Routing calls in your business is essential to ensure fast and effective communication with clients. The goal of call routing is to connect the customer with a company representative best suited to help them with their query. Efficient call routing ensures that businesses are able to prioritise the most urgent queries to resolve them promptly, which will enhance customer satisfaction.
What Is Call Routing?
Call routing is a business phone system feature that automatically directs incoming calls to the correct representative or call queue using ACD (automatic call distribution). Different call routing software uses similar algorithms to determine who should be answering the incoming call, but the ultimate goal is still to direct the call to the representative with the skill set to help the customer.
How Does Call Routing Work?
Call routing works by determining the caller’s intent, utilising caller input, and employing routing strategies to direct the call to the appropriate queue. This process consists of three main steps: Qualification, Queuing, and Distribution.
Qualification
To know where a call needs to be routed, customer data must be collected and then analysed. The caller’s intent can be determined by which business phone number or extension was called, but more often than not, the data collected from the customer’s input into the IVR, Interactive Voice Response, system will reveal the reason for the call. IVR systems will play pre-recorded prompts to which customers respond via speech or dial pad input.
Queuing
In this step, the ACD analyses the customer input and routes the call to the ideal queue based on the information gathered. The ACD will route the call to the appropriate queue based on selected options and agent availability.
Distribution
In this phase, calls are directed from call queues to individual agents using pre-established rules, agent availability, and skill sets needed to address the caller’s query.
What Are The Best Practices For Call Queuing and Routing?
It is important to remember that one of the main goals of call routing is to ensure customer satisfaction.
Use Warm Transfers
These are attended transfers. In these cases, an agent can provide context and prep the receiving agent regarding the customer’s problem. This will prevent the customer from having to repeat themselves.
Invest In Agent Training
Training agents to equip them to use the VoIP system effectively. Things that must be included are technical skills, customer service etiquette, and data security. It can also be beneficial to show them how to troubleshoot common issues.
Ensure Strong Inter-Agent Communication
When agents share notes and relevant information during call transfers, it will facilitate seamless handovers, and the customer will not need to repeat themselves.
Provide Technological Infrastructure
Ensure that adequate technological infrastructure is provided to agents. Proper high-speed internet, quality VoIP equipment, and scheduled maintenance are non-negotiable.
Implement Advanced Call Routing
Invest in using smart call routing software like IVR. This will avoid the use of manual transfers and ensure calls are routed efficiently.
Queue Position
Provide customers calling with queue position as well as an estimated waiting time. Whilst the caller is in a queue, provide them with the option of an agent calling them back as soon as they are available.
Other call routing practices that should be taken into consideration:
- IVR prompts should be kept short and straightforward. When the IVR menu is too complex, it leads to customer confusion and hang-ups. Divide the options you offer clients into groups of options, which will reduce your transfer time.
- Offer callers the opportunity to rate the call and provide feedback. The feedback can be reviewed at a later stage to update or change the ways calls are being routed. This will lead to improved customer satisfaction.
- Always provide the caller with the option to speak to a live agent if you are using an IVR system.
- Call menus should be regularly updated to reflect current information. This can include, but is not limited to, holiday operating hours, sales or events, and reputation management issues like product recalls.
- Investing in CRM software can offer many advantages. It will allow agents to keep and access detailed customer information, call history with notes from previous agents, and more features to personalise and improve customer interactions.
