Skills Based Routing or SBR provides routing of calls based on the skills required by the call. A computer first answers the call and asks the caller to supply information about the caller’s needs. This information is matched to each agent’s abilities and availability and the call is routed. Rules allow skills to be required, prioritized and weighted. Time based rules alter the calls requested skills to allow less able agents to handle a call without imposing an excessive hold time on the caller.

How it works?

The routing engine works on the concept of skills categories and skills. An agent may have zero or many skills within a category. Each skill an agent has receives a value indicating the proficiency the agent has in that skill.

Key Features

SBR has a section allowing for "Call Routing Rules". These rules control:

• How to break routing ties between agents
• How long to hold a caller on a must route queue before rolling over to a general call center queue.
• What priority "weight" to apply to a skill set. This allows the system to be configured such that while language is a must have skill, operating system is two times as important. A rule set up like this would cause a caller to be routed to an agent with some language skills in their area but, primarily to the person who was most skilled in their type of problem.
• If the total skill score for the best skilled agent is less than (X) wait (Y) seconds, check again. Try (Z) times before routing to the top skill rating.
• Route to the last person this caller spoke to if possible.
• Capabilities for:
  • Agent Messaging
  • Agent Multiple Queue Login
  • Remote Call Center
  • At Home Agents

Key Benefits

• Callers are happier because they do not waste their time in a call transfer loop never really getting to someone who can answer their question.
• Call handling costs are lowered as call transfers are dramatically reduced.
• Call Center managers are easily able update and administer the complete system.