A call centre includes a plurality of agent workstations, each agent
workstation comprising means for entering information obtained from a
telephone respondent in response to questions prompted by a script
displayed on the display of the workstation, and means for producing
status signals indicative of the progression of the agent through the
script. A predictive dialling system receives status signals from each
agent station and predicts from the status signals and statistical
information regarding the number of calls previously made, how many new
calls should be dialled to enable agents who have finished their previous
call by the time the calls are answered to take the new calls.