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Automatic Call Distribution Streamline Inbound Call Performance with an ACD Distributor System

Ringover’s ACD Distributor System (Automatic Call Distribution) masters the art of effectively routing inbound calls to available agents, providing businesses with the ability to manage inbound calls and reduce potential hold time, increasing overall customer satisfaction levels.

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ACD distributor system

Seamlessly Handle Inbound Calls with an ACD Distributor System

Prepare your call center to successfully handle varying levels of inbound calls, with Ringover’s ACD Distributor System. To better understand ACD technology, think of automatic call distribution (ACD) essentially as a system that is able to monitor levels of incoming calls to your call center, and then route those calls to the appropriate available departments or agents, per your instructions.

A well-designed ACD distributor system can help your business provide a seamless customer experience, boosting customer satisfaction levels and also ensuring your call center agents are able to effectively attend to each incoming call.

Ensure Customer Satisfaction with Ringover’s ACD Solution

Discover the multitude of functionalities that are provided by Ringover’s ACD distributor system. Automatic call distribution enables effective call routing based on your specific parameters, but it also offers multiple other benefits for both your customers and your business:

  • Call routing — based on time zone, language, average wait time and type of request
  • Customized recordings — for hold time
  • Containment with an IVR — for certain requests, such as PIN resets or paying bills
  • Call flow monitoring and management — easy access via a dashboard

Pair Ringover’s ACD Distributor System with IVR Capabilities

Move away from the traditional IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system with Ringover’s ACD solution. Combine the capabilities of both telephonic systems and equip your call center to handle all types of customer inquiries.

You can customize call routing to contain customer requests such as PIN resets, bill payment, and cardholder information updates within the IVR system, allowing customers to fully handle their needs without speaking to an agent. Other inquiry types that should be handled by speaking to a live agent will be appropriately routed to a representative who can assist them in a timely manner.

Effectively Balance Inbound and Outbound Calls

Whilst receiving and successfully handling inbound customer calls, your full-service call center may also need to maintain a healthy level of outbound calls, depending on your business model. Ringover’s call management software gives you the ability to manage both outbound and inbound call flows all from an easy-to-access dashboard.

Set up and manage your auto dialer levels, and balance call levels being placed out to potential and existing customers, with those inbound calls that need to be routed to available agents. It’s possible to strike a successful balance between your predictive dialer performance and your inbound call levels with Ringover’s cloud contact center solution.

Attain Key Performance Metrics with an ACD Distributor System

Take your business performance to new levels, all with the robust capabilities of Ringover’s ACD Distributor System as part of your cloud call center. The capabilities brought by an automatic call distributor go far beyond simply routing calls to agents. Thanks to the abilities of an automatic call distribution system, inbound call volume can be managed and routed in a way that maximises overall inbound call performance.

From your dashboard, actively monitor incoming call levels, the number of agents available to take calls, average wait time, calls in queue, and much more. Instant access to this essential data allows you to meet key performance metrics by granting you the ability to adjust call flows as needed.

Tailor Call Handling to Your Business Needs

Ringover’s ACD call center software provides you with the ability to tailor how incoming calls are presented to your available agents. Select call queueing and presentation in a way that works best for your agents, your customer service indicators, and call volume. Choose from Round Robin, Fixed, Value-Based, and Time-Based call routing, among others.

This flexibility allows you to send certain calls to agents who have specific skillsets, for example, or to send calls in priority to those agents who have been idle the longest. There is a myriad of call distribution options, providing you the ability to establish your automatic call distribution patterns exactly to your liking.

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ACD Distributor System FAQ

What is an automatic call distributor?

The Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is a telecommunications technology that answers calls and routes them to specific departments or agents within an inbound call center based on distribution rules. It streamlines communication, preventing the overloading of call systems and ensuring that callers don’t wind up in a permanent loop or queue too long, improving their overall experience.

Most importantly, ACDs facilitate exchanges between consumers and the companies that provide the products and services they rely on every day. Although most people wouldn’t necessarily be able to define this term offhand, the vast majority of us have used (and yes, even benefitted!) from this system much more often than we realize.

