Depending on how you feel about such things, next-generation predictive dialers have become an integral, dare I say “must have” capability for political campaigns. Indeed, with the U.S. elections only days away, anyone living here not only is more than aware from watching TV that the “get out the vote” efforts are already in full swing as the airwaves are saturated with ads, but this has become that time of year when caller ID and answering systems are a godsend.
As a former politico myself, I have mixed feelings about the attempts at what seemly appears to be political party efforts to be in constant contact to make sure I get to the polls. Voting after all is the foundation of any democracy and anything that encourages people to vote is a good thing. However, I also subscribe to the idea that you can have too much of a good thing, and my inner geek chafes at the incessant intrusions. For example, why can’t I just say I plan on voting and then be placed on a do not call again list.
That said, the upside of predictive dialing capability, whether it be for political campaigns or use by non-profits for fund raising cannot be underestimated, and despite the occasional annoyance should be appreciated for what it can deliver. Indeed, this is the message from SaaS telecommunications and cloud contact center software provider, Connect First.
To say the least political organizations appreciate the ability to reach as many possible voters as possible in a cost-effective manner. “One of the most impressive capabilities of Connect First is their ability to scale their product for some truly extreme needs,” said K.J. of Pittsburgh, Pa. “During the 2012 political season, we needed to add several thousand seats to the platform. Connect First provisioned the new capacity in under 48 hours. Additionally, Connect First’s scalability, within just a few days, was handling much more than ten million calls a day on a system they rolled out just for us.”
No matter your political affiliation or independence, the important thing is that on November 4, you get out and vote. And, if you get a few gentle reminders don’t get mad get moving. I can’t promise that those “robo calls” will cease and desist until after the polls close, even as I hope that in the next election cycle the polls take the above advice, and act uncharacteristically with restraint in contacting me. However, reach and scale, as we know from the attempts to implement a national emergency alert system, are capabilities we all need and rely on. Fortunately, elections only happen one day a year. Too bad we can’t shorten the cycles for when those running feel compelled to reach out to us electronically without our permission.