7 Statistics that Show the Importance of a Good Call Routing Strategy

Call centers are busy these days with important initiatives. The 2020 lockdowns revealed gaps in contact center resilience that many organizations are now trying to fix.

According to a recent survey of call center decision makers, 66% of organizations not currently using cloud contact center solutions are accelerating their move to the cloud as a result of the pandemic. The same study revealed that 52% of companies plan to invest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming years, which can strengthen business continuity, as well as streamline operations and improve CX.

What Does This Have To Do with Call Routing?

First, to implement this new technology, call centers must not forget to constantly optimize the basic processes of call routing. Additionally, contact centers that accelerate the transition to a cloud call center solution must have software with advanced call routing capabilities.

Updating your call routing strategy can be one way to improve customer experience (CX), agent engagement, and business results.

What is Call Routing?

Call routing is the process of distributing incoming and outgoing calls to agents. Although in this digital age, “call” routing is no longer limited to voice interactions, but includes digital channels such as email, chat, SMS, messaging, and social media.

Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is the engine that routes interactions to available resources based on configured rules. These can range from very simple (the oldest call in the queue goes to the first available agent) to complex (calls are routed based on the client and agent profile).

Call centers can pair their ACD with an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. An IVR can be used, for example, to collect customer data to make it easier for the agent to find customer information. IVRs can use selection menus to narrow down the nature of the customer’s problem and then divert the call to the routing engine which, based on the information gathered, enforces the call routing rules to ensure interaction.

What Are the Benefits of Routing Clients to a Qualified Agent on the First Try?

Not having to go from one agent to another, preventing the client from repeating their query several times, as well as increasing the rates of first contact resolution (FCR). This means that customers can resolve problems faster and with less effort, which will improve the CX. A higher FCR reduces additional and unnecessary call volume. And agents will be most successful when they are handling problems that they were trained to do and can really solve.

7 Statistics that Show the Importance of a Good Call Routing Strategy

1) 83% of Customers Expect to Interact with Someone Immediately when They Contact a Company

In other words, people don’t want to wait in line for an agent. They want immediate help. While it may be impossible to always meet this expectation, improved call routing methods will keep call centers very close to the goal. AI routing, in particular, can help optimize wait times by making more efficient use of the workforce.

2) 55% of Consumers Are Willing to Pay More for Satisfying Customer Experiences

Many factors contribute to exceptional customer service. Some of the main elements are the competence of the agent and the ease of use. The correct routing strategy connects customers with agents who are qualified to solve their problems and establish successful connections. And this also means that customers will not be transferred and will not be asked to repeat their problems, which makes it easier to solve them.

3) 82% of Users Expect to Solve Complex Problems by Talking to a Single Person

Solving problems during the first contact is key to an efficient service. In contrast, having customers call multiple times to discuss the same issue is frustrating for customers and agents, and costly for organizations. A good routing strategy that matches customers with the right agents will help companies meet first contact resolution expectations.

4) 96% of Customers Expect Companies to Facilitate the Change of Channel without the Need to Repeat the Information

It sounds reasonable, but it is complex to execute. In fact, two-thirds of consumers think that companies do a poor job of offering omnichannel experiences. Omnichannel routing helps companies meet customer expectations for seamless experiences across all channels and reduces friction by not requiring users to repeat themselves constantly.

5) Users Rank Speed of Troubleshooting as the Highest Priority and Trained Service Teams as the Third

Customers value the basics: being quickly directed to a competent agent to solve their problem. In today’s business environment, where everyone is focused on the customer experience, it is important not to shift core contact center processes in favor of other solutions. The correct call routing strategy will allow for fast and accurate resolutions leading to better CX.

6) Companies Rank Customer Effort as the Fourth Most Important Customer Service KPI

Smart companies have realized that if they want to build customer loyalty and improve CX, they must be easy to negotiate with. Intelligent call routing redirects users to the right agents on the first try, minimizing transfers and holds, and optimizing FCR.

7) Almost Two-thirds (58%) of Consumers Will End a Relationship with a Business Due to Poor Customer Service

If customers’ expectations for speed of response, ease of use, first call resolutions, and successful connections are not met, they may go to the competition. It costs about five times more to acquire new customers than it does to retain existing ones. There is a very tangible benefit to having excellent call routing.