What is the difference, in one table?
| Power dialer | Predictive or multi-line dialer | AI dialer (assist) | AI appointment setter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who talks | A human agent | A human agent | A human agent | An AI voice, with transfer to a human |
| How it dials | One call per available agent | Several lines per agent; connects whoever answers | Varies by product | The AI places the calls |
| Main risk | Agent time | Abandoned calls and the 3% rule | Depends on the dialing mode | Consent for artificial-voice calls |
| Consent for sales calls | DNC rules; autodialer consent usually not needed | DNC rules, abandonment limits; check autodialer rules | Same as its dialing mode | Prior express written consent covering artificial voice |
| Best for | Agents working their own leads | High-volume call floors | Making human calls more productive | First calls, aged leads, callbacks, after-hours |
What is a power dialer?
A power dialer dials the next lead as soon as the agent finishes the last call. It removes the dead time of looking up numbers and dialing by hand, and it records the disposition with one tap. A human is on every call.
Since the Supreme Court's decision in Facebook v. Duguid (2021), the TCPA's autodialer definition is narrow: equipment must use a random or sequential number generator. A typical power dialer working an agency's own list is usually not an autodialer under that test, but Do Not Call rules still apply to sales calls, and some states define automated dialing more broadly.
Polca's power dialer is agent-paced: it places a call only for a rep who is there to take it. It shows the agency's registered name on caller ID where the carrier and phone support it, rotates a managed pool of numbers, and rings callbacks to the rep's cell.
What is a predictive or multi-line dialer?
A predictive or multi-line dialer calls several numbers at once and connects the agent to whoever answers first. It raises talk time, and it creates abandoned calls when more people answer than there are agents.
Federal rules limit that (47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)): no more than 3% of live-answered telemarketing calls abandoned over 30 days per campaign, a live agent within two seconds of the greeting, and a recorded message with the seller's name and number on every abandoned call. Polca's dialer does not run predictive or multi-line modes by default.
What does “AI dialer” mean?
Vendors use the term for two different things. Some mean a human dialer with AI features: voicemail detection, live transcription, suggested answers, automatic call notes. Others mean an AI voice that places and handles the calls itself.
Ask which one you're buying. The first is a productivity tool for human agents. The second is an AI appointment setter, and it falls under the TCPA's artificial-voice rules (FCC 24-17).
What is an AI appointment setter?
An AI appointment setter is an AI voice agent whose job is to reach the lead, confirm a few facts, handle the first objection and book a time with a licensed agent. Good ones also answer callbacks and live-transfer leads who want to talk now. It does not sell.
Polca's is Ava. Ava calls the agency's leads under the agency's name, confirms the lead's state, coverage need and age band, handles common objections such as “I already have insurance,” and books the appointment on the right agent's calendar. She never quotes prices, never takes applications and never binds coverage.
Which should a life insurance agency use?
Most agencies end up using two of them together.
- Use the AI appointment setter for first calls on new leads, aged leads, after-hours callbacks and no-show rebooking, on lists whose consent covers AI voice.
- Use the power dialer for leads whose consent covers only human calls, for warm follow-ups, and for agents who want to work their own book.
- Use a predictive or multi-line dialer only if you run a call floor large enough to keep abandonment under 3%, and you have the compliance staff for it.
Polca puts the power dialer and Ava on the same seat, so a lead that Ava couldn't book can go to a rep, and a lead a rep couldn't reach can go to Ava, under the same caller identity and the same opt-out list.
Common questions
Power dialer vs AI dialer: which should insurance agents use?
A power dialer if a human will talk on every call. An AI appointment setter if you want the AI to make the first calls and book appointments, and your leads' consent covers artificial-voice calls.
Is a power dialer an autodialer under the TCPA?
Usually not, after Facebook v. Duguid (2021), which limited the definition to equipment that uses a random or sequential number generator. Do Not Call rules still apply, and some states define automated dialing more broadly.
Does an AI dialer need different consent than a power dialer?
If the AI talks, yes. AI voices are artificial voices under the TCPA, so sales calls need prior express written consent.
Does Polca have a predictive dialer?
Polca's power dialer is agent-paced. Predictive and multi-line modes are not turned on by default.
Sources
- Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, No. 19-511 (U.S. Apr. 1, 2021): what counts as an autodialer
- 47 CFR § 64.1200 (FCC telemarketing and robocall rules)
- FCC Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17 (AI-generated voices are “artificial” voices under the TCPA), released Feb. 8, 2024
- Polca Calling & Recording Policy
One seat: the dialer and Ava.
Polca's AI appointment setter calls your leads under your agency's name and books meetings on your agents' calendars. The licensed conversation stays with your agent.
Book a call → Hear Ava call you