What is an Abandoned Call?
A call in which the call originator abandons, disconnects, or cancels the call after a connection has been made, but before the call is established. When inbound calls are abandoned, it is often because the caller is frustrated with the time on hold. When outbound calls are abandoned, it is usually because the call is disconnected by the automated dialer or automatic call distributor when a live contact has been made but no agent was available to take the call. Predictive dialers eliminate the problem of abandoned outbound calls.
In an Abandoned Call, a connection is made with the recipient, but the caller then decides to terminate the call before any proper communication is established. The call may be terminated by the dialer, and the called party receives a silence ("dead air") or a tone from the telephone company which indicates the call has been dropped. Abandoned calls must carry a recorded message about the company calling.
Managers will find the data about each abandoned call to be very useful in calculating productivity. By understanding the reasons for abandoned calls, whether inbound or outbound, a manager can improve their ability to create systems that mitigate abandoned calls.