More and more AI (artificial intelligence) is being integrated into the customer service experience. In many ways, it’s still in the early phase, but all indications are that it’s here to stay and will continue to improve or get smarter with time. Intelligent call routing systems are gaining more and more traction in call centers, and that will be our focus for this article. We’re going to take a look at what it is, the role it’s playing now, and what to expect in the future.
What is Intelligent Call Routing?
A simple definition is: Systems that identify the caller and the reason for the call, then assign the caller to the right agent. Although this definition in the context of a phone call, intelligent routing is also important for email and chat queries.
The main idea of intelligent routing is to use human agent track records, their training, and skills to ensure that customers are routed to the most capable agent for solving their issue. The AI also takes into account caller priority, caller’s previous inquiries, caller’s value as a customer, and wait times.
How Intelligent Call Routing Works
When survey customers report two primary problems when communicating with customers service:
- Trouble contacting the right agent
- Wasting too much time to clarify the problem
Most organizations miss the actual intent of the caller leading to a frustrating customer experience. Because call center units are specialized in a specific process, it creates a disconnect between different units within the center.
Intelligent routing uses three types of data sets to overcome these problems:
- Caller Data – Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) is used to determine which unit the caller should speak to. The Automatic Number Identification (ANI) is a feature for automatically determining where the number is coming from. This information is used to assign callers to available contact centers or agents available.
- Caller Input – Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems allow customers to input the reason they’re calling by pressing buttons or by using their voice. AI listens and determines the caller’s intent. Accurate caller input is critical for ensuring precision routing.
- Customer Historical Data – After the caller is identified, intelligent routing systems use detailed information about the customer, including purchase history, account standings, service agreements and programs, and support history to help ensure the customer intent is accurately understood. If a customer has a history of angry calls, they should be routed to an experienced agent.
The Future of Intelligent Call Routing
It’s only in the beginning stages, but intelligent call routing looks to be the future. It will improve with better data collection on customers, smoother integrations into telephony systems, and better analytic tracking and customer feedback.
Communications Solutions, Inc. has been the premier provider of telephony systems and support in Jacksonville and the Northeast Florida area for the past 20+ years. We specialize in Avaya IP Office and can customize it to fit your business needs. If you want to get more familiar with what Avaya IP Office can do for you call today.
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