Use Call Distribution to Help Customers Get Information Fast

There are times when a business needs to deal with high call volumes. What happens when you’re unprepared to tackle such a scenario? You get long hold times, reps who have difficulty managing calls, misrouted calls, and customers who aren’t getting the help they need—all of which can adversely affect your customer service levels.

One of the most important contact centre KPIs is customer satisfaction. It’s a component that helps determine whether you’re able to deliver unparalleled customer experiences or not. Being able to give customers the information or help they need promptly and correctly improves customer satisfaction.

With an automatic call distribution (ACD) system, you can help your customers get the information they need quickly, give your reps a better way to manage high call volumes, and offer more chances of resolving their issues on the first try.

What Is Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)?

An ACD answers and routes incoming calls to the right rep or department. It uses a set of algorithms and predefined criteria and usually works in tandem with other telephony systems, such as interactive voice response (IVR) and computer telephony integration (CTI) to route calls.

While ACD shares some similarities with IVR, they differ on some points. An ACD system connects callers to reps who are best suited to assist them, while IVR enables self-service for customers, and in some cases, minimizes the need for assistance.

The call distribution process begins with caller identification. Using an IVR, you’re able to gather important information about a customer, such as the reason for the call and what their needs are. Once they’ve keyed in a certain number that matches with their issue, the ACD can use the information, so the caller can be routed to the rep who is most qualified to assist them.

Next, the caller will be put into a queue or a waiting list, which sorts the caller into categories, which may include the type of issue or the caller status (Are they new customers? Are they VIPs?).

The last step is the actual call routing, which uses a predefined distribution method. Your preferred method will depend on what your enterprise’s goals are. If you want to resolve issues on the first try, then your ACD can route calls based on your reps’ skills.

How Call Distribution Benefits Your Business

With an ACD, you’re able to direct inbound calls to specialist reps who can best answer specific customer queries. Aside from that, here are more ways an ACD system can benefit your business:

· Seamless call routing

ACD uses an algorithm and predetermined rules to route calls to appropriate reps. It gathers caller information at the onset, minimizing the risk of the calls being routed to the wrong rep. This system is able to deliver immediate response, which can boost customer satisfaction. Furthermore, an ACD can help reduce your team’s manual workload, allowing them to work more efficiently even in high call volume scenarios.

· Enhanced rep productivity

The ACD’s intelligent routing connects callers with specialist reps. This means that your reps can take on issues that they are experts in, allowing them to respond quickly and more efficiently to your customers.

· Optimize operations

An ACD system can streamline your operations, especially when it’s integrated with other contact centre solutions. With an ACD system and the necessary integrations in place, you can monitor customer interactions, access updated customer information, easily transfer calls to other reps, and more.

· Better response times and rates

Long waiting times can frustrate and drive away customers. With automatic call distribution, calls are routed to available reps. Additionally, it can be programmed to identify your VIP customers and route their calls to specialist reps. If you’re facing high call volumes, ACD gives your customers the option to be called back. With shorter call waiting times, you’re able to communicate to your customers that you value their time.

· Integration with other systems

One of the great things about an ACD system is that it can be integrated with other features and systems, such as CRM systems, other automation solutions, or a help desk. This gives you more ways to offer better service to your customers.

Help Give Customers What They Need with On Call Centre

Whether you want to improve your management of high call volumes or you simply want to improve or maintain your customer service levels, an automatic call distribution system can greatly benefit your business.

Be better equipped to give your customers what they need with On Call Centre, a fully bilingual, always live call centre service based in Ottawa. Our professional customer service representatives know the ins and outs of your industry and have the expertise to answer your customers’ queries promptly and correctly. Get in touch with us for more information.

At On Call Centre , we deliver exceptional customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year—sometimes 366. On Call Centre has been providing tailored, fluently French/English bilingual answering services and call centre services to small business owners (professionals, trades) and customer support departments (government, high tech, property management, healthcare, emergency clients) serving Ottawa , Montreal and Toronto —and all over Canada —for almost 50 years.