You control how many lines the system will try to dial for each phoner. When you start a phoning session, it is important to wait at least 15-20 minutes before you start adjusting performance – you want to give the phoners a chance to settle into a rhythm.
To assess the speed of the system, look at the upper area of the Projects | Activity page. D and %D tell you how many calls the system has had to drop. These are calls that were connected to a person on the line, but there were no agents available to take the call, so the system had to hang up the call. AW tells you how many seconds your phoners are waiting between calls.
There are no absolute rules on what numbers you should aim for. %D under 5% is important – you don’t want to waste the opportunity to talk with people by hanging up on them. Average wait times will depend on a number of factors. Few phoners on the campaign will mean longer wait times. Long conversations also mean longer wait times between calls (because it is too variable when the call will end). Lists that have already been called for days may mean longer wait times.
For standard voter lists, using answering machine detection, a ratio of 4:1 is a good starting point. If you are not using answering machine detection, 2:1 is a good starting point.
To adjust the performance, click on the campaign row to select it. Click on the Performance button above.
Adjust the speed by changing the Dial Speed. A higher number (going from 3:1 to 4:1, for example) means that the system will use more lines – call faster. Do not change more than one step at a time. After you have made an adjustment, wait at least 15 minutes before making any further adjustments.
If you have questions about this, feel free to talk with a PCT support person. We will be happy to work with you to make sure that your phoning is as productive as possible.