential, and more satisfied customers equal better branding.

After buying a predictive dialer, the money from reduced costs can be returned in the savings your company recoups in wages. You will have better agent performance and higher call volume per agent each day which will be money saved in the long run. 

What Impacts the Cost of a Predictive Dialer?

As you’ve seen above, the cost of a predictive dialer can vary quite a bit. The cost is based on a number of items.

Number of Agents

As your number of agents increases, so does the cost for a predictive dialer. Even if you’re paying for an on-site dialer that doesn’t charge per agent, costs will increase with more agents.

Number of Lines

Some software can only dial 10 lines at a time while others can dial 300. If you have a higher number of agents, you’ll need a system that can dial more numbers at a time.

Monthly Minute Limits

Some companies set limits on the number of call minutes each agent can use per month. If your agents go above this number, you’ll have to pay more, based on a per-minute cost.

Features

Different predictive dialer providers offer various features. As you might expect, extra features come with extra costs.

Types of Predictive Dialers

When you’re looking at buying a predictive dialer, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is whether you want a hosted or on-site dialer.

Hosted Predictive Dialers

These dialers are run via a cloud platform. Some popular providers include RingCentral, PhoneBurner, Five9, and Noble Enterprise.

Since you don’t have to hire any on-site staff, the upfront costs are lower. There is still an installation fee, but it’s not much. Expect to pay between $350 and $500 in setup fees for each agent.

While installation fees are low, companies that provide hosted predictive dialers charge a monthly fee per agent. This fee ranges from $15-$300 per agent per month.

Along with the install and monthly fees, these companies will also charge you for long-distance calls. Expect to pay between $0.02 and $0.10 per minute of long-distance.

While most companies charge by the agent, some companies charge by the talk minute.

For example, Strategic Consulting Group charges $0.19 per minute for the first 1,000 hours and then $0.15 for each extra minute with a $2500 minimum.

It’s important to note that companies that charge by the minute only charge for the hours you use. Therefore, they can be a good option if your agents only work a few hours a week – just remember to check the minimum cost.

On-Site Predictive Dialers

These predictive dialers utilize software that is installed on computers that are on-site. Since this software is installed on your computers, troubleshooting is handled by onsite IT professionals rather than remote workers.

Since the system has to be integrated with your existing equipment, installation costs are higher than those associated with hosted predictive dialers. Prices start at $5,000 and can go upwards of $250,000. While these costs are high, there aren’t any ongoing fees with on-site software besides the cost of IT staff.

Can You Legally Use a Predictive Dialer With Your Call Center?

Yes, you can use a predictive dialer, but there are some restrictions. These restrictions vary from state to state. 

Call recording is one such law. At least the salesperson or agent has to be informed the call is being recorded in most states. 

There are also restrictions about calling cell phones using a dialer unless given prior consent to do so. 

If a customer requests to be taken off the list, the businesses must comply or risk being fined if they do not have permission to call a customer and do not stop once asked, especially if they use a robcaller. 

Predictive Dialer in a Call Center

How Does a Predictive Dialer Work?

Unlike auto-dialers which wait till an agent is free to dial another number, a predictive dialer uses algorithms to predict when agents will be ready for another call. As a result, dialing multiple numbers can quickly give an agent a call as soon as they get off the previous call. 

The dialer studies previous calls to see what was done. For example, how long before they were answered after being dialed? How long is the agent spending on each call on average? By analyzing these factors, the predictive caller can adjust its call time.

For a predictive caller to work, it needs some essential components. The dialer needs list management software that may be integrated with a CRM to determine which numbers it should call. It will also need software to keep up with the agents and know when to give them a new call.

Predictive dialers will need software to understand how the call progresses so it can react accordingly. For example, it has to recognize a busy signal, no answer, call ended, etc.

The dialers must have an algorithm so they can determine how much and when to dial new numbers. They should also have a way to report all this to the client. 

How Does the Predictive Caller Increase an Agents Productivity?

