Overview and Use
Although it may seem like the internet is taking over because this is an ever growing and evolving digital world, phone calls are still a vital form of communication. Since the beginning of the invention of the telephone, its uses and advancements have changed society and grown drastically in the last century. Phone calls are used for a range of reasons whether it is for calling family members and friends, international calls or in the case of emergency situations to call the police or local fire department. One of the most popular and innovative ways phone calls are used in the business field is a vital part of any organization that views making the customer happy and satisfied with their product important: customer service.
Why are phone calls used in the customer service field? Well, more than likely a larger number of problems can be handled and resolved by using the phone rather than in person.The problem may only take a few minutes to dissolve and using a phone can be a medium for an easy fix. Also, a company can expand their market across the country or internationally because phone calls can be made almost anywhere in the world similar to how wireless internet is used. Another question to consider is who will handle all of these incoming calls? A call center is a perfect remedy to this problem. A contact or call center is an office space or sometimes a whole separate department in a company that is setup to handle and intake a large volume of telephone calls at one time or throughout the day. This form of contact may be all that is needed to solve the problem between the product/service and customer. A specific tool that is very commonly used within organizations that handle a large volume of inbound phone calls that have call centers as a part of their business is an automatic call distributor.
What is an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)?
An automatic call distributor is a telephone facility that manages incoming calls for the company and the system uses a routing strategy based on a set of instructions or the database that shows how the calls need to be handled and who they should be distributed to. This means that the customer is usually sent to an agent or the needed department as quickly as possible depending on their specific problem and the reason they are calling. The routing and matching strategy are like a refining process, it makes the job of the agent a lot easier. An agent does not need to constantly be redirecting the calls to the right department or person who can assist the consumer.This system is called the computer telephony and interactive voice response system.
ACDs have grown in other uses and capabilities that go beyond just matching customers as time has progress.Automatic call distributors also allow callers to record messages to a party, balance the use of phone lines effectively, and make needed responses or messages for the current callers on the line that may not be able to de done with a live agent. ACDs can also provide a form of these services for the call/contact center: automatic customer or caller identification (ACIS), dialed number identification service (DNIS), automatic number identification (ANI), and direct inward dialing (DID). These different advantages that are part of the ACD can make tracking and monitoring customer service calls transparent and easier to follow. For the call agent and business, all of these tools make an automatic call distributor a fundamental part of your organization.
How much does an Automatic Call Distributor cost and what are the factors involved in this price?
The cost of an automatic call distributor depends on your specific company and its needs at the time. Keep in mind that an ACD is also incorporated with the Computer telephony systems so this will boost its overall price. An automatic call distributor can cost a couple of thousand of dollars to millions of dollars for a company. As with anything in business there a few factors that will determine the cost of the ACD for your organization. The call volume or a number of phone calls being handled by the call/contact center is a huge factor. The bigger that call center the larger the price tag for the automatic call distributor. A very large call center can be handling thousands of calls per day and especially if these calls are international this will boost the cost and can reach up to millions in price.
ACD In Call Centers
The number of agents and the languages in the call / contact is another factor to consider. If the company is international and handling a range of languages this will increase the ACD cost. A twenty-four-hour call center will be more expensive than a call center running the usual business hours.The complexity that the organization requires is specific and needs to be determined and tailored to you. This complexity depends on the product/service being sold to the consumer and the level of customer service you would like them to receive. Another factor to keep in the forefront of your mind is how modern and updated the automatic call distributor server you would like to use for your company. Many ACD’s allow businesses to have the ability to set, manage, and change the priority of the call to make sure the most important problems and questions are answered first. Many systems also allow agents to check in and out of the queues. Agents are also able to see who else is in the queue with them. Managers have the capability to see how the agents are doing and if anything needs to be handled or taken care of in real- time.