A call centre is hard to work in if a lot of people call at the same time. Which caller do you put first? Suppose there are no more agents to talk to. Is that bad?
One way call centres can avoid problems like this is by having a good ACD system, like this one from ACD. What is ACD? What tools does it have to help you improve customer engagement? How can this help your business as a whole?
What does ACD stand for?
It stands for automatic call distribution, and it’s a word. It is a phone system that automatically takes in calls and sends them to the person who can answer them.
Its job is to help inbound call centres sort and manage a lot of calls so that they don’t overwhelm the people who work there. It also makes customers happier by ensuring they get in touch with a person who can help them quickly.
When someone calls, they first have to go through the IVR. So let’s take a look at the difference between IVR and ACD.
How do IVR and ACD work?
Interactive voice response (IVR) is a type of technology that lets people talk to an automated answering machine before they get help from an agent. They are often used to figure out what the user’s question is and, by extension, what kind of help they need.
People who use IVRs do this by telling them to press keys on their phones that match their problem. When an IVR asks you to “Press 1 if you want to buy something,” you might say, “OK.” It will then be up to the ACD to take your answer and get in touch with salespeople directly, rather than send you to a different department.
So, IVR is used to get customer information. In the next step, ACD uses that information to sort and distribute the calls. When these two tools are used together, they can make a big difference in customer satisfaction and worker morale in your call centre.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the distribution process to get a better sense of how the whole thing works.
Is there a way for a system to automatically distribute calls?
So, how does ACD help a call centre? From the inside, how does it work? What is the job of a system that distributes calls?
The job of an automatic call distribution system is to distribute calls in a pre-programmed way. ACD routing is the process of giving calls to the right person in the quickest way possible. This is how it works. The routing is based on a lot of different things, like the time of day, how many calls there are, where the phone number came from, how many skills are needed to answer the question and more.
Here’s a quick look at how ACD systems work in a call centre and how they work.
A distribution that is planned
In the call centre, they decide how the calls are given to the agents. If the agent has a lot of experience, they might be able to speak the language well.
Distribute in a round-robin way
Calls are given out evenly to everyone in the team in a logical way. First, the first agent takes a call. Then, the last agent takes a call. It makes sure that no one agent has too many calls.
Distribution of idle agents
The systems figure out which agent has been sitting around for a long time or hasn’t handled a lot of calls. This way, it makes sure that all of the agents’ working hours are used to the fullest.
The weighted distribution of calls is based on their weight.
Each member of the team will be given a certain weight. People who know how to answer calls or have a lot of experience could be given more weight. The calls will be sent to agents based on the weight each of their IDs has been given. It makes it easier to make the right calls to the right people.
Route calls in a smart way.
In a call centre, an automatic call distributor system helps with smart call routing by directing incoming calls based on pre-programmed rules in the phone system. Using ACIS, which stands for Automatic Customer/Caller Identification System, the ACD can route calls in a smart way.
Some examples of how ACD’s smart call routing works, like this one:
The IVR will be used for all calls after 10 PM.
All calls from +86 will be sent to Chinese-speaking agents and teams.
Whenever Freida calls from her own number, the automatic call distribution will pick up the call and connect her directly to the support team in her country, based on the rules you set. Also, depending on the time of the call, she will be connected to an IVR or a person who can help her with it.
Freida’s call can also be sent to the right place by an automatic call distributor using the software. This is because the routing automation can set up call flows for the calls. Routing automation is when you create your own routing rules based on data from your CRM or helpdesk, like how many calls you get. It allows you to give your customers a personalised experience when they call you.
ACD integrations are used for workforce optimization
ACD can be used with other features that can help with workforce management and customer service. The following are a few of the most popular and how they can help your call centre.
In the call centre, there are tools to help with overflow.
Call centre overflow happens when there aren’t enough agents to answer the calls that come into the centre, so the calls keep coming in. When you don’t answer customers or put them on hold for too long, they will get angry. So, you can choose to either send them to voicemail or set up an automatic call back to get back to them.
Voicemail
Customers can record a message for the agents. As soon as they know what’s wrong, agents can figure out how to fix it, call the customer back, or do both.
Some of the churches use these automated church texting services to let the attendees know that they have an invitation through voicemails.
Automatic call-back service
The customer can also set up an automatic callback request on their own if they want. As soon as the agent is available, they can try to get in touch with the customer again.
The CTI and CRM integrations are better.
This means that most modern ACD systems usually have “CTI,” which stands for computer telephony integration, built-in. This means that agents can see caller information on their computers with this. You can even go one step further and connect your system to other call centre software, like CRM.
CRM, or customer relationship manager, helps you keep track of things like customer call history, social media accounts, chat logs, and more. All of the information that your agent needs can be found in one place.
Keeping an eye on your phone calls
Quality management is important to keep your team operating at a high level. One way to do this is to keep track of calls. This lets a supervisor listen to your calls and help you if needed.
As a supervisor, you can also use these sessions to help your agents improve. You can see how the agent interacts with customers in real-time. They can then give the agent some advice on how to improve their work, which will help them.
