When it comes to call center software, most of the software you may be looking for can cost upwards of hundreds to even $1,000’s of dollars, so what happens when you have a limited budget and need to still make automatic calls? The answer is by using an open source software program at your call center. Below we have a list of 5 popular call center programs that are guaranteed to not cost you a penny out of pocket to setup. Keep in mind – many of these programs are “open source” which means that they do not come with any liability or warranty that they will work all the time, or will be supported in the future. If you are looking for reliable and supported software, you can take a look at our “Vendor List” (coming soon!).
1: GOautodial (www.goautodial.org)
GOautodial (which was formally known as VicidialNOW) is an open source GPLv2 licensed software program used in call centers which boasts the following features:
- Outbound, Inbound, and blended call handling abilities
- Survey dialing built in directly to the program
- Web-based applications
- Fully compliant with United States, United Kingdom, and Canadian call compliance laws
- Easily scalable to allow for hundred of seats
- Comes with built-in support for Sangoma and Digium cards
- Full call recording capabilities
The GOautodial software is based on CentOS, and automatically installs the full suite of GOautodial applications, including GOadmin (administrative setup and control), GOreports (reporting system and builder), and GOagent. With this software, you can easily setup a new call campaign or import an existing campaign.
A screenshot of the GOadmin screen in the GOautodial open source program
The GOautodial software conveniently has with a bug reporting wiki where the developers address issues and track problems with the software – so the chance of your issues being resolved are quite high. In addition, there is a forum located here where users can ask questions and learn how to initially setup the software for the first time.
2: ICTDialer (www.ictdialer.org)
The ICTDialer is a call software application built using Drupal. It is supported by ICT Innovations. The ICTDialer has the ability to initiate hundred of calls simultaneously using VoIP, FoIP, or PSTN. ICTDialer comes with the following features:
- Drag and drop IVR builder, no coding required
- Fully scalable and able to handle a large influx of calls
- Contact management system (with filtering)
- Call campaign scheduler
- Completely open source
The ICTDialer has some really cool features which are absent in other autodialer software programs, including the ability to setup scheduling to automatically have the program run when you specific a time of day or day of the week. In addition, importing contacts is very easy with ICTDialer as you can upload and entire .csv spreadsheet to the contact manager. ICTDialer comes with a forums board where you can get help setting up the autodialer and help with advanced features. Visit the ICTDialer forums here.
3: Newfies Dialer (www.newfies-dialer.org)
The Newfies-Dialer is a must have for anyone looking to make large amounts of outbound calling – whether it be for advertising, emergency services, or for companies that want to provide large-scale dialing facilities to their clients. You are able to import phone numbers you want to target en masse – and then have the system deliver those calls sequentially throughout the day.
The Newfies Dialer comes with the following features:
- Appointment + debt reminders for customers
- Mass emergency broadcasted based on specific zip code or area code
- Live lead generating and mass call outbound dialing
- Excellent at sharing information with customers and clients
The Newfies Dialer was originally built to be used in low-literacy countries to provide healthcare information or other informational message over the phone. With that said, it is very good for reminders, alerts, and all other important messages sent via phone. This dialer also comes with an excellent beginners guide which walks you through each step of the process from installation to setup of your test calls to ensure that the system is working correctly before you upload your entire number directory.
An example of the campaigns interface in OSDial
4: OSDial (http://osdial.com/)
OSDial has been developed for years, with over three major software releases, version 3 comes packed with features that customers have needed. Some of those features include:
- Admin/Agent web based interface
- Report system with call statistics and real-time call reporting
- Supports both 32 + 64 bit systems
- Comes with other modules which can be purchased to increase the features of the dialer
- Community support if you don’t want to pay for paid support assistance
OSDial lets you purchase additional modules from the company that designed the interface of OSDial so that you can have advanced reporting systems and separate company interfaces, among other features. OSDial 3 comes with some IU improvements as well, allowing agents to easily access the more important aspects of the dialer without all the clutter.
5: VICIDIAL (http://www.vicidial.org/vicidial.php)
VICIDIAL is a open source contact center suite which is meant to be paired with the Asterisk Open-Source PBX phone system. The interface to manage the client is web-based and has the ability to view data in real time to see call statistics and caller data.
Features include:
- English and Spanish layout and controls
- Three-way calling with agent
- USA/Canada/UK caller compliant
- Open-Source AGPLv2 license
There are over 4,000 active installations of VICIDIAL currently operating. Fully open source and customizable to your own call center needs. Keep in mind that this software runs on an Asterisks server, if you are unfamiliar with Asterisks it is best to read up on the process before your installation. Support can be found for a price on the official website, or for free through the VICIDIAL forums located here.
Do you have an autodialer or predictive dialer software which is open source that we don’t know about? Leave a comment below and we will add it to the list!