If there’s one thing people hate, it’s waiting. That’s why grocery stores added self-checkouts, highways have HOV lanes, and fast food restaurants get more patrons than “dine-in” restaurants.
But perhaps the most stressful kind of waiting results when customers are put on hold during a technical support call. Automatic call distribution is the key to cutting down on waiting time and the likelihood of losing customers. Continue reading to learn how this feature can improve your relationship with your customers.
Matching callers with solutions
Even companies that only offer one product or service receive calls about myriads of issues, including technical troubleshooting, general inquiries, or bill pay. The fact of the matter is that no two callers are alike — therefore, no two calls are exactly the same.
One way in which an automatic call distributor app can streamline the customer support process is by making sure that calls are linked to the proper operator. Automatic call distributors (ACD) do exactly what their name implies — they distribute calls.
This distribution isn’t done haphazardly. The system uses computer telephony integration (CTI) to make sure calls are forwarded to the proper department. With this software, you can program the system to answer calls automatically and prompt the caller to enter their information and reason for their call. This is called interactive voice response, IVR for short. From there, the system can patch their call through to the person who is most qualified to answer their inquiry.
Track call volume and time
The takeover of the business world by modern technology has enforced the importance of data to product and service providers. As a business owner, you want to improve your relationships with your customers, but you can only improve the things that you are aware of.
ACD technology puts you in the know. It will show you what time of day you normally get your highest volume of calls. It will also keep track of your customers’ hold times, call times, and even abandoned calls. If you aren’t satisfied with what the system reveals to you about how your company handles calls at first, you’ll know what needs to be improved.
Additional features
There is so much more to ACDs than has already been discussed. These systems are very comprehensive and can help to improve your customers’ overall experience.
ACD software works from the cloud. That’s great for small business owners and those in the startup phase of their business, as running a program from the cloud is much more cost-efficient and convenient than running it on your own server.
If the software has any bugs, the hosting company will fix them. Additionally, you can hire freelancers to handle your calls right from their home, as all the information they’ll need will be stored in the cloud.
Because a vast majority of people use their mobile phones to make calls these days, dropped calls happen quite frequently. When this occurs, an ACD can reconnect the caller with the last representative that the caller spoke to.
ACD technology is the smart way to keep your support services running like a well-oiled machine. Don’t put improving your customer service on hold. Make the upgrade now.
