Predictive dialing
VICIdial dials more numbers than agents available, predicting how many will pick up.
Predictive dialing is the dial method where the dialer places more calls than agents currently available, predicting that some calls won't connect (no answer, busy, voicemail) and rounding up to keep agents busy.
In VICIdial, set Dial Method = RATIO and Auto Dial Level to a number like 2.0 or 3.0 — that's the multiplier of calls-per-agent.
How the math works
If you have 10 agents and dial level 2.0, VICIdial places ~20 outbound calls. If 50% don't connect (typical for cold lists), 10 connect — perfect 1:1 with agent count.
The challenge: prediction is imperfect. If 70% don't connect, you got 6 lives + 4 idle agents. If 30% don't connect, you got 14 lives + 4 abandoned (no agent). The 4 abandoned hurt — the FCC caps abandonment at 3% per campaign.
When predictive wins
- Cold outbound at high volume (200+ calls/agent/day)
- Stable connect rates that the dialer can model
- Drop SLA managed via tight dial-level tuning
When manual wins
- B2B (low volume, high value per call)
- Hot leads where idle agent is fine if connect happens
- Compliance-shy verticals where any abandonment is risky