Predictive Dialer Set-up Step One: Set-up Survey Questions, Scripts & Admins The Predictive Dialer uses the same surveys and user set-ups as other activities, including Walk Lists, Palms, and manual dials. Step Two: Select your Universe Select your universe and cut your list using VoteBuilder s Create a List tool. NGP VAN 1101 15th Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 p: (202) 686-9330 f: (202) 686-9331 sales@ngpvan.com www.ngpvan.com
Step Three: Send your List to your Predictive Dialer Campaign Hit the Calls button (marked with phone icon) and select Predictive Dialer Campaign. VAN will then ask whether you would like to create a Phones-Computer Campaign, a Phones- Only Campaign (no computer necessary; all results are entered through your phone s keypad), or if you simply want to add your new list to an active campaign. If you are adding a list: Name the list and tell VAN which campaign you want it added to. The system will de-dupe all lists added to one campaign. Step Four: Run through Set-up Wizard A. Set-up Tab Give the Predictive Dialer campaign and your list a name. If you check the box indicating that you would like your callers to be connected to answering machines, the dialer will not try to filter out machines. All calls that connect will be passed through to your users. If you are setting up a Phones-Computer Campaign, the invitation title and text will be what your users will see in their quick-task area of their VAN interface when they log in. If you would like your callers to have the option of transferring their contacts to another number, enter the 10 digit number in the Transfer field. If a valid number is entered in the field, your callers will then have the ability to patch their calls through to that number at the end of their call. If the field is left blank, the patch through feature will not be enabled.
B. Inputs Tab (phones only campaign) VAN will automatically assign phone key presses, or inputs, for all the call results of your survey. Different survey questions and activist codes are tiered all results are entered at the end of the call, so your callers will enter [number that best correspond to the result of question 1] then [number that best corresponds to the result of question 2]. The inputs for each result can be modified. If you begin to modify inputs but wish to return to default inputs, click on Regenerate Inputs. B. Display Tab (phones and computer campaign) Select whether you would like your callers to have access to the records of other people in the household. So if your caller is trying to reach John Doe and ends up talking to Jane, that caller can click over to Jane s record and fill out the survey for her. Select what other information you would like to be displayed to your callers along with the script, as well as where you would like that information to be displayed.
C. Schedule Tab Select a start date, end date, and calling hours. These times will determine when your callers will have access to the system to make calls for the campaign. D. Users Tab Select the users in your committee who should be able to make calls for the campaign. If you are running a phones-only campaign, multiple users can use a single login. E. Payment Tab Select the account you would like the call-campaign to draw minutes from. You will be forced to create an account the very first time you run through the wizard. You can monitor balances and create new accounts from the Predictive Dialer accounts page, accessed through the phones services section of VAN s main menu page. All minutes used during Predictive Dialer campaigns must be pre-purchased. However, if your account is running low on minutes during a campaign, you may purchase/load additional minutes in real time to prevent your callers from being disconnected from the system. F. Approval Tab Review call schedule and terms. Once you click Finish, VAN will set up your calls and you will be ready to begin calling.
Step Five: Review Calls To view your Predictive Dialer campaigns, click on Phone Services from VAN s main menu, and then click Predictive Dialer Campaigns. For each call campaign you can click on the name of the campaign to pull up a details page. On the details page you can review setting for the campaign and also remove or assign users.
For Phone-only campaigns You must go to the details page to find the toll-free call-in number, the agent IDs for assigned users, and the PIN, which will allow your volunteers to make calls. You are also able to generate a printable script for your phone-only callers. Additional Notes In a VAN phones-computer campaign, each user must have a unique VAN login username and password. Please make test calls at each office before volunteers arrive. Most errors are easily fixed. Predictive calls will start slowly while the system is calculating averages (av erage time of calls, average numbers of answering machines vs. live answer, etc). Please let you volunteers know that it will be slow for the first 10 to 15 minutes. In order to avoid a pause you usually get with a telemarketing call, we do not give the answering machine filter much time to determine if it is a live person on the line. As a result, approximately 15% of answering machines will be passed along to callers, even if you set up the campaign to filter out answering machines.