Using an autodialer to dial phone numbers
To use an autodialer, select either of the following options from the Dialing Options list:
▪IBM SPSS Dialer (Extension) – Power dial for the interviewer screen. In extension dialing, the autodialer dials participants only when interviewers click the Start Dialing button in the Phone Participants activity. This mode can result in longer wait times for interviewers, but is unlikely to result in silent calls.
▪IBM SPSS Dialer (Group) – Dial for the interview in a group (with optional predictive dialing). In group/predictive dialing, the autodialer dials participants before interviewers are available to answer the connected calls. That is, the software predicts when interviewers will click the Start Dialing button. This mode can deliver the highest interviewer productivity, but might result in silent calls.
For more information about the difference between extension and group/predictive dialing, see
How autodialing works.
The option to use an autodialer is displayed only if one or more dialers have been added to the Dialer Administration activity in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer Server - Admin. However, if the position settings for a telephone interviewer station specify that the station can be used only for manual or modem dialing, the Start Dialing button will not be usable on that station.
Phone numbers used for autodialing must contain only the digits 0 to 9, * and # (optionally preceded by a plus (+) to present the international access code). In addition, the phone number can contain the visual separators SPACE, (, ), . and -. Visual separators are not allowed before the first digit.
If you select this option, you might also need to change the settings: see
Autodialer settings. For more information about dialers and positions, see
Dialer Administration.
See also