What is intelligent call routing and why do you need it?

Intelligent Call Routing (ICR) is revolutionizing automated business call innovation which is created to increase the efficiency of call management and increase customer experience. It's unprecedented responsiveness, accuracy, and speed make it far superior to manual call handling or digital routing systems not equipped with AI. In short, ICR has made these traditional methods obsolete.

If you are concerned about intelligent call routing, encompassing breakdown of general systems functional features and insights on usage, the brest practices of the industry and the main pros and cons of ICR, then this blog post is just for you. 

 

What is Intelligent Call Routing mainly about?

Intelligent Call Routing is a call center technology that enables incoming calls to be sorted and directed to the relevant group or agent, based on the rules and criteria that have been set by the system administrator. This process is driven by an intelligent system which decides the routing order according to the preferred parameters.

The modern ICR system identifies the caller, allowing them to pick from menu options based on the purpose of the call and then automatically directs the call to the agent or group in the specified routing rules and criteria. If the designated contact is not available, the system will look for the best viable alternative according to the call type and the caller's specific goal. The ICR system continues searching through all the potential agents and groups until a suitable one is found.

Contact centers and other businesses dealing with high call volumes have come to rely on ICR for efficient management. This advanced skills-based routing technology evaluates the caller's profile and directs the call to the agent who is best suited to handle it, based on their training, skill level, and past performance.

Intelligent call routing systems take many factors into account when deciding which route to take for each call. This includes the priority level of each call type, how utilized agents and groups are, the caller's past reason for calling, their account status, as well as other caller- and agent-specific evaluations. Additionally, there are other criteria that are taken into consideration.

 

How Does Intelligent Call Routing Work?

Call routing that is intelligent takes advantage of multiple key data types to decide where to direct each call so that the outcome is beneficial for the customer, the agents in the call center, and the business.

1. Caller Input — the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system allows callers to provide the critical data required for successful routing. The details provided by the caller when interacting with the IVR system are of great importance for guaranteeing accurate routing.

The caller can verbally provide their responses to the ICR system's queries through the telephone receiver, or they can utilize dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) by pressing certain buttons. This process of collecting data enables the system to identify the caller's requirements and any limitations the organization may have for them, and then route the call appropriately.

2. Current Caller Data — the ICR software's electronic data gathering capabilities include Automatic Number Identification (ANI), which automatically recognizes the telephone number from where the call originates. In addition, Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) is included in the system's data collection tools, allowing for routing of calls to the appropriate department or person.
3. Historical Caller Data — upon identification of the caller, an ICR system can access historical data from the company's database which may include information such as prior purchases, contracts, service programs, account status, customer support history, and other personal details to ensure proper interpretation of the caller's purpose.

The ICR system gathers the data required, and then compares it to standards and criteria established by the enterprise. This allows calls to be sent to specific departments, personnel, or recordings suitable for the caller's concern. As an instance, if a caller has already been in contact earlier that day about an unresolved billing situation, the ICR system could connect them with a billing support agent with the most experience in handling such matters.

 

The primary functions of intelligent call routing systems are enabled by core tools which are designed to:

• Analyze and synthesize caller-related information, both recent and past, from the caller.
• Direct the call to the team or individual who can most effectively address the caller's needs with their specialized skills.
• Please direct the caller to the closest of our company's locations, if a physical visit is necessary to resolve their issue.
• Provide the same agent to the caller for continued support.
• Equip call center agents with data sourced from the ICR system regarding a customer's history, allowing them to deliver an exceptional customer experience and create a seamless employee experience for representatives.
• Use data analytics to help system-users better comprehend, and manage call volumes, wait times, call duration, resolution times, FAQs, agent and group performance tracking metrics, and other essential elements of the call handling operations’ effectiveness.
• Collaborate with other data systems, such as HR training databases, call center worker scheduling applications, and others, to assist in regulating the volume of incoming calls at the ICR-enabled business's call center or operations departments.

 

Pros and Cons of Intelligent Call Routing (ICR)

Companies that need to enhance their efficiency while dealing with high-volume telecommunications can take advantage of the innovative Intelligent Call Routing (ICR) technology which is currently leading the business systems sector. No matter how big or small your business may be, this technology provides an efficient and cost-effective way to manage calls and increase call-handling capacity when your communications systems are being overwhelmed.

When deciding on a business solution, it is critical to take into account all relevant factors and make the choice that best suits the individual needs of your organization. Adopting an intelligent call routing system can have both advantages and drawbacks that must be carefully considered.

 

Pros

• When deciding on a business solution, it is critical to take into account all relevant factors and make the choice that best suits the individual needs of your organization. Adopting an intelligent call routing system can have both advantages and drawbacks that must be carefully considered.
• Call routing systems that are designed to be intelligent can drastically cut down on payroll costs by preventing callers from having to explain their issue multiple times before being connected to the right individual who is able to assist them.
• By streamlining the number of transfers and eliminating the need for customers to repeat their reasons for calling multiple agents, customer experience can be greatly enhanced. This ensures that customers quickly reach the right person to help them with their specific needs.
• Implementing an auto-attendant system to handle call routing in high volume call centers and other business settings can reduce customer service costs.
• Agents equipped with data from ICR systems, such as a customer's prior interactions with customer service, account activity, payment history, and other relevant information, are enabled to provide faster and more comprehensive solutions, thus decreasing potential issues.

 

Cons

• It is essential to address any data quality issues within a business prior to implementing an ICR system. In order for the system to work properly and efficiently, agent and group skill sets, IDs and customer account identifications must be fully accurate. Without these components in place, using an ICR system can be frustrating and unsuccessful for both customers and agents.
• Integrating an ICR platform can be an arduous process that requires the expertise of IT professionals with experience in assessing a project's requirements and executing them. Prior to making the switch to an ICR system, these professionals should identify and eliminate any potential roadblocks that could delay or impede the integration process.
• By deploying an ICR system, it is easy to become so reliant on the benefits that attention may be diverted away from other essentials for successful call management. For example, whilst AI-driven call routing can bring improvements in key business metrics, it can also hide issues with management, training, service culture and other vital operational elements. It is therefore important to ensure continued focus on objectives and goals in these areas after introducing your ICR system.