Outbound calling
When using a Pega Customer Service™ application, CSRs can select the queue for Manual Calls or Dialer Calls on the Collections work tab in the My Work view of the Interaction Portal to quickly make an outbound call. The Dialer Calls queue is available to the CSRs who work on the power dialer.
The following figure highlights the My Work view with the Manual Calls queue selected on the Collections work tab:
Having selected the customer to call, the CSR sees a view of all the appropriate telephone contact details for the customer. The CSR can create a disposition for each call as they try to contact the customer. The system can then use the disposition to trigger follow-up actions and drive a calling strategy.
If a customer is unavailable to take the call or wishes to have the conversation at another time, the CSR can select the Call Back option from the contact verification page. This option allows them to schedule a convenient date and time to return the call.
Once the customer answers the call, the CSR asks them the appropriate verification questions. The list is configurable, with the ability to set up the verification questions appropriate for each customer.
Note: For relevant training materials about how to connect your customer service application to computer telephony integration (CTI) systems, see Pega Call.
Customer tab of the Summary view
The Summary view is what the CSR sees on starting a call, right after the caller verification step.
In the following figure, click the + icons to learn more about the individual sections of the Customer tab of the Summary view:
Account tab
The Account tab provides details about the caller's account.
In the following figure, click the + icons to learn more about the individual sections of the tab:
Auto dialer
Note: Pegasystems is not an auto dialer technology provider. The following section aims to familiarize you with the concepts that are related to auto dialing.
An auto dialer is an electronic device or software that automatically dials telephone numbers. Once the customer receives the call, the auto dialer either plays a recorded message or forwards the call to a CSR.
There are two services that an auto dialer can use when it connects an answered call to a live agent: predictive dialer or power dialer. A predictive dialer uses real-time analysis to determine the optimal time to dial more numbers. In contrast, a power dialer dials a preset number of contacts when an agent finishes the call.
An auto dialer can use one of two services when it plays a prerecorded message: voice broadcasting or robocalling. Some voice broadcasting messages can ask the contact to interact with the system by pressing numbers on their phone's keypad, which can authenticate the customer. A business can use voice broadcasting technology to ask their customers to make payments and promises. This type of call is often known as outbound interactive voice response (IVR).
Auto dialing technologies are common in most collections contact centers. Often, delivery of all outbound contact occurs with auto dialers and outbound IVRs. These points of contact are built into the treatment strategies and are extremely important for the business. In collections, it is a best practice to deliver more outbound contacts than to receive inbound calls. A desirable outbound to inbound contacts ratio is 2:1. In collections, good analytics should drive the contact center to reach out to customers who might not pay otherwise. Customers who call the contact center are often already seeking a resolution and therefore are more likely to self-cure or pay through a low-cost channel, such as inbound IVR or self-service.
The following list shares common auto dialer vendors:
- Adeptra
- Varolli
- Melita
- Genesys
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