7 Ways ACD Call Center Tech Benefits Call Center Agents
How can call centers better serve their customers?
Connecting customers with skill and intelligence with call center technology – specifically, ACD call center technology.
We’ll cover what is, how it works, and how it benefits call center agents in today’s post.
Let’s dive in.
What is ACD?
Automatic Call Distribution is a call routing system that uses various algorithms to send incoming calls to the agent who is best suited to answer the customer’s questions.
To make ACD call center technology work effectively, it should be paired with computer telephony integration (CTI) software and interactive voice response (IVR) software.
How Does ACD Call Center Tech Work?
When a call comes through, ACD call center technology scans their information to determine which agent should take the call, such as their phone number, area code, and any other important information programmed into ACD’s algorithm.
The algorithms are constructed using specific criteria such as:
- The available agents.
- The skills sets of available agents.
- Information about the customer.
- And the caller ID systems the business is using.
For example, if a call is coming in from France, ACD’s algorithm will route the call to an agent who speaks French.
Or, if the customer dialed the number for IT support, they would be routed to the IT department.
And before an agent can speak with a caller, the IVR software can be programmed to play the music customers want to hear; tell customers what they need to know; and direct the flow of call traffic to minimize wait times.
What are the Benefits of ACD Call Center Tech for Agents?
When agents don’t have to prequalify callers they’re able to deliver better customer service, and the customer is able to get answers for their questions faster.
Here are additional benefits of ACD call center tech:
1. ACD Is Cloud-Based
No need to install new software, hardware, or phone lines to setup cloud-based ACD call center tech. As long as there’s an internet connection, companies can run ACD no matter where they are in the world.
2. Call Transferring Time Is Reduced
ACD filters all incoming calls, directing them to the right agent or the piece of information programmed into the IVR – moving customers along smoothly.
3. Call Response Time Is Improved
When agents speak to the callers they’re most qualified to handle, they help customers solve their problems faster. And if customers don’t want to stay on the line waiting, they can choose the call-back option.
4. Agents Can Instantly See Earlier Conversations with Customers
ACD call center tech provides agents with an in-depth view of customers’ information such as their call history, email messages, chatbot chats and other forms of communication they’ve had with customers in the past.
5. Increased Agent Productivity
When agents are allowed to answer calls from customers they’re best suited to help, they’re able to answer questions and solve customer problems faster. ACD call center tech also gives agents all the information they need to quickly understand the caller and cater to their needs.
This information can be a significant factor in reducing mean time to resolution and improving customer satisfaction.
Better Branding
When agents answer calls and address the caller by their first name, are able to recall information about the caller, and are uniquely suited to address the callers issues, the caller will remember that company and will tell their friends about their positive experience.
The more call centers can personalize their caller interaction, the more callers will spread their brand.
In-depth Speech Analytics
Speech analytics give call centers full transcripts for each call an agent makes. The transcripts can be searched using any given word or phrase, or even metadata like the disposition of the caller.
Businesses will be able to deeply understand their customers, their most common issues, and the best ways to serve them in the future.
ACD can leverage speech analytics data to meet specific types of agents, send them to their usual end-point first, or even connect them with agents who produce the best outcomes – especially useful for problematic phrases captured during the voice menu or a previous transfer.
ACD Call Center Tech Is Just One of the Many Reasons Companies Should Migrate to the Cloud
A cloud-based call center allows companies to have the best of both worlds: cutting-edge tech like ACD combined with the best agents from all around the world.
Even managers and supervisors can operate remotely.
But that’s just ACD and agents…
Cloud-based call centers offer many more benefits to businesses who want to mitigate upfront costs and eliminate maintenance costs.
Here’s a free report on 6 more benefits of moving a call center from an on-premise solution to the cloud.