Resolve Calls Faster With Skill-Based Routing

Improve call center efficiency and customer satisfaction with Skill-Based Routing. Ensure callers are immediately routed to agents with the right skills to assist them.

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Hit Yearly KPIs in Months

Enhance Customer Satisfaction

Create an infinite number of custom skills within CloudTalk to assign to your agents.

Improve First Call Resolution

Assign skills per agent or per group and create the perfect conditions to optimize call routing.

Increase Agent Efficiency

Get call routing right on the first try and eliminate customer frustration from multiple transfers.

What is Skill-Based Routing?

Skill-Based Routing is designed to connect customers with the most qualified specialists based on their unique needs. By fully customizing their journey, callers can directly contact an agent best equipped to handle the inquiry.

Implementing Skill-Based Routing for a call center optimizes your operations and supports a more productive and satisfying experience for both customers and agents.

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How Does Skill-Based Routing Work?

When customers call, they navigate through an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, selecting their desired service from multiple options. 

For instance, if they select tech support, skill-based call routing will automatically direct them to an available agent with the highest technical expertise. If they contact you with a complaint, they’ll get routed to a person best trained to handle it.

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4 Benefits of Skill-Based Routing

Streamline Call Handling

Direct each call to an agent with the right expertise from the start. This targeted approach reduces the time spent navigating through different departments and leads to quicker resolutions.

Reduce Call Transfers

Assign calls to agents based on their specific skills to minimize unnecessary call transfers. This process ensures customers avoid being bounced between agents and enjoy a smoother journey.

Optimize Resource Usage

Allocate your resources effectively by focusing agents on calls that match their strengths. Ensure each call is managed by the most appropriate person, leading to better overall team performance.

Decrease Operational Costs

Reduce the need for additional staff and decrease the number of repeated interactions. Save money on lowering your operational costs and supporting a more cost-effective customer service operation.

Why Do Businesses Need Skills-Based Routing?

Set Language Preferences 

When a customer requests support in Spanish, Skill-Based Routing connects them with a Spanish-speaking agent immediately. Similarly, calls from a French number are automatically routed to a French speaker, ensuring your customers get the support in their language.

Direct to the Right Expertise

If a customer needs to claim a warranty, Skill-Based Routing sends them directly to the department that handles claims. This ensures that every customer is quickly connected to an agent with the specialized knowledge required, streamlining the support process.

Provide Tailored Support

With our Contact Tags, you can mark customers with labels like “churn risk.” Skill-Based Routing uses the data to route these high-priority customers to agents with exceptional communication skills, ensuring they receive attentive and personalized support.

Skill-up your support now.

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Skills-Based Routing Best Practices

Optimize Your Product Expertise

If you run a company with diverse product lines, use Skill-Based Routing to match customers with agents who have in-depth knowledge of specific products. This ensures that customers receive accurate information tailored to their needs, boosting the overall experience.

Enhance Technical Support Efficiency

In technical support centers, direct customers to specialists who can handle complex issues efficiently. By connecting callers with agents capable of resolving specific technical problems, you reduce resolution time and improve support quality.

Provide Efficient Onboarding

Utilize call center routing to assign simpler, routine calls to newer agents while directing more complex issues to seasoned professionals. This approach ensures that customers receive the best possible service and helps new agents gradually build confidence and skills.

Elevate Support for VIP Clients

Prioritize VIP customers or urgent issues, directing them to specialized agents who can provide immediate and high-quality support. This ensures that critical matters are handled promptly and efficiently, enhancing customer trust and satisfaction with your service.

How to Set Up Skills-based Routing With IVR?

01

In Call Flow Designer, select the + symbol on the step where you want to add a new action. As an action type, select IVR.

02

Enter seconds to wait and search the IVR greeting you want to use. New recordings must first be uploaded via Settings. 

03

Select the + to add a new action after the IVR step. Choose “Call to group” or “Call to agent”. 

04

Enter Seconds to wait on this step.

05

Select the name of a Group or agent who should be getting calls. and choose an IVR keyboard number for the caller to enter. 

06

Add all the Groups/agents as separate branches you need and save changes before exiting the page. 

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Have questions?

When should a company consider using Skill-Based Routing?

A company should consider using Skill-Based Routing in a call center when it needs to efficiently manage complex customer interactions across diverse products or services. This approach is especially beneficial for companies with specialized support needs, technical support centers, or businesses operating in multiple languages. Implementing Skill-Based Routing ensures that customers are connected to the most qualified agents, improving service efficiency and customer satisfaction.

How to set up routing rules?

To set up routing rules, start by defining the specific skills and attributes required for each type of customer inquiry. Configure your routing system to match these skills with your agents’ expertise. Use your call center software’s admin panel to create rules that direct calls based on criteria such as product knowledge, technical skills, or language proficiency. Regularly review and adjust these rules to align with evolving business needs and agent capabilities.

What are the types of skills-based routing?

The types of skills-based routing include:

– Product Expertise Routing: Connects customers with agents who have specialized knowledge about specific products or services.
– Technical Skill Routing: Directs inquiries to agents with the technical skills required to resolve complex issues.
– Language Proficiency Routing: Routes calls to agents fluent in the customer’s preferred language.
– Customer Profile Routing: Matches customers with agents based on their history or profile tags, such as high-value or at-risk customers.

How does omnichannel routing improve customer experience?

Omnichannel routing improves customer experience by providing a seamless and integrated support process across all communication channels. It ensures that customers receive consistent service whether they contact you via phone, email, chat, or social media. By tracking customer interactions across channels and routing them to the most suitable agent based on their previous interactions and preferences, omnichannel routing enhances efficiency and satisfaction.

What is a skills-based routing algorithm?

A skills-based routing algorithm is a set of rules and logic used by call center software to match customer inquiries with the most qualified agents based on their skills and expertise. The algorithm evaluates factors such as agent skills, customer needs, and historical data to determine the best agent for each call. This ensures that each customer is directed to an agent who can effectively address their specific issue or requirement.

How does skills-based routing differ from queue-based routing?

Skills-based routing differs from queue-based routing in that it focuses on matching customers with agents based on specific skills and expertise, rather than simply distributing calls based on their order in a queue. Skills-based routing aims to connect customers with the most appropriate agent for their needs, improving service quality and efficiency. In contrast, queue-based routing distributes calls to agents on a first-come, first-served basis, which can lead to less efficient handling of specialized requests.

How does skills-based routing differ from ACD routing?

Skills-based routing differs from Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) routing in that it prioritizes matching customer inquiries with agents based on their specific skills and qualifications, while ACD routing generally distributes calls based on predefined rules like round-robin or least-busy agent. Skills-based routing ensures customers are connected with the most capable agent for their issue, whereas ACD routing focuses on balancing call loads among available agents without considering their individual skills.

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