VICIdial Campaign Setup Guide

Quick answer: To set up a VICIdial campaign, log into the admin interface, navigate to Campaigns, create a new campaign with your desired settings, upload a lead list as a CSV, assign agents, and set your dial ratio. A basic campaign can be running in under 30 minutes once your server is configured.

Once VICIdial is installed, the next step is getting a live campaign dialing. A campaign ties together leads, agents, dispositions, and dialing strategy — so the setup order matters. This guide walks through a minimum-viable campaign, plus the settings that most affect real-world performance.

VICIdial Campaign Types: Outbound, Inbound, and Blended

VICIdial supports three campaign types:

Outbound — Agents dial out to leads in an uploaded list. Predictive, power, preview, or manual dialing modes all fall under outbound.

Inbound (In-Group) — Calls arrive via a DID (phone number) and are routed to available agents via an ACD queue. These are technically “in-groups” in VICIdial terminology, not campaigns, but they serve the same role.

Blended — Agents are logged into a campaign that includes both outbound dialing and assigned inbound in-groups. When inbound volume is high, the predictive dialer throttles outbound. When inbound is quiet, agents stay busy on outbound.

The rest of this guide focuses on setting up an outbound campaign, which is the most common starting point.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your First VICIdial Campaign

1. Log into admin. Navigate to /vicidial/admin.php with a level 8+ user.

2. Open the Campaigns section. Click Admin > Campaigns > Add a New Campaign.

3. Fill in the basics:

Campaign ID — short identifier (e.g., SOLAR01, MEDIC02)
Campaign Name — human-readable name
Campaign Description — optional notes
Active — set to Y to enable

4. Configure dialing mode:

Dial Method — RATIO (predictive), ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT (adaptive predictive with cap), ADAPT_AVERAGE (adaptive with averaged pacing), MANUAL (preview)
Dial Level — initial dial ratio (e.g., 2.0 means 2 lines per agent)
Dial Level Threshold — how many agents needed before predictive kicks in (typically 2-3)

5. Set list and disposition defaults:

List Order — DOWN is most common (dials top to bottom of the list)
Auto Dial Level — enable for adaptive ratio adjustment
Lead Order — DOWN, UP, UP PHONE, etc.

6. Configure local call time (time-of-day):

Call Time — controls what hours are allowed. US states is the common default.
Lead Filter — optional SQL-style filter on list content

7. Save the campaign.

At this point the campaign exists but has no lists or agents.

How to Upload and Format a Lead List in VICIdial

1. Prepare the CSV file. VICIdial accepts a CSV with these common columns (order doesn’t matter, headers are mapped on upload):

phone_number (required)
phone_code (country code, typically 1 for US)
first_name
last_name
address1, city, state, postal_code
email
vendor_lead_code (unique ID from your source system)
source_id
Up to 10 custom fields if needed

A minimal CSV can be as simple as one column of 10-digit phone numbers.

2. Create a list. In admin, go to Lists > Add a New List. Give it a List ID, name, description, and assign it to the campaign you created. Set status to Y (active).

3. Upload the CSV. Go to Lists > Load New Leads. Select your list, upload the CSV, map columns, and submit. VICIdial runs DNC scrubbing and duplicate detection as part of the load.

4. Verify the upload. The result screen shows how many leads loaded, how many were rejected, and why. Common rejection reasons: bad phone format, DNC hit, duplicate of existing lead.

Setting Dial Ratios and Call Pacing

Dial ratio directly affects throughput and abandonment risk. Key settings:

Auto Dial Level — When Y, VICIdial adjusts the ratio automatically based on real-time answer rates
Dial Level — Starting ratio (2.0 is a safe default for most lists)
Dial Level Threshold — Number of agents needed before predictive kicks in
Adaptive Maximum Level — Upper bound on how high adaptive can push the ratio

Typical configurations:

Cold outbound B2C — ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT, dial level 2.0, max 3.0
Warm leads / aged leads — RATIO or ADAPT_AVERAGE, dial level 1.5
B2B consultative — MANUAL or RATIO with dial level 1.0 (effectively power dialing)

Monitor abandonment rate in Real-Time Campaign Summary. If it trends above 2.5%, reduce the dial level. TCPA’s 3% cap is a 30-day rolling average — staying below 2.5% day-to-day gives you headroom.

Answering Machine Detection (AMD)

VICIdial can detect answering machines and drop them before routing to agents, significantly improving talk time. Enable in campaign settings:

AMD Send to Program — set to route AMD-detected calls to a specific extension (e.g., voicemail drop)
AMD Type — AMD_2 is the newer, more accurate algorithm
AMD Only Send Agent Live — set to Y to skip AMD-detected calls entirely

AMD isn’t perfect — it introduces a brief silence at call connect that some live answerers notice. Test with a small list before rolling out to production.

Assigning Agents to the Campaign

Agents need two things to join a campaign:

The campaign must be in their User Group’s allowed campaigns
They select the campaign at login

Campaign selection happens on the agent login screen after they enter phone and user credentials. If the campaign isn’t visible, check the user group settings. For more on the login flow, see our VICIdial admin guide.

VICIdial Campaign Troubleshooting

No calls being placed — Campaign paused, list not active, dial level 0, or no carrier configured. Check Real-Time Campaign Summary.

Calls dialing but agents not getting them — Phone extensions not registered, agent not logged into campaign, or call being classified as AMD/drop.

High abandonment rate — Dial level too high for list answer rate. Lower dial level or switch to ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT.

Agents sitting idle with live calls available — Phone extension isn’t registering properly, or “Pause” code is active. Check Asterisk SIP peer status.

Duplicate calls going to same lead — Recycling or auto-alt-number setting too aggressive. Review list recycle settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a campaign in VICIdial? In the admin interface at /vicidial/admin.php, click Admin > Campaigns > Add a New Campaign. Fill in Campaign ID, name, dial method, dial level, and call time. Save, then create a list and assign it to the campaign.

What format does VICIdial use for lead list uploads? VICIdial accepts CSV files. Required column is phone_number. Optional columns include first_name, last_name, address1, city, state, postal_code, email, vendor_lead_code, and up to 10 custom fields. Column headers are mapped during upload.

What dial ratio should I use in VICIdial? Start at 2.0 (2 lines per agent) with ADAPT_HARD_LIMIT dial method and let adaptive tuning adjust from there. Lower the starting ratio to 1.5 for warm leads or regulated campaigns. Keep abandonment under 3% (TCPA cap) and ideally under 2.5% for headroom.

Can VICIdial detect answering machines automatically? Yes. VICIdial has built-in answering machine detection (AMD). Enable it in campaign settings and choose the AMD_2 algorithm for better accuracy. AMD-detected calls can be dropped, sent to voicemail drop, or routed anywhere in the dialplan.

How many campaigns can VICIdial run at once? VICIdial can run dozens of concurrent campaigns on a single server, limited mostly by hardware. Each campaign is independent with its own list, dispositions, and agents. Blended campaigns also count, allowing inbound in-groups to mix with outbound dialing.

Launch Faster With Managed Setup

If you want your first campaign dialing in days instead of figuring it out yourself, our hosted VICIdial with pre-configured campaigns includes initial campaign setup, AMD tuning, and TCPA-ready defaults. Additional help from VICIdial support plans keeps you running smoothly.