What is ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)?
Get the best contact center platform to route calls to the best-suited agents with automatic call distribution.
Get the best contact center platform to route calls to the best-suited agents with automatic call distribution.
Anyone who’s ever worked in a call center knows how difficult it is when customers call at the same time. Which caller do you prioritize first? What if there are no more agents available to talk?
One way call centers prevent problems like these is by having a good ACD system. So, let’s take a look at what ACD is, what tools it has to improve your customer engagement, and how it can benefit your business as a whole.
ACD is short for automatic call distribution. It is a telephony system that automatically receives incoming calls and distributes them to an available agent.
Its purpose is to help inbound contact centers sort and manage large volumes of calls to avoid overwhelming the team. It also improves customer experiences by making sure they are connected to a capable agent in the quickest time possible.
But before the caller is queued and routed, they first have to go through the IVR. IVR and ACD are often confused with each other, so let’s take the time to differentiate the two terms.
Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that lets users interact with an automated answering machine before they are sent to an agent. They are commonly used to determine what the user’s query is and, by extension, the kind of assistance they need.
IVRs do this by asking the user to press keys on their phone that corresponds to their issue. For example, an IVR might ask you to “Press 1 if you want to purchase a product.” The ACD will then take your response and directly contact sales agents rather than send you to unrelated departments.
So IVR is used to collect customer data. ACD then uses that data to sort and distribute the calls. When used together, these two tools can really improve customer satisfaction and workforce engagement in your call center.
Now let’s take a more in-depth look at the distribution process to get a better understanding of how the entire system all works.
The call distribution process can be summed up in three steps:
As mentioned above, the first step is asking the caller’s purpose through an IVR. Caller ID systems can also be used to determine factors like language and location. This will allow the ACD to distribute the caller to an agent that’s best equipped to handle their concern.
The next step is to sort the callers into a waiting list. The distribution system determines the order of the queue based on a number of factors such as:
VIPs are usually prioritized over others, but the system can also be programmed to sort callers based on the other factors mentioned above.
The last step is call routing. The ACD will route the calls based on your preferred type of distribution method.
Want to minimize customer waiting time? The ACD can distribute the incoming call to whoever’s immediately available. Want your customer to be handled by the best agent? You can set the system to distribute based on an agent’s skills.
There are many types of distribution methods for you to choose from. To help you determine which one is the best for your business, let’s look at the most commonly-used methods in call centers.
Each type of distribution method has its pros and cons. Some prioritize speed while others boost agent productivity. If you’re having those issues in your business, choose a routing strategy that can help fix it.
ACD can be integrated with other features that can improve workforce management and customer satisfaction. Here are some of the most popular and how they can benefit your call center.
Call center overflow happens when there are not enough agents to handle the inbound calls. Not giving customers a reply or putting them on hold for too long will make them frustrated. So, you can choose to either send them to voicemail or automatic call back.
Allows customers to leave a recorded message for the agents. Agents can then assess the issue and try to resolve it, or call the customer back.
The customer can also make an automatic call back request themselves. Once the agent is available, they can try contacting the customer again.
Most modern ACD systems usually come with CTI, or computer telephony integration. This allows agents to view caller information on their computers. You can take it a step further and integrate your system with other call center software solutions like CRM.
CRM, or customer relationship manager, helps you organize customer information including their call history, social media accounts, chat logs, and more. All the data that your agent needs can be found in one centralized place.
Quality management is important to maintain the high standards of your team. One way to do this is by call monitoring. This allows a supervisor to listen in your calls, providing support where necessary.
These sessions can also be used for coaching as it grants the supervisor a real-time view on how the agent deals with customers. They can then give the agent advice on how to improve their performance.
Now that we know all about ACD, how can it benefit your call center?
These are just some of the benefits that an automatic call distributor can give your business. But if you truly want a more seamless and efficient customer engagement experience then upgrading to a contact center is worth thinking about.
Unlike call centers, contact centers allow you to engage with customers across different platforms like email, social media, and chat. With it, you’ll be able to reach more customers and provide service across all available contact channels.For easier comparison, here’s a table showing the advantages and disadvantages of both types:
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