Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)

    An ACD system is a central tool in modern customer service. It ensures the efficient, automatic distribution of calls based on rules that take into account the skills of the agents, their availability and the caller's concerns.

    What is an ACD?

    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD ) is a telephone system that automatically forwards incoming calls in a call center or contact center to the most suitable available agent. The system is based on defined rules, such as caller requests, the availability of agents, the skills of employees or the prioritization of calls. The ACD is a central tool for optimizing customer service, as it ensures that calls are processed efficiently and quickly.

    Difference between ACD and IVR

    ACD and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are often confused, as both play a central role in the call center. However, the main difference lies in their functionality: the IVR controls the call and collects the information before the ACD forwards the calls to the best available employee.

    IVR

    • IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is a system that provides callers with automated voice prompts and allows them to navigate through menus at the touch of a button or by voice input. Customers can, for example, ask for information or direct themselves to the right department.

    ACD

    • The ACD, on the other hand, handles the transfer of the call to a human agent based on the information determined by the IVR or other systems. While IVR prepares the call, ACD is responsible for the actual assignment to the agent.

    Advantages of an ACD

    A well-implemented ACD system brings numerous benefits for companies and their customer service:

    1. Increased efficiency: by automatically distributing calls to the right agent, handling time is significantly reduced. This leads to faster solutions and reduces the waiting time for customers.

    2. Improved customer satisfaction: Customers are quickly routed to the right contact person, which avoids frustration and increases service quality.

    3. Optimized use of resources: Skill-based routing makes optimal use of agents' skills. This ensures that every call is handled by the best possible person.

    4. Better availability: Thanks to the dynamic distribution of calls, the load is distributed evenly across all available agents, reducing overloads and bottlenecks.

    5. Detailed reporting and analytics: ACD systems provide valuable data, such as call volume, agent performance and wait times, which can be used to optimize operations.

    Examples of ACD systems

    Customer service call center

    • A telecommunications provider could use an ACD system to automatically route calls to specialized support teams that deal with mobile, internet or technical faults. For example, the cell phone network provider congstar uses the ACD from VIER (to the case study).

    IT support

    • In an IT helpdesk, calls are distributed based on the urgency and expertise of the support staff so that urgent problems can be solved more quickly by experienced technicians. Read in our case study how the service provider HCL Technologies offers secure and GDPR-compliant IT support with the ACD VIER engage.

    Financial service provider

    • Banks use ACD systems to route customer calls to specialists for credit advice, account information or mortgages, depending on the caller's request. This is also the case for TeamBank, which uses the VIER solution (to the case study).

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