Call Routing Mastering: A Guide to Efficient Call Routing with AI Technologies
Learn how AI and personalized customer service are revolutionizing call center operations. From cloud call routing to dynamic call routing, this guide will answer the most frequently asked questions. It’ll help you master the intricacies of routing strategies and stay ahead in today’s competitive business landscape.
Call Routing – What is it?
What is Call Routing? Call routing is the process of directing incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or department based on predefined criteria, improving customer service efficiency.
Initially, it was a manual process handled by telephone operators who would physically connect calls to the appropriate lines. In contemporary settings, routing calls holds a pivotal role in call centers: They act as the backbone of seamless and efficient phone routing systems in business environments. This ensures that incoming calls are directed to the most fitting agent or department, preventing miscommunication and promoting the quick resolution of queries or issues. This process is vital in handling call traffic efficiently, guaranteeing that callers receive prompt attention from the most suitable person.
With the integration of AI technologies and cloud-based systems, routing calls processes has transformed into a sophisticated system. It’s capable of analyzing a vast array of data to facilitate intelligent routing decisions, enhance customer service and operational efficiency manifold. It stands as a testimony to the remarkable advancements in the telecommunications sector, adapting and growing to meet the dynamic needs of businesses globally.
How Does Call Routing Work?
To master live routing, it is essential to understand how a telephone routing system works. Effective routing of calls significantly enhances customer satisfaction. It does so by reducing wait times and connecting customers to the most capable agent to handle their specific needs. This involves a deep analysis of data to provide businesses with valuable insights for improving the process of routing calls.
Real Customers. Real Results.
To illustrate the efficacy of routing calls, let’s delve into some real-world case studies:
- Telefónica: In a bid to enhance their customer service, Telefónica implemented an AI-powered IVR call routing system. This system was capable of understanding natural language, thereby facilitating more intuitive and efficient call routing. The result was a significant reduction in call handling time and an improvement in customer satisfaction. Read how Telefónica is benefiting from call routing.
- CSG: CSG leveraged conversational IVR to transform their customer service experience. The dynamic call routing system they implemented could intelligently route calls based on the customer’s needs, identified through natural language processing. This not only reduced the burden on their agents but also led to a more personalized customer service experience. Learn more about how CSG benefits from call routing.
- Global Healthcare Tech Company: this company utilized a cloud call routing system to handle the surge in call volumes during the pandemic efficiently. The system was designed to quickly and accurately route calls to available agents with the necessary expertise. This ensured that critical healthcare information reached the callers promptly. Discover the ROI of call routing in healthcare here.
These case studies underscore the transformative potential of effective routing strategies in enhancing customer service and optimizing business operations. They highlight the role of modern technologies, such as AI and cloud computing, in revolutionizing the process of routing calls. In addition, these offer insights into how businesses can leverage these advancements to stay ahead in the competitive landscape.
What are the Types of Call Routing?
Understanding the different types of routing is crucial in optimizing contact center operations. In this section, we delve deeper into various types of call routing, each with its unique benefits and uses. Let’s explore them in detail:
Direct Routing
Direct routing, often utilized in small business call routing, involves directing calls straight to a specific agent or department based on predetermined criteria such as the caller’s phone number or the selections made in an IVR system. This type of routing is straightforward and is generally used for routing calls to fixed destinations.
Least Cost Routing
Least cost routing is a method where the call is routed through the most cost-effective path. This strategy is often used by telecommunication providers to reduce the costs associated with connecting calls. Especially in a telephone routing system. It considers various factors such as the time of day, the distance of the call, and the carrier’s charges to determine the most economical route for the call.
Round-Robin Routing
In round-robin routing, calls are distributed evenly among agents in a cycle. This ensures that all agents receive a roughly equal number of calls over time. This type of routing is commonly used in contact center routing systems to foster fairness and efficiency in call distribution. It helps in preventing agent burnout by avoiding overloading a single agent with too many calls.
Skill-Based Routing
Skill-based routing is a strategy where calls are directed to agents based on their specific skills and expertise. For instance, a call routing service might route technical queries to agents with a background in IT, while routing billing inquiries to agents specialized in finance. This ensures that callers are connected to the most competent agent to handle their specific issues. Consequently, it enhances customer satisfaction and improving first-call resolution rates.
AI Call Routing
AI call routing leverages artificial intelligence to analyze a plethora of data, including the caller’s history and preferences, to route the call to the most suitable agent. This dynamic call routing strategy is becoming increasingly popular, as it facilitates a more personalized and efficient customer service experience.
