dialing
ADAPT_AVERAGE
An adaptive dialing algorithm in VICIdial that paces calls based on the average performance of the campaign, smoothing out short-term swings in answer rates.
ADAPT_AVERAGE is one of the dial methods VICIdial uses when you turn on adaptive (also called predictive) dialing. Instead of you setting a fixed number of lines per agent, the dialer watches how the campaign is performing and adjusts the pace for you. The word "average" is the key part: this method bases its decisions on the rolling average of recent call results rather than reacting to the very last few calls. If you have used Adaptive dialing before, this is the gentlest of the automatic modes.
Why does that matter? In any outbound campaign, answer rates jump around minute to minute. A method that reacts to every blip would speed up and slow down constantly, which feels jerky to agents and can spike your Drop rate. By smoothing over an average window, ADAPT_AVERAGE keeps the Auto dial level steadier. The result is that more agents stay on live calls without a sudden flood of dropped calls when the answer rate briefly climbs. Steadier pacing also makes the load on your trunks more predictable, which your carrier appreciates.
How it compares to other adaptive modes
VICIdial offers a few adaptive flavors, and they differ in how aggressively they chase your ceiling. ADAPT_AVERAGE leans on the long view and reacts slowly. By contrast, ADAPT_TAPERED gets more cautious as you approach your Drop percentage limit, easing the pace down the closer you get. The strictest, ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT, simply refuses to cross that ceiling at all. Most campaigns start with ADAPT_AVERAGE because it balances agent idle time against the regulatory abandonment limit without much hand-tuning.
Picking the right method is really a question of how much risk you can carry on your Drop rate. If you mostly want to keep agents busy and your traffic is steady, the averaging approach behaves predictably and is easy to live with. If you are running close to a legal limit, a tapered or hard-limit mode gives you a firmer guardrail. You can switch the dial method on a campaign at any time, so it is fine to test ADAPT_AVERAGE for a few days, watch how your dropped calls and agent wait times move, and then compare it against the alternatives. There is no penalty for changing your mind, and most managers settle on a method only after they have seen real numbers from their own lists.
Related terms
ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT
A VICIdial adaptive dialing method that paces calls automatically but will never let the campaign's drop percentage cross the limit you set.
Adaptive dialing
A family of VICIdial modes where the dialer keeps adjusting how many calls it places based on live results, instead of using one fixed setting.
ADAPT_TAPERED
A specific VICIdial adaptive-dialing mode that eases the calling pace down as a campaign runs, spreading drops out instead of bunching them up.
Auto dial level
A VICIdial setting that lets the system raise and lower the dial level on its own to keep agents busy while holding the drop rate in check.
Drop rate
The share of answered outbound calls where no agent was free to talk, leaving the caller hanging — a number regulators cap and watch closely.