Once upon a time, predictive dialer technology was an idea of fiction. Today, it is an indispensable asset to businesses managing inbound and outbound calls. Yet the call service software no longer resembles the primitive equipment it once was. In fact, it doesn’t even require physical hardware anymore.As this age-old article (published in the forever-ago year of 1999) foretold, predictive dialer technology and its many advantages have revolutionized the way that businesses operate. From banks to political campaigns, businesses across many industries have experienced the core performance benefits of the automated dialing system that bypasses dead-end calls and connects directly to live agents, eliminating time-consuming guesswork and capitalizing on customer engagement.Over the years the software’s evolution has contributed to many advancements that aim to improve efficiency and enhance productivity. Predictive dialers have become smarter and more sophisticated with progressive features such as call blending, onscreen scripts and do-not-call list awareness. But the improvements don’t stop there.Perhaps most notably, the advent of cloud telephony has led to the development of hosted predictive dialer solutions. Eliminating the need for a physical apparatus, the system handles calls completely within “the cloud,” or a network provided by a third-party VoIP service, enabling businesses to improve continuity and perform at a higher level.Every day, contact centers are discovering new ways to enhance their cloud-based models. For example, today’s leading solutions promise to deliver multiple dialing modes, enhanced blended campaigns, automatic voice messages and the ability to route inbound return phone calls to the same agents – all at an affordable price point.Given the level of progress we have seen in the past decade, our crystal ball shows that the scope of possibility for the future of predictive dialer technology will certainly not end here.