In today’s fast-paced business world, efficient communication is crucial. Customers expect quick answers and smooth interactions. This is where call routing comes in; it ensures every call gets to the right person at the right time.
What is Call Routing?
Call routing, sometimes called Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), is an essential business phone system feature for any Business with more than one department handling incoming calls. It automatically directs inbound calls to the right person or department.
It uses routing rules to decide where each call should go within your contact center. This creates a more streamlined and efficient system for handling calls and removes the need for manual transfers by a human operator.
How Call Routing Works
A call routing system analyses various factors to choose the best path for each call. This system can improve first call resolution rates and minimize agent idle time.
It considers caller input trough IVR (like pressing a key or speaking a command), time of day, the caller's language, and agent availability. Systems like the Luware Attendant Console can include extra details, such as customer history.
Real-time data analysis helps create personalized call routing experiences. A VIP customer could be routed to a dedicated agent, ensuring they receive prioritized service. These routing systems enhance the overall customer support experience.
Top 3 Benefits of Call Routing With A Routing Software
Benefit 1: Improved Customer Experience
Long hold times frustrate customers. According to a CCW market study, almost 48% say it’s their biggest pain point when calling customer service. Call routing reduces these waiting times and gets customers to the right person faster.
Source: 2024 JUNE CCW MARKET STUDY | CX Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities
Customers appreciate not being transferred repeatedly or having to repeat themselves (one-third of customers dislike repetition). Using business phone systems with integrated call routing offers businesses several management features to route calls efficiently. This creates a better customer experience, which helps build strong customer relationships.
By implementing a comprehensive telephony software like Luware Nimbus and our attendant console with flexible routing capabilities, organizations can effectively tackle the top 5 pain points highlighted in the CCW study.
Benefit 2: Increased Efficiency
Call routing is a key asset for any contact center solution. It ensures calls are distributed evenly among staff, minimizing idle time and improving resolution rates. Routing inbound calls efficiently from the start saves businesses money.
These routing systems can also incorporate various routing work processes and offer specific functionalities, like fixed order routing, and setting up ring groups.
They make call routing easy for businesses of all sizes and empower customer service teams to manage inbound calls based on business hours. These systems are powerful contact center solutions that can greatly enhance a resource center or contact center's operating efficiency.
Frustrated receptionists lead to frustrated customers! An inefficient call management process hurts first-call resolution and satisfaction—let's change that!
Benefit 3: Boosting First Call Resolution
Connecting callers to the most suitable agent instantly improves first call resolution (FCR). Resolving the issue on the first contact boosts customer satisfaction (up by 1% for every 1% FCR improvement, as research from the SQM Group showed*).
Quick resolutions improve agent morale too (sometimes by as much as 5%). An efficient routing service enhances both customer and staff satisfaction. Businesses can set up different routing rules, using IVR menus and the skills-based routing approach. This connects callers with the right contact center agent based on caller input via voice response and the agent's skill set. Call routing allows businesses to offer seamless customer interactions that drive customer satisfaction. For instance, routing rules can forward callers from the West Coast to contact sales teams during business calls in their respective time zone.
Call routing works to improve productivity. Call routing and contact center software solutions, paired with automated callback options, can enhance financial services, product knowledge and customer relationships for small businesses. Inbound calls are dealt with minimal waiting time by using the time-based routing functionality to get the calls based on each center agent's availability. The routing process, along with an agent solution to minimize agent number dialing, are all included as part of the contact center operating expenses. The system will often identify a caller via phone number or caller’s IVR menu choice, and then analyze the caller's intent with customer data to determine which center agent's skill set best fits.
Call Routing Methods
There’s no one-size-fits-all call routing strategy. The optimal approach depends on the specific needs and complexity of your business. Here are some common methods businesses use:
| Routing Strategies | Description |
| Fixed Order | Calls go to agents in a set order. |
| Skills-Based Routing | Also called intelligent routing, calls are routed based on an agent's skill set (e.g., tech support or sales). |
| Round Robin | Calls are distributed evenly among available agents. |
| Time-Based Routing | Calls are routed by the time of day and agent availability across different time zones |
Call Routing for Microsoft Teams with Luware Nimbus
The foundation of our telephony solution, Luware Nimbus, is our robust call routing software. This essential tool provides a solid base for efficient call management, automatically directing incoming calls to the appropriate destination.
To cater to businesses of all sizes and complexities, we offer three tiers of call routing, each designed to meet specific needs. For organizations seeking an even higher level of customization and personalized service, we offer the option to combine our call routing software with our attendant console.
This powerful combination empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences by adding a human touch to the call routing process. With an attendant console, operators can manually route calls, handle complex inquiries, and provide real-time assistance, increasing flexibility and responsiveness.
Conclusion
Call routing is a cornerstone of efficient communication in today's fast-paced business environment. By strategically directing incoming calls to the right people or departments, businesses can streamline operations, improve customer satisfaction, and boost productivity.
Tools like the Luware Attendant Console can further enhance call routing capabilities, allowing operators to manually route calls, handle complex inquiries, and provide real-time assistance. This human touch can significantly improve customer satisfaction and overall call handling efficiency.
By optimizing call routing strategies and leveraging advanced features like skill-based routing, time-based routing, and priority-based routing, businesses can ensure that callers are connected to the most appropriate agent or department, reducing wait times and improving first-call resolution rates.
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