Most companies receiving hundreds or thousands of calls a day could simply not handle such call volume without putting some sort of filtering system in place - which is where the ACD comes in. It would mean that they’d also need hundreds or even thousands of agents manning the phones, and this just isn’t feasible!

In fact, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that call centers would not exist without the ACD - at least not in any form recognisable to today’s consumers. Though the term call center itself often carries a negative connotation - conjuring associations with pesky telemarketers, endless transfers from department to department and hold music that loops ad infinitum - the truth is that they are necessary, for better or for worse, as is the technology that makes them tick.

How does ACD really work?

In a real world scenario where ACD helps you in everyday life, imagine calling your satellite TV company for maintenance. Instead of submitting a contact form online (that often feels like it disappears into a black hole), or sending an email (which goes into an even larger black hole), you decide to pick up your phone and call the company right away. You’re looking for a human confirmation that your situation is going to be resolved, not the word of an automated robot.

Your call is like a train headed for an unknown destination. ACD serves as the directory for it to be put on the right track. Think of it as Grand Central Station in this scenario. Based on the criteria of your call, it will be sent to the corresponding coordinates. For example, if you’re calling from Chicago at 9 pm, you will be sent to a voicemail and if you’re calling from Mumbai, your call will be sent to someone who is familiar with that region and its language. Without the integral piece that ACD plays, no calls would be sent to their correct destination.

How can ACD be even more useful?

If you have high-priority clients calling during high call times, Automated Number Indication (ANI) allows you to identify these calls and send them to their account manager’s direct line without further delay, or open the client’s file right on the computer screen of the agent taking the call.

Which are the most common types of incoming call distribution?

  • 1. Fixed
    Calls are routed directly to a specific group of agents, (aka "hunt groups") having a particular skillset (language, technical expertise, etc.) in the same order every time. Incoming calls will ring each time to the first person in the group, and if their line is busy, to the next, and so on.
  • 2. Round-robin
    With Round-robin call distribution, calls are routed in a loop for more even distribution; in other words, only once the last agent has taken a call will the next incoming call go to the first agent on the list, restarting the cycle.
  • 3. Least active
    Calls ring each time to the agent who has been idle the longest, so that no single agent receives more or fewer than his or her fair share of calls.
  • 4. Time-based
    Incoming calls ring in pre-set order to a group of agents having marked themselves as available for a given time period. For example, on Tuesday morning callers may be routed to Tom, Jenny, and Marcela in that order, while afternoon callers will be routed to Tom, Marcela and George, since Jenny will be busy running a training seminar, and George will not arrive until after lunch. There are a lot of time-based routings.
  • 5. Simultaneous
    Calls ring to all available agents at once, so the one who handles the call is simply the first to pick up each time.
  • 6. Weighted
    Calls are routed to agents according to a certain call volume percentage pre-assigned to each. For example, Sally, who is the most experienced in her group, will receive 60% of incoming calls, Bob will receive 30%, and Emma, who just started last week and is still learning, will handle 10%.
  • 7. Value-based
    Also known as "smart routing," this type of routing operates on a higher level of complexity and uses much more detailed information than the others. More geared toward profit generation than time-saving, it involves assessing callers based on such factors as demographics or past history with the company to determine if the caller might be a good candidate for an upgrade or more open to purchase additional products or services.
  • 8. Data-based
    Similar to value-based routing, this routing uses data on a caller’s current status. For example, even though a caller may have called the tech support number, the system may flag their overdue invoice or soon-to-expire membership and route them first to the department for payment processing or subscription renewals.
    Keep in mind that the above call distribution methods described are just a few examples of the many that exist today. As technology gets smarter and faster and the needs and wants of companies and consumers evolve, some of these will adapt and become even more important, while others may be obsolete within a few years.

What are the advantages of using ACD?

There are multiple advantages of using automatic call distribution for your business, in addition to streamlined call flow and improved customer satisfaction levels. Whilst routing calls appropriately, automatic call distribution seamlessly manages calls, delivering them to remote agents depending on the settings you have selected. The ACD system can be fully integrated with your current CRM, blending the successful routing and management of inbound calls with access to the tools and information your agents depend on, to effectively assist your customers.

Can you work remotely with ACD?