Continue reading about Intelligent Call Routing in our guide.
Modern AI technologies can significantly enhance call routing strategies, reducing misroutes and improving customer satisfaction as seen at:
- Swisscom: Swisscom was able to enhance customer satisfaction significantly, noting a 21% increase in correct transfers and an 18-point rise in their Net Promoter Score. Swisscom handles 9 million calls per year in four languages more effectively.
- One of the worlds’ largest software companies projected a $39M ROI from their IVR transformation project that involved replacing their IVA with a welcoming experience. They noted a 30% reduction in misrouted calls and a 2-minute reduction in average handling time.
Cloud Call Routing
Cloud call routing involves directing calls through a cloud-based system, offering flexibility and scalability. This type of routing is ideal for businesses looking to expand as it allows for easy addition of new agents and lines without the need for substantial infrastructure investments.
By understanding these different types of routing, businesses can make informed decisions on the best routing strategies to implement, optimizing their call center operations and enhancing customer satisfaction. It is essential to choose a routing strategy that aligns with your business needs and objectives to ensure optimal results.
Key Features of Call Routing Software
Understanding the different options to tackle the routing of calls is crucial in optimizing call center operations. In this section, we explore various types of call routing, including direct routing, least cost routing, and round-robin, each boasting its unique benefits and uses.
Routing software comes packed with features designed to optimize call center operations. These can include:
- Intelligent AI Call Routing: using AI and machine learning, the software can analyze a variety of factors – such as agent skills, caller history, and current call volume – to route calls to the most suitable agent. For example, Teneo’s Conversational IVR solution uses TLML’s advanced language understanding capabilities to extract relevant details from a transcript before a call is connected to an agent.
- Multi-Level IVR Routing: a multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system allows callers to self-direct their calls based on their needs, further improving efficiency.
- Real-Time Reporting and Analytics: this feature allows managers to monitor and analyze call center routing system performance in real-time, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and adjustments.
Call Routing vs Call Forwarding
In the world of telecommunications, call forwarding is often confused with business call routing. While both are essential in directing calls, they serve different purposes. While both call routing and call forwarding deal with directing calls, they serve different purposes. Call routing is more about intelligently and dynamically connecting callers to the most appropriate destination based on various criteria, often used in business settings to optimize customer service. In contrast, call forwarding is a simpler feature that redirects calls from one number to another, ensuring that calls are received even if the primary recipient is unavailable.
Comparing Popular Call Routing Services
Choosing the right call routing service is vital in improving customer service efficiency. In this section, we compare popular services like Genesys Cloud CX, Amazon Connect, NICE CXOne, and Teneo Conversational IVR, evaluating their features, ease of use, compatibility with existing systems, and pricing to help you make an informed decision.
The call routing software market is dynamic, with new and improved offerings regularly introduced. As of 2024, many Call Center platforms offer their own solutions to the problem. These include:
Genesys Cloud CX
Genesys is a mature player in the call center world with extensive operational and channel presence in multiple regions. Their service stands out for its strong tools and processes to migrate customers from competitors or its own offerings and includes advanced features such as native WFM, SIP compatibility and mature, skills-based routing. It’s an excellent choice for businesses with a worldwide footprint looking for contact center consolidation.
Amazon Connect
Amazon Connect is a specialized CCaaS offering drawing on the robust infrastructure and software capabilities of AWS. It has a low barrier to entry, consumption pricing that scales well and fantastic scaling. With its robust AI capabilities, Amazon Connect offers speech transcription and analytics as well as real-time caller identification, making it a top contender for businesses aiming for personalized customer service.
NICE CXOne
Nice is a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and arguably has the best and most feature rich WFM suite. It includes persona pre-built solutions per industry, native omni-channel solutions and comes with SIP and PBX options. NICE’s Enlighten AI capability can draw on a vast amount of customer intent and action data to build and refine customer journeys.
Teneo Conversational IVR
Teneo Conversational IVR provides a comprehensive solution that integrates seamlessly with any Contact center platform, providing intelligent routing for calls, real-time analytics and automatic customer feedback capture and analysis. It is ideal for businesses looking for a robust service.
In conclusion, the choice of a call routing service should depend on the specific needs and objectives of your business. By choosing the right service, you can significantly improve your customer service efficiency and, in turn, your business success. Including features like Agent Connect, Call Insight, and Feedback Insight, as offered by Teneo Conversational IVR, can further enhance your customer service operations.
