This functionality list has been written in "outline form." You can read it in three minutes. You can also use it to help select the best dialing company for your needs. Print this list and mark the features you need for your project. Use it to compare dialing companies and avoid getting caught up in their sales hype.

If you are not sure what each dialing feature does, call or email our featured guest at 866-710-7158 (juddh@telemarketingsuccess.com) and he will be glad to provide you with a generic, detailed description.

Please be careful when you purchase a dialing system because only a few dialing companies have all the necessary features in their systems to optimize your performance.

Agent Functionality (What do your agents need to do at their workstation?)

• Call residences
• Call businesses
• Call back prospects at specific date and time (calls must go to original agent)
• Call back prospects at specific date and time (calls can go to the group)
• Collect data and perform calculations
• Conference calls with anyone in the world
• Conference calls within dialer group
• Digitally record conversations for sales, presentations, or script verification
• Fax items from the agent’s workstation
• "Field Tracking:" automatically displays available appointments for all agents.
• Fill out surveys or questionnaires
• Fulfillment (generate letters and mailing lists)
• "Job Streeting and Blocking" – calling prospects on the same block or street
• Make manual calls
• Make predictive outbound calls
• Mapping to pinpoint nearest location or service point
• Merge addresses with letters
• Obtain and process credit card authorizations and deposits
• Print labels and letters
• Print leads sheets
• Pull on-line credit reports
• Receive inbound calls
• Receive and make inbound/outbound blended calls
• Remote agent
• Routing for delivery and pickup
• Scheduling appointment or leads (Multiple sites with unique schedules)
• Scheduling appointment or leads (Single site with standard schedule)
• Scripting with branch logic and calculation (integrated script with data collection)
• Scripting (page or static scripts but no integration with data collection)
• Set appointments and leads for multiple offices, people, and schedules
• Set call backs at specific dates and times
• Take checks by phone
• Take Mortgage Application (1003), calculate debt to equity ratios
• Take other applications
• Transfer calls to anyone in the world
• Universal agent
• Work multiple scripts, campaigns, projects

Applications and Enhanced Product Features:

Answering Machine Detection (Do you want to skip answering machines or leave messages on them?)

• Frequency
• Cadence
• Messaging

Payment Processing (Do agents do any cash or credit card processing?)

• Credit Card Processing (MasterCard, Visa, American Express)
• Credit Card Batch Deposits
• Electronic check and bank drafts
• Flexible Billing Management System
• Payment Terms (Single pay, Installment, Deferred, Custom
• On-line payment processing
• On-line credit card authorization
• On-line credit reporting (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
• Sales Order Fraud Prevention
• Digital Voice Recording
• Mainframe interface or integration

Call Processing and Routing

• ISDN support
• Greeting messages
• On-hold messages
• Inbound Call Routing
• Inbound Outbound Call blending
• ANI Lookup and Screen Pop
• T1 support
• Analog line support
• Non-blocked at any level
• Eliminated no answers, busies, SIT tones, fax/modems

Campaign Management

• Unlimited campaign creation
• 16 simultaneous inbound/outbound or blended campaigns running
• Unlimited active DNIS inbound campaigns
• Database Issues (see system architecture)
• Dialing Methods
• Agent dialing
• Manual dialing
• Screen dialing
• Predictive dialing
• Preview dialing
• Progressing dialing
• Business to business
• Business to consumer
• Line ratio dialing 1 to 1
• Line ratio dialing 1 to 2 or more
• Goal base dialing
• Objective based dialing

Inbound Call Routing and Processing (do you have inbound campaigns?)

