What is call routing? How it works, benefits, and types

Call routing reduces customer wait times, quickly connecting them with someone most qualified to help. Without it, a customer calling about a billing issue might get stuck in a long queue, transferred to the wrong team, and asked to repeat the problem they’re calling about multiple times before reaching the right person. By then, they’re frustrated and more likely to seek services elsewhere.

Today’s call routing systems go beyond simple menus, leveraging data to intelligently connect callers with the most appropriate agent. This approach leads to more efficient interactions and higher customer satisfaction.

In this article, you’ll learn what call routing is, how it works, various call routing types and features, and what benefits it delivers to businesses.

Call routing, also called automated call routing or automatic call distribution (ACD), is the process of sending incoming phone calls to the right person or team. The technology follows rules usually programmed by call center managers or admin leads.  

Many companies use interactive voice response (IVR) menus (such as press “1” for sales, “2” for support, and so on) to let callers direct themselves, while others route calls based on factors like the:

• Caller’s history with the organization
• Time of day
• Skills and availability of individual agents (for example, sending VIP customers to experienced agents who handle their accounts)
• Number they dialed (some ad campaigns used dedicated numbers to track responses)

Before automated routing, switchboard operators directed each call manually. Today, call routing works automatically through technology, so that companies can connect customers faster and with fewer transfers.

Every inbound call is an opportunity to drive revenue or build stronger relationships with customers and suppliers. Business owners, support leads, and contact center managers extract extra value by connecting every caller to an agent with the right knowledge and experience to move things forward.

The six most significant advantages of call routing are:

Improve customer and agent satisfaction

For customers, business call routing cuts wait times, reduces transfers between departments, and puts callers in touch with someone who can help them immediately, boosting customer satisfaction. For agents, it reduces stress by shielding them from taking calls they can’t resolve — making their workload more manageable and giving them more time to work on productive assignments.

Boost agent productivity

Call routing systems help improve call center agents’ productivity by connecting callers to the right person more quickly, whether that’s someone with the skills to close a sale, resolve a support issue, or handle a supplier request. If a team member is already on the phone, the system can automatically route the call to an available agent to keep queues moving and balance agent workloads. This system helps teams hit their targets, and callers get more satisfactory outcomes.

Customize call flows for any team

Phone call routing gives business owners control over how incoming calls flow through their business. You can route calls by department, skill level, time of day, language, or customer value to the company. For example, billing queries go straight to finance, and your important clients get straight through to senior sales staff. Every caller reaches the right contact the first time.

Scale across teams and locations

Automatic call routing helps high-volume businesses stay responsive across multiple teams, departments, and locations. If you run an international firm, you can route calls to the appropriate team based on geographic location and time zone to maintain around-the-clock coverage.

You can also accommodate hybrid working trends by routing calls to staff working from home just as easily as employees in the office. Recent VoIP statistics from the Pew Research Center show that one-third of American workers have a home office setup.

Prioritize high-value calls automatically

By configuring your IVR system to recognize VIP client numbers or high-intent prospects, you can route them directly to a live agent — skipping the general queue entirely. 

This way, your most valuable callers get immediate attention, whether long-term clients needing support or buyers ready to place an order. You can apply similar rules to flag priority calls based on caller ID, CRM data, or call purpose.

Better visibility with real-time reporting

Real-time reporting gives managers the data they need to make faster, smarter decisions. With a clear view of call volume, agent activity, and queue performance, optimizing staffing, improving response times, and enhancing overall call center efficiency is easier. 

Over time, these insights help teams spot trends, identify gaps, and continuously improve service quality. Let’s have a closer look:

• Call volume patterns: Review patterns to help ensure you have adequate staff to handle peaks in demand.
• Average speed to answer: See how fast your agents answer the phone to check you’re hitting company KPIs and reducing caller frustration.
• Average call wait time: If customers are waiting too long, reconsider how you route calls and the number of agents working during those times.
• Missed calls: Too many customers left unattended suggest you don’t have enough agents or need to revise your queueing rules.
• Call abandonment rate: Use data to understand when and why callers hang up because they can’t get through, and implement strategies to address the issues.

