Taking the Mystery Out of Call Routing Software

What is Call Routing Software And Why Should I Care?

When someone calls your business, you want to ensure that the caller will reach the person who can provide the best service for that caller’s particular needs. The best way to accomplish this is to implement call routing software. Call routing guarantees that each incoming call reaches the right business location, the right department, and the right person.

Call routing options have evolved over the years, and while this is certainly a good thing, it can be confusing for companies looking into call routing for the first time. How do they know which routing system is best for them and for their customers?

Below are some of the most common call routing software options used today, explanations of how they work, and their specific benefits.

Call Prompt Routing

This is the type of call routing you’re probably most familiar with. You’ve often heard that automated menu, saying, “For Sales, press 1; for Customer Service, press 2,” etc. That’s knowns as call prompt routing. This type of routing quickly directs customers to the correct destination, from the right department to the right person. This provides your customers with the most efficient and effective assistance.

Round Robin Call Routing

With round-robin call routing, businesses can distribute incoming calls to route through all recipients in a pre-determined order. For instance, when a call rings to the first employee, and that person does not pick up, the call is automatically routed to the next employee. The calls are then routed to the next agent until the call is answered. Round-robin routing is especially useful in contact centers. Managers can set up round-robin call routing based on a variety of factors, such as agent availability, skills, or even call distribution. Round-robin call routing ensures that no call goes unanswered.

Percent Allocator Routing

Percent allocator routing routes calls to specific business locations based on a pre-established call percentage. For example, let’s say your business has three locations, with the majority of employees working at the first location. And your second location has fewer employees, with the least amount of employees at the third location. Percent allocator routing allows you to route 65% of incoming calls to the first location, 25% to the second location, and 10% to the third location. It can also be used for locations known to receive more calls in general.

Location Based Routing

Location-based call routing has become very popular, especially for businesses with multiple locations. If your business has multiple locations, you can automatically route callers to the best location based on the caller’s area code. Or you can use geo-based routing, which is especially useful for mobile users.

With geo-based routing, the caller’s actual physical location determines the correct business locale. Let’s say you’re visiting a large city, and your car breaks down. Then you look up car repair on your phone. If you choose a business with more than one location, your call will be routed to the location closest to your current geographical location.

These are just a few of the call routing options available today. There’s always a call routing software that will best suit your business needs, as well as different levels of routing. Hopefully, with these tips, you can find the one that’s right for your business. Or contact us to get a quote for our call routing services.