• Inbound ACD Management
• Automated Call Distribution
• Inbound/Outbound blended call control at system level
• Inbound/Outbound blended call control at agent level
• Intelligent Call Processing
• Intelligent connection control when agents are busy
• ANI lookup and screen pop
• Caller ID captured and stored
• DNIS routing and script selection
• DNIS group to group rollover
• DNIS Unlimited campaigns
• Intelligent Call overflow (16 levels deep)
• Skill based call control
• Knowledge based call control
• User define threshold
• Unlimited on-hold messaging

Inbound/Outbound Blended Call Control

• Agent level control
• System Level Control
• User define thresholds
• Management controlled real time
• Management controlled on-the-fly
• Run multiple campaigns each with unique blended thresholds

Integrated Products (do you need to integrate the dialer with other equipment?)

• ACD
• Switch
• PBX
• Mainframe
• IVR
• Digital Recorder
• Alpha Message Boards
• Inbound/outbound blended management

Legal Compliance Issues and Features

• "Do Not Call" list management
• Drop Rate control and Pacing
• Time Zone calling control down to the Zip code
• Legal calling hours control
• Nuisnace factor control

List Management (what do you need to load list from?)

• Load lists from any medium
• Tape
• Dat tape
• 9 track
• Cartridge
• Diskette
• Internet connection
• Mainframe
• Modem
• Optical drive
• File transfer to/from AS400,
• Novell Server
• Zip/Jazz Drives

• Combine lists
• Objective based list management
• Create sequential dialing lists
• Find unlisted numbers
• De-Duplicate list
• Merge list
• Purge list
• Split list
• "Job Streeting and Blocking" – calling prospects on the same block or street
• "Do Not Call" list management
• Time Zone control down to the zip code

Monitoring, Training, and Coaching (How do you need to monitor your agents?)

• Alpha Message display boards
• Local Monitoring
• Remote monitoring worldwide
• Coach agents during call
• Call Take over
• Station mirroring (watch data input)
• Data monitoring
• Voice monitoring
• Voice and data monitoring
• Voice record/playback both sides of conversation

Pacing, No Answer Ring Count, and Dialing Speed Control (What type of pacing control do you need?)

• Automated pacing control
• Agent wait time pacing
• Average hold time pacing
• Drop rate pacing
• Fixed lines per active agent pacing
• Pacing control by group,
• Pacing Control by Campaign
• Pacing Control by list

Routing and Delivery (do you need to print routes for drivers or sales people?)

• Prepare driver routes from leads/sales/donations
• Print maps of routes
• Locate address or nearest service centers

Reporting (what type of reporting do you need?)

• By group, by agent, by campaign
• By list, by call disposition code
• Summary reports, detail, historic, or current
• Call routing and tacking reports
• Graphical reporting
• Length of time in queue reports
• Longest call waiting by group
• Number of calls waiting
• Real time exception reporting
• Alpha message boards reporting
• Query by example
• Ad Hoc reporting
• User defined reporting
• Output to standard PC applications
• ODBC supported reporting including Crystal Reports

Script and Application Development Tool Kit (how sophisticated is your scripting?)

• Scripting (intelligent branch logic)
• Scripting (static page with key routing)
• Scripting (scripting and data collection separated)
• Scripting (scripting and data collection integrated)
• Scripting with Calculations
• On-line Dynamic scripting
• Fast Keys
• Custom Tables
• Embedded Variables
• Screens (unlimited)
• Screens (limited quantity)
• Read only fields
• Update fields
• Display fields
• Input fields
• Required question/answer fields
• Collect data and update fields

Service and Support

• Documentation
• On line help
• Self Monitoring with internal software guardian
• Self Diagnosis and repair with internal software guardian
• Technicians automatically paged when  internal software guardian detects mission critical problems
• Remote Diagnostics

Technical Support

• Training
• Onsite Support
• 24 hours 365 days a year support available
• Emergency Pager w/ 25 minute guaranteed response time

Supervisor Tools and Training Aids (What type of supervisor controls and reports are needed?)

• See monitoring and coaching detail above
• See reporting detail above
• Any agent station can be a manager station
• Configuration on-the-fly
• Local and remote monitoring
• Local and remote access
• Station mirroring
• On-line help
• Control any station, agent, line, or application from any other station
• Windows 95 Graphical User Interface