Automatic Call Distribution to Intelligent Call Routing

Call routing is a critical part of any contact centre. In the past, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) provided limited options through a menu system. Today, Intelligent Call Routing (ICR) removes constraints on the number of options and uses caller intent to determine the best outcome.

This includes directing callers to agents, voice messages, self-service options or deflecting them to alternative communication channels. The ‘new world’ Intelligent Call Routing solutions provide a more personalised and efficient customer experience compared to the ‘old world’ ACD technologies.

Old world

What is Automatic Call Distribution?

Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a technology used in contact centres to automatically route incoming calls to the most appropriate agent or resource based on predefined criteria. However, ACD has limitations in terms of customisation and personalisation, and it relies on predefined criteria that may not be able to keep up with the ever-changing needs of customers and businesses.

New world

What is Intelligent Call Routing?

Intelligent Call Routing (ICR) is the new world equivalent of ACD, offering a more advanced and personalised approach to call routing. Unlike ACD, which relies on predefined criteria, Intelligent Call Routing uses machine learning algorithms to analyse caller intent, behaviour and other contextual information to determine the best available resource to handle a call. This could be a live agent, a voice message, a self-service option or even a change of communication channel.

The goal of Intelligent Call Routing is to provide a more efficient and personalised customer experience, while also improving the productivity and performance of agents.

How to get Intelligent Call Routing in your contact centre?

Oration is an easy-to-use contact centre plugin designed to be implemented as an overlay to your existing contact centre technology infrastructure. A SaaS cloud-based solution, Oration can be up and running within a matter of days. One of the main capabilities of Oration is its Intelligent Call Routing feature.

Oration starts calls by asking a simple open-ended question “How can I help you today?”, giving unlimited options to route the call to the best outcome. This can reduce the number of calls to agents and time spent on the phone, making it easier for callers who don't need to fit their requests into a limited and often frustrating menu. Oration's ICR uses information from the caller and other systems, such as a CRM, to decide the next step.