Call Center Solutions Featured Article

The outbound dialing technology market is broad and complex: Not only is there a wide range of vendors working in a number of technology categories -- from voice switch manufacturers, contact center vendors, stand-alone outbound providers, hosting/software-as-as-service (SaaS (News - Alert)) providers -- there’s also a wide range of laws, both domestically and internationally, that regulate outbound dialing services.

 

Here in the US, recent legislation has made it nearly prohibitive for companies to conduct outbound cold calling campaigns -- whether done with live agents or using automated outbound IVR systems -- but outbound campaigns can still be carried out as long as the customer says it is OK for a company to call. While most people in the US do not wish to receive automated sales calls (hence why a majority of citizens are on the Do Not Call registry), outbound notifications are a whole other matter: Many people are now proactively signing up to get automated outbound notifications from their banks, pharmacies, school systems and even their places of work so that they can receive alerts about things like overdrafts, prescription refills, and school and work closings due to inclement weather.

And of course, collections and fundraising are, in general, still fair game as far as the current US outbound dialing laws are concerned.

 

As a result, recent legislation has not slowed the adoption and use of predictive dialers and outbound IVRs. This is good news for the technology companies that offer these solutions. A recent report from DMG Consulting predicts that the traditional dialing market will grow by 6 percent, 7 percent and 8 percent, respectively, between 2010 and 2012, while the outbound IVR notification market will grow by 20 percent, 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively, over the same three-year period.

“DMG expects to see continued growth in both human-assisted and automated outbound activities during the next three years, because of the recognized value to consumers and enterprises,” the report states. The firm estimates that the worldwide outbound dialing market generated $440 million in revenue in 2008 -- however full year 2009 numbers are not yet available.

 

“Despite regulations limiting outbound calling to unwelcoming prospects, dialing is not going away so long as consumers continue to invite companies to reach out to them with useful information,” said Donna Fluss, president of DMG Consulting, in a release. “The new era of dialing brings with it opportunities for enterprises to build dialing strategies that help them achieve a competitive advantage through proactive customer care, notification and early-stage collections.”

DMG Consulting’s 2010 Outbound Dialing Market Research Report explores outbound market trends, projections, best practices, the competitive landscape and profiles the leading vendors. The report finds that the outbound industry is entering “a new era ripe with opportunity. With United States and global regulations limiting the type and quantity of outbound contacts to consumers, and the challenging economic environment, companies are undertaking innovative proactive customer care, notification and collections initiatives, breathing new life into their outbound dialing solutions.”

DMG has identified 40 vendors that offer outbound dialing functionality. The five vendors that lead the market -- Avaya (News - Alert), Aspect, Noble Systems, Genesys and Cisco -- are profiled in the report’s functional and technical vendor comparison, which looks at features and capabilities of each company’s offerings from routing and blending to compliance and security.

For more information about the report, click here.

For more information about US Do Not Call laws, download a copy of the USA Regulatory Guide, which breaks down the rules by category. The guide serves as an up-to-date and comprehensive online resource to the rules and regulations governing companies that conduct telemarketing activities with up-to-the-minute email alerts of new bills and regulations impacting the teleservices industry.