What is OBD and how is it different from a predictive dialler?

OBD (Outbound Dialing or Outbound Broadcasting) is an automated system that places calls to a list of contacts and plays a pre-recorded or text-to-speech voice message without any live agent involvement. The call is entirely automated from start to finish — the system dials the number, plays the message when answered, optionally collects a DTMF key-press response, and logs the outcome. A predictive dialler, by contrast, is designed to connect answered calls to a pool of live human agents — it predicts when agents will be free, dials ahead of those predicted availability windows, and aims to have a live call ready the moment an agent finishes their previous conversation. The key distinction is human agent involvement: OBD is fully automated and can broadcast millions of calls per day without any agent resource; predictive diallers are designed to maximise agent talk time and always involve a human on the other end. OBD is the right choice for EMI reminders, appointment alerts, survey calls, delivery notifications and awareness broadcasts. Predictive diallers are the right choice for sales teams, collections teams and service departments where a live conversation is required to achieve the outcome.