About routing: How to direct calls strategically

Back in the day, being able to forward an incoming call to anyone in your office was considered cutting-edge technology.

Now technology has advanced to where call-routing software like AccuRoute® can gather immediate data about callers responding to pay-per-call campaigns, using filters to digitally custom-route your calls based on criteria most important to your business. Once the call is routed, your agents can use incoming data regarding caller location, demographics and the ad spurring the call to move into a customized pitch. Finally, because each call is timed and recorded, regular summary reports let you make campaign adjustments based on which strategies are working.

Maximizing those incoming calls could be crucial to your revenues at a time when mobile shopping is taking off more quickly than a herd of gigahertz. Last year mobile commerce accounted for nearly one-third of all U.S. e-commerce sales, and the number of mobile users worldwide is slated to exceed 2 billion this year.

Strategies vary as to how best to route calls, depending on the structure of your company and the goals of your campaign. Among the most popular are:

• Routing by time of day: The method allows you to direct calls based on where and when your calling centers are open, minimizing unanswered calls. It’s especially effective when advertising in different time zones.
• Routing to multiple locations: RingSquared is among companies offering this option, which allows for calls sent to various locations simultaneously so they can be answered by the first available agent.
• Routing to top-performing closers: Cherry picking your best leads can be a reward for commissioned agents. You may also send your top performers those callers who haven’t decided to buy, giving them a chance to work their sales magic.
• Routing in a specific order: That way you can divvy up calls evenly so all sales reps have an equal chance to make quota, while minimizing on-hold times.
• Routing by ad: Direct calls based on the website or mobile ad to which the caller is responding so agents can efficiently customize their pitches by offer or product.
• Routing by geo-location: Use geo-tracking technology to ensure each call goes to the closest or most appropriate store, franchise, office or agent. Localizing transactions allows for demographics-based sales pitches and gives the customer the option of doing business at a brick-and-mortar location.
• Routing by VIP status: Consider coding the phone numbers of your best customers so you can automatically route their calls to an expedited VIP line. They may appreciate being recognized, not having to provide as much information and/or being routed to the same staffer every time.
• Routing by country: Several services facilitate the transfer of calls from across the world to U.S. calling centers. Check out Google Voice,Callcentric, Dingtone, WhatsApp, Telzio, Vonage, Skype or Ooma.

Contact RingSquared to talk strategy on routing your incoming calls most effectively.