Call Routing: Handling Incoming Calls With Ease

Have you ever wondered about how your calls arrive at the correct agent working in a contact center? There’s a lot more than simply directing inbound calls through the phone system .



In this piece, we’ll dive into how call routing systems work, why it’s used, and the various ways to distribute calls to team members.



What Is Call Routing?



Call routing is a phone system feature that connects callers to an intended recipient or department based on predefined criteria. In the case of a call center, live agents are assigned specific queues to handle inbound calls. In most cases, automatic call distribution happens based on what callers provide the interactive voice response system (IVR).



Call routing functionality doesn’t only apply to high-volume scenarios like call centers. Companies of all sizes optimize their incoming business calls so customers can reach the right team or person whenever they call.









Historically, a complex call routing system had to be programmed into a phone system by developers and IT experts.



Now, anyone can use call routing software to visually design inbound call flows to direct them in real-time to team members’ phones or voicemails. No coding is necessary; just drag and drop, as shown below in Nextiva.



An automatic call distributor handles the entire call routing process, from answering phone calls, qualifying them, and then distributing them to a live agent. Some companies also direct calls to an outside answering service to maintain  24/7 coverage .






Benefits of Call Routing



There are several reasons to use a call routing service, especially if you handle a high volume of incoming calls.



Benefits for contact centers




Reduces call waiting times , which improves customer satisfaction and lowers telecom pricing.



Minimizes inbound calls  reaching the incorrect agent or team.



Improves first-call resolution , which reduces callbacks and churn.



Optimizes predictive analytics  around customer call volume and agent availability.




Benefits for call center agents




Distributes calls fairly  and effectively among team members using set call routing rules.



Gathers inbound call details  using  Interactive Voice Response  technology.



Improves customer experience , which leads to faster, more relaxed customer calls




Benefits for customers




Reaches the best agent  to provide customer support based on skill-based routing or other call routing logic.



Lowers the wait time  to reach the desired department due to fewer callbacks and repeat callers



Provides information faster  before entering the call queue, such as business hours, locations, and self-service workflows.




How Does Call Routing Work?



A  business phone system  routes calls in a variety of ways. When a person calls a small business, the cloud-based phone system accepts the call, provides an auto attendant menu, and transfers the call to the appropriate team member.









Factors used to determine how calls are handled include:




Time of day:  Both the caller and the contact center in different time zones



Caller ID:  The phone number of the incoming call, which also informs about the caller’s location.



Auto-attendant selections:  Input from the caller in response to an auto-attendant menu of choices.



Agent skill:  Direct calls to members of your team better suited based on intelligent call routing logic.



Customer relationship data:  Based on data points stored in your CRM,  call center software  can use automation to direct incoming calls.



Interactive Voice Response prompts:  If the caller voices their needs, your phone system can use artificial intelligence and machine learning to route the call.