It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, if you handle a lot of calls on a regular basis, then you know that making sure you answer each of them as quickly as possible is vital for your business’s customer service reputation.
Of course, if you only run a small business, then you’re probably also more than familiar with the twin problems of having too many calls coming in to get your work done while simultaneously not having enough staff available to meet customer demand.
And that’s exactly where answering services and call routing can help, in particular, round robin call routing.
Designed to take the pressure off you and your team so you can focus on your day-to-day work, round robin call routing is an efficient way of making sure calls are evenly spread between your team. But it comes with a host of other great benefits as well.
Read on to learn exactly how a round robin phone system could help you, and how to set up round robin routing with minimal issues.
What is round robin call routing?
As we’ve just mentioned, round robin routing differs from other call routing strategies by evenly spreading calls out across your operators, rather than just directing the call to the next available agent.
Using a round robin system ensures a fair distribution of calls and helps to prevent overloading agents and burnout. While also ensuring that you’re making the most of your team’s availability by having everybody do their fair share of the work.
How does round robin call routing work?
The theory behind a round robin phone system is simply all about distributing calls evenly. And that’s exactly as it sounds!
For example, when a series of customers ring in quick succession, call one will go to agent A, call two to agent B, call three to agent C, and so on and so forth until all your operators are engaged or have received a callAt this point, your routing system will then loop back to agent A and follow the same process.
As you can see, this ensures that everyone working on your call team will receive the same number of calls as their colleagues, dividing the work equally and making sure no one member of the team is responsible for the majority of customer interactions.
What are the benefits of round robin call routing?
Based on our previous explanation, we’re sure you can already see many of the benefits round robin call routing can provide to your business. But we’re going to lay them out anyway to give you a full idea of what this service can provide:
The benefits of a round robin phone system for callers:
It goes without saying that all businesses want to avoid putting customers on hold, and that’s certainly one of the primary benefits round robin routing offers. By having your system divide calls between operators, it increases the likelihood that customers can be picked up immediately, rather than being stuck waiting on the line for several minutes.
This in turn leads to the second great benefit of customers getting a fast resolution to their problem. By having their call answered quickly, agents can action customer requests faster, resulting in less time being spent on the phone overall.
Finally, it really doesn’t need to be said just how much customers appreciate efficient call handling. So by investing in a round robin system, you can enhance your customer service reputation and present yourself as a business that always puts customers first.
The business benefits of a round robin phone system:
As much as round robin routing can benefit your customers, it can also be a massive boon for your business and staff, particularly when it comes to enhancing the overall productivity of your team.
We’ve flagged it already but the even distribution of calls this routing method provides can be a genuine lifeline for overworked teams with too much on their plates. With everybody doing their part, the pressure placed on any one member of staff is immediately lifted, improving everyone’s work balance.
Alongside this, reducing the level of work pressure experienced by team members will help them to maintain energy and enthusiasm throughout the day, which promotes consistent and professional interactions for each customer call that comes their way.
Finally, call balancing will naturally optimize your team’s time, helping to keep interruptions to a minimum and letting everyone focus on their most important daily tasks.
Are there any disadvantages to round robin routing?
While there are plenty of benefits that come with round robin routing, it’s worth bearing its one core disadvantage as well. Unfortunately, if the next agent in line is unavailable, the caller has to wait for them to be free.
However, the good news is that there are ways to get around this. You could either send the caller to voicemail (which we wouldn’t advise) or better yet, set up your routing system to divert their call to the next available agent.
And if all your agents are busy, you could even opt to have your calls sent to an outsourced live answering service, such as the one we provide at VoiceNation. With our virtual receptionists at your side, you’ll always have someone on hand to take your customer calls when your agents are busy.
How to setup round robin call routing for your business
In order to set up round robin call routing for your business, you’ll need to get in touch with your telecoms partners. They’ll be able to guide you through the process and make sure you have everything setup correctly.
And if you want to use VoiceNation alongside your new call routing servicesimply get in touch and we’ll provide you with a unique number that you can forward yourcalls to. We’ll even offer continuous support throughout the process for those who need it.
Improve your customer service with VoiceNation
By using a round robin call routing system, you can rest easy knowing employees are never overwhelmed, as well as making sure your customer’s calls are answered in a timely manner.
We all know that answering calls with good etiquette is one of the best thing you can do for your business and your customers, and call routing is a great way to help you achieve this. But remember, it’s not all about call routing, there are also plenty of other additional answering service features to consider for your business, too.
With this in mind, why not get in touch with VoiceNation today to learn all about our virtual receptionist and live chat functions that can help take your business to new heights? We’ll work with you to find a pricing package that works for you, and we even offer a 7-day free trial of our services, letting you see if we’re the right fit for you before you so much as spend a dime.