Increase Inbound Call Center Services Productivity with Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)

It is an open secret that customer service plays a vital role in the majority of businesses.
The ACD system is also known as the Call Routing system which automatically chooses the agent the incoming call should be directed to.

It’s really smart: no matter how many different teams and agents are in your Inbound Call Center Services, ACD will route the call to the needed department/Agent so it could be answered by the true professional.

So, the main Goal of ACD is to connect the right caller with the right agent, as fast as possible.

ACD can be used in Different ways here are 2 Examples for your reference:

Example# 1: For Trainees: they require additional training in communication with the client and for this they need to answer as many calls as they can and with different scenarios so they can be well worst with the different situation and rebuttals that can be used.

Example# 2: High Call Volume hours: In an Extremely high call volume hours if department faces challenges in answering the call it will affect the Average handling Time (AHT) resulting in Customer dissatisfaction, and hence would impact our Reports & Analysis and this is not a good sign for a growing organization.

ACD will help us in preventing such Loss

There are different Types in ACD.

Fixed order: ACD calls go to agents in a preset order, with each call starting at the top of the list, ringing for a certain amount of time, and then routing to the next agent in the list until someone answers. This way Agent B will only receive the call if Agent A is busy. Use this method to prioritize particular agents over others.

Round robin: Every new call goes to the next agent on your list in a continuous loop. If Agent A took the last call, the next one goes to Agent B, then to Agent C, and so on. Use this method to distribute calls evenly.

Simultaneous distribution: With this distribution method, calls ring for every available agent at the same time. The first to pick up handles the call. Use this method if quick customer response time is most important to you.

Time-based routing: Rather than ringing all agents to determine availability, some ACDs allow teammates to set their own statuses and working hours. Layered with another distribution method, time-based routing can be a helpful way to reduce the time it takes to answer a call. Use this method to decrease wait times without disturbing busy agents.

Agent talk time: Calls go to the least-active agent—the person with the fewest calls or longest idle stretch between calls. Use this method to optimize employees’ working hours.

Weighted order: Each agent has a weighted score based on criteria such as language proficiency, experience, or skills. This method is often referred to as skills-based routing. Calls go to available agents based on the strength of their score. Use this method to identify the most suitable agent to handle a call.

Benefits of ACD for a Business:

Improved customer experience: Customers hate answering to a Robot or Answering machine they want a real person to solve their problem right away. Some VIP customers may even require extra attention to ensure they get through to their rep ASAP, ACD helps in prioritize customer and easy handling of customers queries.

Metrics for data-based strategy: Analyzing metrics gives you a way to analyze how well your call center is performing. Crunching numbers related to missed calls, call volume, and wait time is made possible by reports from your ACD Inbound phone answering system. Channelize the patterns will help in steady handling. A live feed is also a great tool to keep your finger on the pulse of day-to-day operations. A live feed gives manager’s up-to-the-moment context to shift resources as needed so calls keep connecting smoothly.

Improved call coaching and mentoring: Role-playing a call in training and fielding a real (and rather irritated) customer in real life don’t always compare. Without an ACD system, new agents may resort to transferring calls to supervisors, increasing hold time and making customers repeat their problems multiple times. Instead, advanced ACDs allow for whisper coaching, enabling supervisors to give their agents support without clueing the caller in that there’s someone else on the line.
The bottom line? Automatic call distributor software offers features that add up to a cohesive, dependable customer experience, an easy-to-use system for agents, and data that managers can use to boost inbound call center outsourcing performance.

The Best Automatic Call Distribution Software Features

1. Customizable call routing: The ability to customize your ring strategy gives you power to create the most intuitive and convenient system for your business.

2. IVR with smart directory: An IVR is the first response your callers hear when they dial in. Make customers’ first interaction with you a positive one by taking advantage of a smart directory. Tailor your IVR to funnel callers to distinct, specialized teams with the specific skills to handle unique customer issues. Sorting calls by language (“press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish…”) or department will help route callers to the right resource.

3. Call queuing: Don’t subject customers to calls that time out before someone answers. Make waiting on hold as painless as possible with customizable messaging and options for how callers can get in touch with an agent through an alternate method, if necessary.

4. Queue callback: Make sure you provide a way for customers who don’t want to leave a message or can’t continue to hold any longer. Offering an option to have the next available representative call back gives customers control over their preferred way to get in touch with someone who can solve their problem.

5. VIP callers and blacklist numbers: Skip the queue for your VIP clients by configuring their numbers to go directly to the ACD agent you’ve assigned to them. Meanwhile, blacklist specific numbers to eliminate bots and spam callers, and help your real customers get through queues faster.

6. CRM integration: Integrating your ACD system with other critical business software, such as your CRM, will help tie your call center into a larger customer service strategy. This will decrease the amount of time your agents spend on data entry, with call notes and recordings automatically synced from the ACD phone system directly to your CRM. Integrating with other tools your agents use every day, such as chat bots and e-Commerce platforms, will streamline your work processes and help your team reach more customers.

7. Convenient interface: Don’t overlook the value of making software easy for your employees. The more confident call center agents feel in using your ACD, the more productive they’ll be. An intuitive interface will help your reps pull up customer information and take action in just a few clicks. Your virtual call center dashboard will give your team a centralized home for all their numbers, users, and even international teams.

Kenico Global provides all types of Inbound and Outbound call center services India for banking, healthcare, logistics and telecom. We provide outbound call center services that allows scalability without compromising on quality and ensure a seamless transition of work for the client.