Learn more about connecting call routing platforms, here.
Want to know more about AI call routing? Contact us today!
Optimizing Customer Service with Routing Services
In a competitive business landscape where customer service sets businesses apart, fine-tuning call routing strategies is crucial. Here, we discuss the role and benefits of contact center skill-based routing in managing and distributing incoming calls effectively, enhancing efficiency, and boosting customer satisfaction.
Call routing services bring numerous benefits to a business’s operations. By distributing calls based on predefined rules such as agent availability, skill set, or the nature of the inquiry, they ensure that each call is handled in the most efficient manner.
This not only reduces wait times but also increases the likelihood of first-time resolution, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Read how Telefónica, Swisscom and CSGi handles call routing.
Discover the power of modern call routing with a demo!
Improving Customer Service with Teneo Conversational IVR
Utilizing skill-based routing in contact centers brings numerous benefits to businesses. It can significantly reduce wait times, boost first-call resolution rates, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. By using Teneo Conversational IVR, businesses can reduce misrouting callers to the wrong agent by 90% improving efficiency and enhancing the customer experience.
With Teneo Conversational IVR, callers are connected to the right agent every time, reducing average handling times and improving agent and customer engagement. Further, its robust analytics provide valuable insights into call center operations, enabling continuous refinement of strategies.
The Future of Call Routing Technology
With the rise of AI and personalized customer service, AI call routing is becoming essential. Businesses that leverage up-to-date routing systems are staying ahead, ready to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Trends in routing:
The Future of Contact Centers: Trends and Predictions
- Call Routing Systems Find the “Perfect Match”: intelligent routing of calls is gaining popularity. A complex “matchmaking” process occurs every time a customer calls to quickly match them with the right expert. This can be achieved through skills-based routing or case-owner routing. The goal is to optimize the experience through shorter wait times for customers and an increased likelihood of first contact resolution.
- AI Blends Human and Virtual Resources: AI in contact centers is already addressing common concerns that don’t require human interaction. The future will see the rise of conversational AI that can understand customer needs and route the call to the best available agent, ensuring efficient and personalized service.
- Generative AI and LLM in Customer Service: LLMs, such as ChatGPT and Bard, are artificial intelligence (AI) models trained on vast amounts of data to understand, generate and transform human language. When integrated with IVR systems, large language models have the potential to significantly improve both customer experience and operational efficiency, making LLMs a promising prospect for the future of customer service operations. Explore more about LLMs for Call Centers here.
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Conclusion
As we recap the pivotal role of routing systems in modern business landscapes and how solutions like Teneo are helping businesses stay ahead in the game. Ready to transform your contact center into a more dynamic, manageable, and adaptable operation? Watch this!
FAQs
What is the difference between routing and forwarding?
Call routing directs incoming calls to the most suitable agent or department based on specific criteria like skills, availability, or customer history, optimizing both customer experience and operational efficiency. In contrast, call forwarding simply redirects calls from one phone number to another without any intelligent distribution or matching. Modern call routing systems use sophisticated algorithms to ensure callers reach the right person the first time, reducing transfers and improving resolution rates.
How does AI enhance call routing?
AI-powered call routing analyzes multiple data points in real-time, including caller history, conversation context, and agent performance metrics, to connect callers with the best-suited agent. This intelligent matching reduces average wait times by up to 40% and personalizes the service experience. Advanced AI routing systems can predict caller intent before the conversation begins, proactively prepare agents with relevant information, and continuously learn from successful interactions to improve future routing decisions. Teneo’s AI routing technology has demonstrated a 30% reduction in misrouted calls and a 2-minute reduction in average handling time.
What are the main types of routing?
Modern call centers utilize several routing methodologies, each optimized for different business needs:
Direct routing: Connects callers to specific departments or agents based on IVR selections
Skill-based routing: Matches callers with agents possessing the specific expertise needed
Round-robin routing: Distributes calls evenly among available agents to balance workload
Least-cost routing: Optimizes call paths to minimize telecommunications expenses
Cloud-based routing: Provides scalable, flexible routing through cloud infrastructure
Omnichannel routing: Unifies routing across voice, chat, email, and social channels
Predictive behavioral routing: Uses AI to match customers with agents based on communication style and personality factors
The most effective contact centers often implement hybrid approaches, combining multiple routing types to optimize both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
How does skill-based routing work?
