Everything You Need to Know About Skills-Based Routing

If you’re a call center, you likely be fielding hundreds of calls in a single day. Customers will be calling in with all sorts of problems and expecting the person on the other end of the phone to help. It’s why many call centers use call routing to control which incoming calls go to which representative. However, simply directing the calls to a random employee isn’t enough. You need to make sure the person answering to the customer is knowledgeable in the topic your customer is calling about. This is where skills-based routing comes in. A key call center strategy, skills-based routing will improve your customer service while boosting the efficiency of your call center.

The point is not to make the subject sound more important than it is. The point is to make it easier to use. When a business understands the basics, it can make better decisions without getting pulled into noise, jargon, or a feature list that does not solve the real problem.

What is skills-based routing?

The practical value is communication. When the phone system is clear, customers and employees can reach the right person without extra effort. That sounds simple because it is, but it is also where many businesses lose time. The problem is rarely one dramatic failure. It is usually missed calls, repeated messages, and small delays showing up often enough that people start treating it as normal.

What to notice

Imagine you just opened up a credit card with your bank. You
go to the store only for your card to be declined. You want to get to the
bottom of things, so you call your bank. Once you’ve defined what your problem
is, you’re then routed to a representative that specifically handles declined
credit cards. The person on the other end of the phone knows exactly what the
problem is, fixes it, and you hang up the phone satisfied.

Now imagine that when you call your bank, you’re not routed
to that specific credit card representative. Instead, you’re sent to a
representative who only has a general knowledge of credit card problems.
Because they’re not as familiar with the topic, you sit on the phone longer
than you’d like until they finally figure it out. When you hang up the phone,
you’re far more frustrated than you were in the first scenario.

In the first scenario, the bank’s call center is using
skills-based routing. A customer calls, they identify their problem, and they’re
routed to a representative who is best able to solve that customer’s problem.
Through skills-based routing, customers get the help they need from someone
with specific knowledge about their problem.

This is why the details matter. A business does not need more complexity just to look prepared. It needs a setup that matches how people actually work, how customers actually ask for help, and how the team responds on an ordinary day. Good systems tend to feel quiet. Bad systems make themselves known.

The best version of this is not loud. It is a process that is easy to explain and easy to use. People should not need to understand every setting behind the scenes to get the benefit. They should only notice that the next step is obvious and the experience feels less difficult than it used to.

For small and growing businesses, that kind of consistency matters. A weak process can hide for a while because people compensate for it. Someone remembers the workaround, someone checks twice, someone answers the message that should have been routed correctly the first time. Eventually those workarounds become the work.

Why should businesses use skills-based routing?

The practical value is communication. When the phone system is clear, customers and employees can reach the right person without extra effort. That sounds simple because it is, but it is also where many businesses lose time. The problem is rarely one dramatic failure. It is usually missed calls, repeated messages, and small delays showing up often enough that people start treating it as normal.

Why it matters

As the scenarios posed above prove, using skills-based
routing can ensure that a customer’s problem is dealt with quickly and
efficiently by putting them in front of someone who is best suited to solve their
problem. This can also help with other issues, such as:

Repeat calls

If a customer is talking with the person with the most
knowledge on their specific subject, then it’s more likely that their problem will
be solved. They won’t be calling in again and again because the people they
keep talking to aren’t able to properly help them.

Loyal customers

If you have customers who call in frequently, then they
likely will have developed a relationship with a specific person in your call
center. If that’s the case, you’ll want to use skills-based routing to connect
them to that person who can help them the best.

This is why the details matter. A business does not need more complexity just to look prepared. It needs a setup that matches how people actually work, how customers actually ask for help, and how the team responds on an ordinary day. Good systems tend to feel quiet. Bad systems make themselves known.

The best version of this is not loud. It is a process that is easy to explain and easy to use. People should not need to understand every setting behind the scenes to get the benefit. They should only notice that the next step is obvious and the experience feels less difficult than it used to.

For small and growing businesses, that kind of consistency matters. A weak process can hide for a while because people compensate for it. Someone remembers the workaround, someone checks twice, someone answers the message that should have been routed correctly the first time. Eventually those workarounds become the work.

How to use skills-based routing

The practical value is communication. When the phone system is clear, customers and employees can reach the right person without extra effort. That sounds simple because it is, but it is also where many businesses lose time. The problem is rarely one dramatic failure. It is usually missed calls, repeated messages, and small delays showing up often enough that people start treating it as normal.

What to notice

Now that you know why you should use skills-based
routing, the next thing you’re likely wondering is how you should use
it. Thankfully, implementing skills-based routing can be relatively simple by
using a few of these steps:

Determine customer patterns

Look through your CRM, call recordings, and transcripts to
determine what customers are calling about and how often. If you have customers
frequently calling about one topic, then you’ll want to make sure you have a
team of experts on that very topic. This also means identifying the particular
strengths of your employees to best determine who should handle what problems.

Identify training opportunities

In order to handle your customer’s problems, you need to
make sure there’s someone on your staff who can answer them. As you’re
implementing skills-based routing, you’ll likely need to fill in the gaps to
ensure that every possible topic is covered.

Balance call distribution

Having specialized teams will make sure that your customers
are talking to experts. However, as important as skills-based routing is, you
shouldn’t be ranking your calls on skills alone. This can cause specific teams
to become overwhelmed with work, while others are just sitting there twiddling
their thumbs. One way to handle this is to properly staff each team with the
right number of people. You should also train members of other teams to be able
to answer questions on other topics in case another team becomes overwhelmed.

Here at Vaspian, we believe our intelligent call routing services work best in a skills-based routing system. Give us a call today at 1-855-827-7426 to learn more.  

This is why the details matter. A business does not need more complexity just to look prepared. It needs a setup that matches how people actually work, how customers actually ask for help, and how the team responds on an ordinary day. Good systems tend to feel quiet. Bad systems make themselves known.

The best version of this is not loud. It is a process that is easy to explain and easy to use. People should not need to understand every setting behind the scenes to get the benefit. They should only notice that the next step is obvious and the experience feels less difficult than it used to.

For small and growing businesses, that kind of consistency matters. A weak process can hide for a while because people compensate for it. Someone remembers the workaround, someone checks twice, someone answers the message that should have been routed correctly the first time. Eventually those workarounds become the work.

FAQ

Here are a few common questions about everything you need to know about skills-based routing and what it means in day-to-day business.

Why does everything you need to know about skills-based routing matter for a business?

It matters because it affects how customers and employees move through everyday work. When the process is clear, people spend less time dealing with missed calls, repeated messages, and small delays.

What is the most important thing to get right?

The most important thing is making the next step clear. A business does not need a complicated setup if a simpler one helps people reach the right person without extra effort.

How do you know when the current approach is not working?

You usually see it in repeated friction: delays, confusion, missed handoffs, or people creating workarounds. Those are signs the process needs attention.

Does every business need the same solution?

No. The right setup depends on how the business works, who needs to respond, and what customers expect when they reach out.

Where should a business start?

Start with the places where people already get stuck. Fixing the obvious friction first is usually more useful than chasing a long list of features.