Benefits of an ACD phone system

Written by Eric Fleming

For businesses that face high volumes of calls, such as customer service and technical support, having a standard phone system is very much a losing proposition. Callers need – and demand – to be taken care of as quickly as possible. Being placed on hold for an indeterminate period of time, and then being forwarded to someone who can’t help them, loses both customers and money. In these cases, an ACD phone system truly is the best solution.

What ACD phone systems do for businesses

Automatic call distribution (ACD) phone systems route each incoming call to the best-qualified person, which serves to make the customer happier, but also allows the company to help all its customers more efficiently. This leads to better overall customer satisfaction, more repeat customers, and higher profits.

How ACD systems work

When calls come in to a call center, the customer is first asked a series of questions. Years ago, these questions would have been asked by a live person. Today, customers typically go through an automated voice menu system.

Based on customer responses, a CLI (basically the caller's ID) is created. This includes everything from the responses they gave, which indicates the trouble they're having or help they’re requesting, to their place of origin. The system can also display information about the caller’s language spoken and time of day, and also the time they called.

At this point, the ACD phone system relies on an algorithm to distribute the calls. It takes the CLI and compares it to the DDI, which is the number the customer dialed. This number (in cases where automatic call distribution is implemented) is not the number for a particular party, but more of a general idea.

For instance, if you call your cable company to complain about a faulty signal, you'll likely be given options for billing, making account changes, addressing problems with your signal, and more. You would choose the option for problems with your account, and based on what types of problems you indicated you were having, you would be routed to a technician. But your responses would help guide the distributor in routing your call, as the more severe problems would go to more advanced technicians, while simple set-up problems could be handled by someone less experienced.

All of those factors, compared almost instantly, make up ACD phone systems.

So, whether your business is in the repair, trouble shooting or customer service arena, you’ll want to consider an ACD phone system. It will make you more responsive to customer demands, create a more streamlined and efficient operation and, in the long run, bring new customers to your business.

Interested in getting your company started? Submit a free request for ACD phone system price quotes and get matched to multiple dealers who will try to get you the best deal for your business.