Skill-based call routing directs incoming calls to agents based on their specific expertise, proficiency levels, and availability. The system first identifies the caller’s needs through IVR inputs, speech analytics, or historical data, then matches these requirements with agents who possess the appropriate skills. For example, a technical support call about a specific product would be routed to an agent with expertise in that product, while a billing inquiry would be directed to someone with financial knowledge. This targeted approach increases first-call resolution rates by up to 25% and improves customer satisfaction by ensuring callers connect with the most qualified person to handle their specific inquiry.
What ROI can businesses expect from implementing advanced call routing?
Organizations implementing modern call routing systems typically see ROI in three key areas:
Operational efficiency: 20-30% reduction in average handling time, 15-25% decrease in call transfers, and up to 40% improvement in first-call resolution rates
Cost savings: 15-20% reduction in overall contact center costs through optimized agent utilization and reduced telecommunications expenses
Revenue generation: 10-15% increase in upsell/cross-sell success rates through better customer-agent matching
Most enterprises achieve full ROI within 3 months of implementation, with Teneo clients reporting ROI exceeding 200% within the first year. For example, a global healthcare technology company projected a $39M ROI from their IVR transformation project and realized a $120M in savings.
How can call routing improve customer satisfaction scores?
Effective call routing directly impacts customer satisfaction by:
Reducing wait times by connecting customers to available agents faster
Minimizing transfers by matching customers with the right agent first time
Personalizing interactions through customer history-aware routing
Ensuring consistent service quality through skills-based matching
Enabling proactive service through predictive routing
Organizations implementing advanced call routing typically see CSAT improvements of 15-20 points and NPS increases of 10-15 points. Swisscom, for example, noted a 21% increase in correct transfers and an 18-point rise in their Net Promoter Score after implementing intelligent routing.
What features should businesses look for in call routing software?
When evaluating call routing solutions, organizations should prioritize these key capabilities:
AI-powered routing algorithms that continuously learn and improve
Omnichannel support for consistent routing across all communication channels
Real-time analytics for monitoring and optimizing routing performance
Skills management tools for maintaining accurate agent capability profiles
Integration capabilities with CRM and other enterprise systems
Scalability to handle growing call volumes and business expansion
Customizable routing rules to align with specific business objectives
Self-service options that integrate seamlessly with agent routing
The most effective solutions, like Teneo Conversational IVR, combine these features with intuitive management interfaces that allow business users to adjust routing strategies without requiring technical expertise.
How does call routing integrate with existing contact center infrastructure?
Modern call routing solutions are designed to integrate with existing contact center systems through:
API-based connectivity to CRM, ERP, and knowledge management systems
Pre-built integrations with popular contact center platforms
Cloud deployment options that minimize on-premise hardware requirements
Hybrid architectures that can leverage existing telephony infrastructure
Implementation typically takes 3-5 months depending on complexity, with Teneo solutions capable of going live within 5 months of contract signing. The integration process should include a thorough analysis of current call flows, agent skills mapping, and business rule definition to ensure the routing solution aligns with organizational objectives.
How is call routing evolving with new technologies?
The future of call routing is being shaped by several emerging technologies:
Conversational AI that understands natural language for more accurate intent detection
Sentiment analysis that routes based on customer emotion and conversation context
Predictive analytics that anticipate customer needs before they call
Voice biometrics for secure authentication that influences routing decisions
Agent-assist technologies that complement routing by supporting agents during calls
These advancements are moving call routing beyond simple distribution to become a strategic tool for enhancing customer experience and driving business outcomes. Organizations that adopt these technologies early gain significant competitive advantages in customer service excellence.
How can businesses measure the effectiveness of their call routing strategy?
Key metrics for evaluating call routing effectiveness include:
First contact resolution rate: Percentage of issues resolved without transfers or callbacks
Average speed of answer: Time customers wait before connecting with an agent
Transfer rate: Percentage of calls requiring transfer to another agent
Customer satisfaction scores: Post-call surveys measuring customer experience
Agent utilization: Balanced workload distribution across the agent pool
Cost per interaction: Total operational cost divided by number of interactions
Revenue per call: For sales-oriented contact centers
Effective measurement requires establishing baseline metrics before implementing new routing strategies, then tracking improvements over time. Leading organizations review these metrics weekly and adjust routing rules quarterly to optimize performance.