Calls ending in a sale percentage: This metric helps you understand which reps are converting calls into sales and why. Use it to identify top performers, uncover coaching opportunities, and refine your sales strategy based on what’s actually working.

Phone call routing is a key capability of modern contact center software. Think of phone routing as a funnel, directing callers to those who can move the conversation forward. The process has three stages.

1. Qualification

During the first step, the contact center software determines the reason for a call based on caller voice prompts or the option a caller selects from the IVR menu — for example, “Press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts,” and so on. It might also be a dedicated number you set up to track responses from an individual marketing campaign.

2. Queuing

Once the system identifies the caller’s need, it uses predefined rules to assign them to the right queue. These rules are set up based on factors like issue type, agent skill set, availability, and current wait times — so callers are matched with the best team and spend less time on hold. 

The goal is to match the caller to the team that is best equipped to address their needs. The software may take into account factors like current wait times and agent availability to minimize hold times.

3. Distribution

The final step is the call distribution phase. Based on your rules, the system routes the call to the most suitable agent. That could be the agent who’s been idle the longest or the next agent on the list. For VIP calls, they might jump the IVR process altogether and go straight through to their account manager.

Routing logic is the rules you give your contact center software to determine where to direct each call. These rules directly affect whether callers reach the right person and how long they wait to speak with someone.

Here are some of the most common routing types with ideal use cases:

• Round robin routing: Round robin routing distributes incoming calls evenly across your available agents. Instead of sending multiple calls to the same person, they rotate through the agent list one by one. This system helps balance workloads and prevent burnout, so no single agent gets overwhelmed.
• Least occupied routing: Calls go to the agent with either the fewest calls/lowest talk time on a shift or the agent who’s been idle (not on a call) for the longest time. This system helps teams handle more calls when capacity is tight.
• Skill-based routing: Callers connect to the agent with the right skillset or experience. For example, billing queries go to finance, while technical calls go to product support. This approach helps support and admin teams cut call volumes, reduce transfers, and achieve faster resolutions.
• Time-based routing: Often used by firms with locations in different time zones, time-based routing allows one office to receive calls when another has closed for the day. It also frees you from needing to hire overnight staff in each region, keeping your coverage high and your costs low.
• Geographic routing: Ideal for firms with multiple branches, callers are connected to the branch closest to them. This system works well when customers value local knowledge or in-person service from someone based nearby.
• Priority-based routing: This system allows VIP and high-value callers to jump the queue and speak to a designated rep or account manager. This approach is highly practical for revenue protection and managing high-demand clients.
• Interactive voice response routing: Voice prompts direct callers to choose a department by replying with speech or button presses. IVRs help companies reduce their reliance on live operators and cut call handling time.
• Fixed/static routing: This type of routing directs calls to agents based on assigned orders. For example, all calls go through to Agent A, but if they’re busy, Agent B receives them instead. This system works best when you want your most capable team members to take the lead on certain types of calls.
• Percentage routing: Incoming call allocations are split across teams based on percentages, such as 70% to experienced sales reps and 30% to team members in training.

Call routing systems offer a wide range of controls for connecting callers to the right person or team. Here are four core call routing features that help you handle inbound calls better:

Customizable routing rules

Admin and managers can set rules and criteria to control how contact centers route and direct incoming calls.

You can connect callers based on department, shift patterns, type of customer, nature of inquiry, and so on. For example, send technical support calls to your product team and billing queries to your finance team so callers get through to the right people faster.

IVR support and customizatio

Interactive voice response lets callers choose a department or extension using voice or push-button commands.

Managers can build custom self-service menus allowing callers to connect with a specific team member without speaking to a live operator. As long as the options are straightforward, callers choose the right option, and agents can assist with their requests more quickly.

