Call routing software enables businesses to route customers to particular contact center agents or groups of agents in line with business rules.
Perhaps customers call for a specialist reason, speak a specific language, or are considered “a priority”. Whatever the case, contact centers can use call routing software to get them to the most appropriate agent without human intervention.
The Evolution of Call Routing
Since their rise in the 1980s, ACD systems have housed call routing technology. At the time, the system would route the longest waiting customer to the longest waiting agent.
At the time, this was quite the innovation, as before a switchboard operator would manually look up extension lines and connect the caller to whichever extension was available.
Thankfully, ACD systems are now much more advanced, enabling sophisticated call routing strategies, creating detailed contact center reports, and harnessing features to validate, prioritize, and block callers.
However, it is not only ACD systems that route callers. Nowadays, many contact centers utilize bots, which access customer data from across the enterprise, predict needs, and route accordingly.
5 Examples of Call Routing Strategies
Whether using an ACD or bots, businesses can program the technology to bring a multitude of call routing strategies to life. Here are five excellent examples.
1. Skills-Based Call Routing
Skill-based routing matches an incoming call to an agent with the required skillset. An excellent example of this is routing a caller that speaks one language to an agent that speaks the same language. Yet, there are many other use cases, including routing a low satisfaction customer to an advocate agent or routing a vulnerable customer to a specialist.
2. Priority-Based Call Routing
Many companies still have priority programs, where they typically segment their highest value customers and route them through to shorter queues for a more satisfactory service experience. By doing so, companies aim to retain customers with the highest projected lifetime value.
Yet, it is not only high-value customers that may take priority. Vulnerable customers, new customers, or those coming up for renewal may well take precedence within many businesses.
3. Least-Occupied Routing
Occupancy rates measure what percentage of time agents spend taking calls while logged in and present on the contact center floor. Many operations pass the next call onto the agent with the lowest occupancy rate to ensure the workload is evenly distributed. Some will view this as the next evolution of idle routing, which passes the next customer through to the longest waiting agent.
4. Data-Driven Routing
By connecting call routing software to a central data source – like the CRM system – the contact center opens up many new routing possibilities. For instance, the data may highlight that the customer is late to make a payment. The system can then route them to the finance team.
Yet, arguably the most innovative example of this is predictive routing, which assesses customer and agent data to predict which rep is most likely to drive the best outcomes for that customer. An excellent net promoter, customer satisfaction, or effort score are potential outcomes.
5. Intrasite Routing
A routing strategy may extend beyond the confines of one operation, potentially passing calls through to agents across the globe. Through such a tactic, contact centers can offer 24/7 customer service. For example, a call in the middle of the night in the US may pass through to a UK contact center. There, it is already the morning, and agents have started their shifts.
The Role of Call Routing Software in a Contact Center
Modern-day call routing software can enhance contact center performance in many ways. These include:
- Improving Service Experiences – It often ensures that agents have the necessary skills to address a customer ‘s issue, reducing call transfers and improving service experiences.
- Enhancing Agent Experience – It prevents agents from receiving calls that fail to align with their skill set.
- Cutting Costs – Routing calls to the most appropriate agent will likely lower handling times, which – in turn – will reduce the staffing requirement.
- Providing Useful Analytics Insights – Call routing software can connect with business intelligence dashboards and report generation tools to provide insights like peak period volumes.
- Generating More Value – It can drive cross-selling and up-selling by matching high-value customers with agents who can capitalize on the opportunity.
Itching to find out more about voicebots – the latest routing technology? If so, read our article: The Future of Voicebots: Much More Than an IVR Alternative
