Devoted to the call center industry, the agents on the phones, and their managers

Designed to answer, queue, and route incoming calls, the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is the foundation for inbound calls. This system is able to process more calls than a human agent ever could. It recognizes and answers an incoming call; it looks in its database for call routing instructions. It connects the call to an appropriate call agent, depending on its instructions. If no agent is currently available, the ACD system can send the call to a recording or voice response unit, where a caller might hear a customized message, on-hold music, product offerings, or a message stating the importance of their business. This automated ACD system is designed to maximize the amount of time an agent spends actually talking to customers.

Call distribution systems typically provide some level of reporting on call and agent performance. Optional tools for inbound calls include: fax-on-demand, interactive voice response (IVR), and audiotex libraries. Automation enables the call center to provide instant responses to frequently asked questions. This frees call agents to focus on more complex customer requests.

Traditional automatic call distributor systems have evolved to achieve two objectives:

1. Minimize the call waiting time, as well as the call duration. The shorter a caller has to wait, the happier he/she is with the service. Shorter call lengths also increase the number of calls an agent can handle, and possibly even free inbound call agents for other tasks.
2. Route callers to call agents who can most effectively handle their calls and complete the transaction. This technique is known as skill-based routing. It aims to determine the nature of the call and then route the caller to an agent best-suited to handle the call. This process is essential in large complex call centers that provides many services and supports multiple languages. A basic example of skill-based routing is to transfer a Spanish-speaking caller to a Spanish-speaking agent. However, routing instructions can become even more complex as call centers and businesses increasingly try to improve call center efficiency and productivity.