Smart agent assignment

Intelligent routing allows managers to transfer calls to agents based on their skill set and current workload. If one agent is busy, the system routes the caller to someone else who is capable and available.

Voicemail and after-hours handling

When the office is closed, managers can instruct their contact center software to direct callers to voicemail. Zoom AI Companion sorts voicemails by topic or intent and generates a list of tasks based on the messages customers left for the agent.

For high-priority needs, you can route calls to an on-call agent rotation, a follow-the-sun team in another time zone, or guide customers to self-service options through your IVR. This way, urgent issues are addressed promptly without burdening your local team after hours.

CRM and helpdesk integrations

Many contact center platforms connect directly to CRM software like Salesforce and HubSpot. For example, there are over 30 CRM integration apps for Zoom CX in the Zoom App Marketplace.

Connecting your CRM to your contact center software lets you:

• See customer account details on screen when a call comes in, including order history and previous agent notes.
• Log calls and updates automatically so agents don’t waste time on post-call admin duties.
• Set custom, automated workflows to manage the customer lifecycle, helping agents close more deals and reduce churn risk.
• Save agents’ time with a unified dashboard, making them more productive and efficient by keeping work in one app.
• Provide an overview of agent activity and live call stats to simplify workloads and help spot issues like rising call queue times early.
• Remove admin tasks from your teams and their managers so they can spend more time on customer conversations.

To prevent bottlenecks, improve agent productivity, and reduce caller frustration, follow these best practice guidelines:

• Align routing rules with business goals: Decide what matters most to your business. If sales are your top priority, route calls so they get to your closers faster. If you’re a subscription business, push existing customers to support and technical agents to reduce churn and protect recurring revenue.
• Keep your IVR simple and intuitive: Don’t overcomplicate the menu. Offer callers the minimum number of options possible to make the process simple. This approach means they’re less likely to connect with the wrong agent, saving everyone time.
• Use data to optimize call flows: Monitor queue lengths, hold times, and transfer rates. If your queues are stubbornly long and colleagues transfer multiple calls a day, use the data to refine routing logic and fix the issue.
• Prioritize high-value customers: Set up your system to recognize the incoming phone numbers of your most important customers so they can skip the menu and go straight through to their key contact.
• Balance workloads across agents: Sales, customer service, and technical support are challenging roles. Share calls evenly among staff while routing more high-value sales calls to your most capable closers. Routing also enables directing more complex issues to the most qualified service and support agents.
• Plan for after-hours and peak times: Decide whether to route callers to voicemail or have standby team members available to receive after-hours calls. That way, you don’t miss new sales opportunities and can handle urgent support requests early.
• Test and update regularly: Review your call routing setup often, especially if your team changes or you launch a new product. Call your number to see if you get connected. If you can’t get through, your customers will struggle, too.

AI is reshaping how contact center software operates. Intent-based routing uses AI technologies like speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP) to understand what callers want. The AI workflow still directs callers based on rules managers set, but can now analyze customer speech and make routing decisions based on their intent. Here’s how it works:

• Record a greeting like “Welcome to XYZ Industries. How can I help you?”
• The caller speaks, and Zoom’s built-in AI analyzes the request to determine how to best route the call.
• If AI recognizes the caller’s intent, the call is routed to the best available agent. If not, AI triggers a follow-up question or sends the call to an agent to gather more information.

Intent-based routing reduces friction at the first point of contact, helping companies create a faster and more efficient customer journey where callers get the accurate answers they want without waiting.

Zoom Contact Center’s call routing capabilities quickly connect callers to the right team members, enhancing the customer experience with reduced wait times, fewer transfers, and quicker call resolutions.

Plus, call routing can boost your team’s efficiency by getting each call to the agent best equipped to handle it. The platform’s real-time reporting is designed to help you monitor live call flows, and its powerful analytics can help you make more informed staffing decisions.

Request a free demo of Zoom Contact Center to learn how your business can benefit from a cloud contact center solution.