How predictive dialer pacing works
Pacing decides how many numbers a predictive dialer calls at once. How answer rates set the line count and how pacing protects the 3% abandoned-call limit.
·3 min read
Published by Text2Sale · Updated . Product questions or corrections: support@text2sale.com.
Every predictive dialer has to answer one question before each batch of calls: how many numbers should I dial right now? That decision is called pacing, and it determines both how productive the dialer is and how many calls it abandons.
Good pacing is not a fixed setting. It is a calculation that changes as the dialer learns how your list behaves.
The answer rate drives everything
The key number is the live-answer rate: the share of dials that reach a real person rather than voicemail, a busy signal or endless ringing. If 3% of dials are answered by people, calling three numbers at once rarely produces two answers. If 30% are answered, calling three at once would frequently leave someone with nobody on the line.
Pacing estimates the chance that more than one person answers in the same batch, and from that, the share of answered calls that would be abandoned. It picks the largest number of lines that keeps that expected rate comfortably under the legal limit.
Why a new list starts on one line
When you start a list, the dialer does not yet know its answer rate. Guessing high could abandon calls right away. Text2Sale's dialer starts on one line and adds lines once enough dials show that few people on the list pick up.
The 30-day brake
The rule that matters is the abandonment rate over the last 30 days, not just the current session. Text2Sale tracks it continuously and drops back to a single line when the 30-day rate nears 3%, until enough connected calls bring it back down.
- ✓Target well below 3% so one busy afternoon does not push you over
- ✓Count every abandoned call, including ones during the agent's breaks
- ✓Review the 30-day number shown on the dialer each week
When to override pacing
Text2Sale lets an agent choose to always dial the maximum number of lines. It is useful on lists where you already know almost nobody answers, but it skips the safety pacing, and the dialer warns you about the FTC limit when you turn it on. If the abandoned count on your screen starts climbing, turn it off.
Key takeaways
- →Pacing sets the number of lines from the list's live-answer rate.
- →New lists start on one line until the answer rate is known.
- →The 30-day abandonment rate acts as a brake on extra lines.
- →Forcing maximum lines skips that safety; watch your abandoned count.
Put this into practice with Text2Sale
Import leads, create follow-up campaigns, organize replies, and connect texting, calling, and appointments in one workspace.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good live-answer rate?
It depends on the list. Fresh inbound leads may answer 15% to 30% of the time; aged lists are often in the low single digits. The lower the rate, the more lines a predictive dialer can safely use.
Does pacing slow me down?
Only when it needs to. On low-answer lists pacing adds lines quickly; on high-answer lists it holds back because extra lines would mostly create abandoned calls.