There’s no question that customers hate waiting in the queue. Even more frustrating than waiting in a queue is waiting in a second, third, or fourth queue after being transferred to an agent that can resolve their issues.
With this in mind, contact centers can implement lead routing strategies to optimize first-call resolution and improve the customer experience.
What is Lead Routing?
Lead routing refers to how your contact center manages incoming calls. Also called lead management, this process is important in the workflow of your center to ensure customers’ needs are met and agents can effectively help callers.
Utilizing today’s automated lead routing strategies can help your contact center agency improve efficiency and key performance indicators (KPIs). In addition, effectively using lead routing strategies can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce lengthy wait times.
Benefits of Using Lead Routing
Using lead routing can help streamline your contact center’s processes and free up agent time. In turn, this means an optimal lead routing strategy provides benefits for your agents and customers alike. Some of the top advantages of using lead routing include:
1. Lower Queue Times
Shortened queue times are essential to improving the customer experience. With real-time lead distribution, customers are channeled to the appropriate agent quickly, shortening their wait times. This reduces the need to be transferred from agent to agent in order to get to the right person for the job.
2. Data Organization
Automated lead routing strategies also can reduce the need for manual collection and analysis of data. Using software to your advantage, agents have access to more accurate and organized data, freeing up much of their time.
3. Lead Organization
Using automated lead routing strategies can help your contact center to better organize your leads. With technology to your advantage, leads can be organized in proper order, and communication can be more easily managed. In turn, improved lead organization leads to better lead distribution.
4. Better Lead Distribution
Distributing leads effectively amongst your agents is important to helping enhance your conversion rates. Instead of manual lead distribution, using lead routing strategies will automatically assign calls to the most qualified rep. As a result, your contact center can benefit from more closed deals and a higher overall success rate.
5. Improved Customer Experience
Today’s customers have shortened attention spans and demand quick responses. By utilizing a lead routing strategy, your call center can enhance the customer experience and get callers to the appropriate agent faster.
Lead Routing Strategies by Criteria
Employing a comprehensive lead management strategy will be determined by what criteria your contact center targets. Proper routing will allow customers to speak to the most appropriate agent on their first contact with your call center.
1. Quality
Routing calls by value can help you allocate your agent’s time effectively. For example, a call center agent’s time can be focused on creating relationships with larger deals whereas lower-quality leads could be routed to an automated process.
2. Location
Another way to route leads is based on their geographical location. This method may be useful for centers working within a specific region. Routing leads by location ensures that calls are channeled to the appropriate agents within the correct time zone. Lead routing based on location benefits both call center agents and customers.
3. Use Case
Leads can also be routed based on use case, if your product or service has several use cases. This can help target calls to specialized contact center agents who are qualified to handle specific customer calls. Not only does this make calls easier to tackle for specialized agents, but it directs callers to an agent who is qualified to address their concerns without requiring several transfers (and long queue times).
4. Lead Score
Lead scoring can help you to assign values to incoming leads to determine their value. In turn, your contact center can route calls based on the assigned lead score to help focus efforts on the most qualified leads. By routing only the most qualified leads to agents, agents can focus more time on the customers with the best chances of conversion.
5. Customer Type
Some contact centers may also choose to route calls by the type of caller. For example, you may wish to route existing customers one way, while new leads should be routed to the sales team. Routing calls by customer type helps agents be able to more effectively help resolve customer calls.
6. Lead Source
Contact centers in certain industries might benefit by basing lead routing strategy criteria on lead sources. The lead source may indicate the customer’s concern, helping to direct them to the appropriate agent to resolve their issue.
Some contact centers may also route leads by priority, which can help determine the order in which calls should be addressed.
Implementing Comprehensive Lead Routing Strategies
Using lead routing strategies in your contact center can offer a myriad of benefits both for contact agents and callers. For customers, lead routing can enhance satisfaction and mean fewer call transfers and wait time in queues. Meanwhile, for agents, an effective lead management strategy provides better lead organization and improved lead distribution.
Call Tools’ all-in-one integrated CRM platform with automated lead routing can help your contact center improve its strategies and set you up for success. To learn more, request a Call Tools demo today.
