What is ACD or Automatic Call Distribution? | Smart ACD Routing

The ACD is the term for Automatic Call Distribution, whether incoming or outgoing calls from different incoming lines into agents. This feature is one of the strengths of ZIWO Contact Center Solution functionalities. The ACD mechanism, along with its many features, enables you to create a powerful and effective call center.

 

The goal of ACD is to assist contact centers in sorting and managing heavy call volumes without overburdening the staff. As a result, by ensuring that customers are connected to a knowledgeable representative as soon as possible, also enhances customer experiences. However, the caller must first pass through the IVR before being placed in a queue and being routed.

 

How Does ACD Work?

 

ACD is a system that distributes incoming and outgoing calls according to predefined rules. In the simplest case, the availability of the operator is monitored, and the assignment of the current call waiting in the queue for the least loaded specialist. As a result, there is a uniform distribution of the load on operators, and a reduction in waiting time on the line for subscribers.

 

What are the types of Automatic Call Distribution and The Strategies Behind Them?

 

If we consider the operation of the system in real conditions, where distribution is almost never carried out in one queue for freed operators, then we can distinguish the following options for using ACD:

Longest Idle Agent
Rings the agent who has been idle the longest taking into account the tier level

Round Robin
Rings the agent in position but remembers the last tried agent

Top Down
Rings the agent in order position starting from one for every member

Top Down Level By Level
Rings the agent in random order at each tier level starting from one.

Agent With Least Talk Time
Rings the agent with the least talk time.

Agent with Fewest Calls
Rings agent with the fewest number of calls.

Sequentially By Agent
Rings agents sequentially by tier and order.

Random
Rings agents in random order.

Ring all (For Testing Only)
Rings all agents simultaneously.

 

Benefits of Using Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)

Routing All Incoming Calls
The ability to route all incoming calls among call center agents based on skills and expertise, regardless of the client’s preferred channel.

Improved Agent Productivity
Using ACD functionality significantly increases the performance of call center agents and their productivity level.

Efficient Workload Distribution Within Agents
The ACD system allows for effectively distributing the workload for operators, taking into account their level of competence.

Increased Customer Satisfaction
Automatic Call Distribution helps increase conversions, customer satisfaction, and overall efficiency within call centers.

 

Capabilities of ZIWO’s Automatic Call Distribution

Efficient Call Routing Strategy
It also allows you to distribute the reception of calls between agents who serve incoming lines and outgoing telemarketing, thereby increasing the efficiency of the Call Center.

Automatic Call Distribution Mechanism
Manages all outgoing and incoming calls, queues, agents groups, and individual agents, redirecting the incoming call to the available agent.

Call Delegation
If the maximum value of incoming calls is reached, at which the call center agent does not have time to serve customers, the Automatic Call Distribution makes it possible to transfer part of the calls to another contact center, which will process the excess number of calls until the load returns to normal.

Priority in the Algorithm
The algorithm of automatic reception and distribution of incoming calls directs the call first to the agent most competent in the client’s issue, and if all agents in the corresponding group are busy, transfers the call to a free agent from the group with the next priority in this algorithm for processing incoming calls.

Client Identification At Early Stage
For more efficient work on customer service, the Automatic Call Distribution system in ZIWO identifies the client even at the stage of his presence on the IVR and routes him to the queue that is servicing his particular subject.

Better Workforce Management
For more efficient management of the work of agents, it is also possible to select automatic or manual control of the Working Time parameter (the time allocated to the agent after the end of the call to process the information on the call), as well as the Ready – Not Ready statuses for the agent who did not answer the call.

 

DISTRIBUTION METHODS FOR INCOMING CALLS:

 

ONE INCOMING LINE AND ONE PROJECT

Reception and distribution of incoming calls to multiple queues or individual agents, depending on their competence.

 

ONE INCOMING LINE AND SEVERAL PROJECTS:

Automatic distribution of incoming calls (automatic call distribution) by project groups without the possibility of connecting agents from a neighboring group;

– with the ability to connect agents from the neighboring queue without taking into account the priority of the queue, taking into account the priority of the queue, with or without taking into account the competence of agents.

 

SEVERAL INCOMING LINES AND SEVERAL PROJECTS:

Distribution of the load among all available agents, taking into account all the options described in the previous paragraph. ACD in ZIWO supports the efficient mixing of agents from different queues to serve different incoming calls from multiple incoming lines and different queues. Reception and distribution of calls when processing incoming calls allow you to achieve a superior customer experience.

 

Conclusion

 

The presence of an automatic call distribution system (Automatic Call Distribution or ACD) is another fundamental advantage of the Call Center. Thanks to the ACD, it is possible to make sure that calls to different numbers are answered by agents who have been trained on various topics. For example, you can use one number to receive calls for advertising and sales, and the second – to support existing customers for customer service. At the same time, the queue for receiving calls for advertising and sales consists of agents who have the ability to convince, overcome objections and sell a product or service, and to work with existing customers – agents who understand the product in detail, who can explain by phone how to use the product, who are able to give advice on repair and familiar with the terms of warranty service. Since each of these two tasks will be better handled by people of different temperaments and backgrounds in different fields.

 

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