Your business technologies are continuously improving, and the phone system is no different. The idea is to introduce technological advancements that make a difference, and a seismic shift is here with intelligent call routing. Automatic call distribution (ACD) was a significant step 60 years ago, but the past’s unintelligent, inefficient call routing doesn’t need to be your future.
What is Intelligent Call Routing
Intelligent call routing is like ACD on steroids with a side of Albert Einstein. This is one of those times when the name of a feature or product actually describes its purpose: intelligent call routing. The system works in tandem with historical call data, agents’ skills and abilities, and the priority of the caller or issues, among other options. The idea is simple: use data to route the caller appropriately to the agent or queue best suited to solve the problem in the fastest timeframe for optimal results.
How Does Intelligent Call Routing Work?
Intelligent call routing works by accessing the variables input during the setup to determine the next steps for the call. There is some info being collected from the caller to get the call routed to the best available person:
- Collect Data: The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system uses data inputs from the client when they get on the call, such as the Account Number, Caller ID, and location of the call, to establish an initial identity.
- Analyze and Match: From the data retrieved, you analyze the customer data against system presets and match that customer to the best available agent or queue based on skills and workload.
- Route and Connect: After accessing all factors, including IVR, ACD, customer data, and agents, the call gets appropriately assigned for the highest possible closure and satisfaction rates.
For accurate results, the call, customer, and agent data need to be up-to-date and analyzed frequently, or the system will not function as expected.
What Benefits Come from Intelligent Call Routing?
The efficiency increases, and the first call resolution (FCR), defined as the metric when an agent properly answers the client’s concerns the first time they interact for that issue, that number will skyrocket once the intelligent call routing kicks into high gear. First-call resolution may not be at the top of your mind for your pest management business, but here is why it matters to consider the benefits. For every one percent increase in FCR, you will see a one-point reduction in operational costs and a two-and-a-half-point rise in employee satisfaction. Your customers feel taken care of, and your employees’ confidence levels increase because they properly fix customer issues.
More structure and purpose with the calls received reduces call transfers and the need to call people back while trying to figure out an issue. It also gives your business a sense of credibility based on the interactions your customers are receiving.
Does My Pest Management Company Need Intelligent Call Routing?
Big and small businesses, including your pest management company, can benefit from intelligent call routing. Here are a couple of scenarios to consider:
- Scenario #1: You have technicians who take calls, but you have a new technician who is inexperienced in the industry, and you want to ease them into the call-taking process. You set the agent skills in the system, and the easier, one-off, simple questions get sent their way until they have built up the knowledge needed to be successful.
- Scenario #2: A high-profile client should only be dealt with by a select number of people based on their needs. You have a skill group set in the system, and when that customer calls, they jump any part of the queue and get priority.
Having the flexibility and consistency to move the right people in and out of scenarios will boost employee confidence and overall knowledge. Your customers will benefit from more accurate resolutions to their issues.
Why You Need Intelligent Call Routing
Some signs within your business help determine what timeframe you have to implement intelligent call routing. Things to look out for: if you have extended hold times, back-and-forth internal transfers, customers repeatedly calling due to issues continuing, or they don’t feel satisfied with the answers they were given, these are all reasons why you should implement ICR.
Even if all those metrics are good, you still should consider them because sophisticated routing based on data would mean higher satisfaction rates and lower operating costs. Intelligent call routing is just the beginning of the next wave of customer experience called Intelligent Customer Experience (ICX). According to Zendesk, 70 percent of customer experience leaders plan to incorporate generative AI into most client interactions in the next two years. The idea is to take mountains of customer data and integrate generative AI to produce the best possible customer experience with even faster response times.
Upgrade Your Communication and Leave the Guessing Behind with Voice for Pest!
You deserve the best system and features to satisfy customers and employees. Implementing intelligent call routing from Voice for Pest will take your customer service level to the next stratosphere. Contact Voice for Pest today to get the perfect system out of your dreams and make them a reality.
