Call center queuing refers to the process of routing incoming customer calls to the most suitable agent. Most often, this is done through an ACD (Automatic Call Distributor). An ACD uses predefined rules and a smart algorithm to determine how calls are distributed among available agents.
Call center queuing is essential for a well-oiled, efficient customer support operation. It allows you to distribute customer calls to the best reps automatically, thus saving time for both your customers and agents.
The Ideal Call Center Queuing System
Since no two businesses look exactly alike, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all roadmap for setting up your call center queuing system.
But in general, this is how you want your system to work:
- The customer calls your business phone number.
- They’re welcomed by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which is the automated system that can help answer questions and route customers to the right agent.
- The IVR collects information such as the account number or reason for the call.
- Based on this information, the ACD distributes the call to an available agent with the necessary skills and knowledge to help the customer.
This simple process is the best way to ensure low wait times. By starting with the IVR, you can get relevant information from callers, and they may potentially even be able to answer their own questions without needing to be directed to an agent.
But if they do need to speak to an agent, knowing exactly what they’re calling about ahead of time ensures they’ll get to the right person. Instead of having one long line of customers that are randomly assigned to an agent, you’ll have smaller lines for each specific department. And because the system is set up so that customers are reaching agents who specialize in their question or issue, it’s likely the calls will be shorter, which means the lines move faster.
Despite the simplicity of this system, it’s not a set-it-and-forget-it automation. You should be continuing to monitor your call queuing system to keep refining and making improvements to how it works.
For instance, you might find that you need to add more options to your IVR or that you want to adjust how calls are routed to ensure customers are reaching the right agents.
Tricks to Reduce Call Center Queue Times
Reducing call center queue times is one of the ultimate goals for every customer support team. The longer customers have to wait, the more frustrated they get. This isn’t fun for either side of the call.
Fortunately, even if you do have long call center queue times, there are still some tricks you can implement to keep both your customers and agents happy.
Make Sure Call Routing Options Are Crystal Clear
Interactive Voice Response systems can help your call center run smoother and more efficiently—as long as they’re set up correctly.
Ensure all options and pathways are crystal clear. Run through it yourself, and ask a few other people to run through it, too.
If customers get confused by the system, they won’t only have to wait longer to get assistance, but they’ll likely be frustrated and unhappy by the time they finally get to speak to someone.
Use PTO Lotteries During the Holidays
During the holidays, you likely get a lot of PTO requests. Since your call center probably doesn’t shut down for an extended period during the year, you’ll need to make sure you’re staffed to handle the call volume during these times.
So how do you decide who gets to take time off and who doesn’t? One potential solution is to hold a PTO lottery.
Paid Time Off (PTO) lotteries may not be ideal for all businesses, but they’re often the fairest way to delegate time off during the holiday season.
Build Better Self-Service Options
Knowledge base pages are notoriously unintuitive and hard to navigate. But they don’t have to be.
Take the time to build simple self-service options that answer common questions and provide comprehensive answers. You might even add video tutorials to your knowledge base.
You can even take this a step further by automating things like password resets, refunds, and returns. This will reduce the number of calls your call center receives in the first place, meaning less overall queue time.
Use Artificial Intelligence-Powered Tools
Done right, artificial intelligence can supercharge your customer care team and provide them with the support to serve your customers better, faster, and more efficiently.
For instance, you can feed an AI chatbot with information from your company wiki and customer support SOPs. The AI chatbot can then assist your agents with answering questions by suggesting responses and even providing the exact script for specific questions.
This will help your agents answer questions quicker, thus reducing call queue times.
Employ Appointment Scheduling
Appointment scheduling refers to the practice of letting customers schedule a call at their convenience. You could make this available to all customers or provide it as a feature for customers who pay for premium services. Not only will this help reduce wait times, but it will also improve the overall customer experience.
Monitor Essential Call Metrics
When it comes to how well your call center processes are working, you don’t have to guess. Just follow the data.
Continually monitor analytics like time spent in queue, time spent on the phone, percentage of calls dropped, and how long it takes for customers to get their issues resolved.
This information shows you where you can improve and where you can scale.
Call metrics can also serve as invaluable business intelligence tools. For instance, if you notice multiple customers asking the same question, an easy solution would be to build an FAQ page answering their question. This has the added benefit of potentially lowering wait times, as more customers can find the help they need on your website without calling in.
Other Ways to Set Up Your Call Center Queuing
There are many ways you can set up your call center queue, aside from the basic system we outlined above. Here are some of the most popular systems:
Overflow Queuing
The overflow queueing method tends to be used by businesses with high call volumes, like enterprise call centers. The basics of this system are very simple: you handle most calls internally, but during peak times, overflow calls are rerouted to an outsourced call center.
This type of queuing system is suitable for companies who are busier during certain seasons of the year.
- Pros of overflowing queuing: Low wait times for your customers during peak times
- Cons of overflowing queuing: Lack of control over outsourced call center quality
Priority Queuing
Priority queuing is based on a VIP queue system, where you have different segments for different types of customers. This system redistributes the queue according to the customer’s status. For instance, someone who’s been a client for longer will be moved to the front of the line, while someone with just a few purchases may need to wait a little longer.
Priority queuing works best in service-based businesses or luxury ecommerce. These industries are where VIP treatment is justifiable and, thus, expected.
- Pros of priority queuing: Increased customer satisfaction and retention for your most loyal customers
- Cons of priority queuing: You may lose prospective customers who don’t get the VIP treatment and are left waiting longer
Round-Robin Distributor Queuing
The round-robin distributor queuing is a system based on the “fair is fair” principle.
It distributes calls to agents evenly so nobody gets overloaded. This system works like a card game: everyone is dealt a card, one by one, when their turn comes.
As a general rule, round-robin distributor queuing is a fair way of distributing customer calls. However, it might not work if you only have a small customer care team.
- Pros of round-robin distributor queuing: Helps keep workload distributed evenly among your team
- Cons of round-robin distributor queueing: Works best with large teams