An ACD also allows you to fully mange your call management software from a remote location, and your agents also have the ability to work from a remote location. All they need is a Wi-Fi connection and a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Do many companies use the ACD technology?

Yes. In fact, today’s fully-functioning call center most likely would not exist without the help of automatic call distribution. ACD technology is what enables companies to successfully handle inbound call levels and allow customers to reach agents in order to get their questions answered. An ACD system not only monitors incoming call levels and routes them accordingly to available departments or agents, it also provides the ability to make changes to how and when calls are answered. Select call routing preference based on language, time zone, average call waiting time, and more.

Does ACD impact customers negatively?

ACD technology is the hidden backbone behind a successfully run call center. If customers don’t experience issues such as being routed multiple times, being placed on hold endlessly, or reaching the wrong agent, that is an indication that the automatic call distributor is working seamlessly behind the scenes and performing as it was intended, improving the overall customer experience.

What’s the difference between ACD and IVR?

The main difference between an ACD and an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) server is that IVRs are designed to route calls or provide information based on caller selections, without requiring the intervention of an operator ("press 1 for sales, 2 for support, or 3 for billing"). Callers are also often able to perform such tasks as paying bills, retrieving passcodes or updating personal information through an IVR.

ACD distribution is based on rules that have been pre-defined according to the company’s specific setup or requirements. For example, calls coming in after hours or during holidays are automatically sent to voicemail, while calls from numbers with certain prefixes may be routed to agents able to assist callers in certain languages or having familiarity with a particular region.

The differences between the two do not mean, however, that IVRs and ACDs are mutually exclusive! In fact, today’s advances in cloud telecom allow these technologies to be frequently paired. A caller’s IVR selections can make ACD rules kick in, and an ACD can be set up to funnel certain types of calls to an IVR. Cutting out the middleman, if you will, in terms of hardware costs and configuration also means that both are easier than ever to put in place, so more and more companies are now enjoying the best of both worlds.

What can the Ringover ACD do for you?

Aside from allowing shorter queue times and more direct channels of communication between your clients and the exact person they need to speak with to obtain the solution they’re looking for, there are further advantages of implementing Automatic Call Distribution through our solution. Even if you’re a start-up with only a few employees, you too can boost performance across all levels with the following features:

  • Mobility/flexibility: The world is moving at a faster pace than ever, and it’s not stopping anytime soon. Your clients are increasingly on the move, so why shouldn’t you and your team be? Ringover puts all the features of a state-of-the-art corporate phone system at your fingertips whether you’re travelling overseas, at home or in the office. Manage your team and connect with collaborators - no matter where you are, and no matter where they are - just as you would in the boardroom and ensure each client call is treated with the prompt attention it deserves.
  • Training/coaching: Whispering and call intervention allow supervisors to listen in directly on calls, feeding vital tips and information to struggling agents without the caller being any wiser, or even taking over the call if necessary. Call recording allows newer recruits to listen to their own calls again to identify areas needing improvement or hear veterans handling tough situations.
  • Advanced statistics/monitoring: Always know in a glance who’s on the line, who’s taking a break, and who’s available, thanks to our convenient and user-friendly interface. Use such parameters as Average Talk Time (ATT), Average Handle Time (AHT), Average Speed of Answer (ASA) to gain a clear image of exactly where your phone support stands at any given moment. Use this information to identify strong and weak points in your customer service provision, adjust staffing during low and peak call times or hire people as necessary, provide better training to new team members and veterans alike - and ultimately save valuable time and resources.
  • CRM Integration: Whether you’re using Salesforce or software designed in-house to manage client files, Ringover can link it to your phone activity. You’ll then be able to take advantage of such features as automatic file retrieval, so that any agent picking up a call will have instant access to all available information on the caller. Have all call activity automatically sync with your system information - no further need to manually enter the dates and times of conversations, or send clients bouncing around your phone system until they get lucky enough to reach someone able to help them.
  • Personalised greetings/music on hold: Establish your company’s image instantly for first-time callers and maintain it in the eyes of your most loyal clients with our 100% customisable greetings and music on hold. Select music from our collection or upload it yourself to ensure that it speaks to your brand, adding timely messages and news as desired - all from our user-friendly online studio.