> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.itellico.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Campaign Issues > Diagnose and fix outbound campaign problems including low answer rates, failed calls, and AMD issues This guide covers diagnosing and resolving issues with outbound calling campaigns. ## Low Answer Rates ### Check the Campaign Dashboard The **Dashboard** tab in your campaign shows answer rates, contact status breakdown, and the human-answer heatmap. Start here to understand patterns. ### Common Causes and Fixes | Cause | Diagnostic | Fix | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Bad calling hours** | Heatmap shows low answers at your scheduled times | Adjust [Schedules](/launch/schedules) to match peak answer windows — typically 10am-12pm and 2pm-5pm local time | | **Unknown caller ID** | High no-answer rate across all times | Use a local number matching the recipients' area code | | **Spam flagging** | Check Spam Status on your phone number (red = flagged) | Rotate numbers, reduce call volume, register with STIR/SHAKEN | | **Stale contact list** | High "No Conversation" rate | Clean contact list — remove disconnected numbers, validate phone formats | | **Voicemail detection too strict** | AMD is hanging up on real humans | Switch AMD mode from ML to text-based, or vice versa | ### Optimizing Answer Rates 1. **Start with a small pilot** — test with 10-20 contacts to establish a baseline 2. **Use local numbers** — recipients are more likely to answer local area codes 3. **Review the heatmap after 50-100 calls** — adjust schedules based on actual data 4. **Segment by timezone** — create separate campaigns with appropriate schedules per region 5. **Monitor spam scores** — check the Spam Status column in Phone Numbers regularly *** ## Failed Calls ### Calls Not Dialing 1. Verify the campaign status is **Active** (not Paused) 2. Check that the assigned agent is active and configured 3. Verify the phone number is active and not assigned to another active campaign 4. Check [concurrent call limits](/reference/limits-quotas) for your plan 5. Verify the **Start date** has passed ### Calls Connect But Drop Immediately 1. Check AMD settings — the AMD may be incorrectly classifying humans as voicemails 2. Review the conversation timeline for error events 3. Test the agent with a manual phone call to isolate the issue 4. Check that the agent's greeting is configured for outbound calls ### Calls Show "Failed" Status Review the conversation details for the specific error. Common causes: * **Network unreachable** — the destination number is invalid or disconnected * **Busy** — the recipient is on another call (retry will handle this) * **Rejected** — the carrier blocked the call (may indicate spam flagging) *** ## Answering Machine Detection (AMD) ### AMD Hangs Up on Real People The AMD thinks humans are voicemails. Try: 1. **Switch AMD mode** — if using ML-based, try text-based (or vice versa) 2. **Text-based** is faster but less accurate — works well when human greetings are short 3. **ML-based** is more accurate but adds latency — better when voicemail messages are common ### AMD Does Not Detect Voicemails The agent is talking to answering machines. Try: 1. Switch to **ML-based** AMD for better accuracy 2. Check your agent's greeting — a long greeting may cause the AMD to misclassify ### AMD Configuration AMD is configured per campaign in **Settings → Call Settings** (Expert Mode): * **Text-based**: Analyzes the initial transcript for voicemail patterns (fast, \~200ms) * **ML-based**: Uses audio classification to detect voicemails (accurate, \~500ms+) *** ## Contact Lifecycle Issues ### Understanding Contact Statuses | Status | Category | Meaning | | ------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Pending** | Active | Queued, waiting to be dialed | | **Dialing** | Active | Call in progress | | **Called** | Active | Awaiting next retry or evaluation | | **Retry** | Active | Scheduled for retry after failed attempt | | **Completed** | Final | Achieved primary goal — no more calls | | **Failed** | Final | Max retries exhausted — will not be called again | | **No Conversation** | Final | Never reached a human (all attempts were voicemail/no-answer) | ### Contacts Stuck in "Pending" 1. Campaign may be **Paused** — check status in campaign list 2. All calling slots may be in use — check **Max concurrent calls** in Settings 3. Business hours may be closed — check the schedule indicator 4. **Call interval** may be too long — check Settings → Call Settings ### Contacts Not Retrying 1. Check **Max retry attempts** — if set to 0, no retries occur 2. Check **Retry interval** — contacts will not retry before this period 3. Check if the contact was manually moved to a final state 4. The contact may have reached **Contact completion timeout** ### Inbound Callbacks Not Matching When a contact calls back, itellicoAI tries to match them to the campaign: 1. **Primary match**: Phone number matches a campaign contact 2. **Fallback match**: Agent-based matching within a 30-day window 3. If no match found, the call is treated as a regular inbound call Check that the caller's number matches the phone number in the contact record. *** ## Phone Number Rotation ### When to Use Multiple Numbers * You are making high volumes (500+ calls/day from a single number) * Your spam scores are rising * You are calling different regions and need local presence ### Rotation Settings (Expert Mode) When a campaign has multiple phone numbers: * **Rotation Strategy** — how numbers are selected for each call * **Spam Threshold** — automatically pause a number if its spam score exceeds this value * **Max Calls Per Day** — limit per-number daily volume to protect reputation *** ## Performance Optimization 1. **A/B test your approach** — create separate campaigns with different scripts, agents, or schedules to find what works 2. **Clean your lists** — remove invalid numbers before launch 3. **Monitor daily** for the first week — check answer rates, goal achievement, and spam scores 4. **Reduce volume if flagged** — if spam scores rise, lower daily call limits and rotate numbers 5. **Use analytics** — set up Goals and Insights to measure what matters ## Next Steps View the full campaign management guide Configure calling windows Manage numbers and spam scores Find quick fixes for all issue types