DROP — Dropped / Abandoned Call

What DROP Means

An outbound call was answered by a live person but no agent was available to take the call — it was abandoned. The contact heard either silence, a safe harbor message, or was routed to a drop extension. FTC regulations require dropped call handling.

When This Status Is Set

DROP is assigned automatically when an outbound call is answered by a live person but no agent is available to handle the call within the allowed wait time. This occurs when the predictive dialer over-dials relative to agent availability — the system placed more calls than agents could absorb, resulting in an abandoned contact. When a DROP event fires, VICIdial executes the configured drop_action — which can be MESSAGE (play a safe harbor recording), IN_GROUP (route to an inbound queue), or EXTEN (transfer to a specific dialplan extension). The FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule mandates that dropped calls remain below 3% of answered calls measured over a rolling 30-day period, making DROP one of the most compliance-sensitive statuses in the system. Each DROP event is logged in vicidial_log with full timestamp and call duration data.

Impact on List Management

DROP leads are callable but require special handling. VICIdial’s drop_lockout_time setting prevents immediate redialing of dropped contacts — include DROP in your dial_status_filter but ensure the lockout timer is configured so these leads are not re-entered into the hopper until the lockout expires. High DROP counts are a leading indicator that your auto_dial_level is set too aggressively for the current agent count, or that agent talk times are longer than the predictive algorithm anticipated. Address the root cause (dial level, agent staffing, or adaptive algorithm tuning) before focusing on recycling — otherwise you risk dropping the same contacts repeatedly, which damages brand perception and may trigger consumer complaints to the FTC. Track DROP volumes in vicidial_log by hour to identify specific periods when the imbalance between dials and available agents is worst.

Best Practices

• Track DROP rate daily — the FTC limit is 3% of answered calls over a rolling 30-day window, and exceeding it creates regulatory exposure

• Adjust auto_dial_level or enable adaptive_dl_diff_target to dynamically reduce dial pacing when DROP rate climbs

• Implement drop_lockout_time (typically 4-24 hours) to prevent immediate redial of dropped contacts who may be frustrated by the experience

• Include DROP in dial_status_filter only after the lockout period expires, and prioritize these leads since they represent confirmed live answers

• Configure a meaningful drop_action — a safe harbor message that identifies your company and provides a callback number is both FTC-compliant and preserves the contact relationship

Admin Configuration

DROP is a system-level status defined in Admin → System Statuses with callable set to Y. The drop handling behavior — including drop_action, safe_harbor_message, drop_lockout_time, and the safe harbor audio file — is configured per-campaign under Campaign Detail → Drop Call Settings. The predictive dialing parameters that influence DROP rate are managed in Campaign Detail → Dialing Options, including auto_dial_level, adaptive_dl_diff_target, and available_only_ratio_tally. To monitor compliance, run the FTC-mandated DROP rate report from Reports → Outbound Calling Report or calculate it directly from vicidial_log as COUNT(status='DROP') / COUNT(human_answered=Y) over the trailing 30 days.

ViciStack’s List Management module monitors disposition distribution in real time — automatically adjusting recycling logic, dial_status_filter priorities, and hopper fill strategies based on how your dispositions are trending. No manual SQL, no spreadsheet audits.