Call types

What are call types?

Call types specify the various types of calls evaluated in call center metrics.

Three call qualifiers define a call type:

• The number dialed (DN). The phone number was dialed by the caller.
• The calling line ID (CLID). The billing phone number of the caller. It can be presented as a complete phone number, a prefix, or an area made up of multiple prefixes.
• Digits entered digits (CED). The caller’s other numbers were entered in response to prompts.

Different call types in the call center

Call center services are being outsourced by an increasing number of firms, ranging from small and mid-sized businesses to giant corporations. They’ll employ call centers for various purposes that will benefit both the company and its customers.

Here are some of the most common types of calls for business centers:

ACD call

Automatic call distribution is abbreviated as ACD. It’s a phone system that automatically collects incoming calls and routes them to the next available agent.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) systems and interactive voice response (IVR) systems are common components of an ACD. It serves as the foundation of a call center and helps to streamline the communication process.

Inbound call

A customer initiates an inbound call to a call center or contact center. Inbound calls are also handled by a help desk, albeit they may come from workers rather than customers. 

There are numerous incoming services available, such as:

• A telephone answering service
• Processing of orders
• Support via chat
• Responses to emails
• assistance with technology
• Programs that reward loyalty
• Hotlines
• Services provided by the help desk

Outbound call

Outbound calls are made by call center agents on behalf of their employers. Outbound calls are made to potential customers and are usually used for sales, generating leads, advertising, and fundraising.

The following are examples of outbound services:

• Making an appointment
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Welcome call.
• Telesales
• Explanations for billing
• Registration for the event
• Recalls of products

Answered call

The percentage of phone calls responded to as a percentage of total call volume is known as an answered call. 

The number of calls answered can reveal how effective or ineffective an agent is in handling a caller’s request.

Call transfer

A call transfer is a telephony system that allows a user to transfer an existing call to another telephone or operator console by pressing a transfer button. The transferred call will either be announced or unannounced.

There are two types of call transfer:

• Warm transfer. A warm transfer occurs when the agent or receptionist who received the original call converses with the person to whom the call is being forwarded.
• Cold transfer. It is when you make an unscheduled phone transfer to someone.

Abandoned call

An abandoned call is a type of communication to a terminated call center before a dialogue can occur. When callers hang up, it’s typically because they’re frustrated by how long they’ve been put on hold.

Calls that have been disconnected at any time throughout the IVR are among them. As a result, you may see that when you filter by ring group in the reporting dashboard, the number of calls does not change because these callers have not yet selected an IVR choice. Therefore, they appear in all ring groups.