Intelligent call routing: How it works and best practices

Most customers are all too familiar with the frustration of calling traditional service lines. It’s a seemingly endless maze of robotic prompts, hold music, and uninformed agents that make customers repeat the same information. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Intelligent call routing bypasses the blind turns of the phone maze so interactions with agents are fast, effective, and painless. Find out how ICR can help you ditch the one-size-fits-all approach to communication and how you can turn your business into an icon of customer satisfaction.

More in this guide:

• How intelligent call routing works
• Benefits of intelligent call routing
• Intelligent contact routing best practices
• Frequently asked questions
• Find the right intelligent routing provider

How intelligent call routing works

Intelligent call routing takes a three-pronged approach to efficiently manage incoming calls within call center software:

1. Data gathering: The ICR system gathers caller data when a call comes in. This can include caller ID, location, time of day, the reason for calling, and past interactions with the company.
2. Analysis and matching: The ICR system then analyzes this data against predefined routing rules and agent skill sets. These rules consider factors like the caller’s needs and the agent’s expertise, workload, and even language proficiency. The system then determines the appropriate agent to handle the call.
3. Routing and connection: Finally, the ICR system routes the call to the chosen agent directly or through a call queue if the agent is unavailable.

ICR can be integrated with other call center technologies, such as interactive voice response (IVR) software and automatic call distribution (ACD), to further improve efficiency.

Benefits of intelligent call routing

Businesses that adopt intelligent routing to field inbound calls can experience three primary performance benefits.

Improves first contact resolution

Intelligent call routing revolutionizes first contact resolution by ditching the one-size-fits-all approach. The solution gathers data about callers and their needs, then uses smart algorithms to match them with the right agent on the first try. This eliminates tedious transfers, ensures expertise from the get-go, and expedites issue resolution, leaving you with happier customers and fewer callbacks.

For example, Wyze Labs received upwards of 300 phone calls per day, and its traditional call system was impeding support operations, resulting in missed calls and unhappy customers. After switching to an intelligent routing system with Zendesk—one that leverages the help of AI in the call center—the smart home technology provider’s first call resolution improved by 98 percent.

Increases agent efficiency

ICR increases agent efficiency by ensuring agents receive calls that align with their skills and expertise instead of navigating a whirlwind of diverse issues. ICR analyzes agents’ skills and the call’s complexity before expertly matching the right problem-solver to each query. This targeted approach improves agent productivity as they can apply their specialized knowledge to relevant issues.

Reduces first reply times

ICR slashes first reply times by transforming the queue from a frustrating bottleneck into a well-oiled machine. By using data-driven insights, intelligent call routing prioritizes calls based on urgency, complexity, and even customer sentiment, allowing high-value customers and urgent issues to bypass long wait times. Intelligent prioritization ensures the right calls reach agents faster, minimizing hold times and reducing overall queue length.

Switching to intelligent routing allowed Netwealth, for instance, to track response times within its call center and identify pain points in its routing strategy. This visibility allowed the wealth management company to adjust and reduce their first reply time to 40-60 seconds.

Intelligent contact routing best practices

If you stick to your old ways after switching to intelligent contact routing, it’s unlikely that you’ll receive all the benefits of its advanced functionality. Incorporate these best practices into your operations to unlock ICR’s full potential.

Integrate systems and harness data

Data is the core component that allows ICR to work its magic. Integrating ICR with your other systems lets you see a full picture of your customers, agents, and broader operations. Agents can enter conversations better prepared to handle inquiries, and the system can share real-time data to make call center workforce management easier.

Segment your customer base

Use customer segmentation to identify and prioritize high-value customers within the ICR system. If your company doesn’t have designated VIPs, you can evaluate factors like purchase history and frequency of transactions to identify which customer relationships take precedence.

Evaluate your agents’ strengths

The “intelligence” of your ICR system will be limited if you treat every agent as an interchangeable part of the machine. Instead, look at them as individuals and assess their hard and soft call center skills to identify which calls they’re best suited to handle. Analyze call handling time, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores to identify agents’ strengths and weaknesses.

Establish call handling processes

You can contribute to the efficiency of your IVR system by creating comprehensive call handling processes. First, define clear escalation procedures to handle complex or high-priority issues, including points of contact that will handle specific requests. Visualizing this structure in a phone tree can help you identify support gaps or pain points where additional employee support is required.

Additionally, direct your employees on how to manage their time to maximize availability. If agents update customer profiles in real time, for example, they’ll be ready to take the next call immediately. Or if they need time between calls to handle administrative tasks, agents should update their status in the system so ICR can route calls to free agents.

Measure KPIs

Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with intelligent call routing systems is essential for tracking progress and improving customer service operations. Key call center metrics to monitor include:

• First contact resolution
• Call wait time
• Call abandonment
• IVR transitions

By regularly evaluating these customer experience KPIs, you can identify opportunities to fine-tune routing algorithms, optimize agent skill matching, and enhance overall system performance. This iterative approach ensures that ICR systems evolve with changing business needs and customer expectations, ultimately leading to improved operational efficiency and a more positive customer experience (CX).

Frequently asked questions

Find the right intelligent routing provider

An intelligent routing system is more than just a map that customers use to navigate a phone maze. It’s more akin to a chainsaw that cuts through walls so they can get from point A to point B effortlessly. But for that to work, your software provider must deliver the right tools for success.

Features like data analysis, rule customization, and seamless integration are just a few factors you should consider. Partnering with Zendesk unlocks a bounty of resources that optimize operations and support continued growth. With the help of AI, self-service features, and cutting-edge workforce management tools, you can turn your call center into the envy of your competitors.