Call Center Magazine - December 1996
Editor's Choice Award - Joe Fleischer

Drextec, a 1O-year-old company that designs custom database applications, offers PC-based client/server software called the Drextec Prospecting and Telemarketing System (DPTS). It uses Buffalo International's (Valhalla, NY; formerly Buffalo Audiotex) predictive dialing engine. DPTS lets you separate your campaigns between customers and prospects. You can also determine the number of new calls you add to the queue at once.

With DPTS, you can set callback intervals if the agent reaches an answering machine, voice mail or busy signal. If you wish, you can even create your own call result codes (e.g no answer, abandoned call). To avoid repeated calls to someone who's not available, you can set a maximum number of calls to any one person in a 24-hour period. The Call Processor Monitor displays call results in real time, one screen per campaign. For multiple campaigns, Call Processor Monitor automatically cycles among each screen.

DPTS' Call Processor Supervisor software manages agent groups and even multiple dialers. Chris Brown, president of Drextec, says that DPTS is the only software that can run multiple predictive dialers on a single supervisor application. Without Buffalo international's dialing engine, Brown says, DPTS could not provide predictive dialing at all. Buffalo international's engine has given Drextec the ability to make predictive dialing an intrinsic part of its software, rather than a costly add-on.

DPTS lets you set the dialing rate and the number of lines allotted to agents and supervisors. You can establish the frequency with which the software checks the dialer's database for calls added to the queue. DPTS accommodates 96 lines, or about 72 agents, per system. (Drextec recommends a ratio of 1.5 - 2 phone lines for each agent using the predictive dialer) To enable your agents to call back specific customers, DPTS allows you to reserve lines for manually dialed outbound calls.

DPTS form Drextec (Marlton, NJ) costs $500 for each agent using the predictive dialer. It runs in DOS, various versions of Windows (including Windows 3.11 for Workgroups), Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5 or 4.0. 609-596-8285. If you plan to write your own software and only want Buffalo International's dialing engine, the engine's retail price averages between $1,100 and $1,400 per predictive dialing user. The engine includes the software license, and industrial PC equipped with Dialogic voice boards and support for installation and development. You can reach Buffalo International at 914-747-8500.