What is Round Robin Call Routing?
Round robin call routing (also known as round robin phone system) is an advanced call routing technique where an incoming call is sent evenly across different agents or reps. In other words, it sends calls down a predetermined list of receivers. This call routing technique uses an ACD or IVR system to route incoming calls within a business and improve caller experience.
You should consider getting the round robin routing feature if your business has a large incoming call volume for sales or customer support and is looking for a better call management solution.
We don’t currently offer round robin call routing in our new platform.
How Does Round Robin Routing Work?
This type of IVR routing strategy uses predetermined lists and rules to route calls effectively across your network. You input call routing rules through your provider’s control panel or dashboard. Here, you create a list of agents that the calls get assigned to, and how the calls will be routed.
Then, when a call comes in, the IVR or ACD system takes into account the order of the agents, identifies which agent is next in line, and sends the call to them.
Here’s an example of round robin call routing:
Agents X, Y, and Z are currently available to answer incoming calls. The first call that comes in goes to agent X because they were first in line. The next call goes to agent Y, and then Z. This way, calls are distributed equally across the agents instead of sending more calls to one agent over the other.
There is one caveat to this type of routing. Since calls move down a list of agents, if the agent next in line is busy, then the caller will have an increased wait time. But there are ways to resolve this issue, you can send the caller to:
- Voicemail after waiting for X seconds,
- Next agent in line after waiting for X seconds, or
- Your customer support outsourcing company or remorse workers after waiting for X seconds.
You can also use round robin routing in addition to other types of call routing (such as simultaneous ringing) to ensure no calls go unanswered or long wait times.
Why Does Your Business Need a Round Robin Phone System?
Part of offering excellent customer service and sales support is setting up your teams and agents for success. Proper training and call management features can help with this.
Companies with large inbound call volumes often struggle with the equal distribution of calls. Some agents and reps may answer more calls than others, leading to overwhelmed and burdened agents and poor performance.
With round robin call routing, each agent gets their equal share of calls and some breathing room so that they can assist each caller efficiently.
Benefits of Round Robin Call Routing for Businesses
With round robin phone system, your business can:
- Equal distribution of calls
- Enhanced caller experience
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Reduced wait time
- Faster resolution
- Fewer voicemails and missed calls
- Specific call availability times on a per-agent basis
- Ability to transfer and forward calls when agents are busy
- Better customer self-service
- Optimize utilization of your team’s time
