Improving your contact center is a job that never ends. The best facilities are those that never stop improving - but what can be done to increase efficiency and enhance productivity when you’re already training an excellent staff and providing great service? This is when turning to technology may be the best approach for perpetual improvement - and when it might be time to think about introducing automatic call distribution software to the mix at your center.

What is Automatic Call Distribution Software?

Imagine being able to transfer calls based on factors such as which agents are best able to handle specific types of interactions and which staff members are busiest at specific times. When you utilize automatic call distribution software, you don’t have to imagine - this is your reality!

How your automatic call distribution software functions is determined by the factors used to set it up. What will determine which agents receive which calls? That is entirely up to your team, since the way your software is designed can be customized based on anything from skills-based routing to first-in, first-out ticketing and more.

Ways to Use ACD Software

If you’re wondering how you could apply automatic call distribution software to your business’s needs, the answers are almost limitless. How you use the software will be dependent on what type of contact center you’re running and what type of businesses or clients you serve, but in general, there are several popular approaches to ACD software that might be a great fit for your facility. These include:

• Skills-based routing. If you want your callers to be connected with agents who are the most qualified to handle their concerns, you want skills-based routing. This is a technique that is used to connect callers with the agents who are most likely to be able to solve their problems, combined with data that shows which agents from this short list are also most readily available. Taken together, these data points create an instant snapshot of who should handle each incoming call - and directs the call to them.
• Immediate response for priority callers. Some calls are simply more important than others. This isn’t to say that all the calls that come into your facility shouldn’t be given your attention and care, but some calls - from longtime consumers, those who are likely to be experiencing an emergency, etc. - should be treated as a priority. These calls can be pushed through the system’s queue automatically with ACD software, giving them a chance to be accessed more quickly and the callers’ needs met in a timely manner.
• Call-back facility. Today’s consumers don’t always have time to wait on a line - even for a short while. Giving them the option to receive a call back when an agent is available is a valuable service that they will appreciate.

You can set your ACD software up using one or a variety of these techniques - or something else entirely. With this software, how you serve your consumers is truly up to you.

Benefits of ACD in Your Contact Center

Beyond simply being versatile in its applications, there are also nearly innumerable perks to using automatic call distribution software in your call center. What are they? Check out just a few of these big benefits:

• Reduced wait times for your callers. No one likes to wait. The sooner your consumers can be connected to a live agent, the better. With ACD, they can be directed to an available, qualified agent sooner, making their wait time shorter and their experience better.
• Increased efficiency. A quicker-working agent is one that can get more work done in a day. That means better cost-efficiency for their employer and better overall performance for every employee.
• Enhanced productivity in your contact center. Getting more work done isn’t something that happens on an individual level in the contact center. When enough of your agents are completing their typical workload and going beyond it with the help of ACD software and the time it saves them, your center’s overall productivity will enjoy a major jump.
• Improved agent performance through increased opportunities for interjection. Can your management team whisper or even barge into a call when things are going wrong? Can they coach a newer agent through a tough scenario? With good ACD software, they can. This is a lesser-known benefit that really brings value to the use of this software.
• Cost reduction for your business. Quicker-working agents mean less time paid for unnecessary work and less labor costs overall. Not paying for this wasted time means cost savings for your company - savings that really add up over time!

An Under-Utilized Asset

Despite its value to the contact center industry, automatic call distribution software is still relatively under-utilized. This might be because agents and their supervisors mistakenly believe it will reduce the center’s need for their positions. This is inaccurate - and can lead to overlooking a valuable tool for simplifying tedious, unnecessary work for everyone on your team.

The truth is, automatic call distribution software speeds up the work day and makes life easier for your agents. They are able to get more done - and be more focused on the work they’re doing - as a result of their use of the technology. Not only do their employers benefit, but so do the consumers and clients they interact with. It would be difficult to find someone who doesn’t win in this situation!

When you’re ready to learn more about the ease and excellence that automatic call distribution software can bring to your contact center facility, contact the industry experts at ChaseData. We have the tools you need to equip your center with the latest in ACD software and train your agents to use it to its fullest potential. In no time at all, you’ll wonder how your business ever functioned without it!