A predictive dialer is used in
outbound call centers to automatically dial the phone for a group of
agents.
A predictive dialer's decision of
when to make the next call is based on the statistical probability of an
agent becoming available to answer the call at the instant the recipient picks up. Other things considered by the dialer include the statistical probability that the called party will be available to answer the phone.
Because a predictive dialer relies so heavily on statistical probability, it will sometimes call a number that no agent is available to take. Technically, this is an
abandoned call, but it is also referred to as a
nuisance call because the called party gets hung up on the instant he or she answers the phone. For this reason, many local authorities have mandated maximum rates for outgoing
abandoned calls. Typically in the range of around 5 percent.