What is ACD in a call center? How Does It Work?

We’ll take an educated guess and say that you dialed a customer service number at least once in your life. If you did, there’s a high chance the call center you got used an ACD system to improve the call and make your day just a bit better.

But what does ACD stand for and how does it work?

Let’s find out!

What does ACD stand for?

ACD is an acronym for Automatic Call Distribution - a telephony software that distributes incoming calls to available call center agents. In other words, ACD allows multiple customers to call the number at the same time without having to wait in a queue. 

While its main purpose is to make the call efficient on the caller's end, it also alleviates the pressure from call center agents and makes their day-to-day life a lot easier. 

How does ACD work?

Now that you know what does ACD stand for, we’ll move on to how this software works. It’s easy to explain what’s happening behind the scenes by breaking the process into three steps:

1. Caller identification
2. Call queuing
3. Call distribution

Let’s look at each step in a bit more detail:

Caller identification

The customer makes a call and the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system kicks into action. IVR allows callers to access basic information via pre-recorded messages and provides menu options chosen via a touch-tone keypad or voice recognition software. 

This system then decides which agent can receive the call. 

Call queueing

Next, a waiting list that sorts callers is ordered by caller status, query, or waiting time. In some call centers, there are VIP callers who will get priority and talk with a call center agent first. 

Call distribution

Lastly, using the information collected in the first center, the calls will be distributed to appropriate agents. There are different types of call distribution, which depend purely on the needs of the business.

Main types of call distribution

According to the circumstances in a company, different types of call distribution can be used, some of which include:

1. Fixed order 

This type of call distribution is categorized by the fact that call center agents are sorted in a fixed order. For example, the first agent on the list will receive the calls, and if they’re busy, the second agent will receive the call instead. 

This approach lends itself to companies that have well-trained agents who can handle different kinds of customer requests. 

2. Simultaneous distribution

If your main priority is customer satisfaction, then simultaneous call distribution is the better option. This type depends on the waiting time of the callers, meaning all active agents receive the call at the same time and the fastest agent will be the one who deals with the caller query. 

3. Talk-time distribution

In some cases, businesses want to make sure that each of their agents works the same amount of calls. Thus, they can use a talk-time distribution so that the latest call in the queue goes to the agent with the least amount of talk-time. 

This method is the most fair to the call center personnel as it ensures that no agent is picking up the slack while others are idle. 

4. Rotational distribution

Rotational distribution is akin to a cycle where agents are dealing with a call loop, so to speak. To illustrate, the first agent will handle the first call, while the second will pick up the second call, and so on.

When the loop finishes, the cycle continues.

This is another type of call distribution that facilitates an equal volume of calls to each agent. 

5. Weighted distribution 

A skills-based routing or weighted call distribution revolves around the skills and expertise of each call center agent. To use it effectively, it’s necessary to score the common skills of agents, after which the calls will be automatically distributed as per the scores. 

In this context, scores are assigned to skills such as response time, expertise, efficiency, comprehension, language proficiency, and any other relevant skill. 

While it doesn’t distribute the workload equally, this method is good if you want to increase your caller’s overall satisfaction with your customer service. 

6. Time-based distribution

Lastly, a good method if you don’t want your agents to be available off-hours is a time-based distribution system. In this system, calls will be distributed according to the availability of the agents. To put it differently, the system will detect the available agents when the call arrives and they’ll be notified about the call. 

When agents are unavailable, the call will go to voicemail. 

Why you should use ACD

The ACD system benefits all the parties involved: the call center, call center employees, and ultimately, the callers. 

Your customers won’t have to wait minutes to talk to an agent and their queries will be addressed swiftly. Thus, the overall client satisfaction will go through the roof, and since today’s customers expect a high level of service, there’s a higher chance they’ll become loyal to your brand. 

Agents can benefit from the ACD system as it will provide them with more orders and see to it that each team member carries the same workload. Furthermore, the employers will have an easier time tracking the agents’ performance in handling the calls, allowing them to find new ways to improve their skills. 

Finally, since ACD can transfer calls to the most competent agents for each issue, the first-call resolution rates in your call center will skyrocket. Plus, you can ensure no customer ever has to talk to the wrong department.

All in all, your agents will resolve calls quicker, which means the cost per call will be significantly reduced - direct money savings for your business. 

The heart of the call center

ACD distributes contacts to various call center agents in a variety of ways. While in the past it was possible to only send the call to the next available agent, nowadays, you can use different systems that can route your calls following specific factors. 

Since most call centers are reliant on this technology to stay effective, the ACD is nothing short of being the heart of every modern call center.