Basics of Automated Call Distributor Systems & Why Customer Service Needs it
With customers across all generations preferring to use the phone to reach out for support instead of sending an email, filling in online forms, or communicating via a mobile app, making sure your company is equipped to deal with complaints and queries is essential.
It’s clear that customers demand a speed and directness of service, and automated call distributor systems can help you achieve this, forming the backbone of your communications, streamlining the call process, and, thereby, boosting customer service.
Consider undertaking a call center KPI and metric analysis to understand just how well equipped you are currently to handle customer needs. And, where you find you’re falling short, automated call distributor (ACD) systems can fill in. From customer satisfaction and average time in queue to first call resolution, an ACD can help you achieve your customer experience goals.
In this article, we’ll look at what exactly it is that these systems do, their different types, and how they can benefit both you and your customers.
What Is an Automated Call Distributor System?
So, first things first. What is an automated call distributor system? Well, it refers to a telephony software system that allows a large volume of incoming calls to be sorted and routed to the relevant department or person so that your customers get access to the people best suited to resolve their queries while minimizing waiting times.
The reason for using an ACD is perhaps more immediate if you happen to be a larger company. As your phone lines become overloaded, your customer service will start to suffer.
Business locations are becoming increasingly decentralized, with remote agents communicating internally via virtual meeting– so having an automated switchboard to keep track and get hold of the right colleagues or forward on a call from an unavailable agent is of real benefit, reducing agent workload and customer queue time.
The Tell-Tale Signs that you need ACD:
It’s worth noting that ACD is not just one simple program. Therefore, the reasons for implementing it are similarly multifaceted. If you experience a high volume of calls daily, and this leads you to keep customers on hold or just not respond to them at all, then ACD offers the features to help you manage these and boost customer satisfaction.
But also, if you operate in multiple locations across a few different time zones, ACD can help. As long as, throughout the 24 hours of a day, at least one of your locations is available to take calls, ACD ensures that your customers can get in touch at any time. It may not be to the agent in the closest location to them, but it does allow you to offer consistent customer service.
And in the eventuality that you don’t operate in this way, ACD can also be set up to offer general advice when no agents are available. It may not solve all of the issues that come in during the hours that you’re closed, but it acts like an audio FAQ page, which should help to resolve some customer queries.
The Different Types of ACD
So, you’ve decided that your company would benefit from an automated call distributor. But you’re unsure about the method or structure you want your distributor to take. Luckily, there are different options here too.
Your ACD can be set up in any of the following ways:
Benefits to Businesses
If you’re still on the fence about ACD, it’s worth understanding the benefits of using it as a business.
For starters, if you’re a company with a data-based strategy, then using ACD allows you to monitor your business operations and form an understanding of where problems are arising.
Much like software or VoIP troubleshooting, locating the issue is the first step in resolving it.
Understanding everything from call volume to the number of missed calls and average call time allows you to plan for any changes you need to make. Whether it’s taking on new staff, extending business hours, or making changes to your system, ACD and the data it provides can help you understand your clients better and, thereby, improve your business decision-making.
ACDs also come with coaching features to allow you to listen to agents’ calls. This helps you to identify any areas of weakness or agent knowledge gaps that you can plug with targeted training sessions.
If you want to track and focus on your KPIs, adopting an ACD can help. To enhance your csat (customer satisfaction score), using automation to direct customers to the right agent is instrumental. Smart routing cuts down on the manual time it would take to redirect calls, reduces agent idle time, and ensures that calls are distributed among your team fairly.
By increasing your FCR (first contact resolution) rate, your phone lines will remain as free as possible from repeat contacts so that agents feel less overwhelmed and can provide a higher quality of service. It might also free up team members to provide customer service in the form of customer surveys or check-ins.
And, if you do operate globally or are looking to expand your business, your remote support team can operate internationally with ease. You won’t need to buy expensive hardware; ACDs can route to any device, anywhere, minimizing your overheads.
Benefits to Customers
Ensuring that customers are satisfied with the level of service they receive is a must in today’s business arena. And ACD is well-poised to help you improve.
If a customer is calling into customer service, chances are they have a problem that needs solving. More often than not, when this is the case, they’ll be disgruntled. And they won’t want to have to repeat themselves to multiple agents before finally coming across the right one. ACDs reduce waiting times and allow clients to receive responses from agents with more experience with their specific queries for a faster call resolution.
Similarly, if they’re calling about something less significant or easily rectified, the ACD system itself can provide a resolution. This cuts call resolution time down even more, meaning customers have less cause for dissatisfaction, which boosts your customer engagement. It also provides them with a resource they can return to, especially if they’re unable to access support through other means like a website.
Meet Your Customer Service Needs
While ACD won’t be for everyone – you’ll need to make a judgment call on whether it is right for you – it’s a solution that can help many modern businesses.
ACDs contribute to reducing stress in your agents and customer base, minimizing costs, and supercharging customer service. The benefits of an ACD are there for all to see. All that remains is for you to implement your own system.
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