Predictive dialers save businesses money by cutting down on time wasted dialing numbers. This waste is not just the time physically dialing a number which can be as much as an hour a day loss from more meaningful tasks like talking to customers and helping them. 

The dialers make sure agents do not have downtime in between calls waiting on numbers to pop up. Instead, agents can smoothly move from one client to the next in seconds. 

What types of companies will benefit from having a predictive dialer?

• Market Researchers
• Telemarketers
• Customer Service Centers
• 0Insurance Agencies

What Other Features and Extras Can You Get With a Predictive Dialer?

One option you may want to add to your predictive dialer is automatic call distribution or ACD. The ACD uses information already gathered about customers linked to their phone number to route them to the appropriate department or person without answering the call first.

You may want to check out agent management tools to see if you need to add them to your software. This kind of software tracks when agents are staying longer than usual on calls or drop call rates increase. This software alerts businesses and helps companies see where they may need to do more training with their agents. 

You may need to add software for a remote worksite if you have agents working from home. It will allow agents to access the software remotely. 

Interactive Voice Response or IVR can reduce the time agents need to call by having some recorded messages. Recorded messages, if appropriately done, can be pretty valuable. 

Computer telephony integration or CTI is a helpful tool that gives you the flexibility to increase agent productivity and customize and integrate your customer’s experience when phone Tools like this can save a company a lot of money over time. 

Companies That Currently Sell or Host Predictive Dialers

1.RingCentral

Pros

• User-friendly Interface.
• Free demo.
• Works well for remote centers.
• High-quality voice communication.

Cons

• It does not have all the other features many others have.
• Issues with its fax system.
• Prices are not inclusive of taxes.  

Costs 

• 1 User Essential $29.99 monthly
• Standard 434,99 Monthly
• Premium $44.99 monthly
• Ultimate $59.99 Monthly

2.Voiptime Cloud

Pros

• It uses the latest technology (ACD and Intelligent routing). 
• It has excellent service time.

Cons

• It does not work with mobile platforms.
• It has limited reporting.
• It isn’t straightforward to set up the software using the manual. 

Costs

• Ten agents $42.00 per user per month for Professional level.
• $63.00 user per month for Enterprise Level.

3.CallHippo

Pros

• A well-known provider with excellent customer service.
• The basic plan is free.
• Offers the latest features.
• Budget-friendly.

Cons

• It does not work well with Chrome.
• It does not have a fax service.

Costs  

• Bronze is $14—per user per month.
• Silver is $18—per user per month.
• Platinum $30. Month per user.
• Enterprise  ASK. 

4.Knowlarity

Pros 

• Cost-effective.
• Easily integrates with the cloud. It has al the latest feutrures.  

Cons 

• Poor customer product.
• Occasional issues with outbound calls. 

Pricing 

• Plan 1 $47. Per-user monthly
• Plan 2 $40. Per-user per month.
• Plan 3 $28 Per-user per month 

5.Ricochet360 

Pros 

• Has a simple cloud phone system.
• Customizable.
• All-in-one ecosystem for telemarketing.

Cons 

• Only available for Windows and Android. Hard to set up.
• Does not have a desktop sharing feature. 

Pricing 

• Starter $45. Per-user per month.
• Booster $95. Per-user per month. Galaxy $130 per user per month.

6.Voicents

Pros 

• Eliminates dropped calls.
• Agents can work from anywhere.

Cons

• Available for Windows only.

Pricing 

• One time fees:
• One agent $385.
• Four agents $1999.
• Ten agents $4699.
• Twenty agents $7999.  

7.Five9

Pros 

• Has an additional power dialing function. 
• Know for their outbound solutions. 

Cons 

Higher prices to get started. 

Pricing 

$165-175 per-user per month, plus a one-time fee of $250.

8.XenCALL

Pros 

• Quality support system.
• High speeds.
• Detailed reporting.

Cons 

• It provides few flexible plans.
• Separate costs to figure in

Let’s compare a couple of these options and see what value they each provide compared to the cost.

