When someone calls your office, how do you determine who answers the phone? In some cases, every call may go to a front desk receptionist, regardless of who’s calling or why. Other companies use auto attendants or IVRs to route callers to the appropriate person, which has good intentions but can drive your customers away if they’re not leveraged properly.
However you handle incoming calls, you shouldn’t take that responsibility lightly. Nearly 75% of callers will go to a competitor if they receive a bad phone experience.
Benefits of Using Automatic Call Distribution
To make sure every call is handled correctly and consistently, consider the benefits of automatic call distribution:
1. Route Callers According to Agent Skills
Automatic call distribution works by using predefined algorithms to connect callers to the right agent the first time. This not only reduces transfer time but also allows agents to properly address each caller.
When callers automatically go to the agent that’s best positioned to handle their needs, everyone wins. Callers don’t waste time getting lost in the shuffle and being forgotten about while on hold. Agents can better utilize their time by talking to callers they’re trained to help, which frees up their time to take more calls.
2. Faster Response
When calls are distributed automatically, agents can respond faster to each caller. Call handling times and wait times are shortened, giving callers a better overall experience. This can be particularly helpful during periods of high call volume.
Studies have found that most customers feel like they wait longer than they actually are. According to a study by Velaro, more than 60% of customers are only willing to wait on hold for 60 seconds before hanging up. And once they hang up the phone, most of them will not call back.
When you can increase your responsiveness, you also increase your chance of being able to appropriately serve your callers and avoid potentially losing their business.
3. Increased Productivity
Agents, especially those working on sales commissions, need to make the best use of their time. Every time they have to pass a caller to someone else or are otherwise unable to help, they’re wasting their time and the resources of the company.
Automatic call distribution can help to maximize productivity with every call by ensuring each agent receives only the calls they’re equipped to handle. For example, if your company sells Products A, B, and C, and each agent is trained to provide support for just one specific product, they will only receive calls regarding that product.
Agents will already have the skills and expertise to speak with their callers. Plus, their ability to handle the call with ease will increase the customer’s confidence in your company and continue to build loyalty and value long after they hang up the phone.
4. Integration with CRM
If you’re using LeadSquared’s automatic call distribution, you should know that it integrates seamlessly with our CRM. Every call is logged and documented automatically so you can go back through your history with ease.
In addition, you can use LeadSquared CRM to track every call and conversation between your agents and the caller to detect trends, find information, recap previous conversations, and glean other details that could contribute to a productive experience for both parties.
5. Better Optimization of Resources
Time is money in every business, and you can optimize both by distributing calls at scale. Reps aren’t wasting precious minutes per call by transferring callers, placing them on hold, or trying to solve problems they’re not equipped to deal with.
6. Connect Across Multiple Locations
Whether you have one location in India or 50 locations throughout the world, LeadSquared can help you unite every desk, every person, and every facility. Automatic call distribution isn’t location dependent, so you can route calls to specific users and still allow them to function as a single team.
7. Improve Customer Experience
Naturally, when you’re able to connect with your customers on all fronts in a timely, consistent manner, they’re not likely to forget. Most of us have had our share of bad call experiences, so a good one is always likely to stand out.
Even better, they won’t hesitate to call you again the next time a problem or question arises.
Final Thoughts
Automatic call distribution can be a valuable tool to your inbound marketing strategy, in terms of saving time, increasing revenue, and providing an optimal customer experience. That’s why we’ve made this feature part of our comprehensive inbound platform to help you get more from every lead.
