Most steps in a call center workflow are repeated thousands of times each day. That means any step you can eliminate or automate will translate into a huge productivity gain.

In this post, we’ll cover a number of different strategies for automating elements of your call center workflow. Some methods involve new technology, others involve making more with what you probably have already.

1. Optimize skills-based routing

This is not a new technology, but so many call centers aren’t maximizing its value. Skills-based routing automatically directs callers to the right agent based on set criteria like preferred language, technical skills, or product knowledge.

Pretty straightforward, right?

Your Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system collects information and passes the call to your Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), which passes your call to an appropriate agent. (If any of this feels unfamiliar, check out my post on call routing, which walks through this whole process.)

Here are a few strategies you can use to make sure that any skills-based routing system you have in place is automating as much as possible:

• Regularly update agent skills: Ensure that agent skill profiles match their performance and completed training. If you can automate this process, perfect — it has to get done for skills-based routing to work well.
• Use customer histories: Past interactions can predict the best agent for each caller’s needs. Routing calls to agents who have successfully resolved similar issues previously works well, as does routing callers to agents who have helped them before, if possible.
• Use behavioral-based routing: Customer behavior data, such as recent interactions with a specific product category or activity on a web app, can be used to direct calls. If someone is browsing commercial products on a company’s website, they probably won’t need a residential service rep.
• Use of CRM data during calls: CRM data during calls to route customers to agents familiar with their history or to prioritize qualified leads.
• Use of AI and machine learning: Incorporate AI to analyze call data and adapt routing strategies in real time.

Skills-based routing can be even more powerful when combined with advancements like conversational IVRs that utilize natural language processing (NLP) to understand a caller’s spoken request.

See: Learn five additional benefits of conversational IVR for call centers.

2. Deploy visual IVRs

Visual IVR directs callers to a website to complete what an agent would normally have to do. Customers can navigate through options visually and make selections using a keypad or touchpad.

Typically a visual IVR website is optimized for mobile, and the customer arrives via a link that comes to their phone.

Instead of relying solely on voice prompts (as you would with a traditional IVR), customers can see menu options displayed visually, allowing them to select their preferences with a tap. This is great for scheduling. Let customers select appointments from a visual calendar instead of having a customer service rep look at a calendar and relay information verbally.

For product returns, customers can upload photos through the visual IVR. There are so many actions that would require a human agent that a visual IVR can eliminate completely. It’s also liberating for callers, who can handle the various steps at their own pace rather than have to stay on the line.

See: Learn about five real-world visual IVR use cases. 

3. Deflect calls to chatbots

Call center chatbots automate call center workflows by handling routine inquiries and providing immediate responses to customers. AI in call centers is getting much better. Today’s chatbots can understand and respond to common questions, allowing them to assist customers with issues like order tracking, account information, and troubleshooting without the need for human intervention.

Call centers can deflect calls to chatbots by implementing a proactive messaging system on their website or mobile app. For example, when a customer visits the support page and initiates a call, a pop-up message can appear offering immediate assistance via a chatbot instead.

Chatbots can also collect valuable data during interactions, such as customer preferences and feedback. This information can be analyzed to identify trends, improve services, and refine future interactions.

Call center chatbots are not meant to replace human agents but rather to empower them. By handling routine tasks, AI assistants allow agents to focus on complex issues and provide a more personalized touch, creating a well-rounded customer service experience.

SEE: Check out examples of call center chatbots in action. 

4. Tune up your knowledge base

A call center knowledge base serves as a central repository of information for agents to quickly access answers about products, services, and procedures. It reduces the time agents spend searching for answers, leading to shorter call handling times and improved first-call resolution rates.

Essentially, you automate the process of agents needing to go dig for an answer while they have a customer on the line. This efficiency not only benefits the agents but also enhances the overall customer experience by allowing for faster responses.

Additionally, many knowledge bases offer customer-facing portals, enabling clients to find answers to common questions on their own, which further reduces the number of inbound calls.

To maximize the effectiveness of a knowledge base, training and onboarding programs should include guidance on how to effectively use the knowledge base, so new agents can hit the ground running.

Keeping a knowledge base up to date is no small feat. I know that, and an outdated knowledge base is almost more dangerous than not having one.

But if you are really trying to speed up the call center workflow and find every possible efficiency, ensuring agents always have the best information at their fingertips is a great place to start. Plus, a call center chatbot trained on a comprehensive knowledge base can be a huge benefit to agents.

5. Enable agents with auto dialers

Using auto dialers can significantly streamline the call center workflow for agents by automating the outbound dialing process. This technology eliminates the tedious task of manually dialing numbers and leaving voicemails, allowing agents to focus on engaging with customers.

There are different types of auto dialers. Some will start a call as soon as an agent is ready, others will make multiple calls at once and only connect an agent when a call is answered.

I’m not going to go overboard on this point — it’s really straightforward — you can save agents a boatload of time each day by automating calls with a dialer. Without having to wait on rings, a single agent making more than 100 calls a day is totally normal. 150 calls is not out of the question.

6. Offer callback scheduling

This innovative feature allows callers to request a callback from an agent at a more convenient time, eliminating the frustration of waiting on hold.

How do callbacks work? Let’s say a customer calls a busy call center during peak hours and is greeted with an automated message offering a hold time of 10 minutes. Frustrated, the customer chooses instead to use the callback scheduling feature.

The system automatically places the customer in a virtual queue and disconnects the call. The agent then receives a notification when the chosen callback time arrives, allowing them to connect with the customer directly, eliminating the hold time, and providing a more convenient experience for everyone.

Happier customers mean happier agents. And when automations like these free up and empower agents to do a better job serving callers, the whole business thrives.