RingCentral Predictive Dealer Pricing

RingCentral has more than one pricing model, allowing clients to choose the plan that best fits their needs and budgets. These include monthly, annually, and quote-based.  Their plans are for smaller and enterprise businesses.

After signing up for essential services, you can check out their premium services with a 15-day free trial.

RingCentral Pricing Guide

Cloud PBXRingCentral offers a variety of features, including the following:

• Call-Forwarding
• Internet Fax
• Online Meetings
• Visual Voicemail
• Voicemail and Greeting
• Voicemail-to-Email
• Toll-Free and Local Numbers
• Auto-Receptionist
• Automatic Call Recording
• Video Conferencing
• Audio Conferencing
• Unlimited Business SMSMobile and Desktop Apps for Both IOS and Android
• Internaational Numbers
• Call Monitoring
• Caller ID Control
• Call Flip
• Call Park
• Call Screening
• Analog Adaptors
• Directory Listing
• Role-Baed Access Control
• User Templates
• Ring Out
• Ring Me
• Music on Hold
• Paging
• Call Logs
• Team Collaboration
• Answering Rules
• Dial-By-Name Directory
• Single Sign-On
• Multilevel IVR
• Extensions
• Hot Desking
• Secure VolP Service
• Ring Connect Cloud Connect
• Presence
• Shared Lines
• Intercom
• Personal Demos
• Call Reports
• 3rd Party Integrations

RingCentral offers several new or improved services to their customers, including calendar integrations, Metting Switch, Group MMS. Global Search, Full Messaging, video, and phone features. They also have GDPR compliance now. 

They have a few more features available soon to their customers, such as the ability to call to video, dark mode, and message threading. They are adding emoji reactions too.

Another feature coming to RingCentral is contact integrations which can help save time by integrating lead generation into your email marketing to help grow your customer contact lists and keep up with all their current information. 

RingCentral supports the following integrations:

• Salesforce
• Google
• Chorus.ai
• ThetaLake
• Zendesk
• Office 365
• Outlook
• Zapier
• Skype for Business
• Oracle
• Playvox
• Insightly
• Pipedrive
• Hubspot

Voicent Predictive dealer Pricing

Voicent offers several features, including:

• Agent Can Work From Anywhere
• Allows Unlimited Custom Data Fields and Dispositions
• Automatically Leave Voice Messages
• Automatically Skips Busy Lines
• Call-Back Manager Reassigns and Reschedules Call Backs
• Call Report for Campaign Stats
• Automatic monitoring and Management of Regulatory Compliance
• Automatically Scrubs Against In-House or Federal Do Not Call List
• Eliminates Drop Calls by Setting Up Rollover IVR
• Extension Interface for Integration System
• Supports WAN, LAN Network Configuration
• Training for New Agents
• Integrates with Windows Based Software
• Unlimited Scalability/ Call Capacity
• Unified Agents Desktop
• Sends Calling Information to Agent’s Computer
• Agent Can Record Calls
• Uses the Company PBX System
• Uses VoIP Internet Dailing Services

Pricing information for Voicent  one-time payment is as follow:

Voicents Integrations supports any Windows-based software.

Examples include:

• SQL Databases
• CRM’s
• Salesforce
• Zoho CRM

RingCentral Versus Voicent Predictive Pricing Comparision

Both RingCentral and Viocent have several influential clients. RingCentral has BMW, SmartWarehouse among their more notable clients. While Voicents has IBM, and Purdue University, and HP on their client lists. 

Both RingCentral and Voicent can support several technologies.

Company sizes that RingCentral and Voicents can support.

RingCentral and Voicents both work on the following devices.

To Conclude

Before you purchase a predictive dialer software, it’s a good idea to determine factors such as the number of agents that will be using the software and any features you’ll need.

After doing so, you can decide on a predictive dialer that can suit your needs and budget. Remember, you can choose to pay for the high up-front cost of on-site software or the higher monthly fees associated with hosted software.