Customer Support
AI Call Routing: The Future of Intelligent Customer Service
Most customers are all too familiar with the frustration of calling a traditional service line. It's an endless maze of robotic prompts, hold music and uninformed agents that make customers repeat the same information again and again.
The Interactive Voice Response systems that many companies use are a major frustration point for customers. 98% of customers try to skip IVR.
Harvard Business Review quotes the major challenges customers face when contacting a customer service organization, are:
- 56% have to re-explain an issue
- 57% have to switch from web self-service to a phone interaction
- 59% say resolving their issue requires moderate to high energy expenditure
- 59% are transferred to another specialist
- 62% have to contact the provider repeatedly to resolve the issue
One of the ways this issue can be solved is through efficient call routing. And with AI, it’s done even better. AI call routing uses artificial intelligence to direct phone calls to the right person or department quickly and efficiently. Businesses using this have reported a 60% drop in wait times and a 25% increase in customer satisfaction.
Want to know more?
Our guide will help you navigate the world of ICR (intelligent customer service) efficiently, providing insights into its advantages, challenges, and use cases.
What is AI call routing?
AI call routing directs inbound callers to the best agent or calls queue according to predefined custom rules, the caller's IVR input, and current call centre conditions through the power of artificial intelligence.
Call routing rules and strategies are shaped by factors such as:
- Real-time and anticipated call volumes
- Customer sentiment and intent
- Agent availability, work schedules, and business hours
- Agent expertise, department, job role, and language proficiency
- Existing customer relationships, account value, and call priority
- AI-driven algorithms for optimized routing
If no human agents are available when customers call, they are routed to a call queue or voicemail boxes. Customers may also be prompted to schedule an automated callback, a popular alternative to waiting on hold.
AI-powered IVR (Interactive Voice Response) transforms traditional automated phone systems by replacing rigid menu options like “Press 1 for X, Press 2 for Y” with natural, conversational interactions. This enhances efficiency in directing customers to the appropriate department, while additional AI-driven tools help minimize overall call volume.
Unlike traditional IVR systems, which are confusing and lengthy, leading to decision fatigue and call abandonment, AI call routing eliminates manual call transfers and holds, reduces caller waiting time, and increases first-call resolution rates.
The three combined components of AI-powered call routing
AI-driven call routing is the new way to manage bulk enquiries, but it's important to understand how three different elements work together to permanently reduce call volumes: AI IVR, AI telephony, and a chat-based AI assistant.
AI IVR to improve the customer experience
Anyone who has made a call to customer support knows the rigid structure of traditional IVR systems. For instance, if someone wants to cancel their order, it would look something like this:
- Perhaps the IVR asks the customer to press 1, 2, 3 or 4, but none represents your query.
- Maybe you don't understand what some of the options mean and so struggle to choose.
- You might choose the right option and be annoyed with a second list of options.
- Surely, the worst example of all is finally getting through, only to be told you haven't ended up with the correct department.
Using the AI IVR system, customers can ask what they want in their own words. The AI system uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand what the user is speaking. For instance, a customer simply says, "I want to cancel an order", and if the request is understood, they're automatically transferred to the correct department.
AI telephony to tackle queries end-to-end
Instead of passing a phone query to your teams, you can use an AI voice agent to give your customers immediate help with routine, repetitive, and monotonous queries.
AI voice agents like Synthflow AI use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning to respond to open-ended questions, handle multi-turn conversations and adapt conversations according to user inputs.
Synthflow AI agents are quite different from traditional IVR systems because:
- They can understand the human context and can be spoken to directly
- They are capable of customer retention should the conversation go south
- They can make decisions and set appointments when necessary
- They're empathic and have advanced research skills
AI voice agents can understand customers' needs and provide instant responses or resolve the query entirely at any time of the day or night, on any channel and in any language.
- Online AI assistant to reduce call volumes
Enhancing IVR alone won't help decrease your number of calls since the average call costs £6.26 in the UK, and AI-driven chats are less than 5P; the goal is to reduce the need for customers to call at all.
You can add a chat-based AI agent to your website app, social channels or any other communication platform to deliver instant responses.
When routine enquiries are handled upfront like this, customers do not need to call your support centre. When they do, it's a more complex, sensitive inquiry that needs the skill and knowledge of human agents who are specially trained to provide it.
How does AI call routing work?
The call routing process consists of three main steps:
- Qualification
- Data analysis
- Routing strategy and connection
Step One: Call qualification
The first step in AI call routing is collecting and analyzing customer data to determine the caller's intent.
The reason for the customer's call and additional key customer data is determined based on the customer's answers into the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
The AI IVR automatically greets and asks questions to the caller . During the conversation, it collects data like the reason for calling, phone number, previous interactions, and account standing.
It also analyzes historical data from the company's database, including account status, purchase history, previous interactions, and customer support history.
Step Two: Data analysis
After data collection, the system analyses the information to understand the caller's intent and if the voice AI agent can’t handle it themselves, they match it with predefined routing rules and agent capabilities.
For example:
- If the it’s asking for a refund, they route it to billing and collections team
- If they are irate and want to talk to a higher up, they route the call to a senior member of the team
This analysis includes the urgency of the call, the customer's preferences and the availability of agents who have the necessary skills to address the issue. Sophisticated AI algorithms can quickly process this information, assisting in real-time routing decisions.
Step Three: Routing strategy and connection
Based on call centre analytics results, an intelligent AI call routing system quickly determines the optimal routing strategy to address a caller's needs.
This may involve direct routing to a specific agent, placing the caller in the virtual queue for the appropriate department, directing them to IVR for self-service or offering a callback option if all live agents are busy.
Now, this would be a cold or warm call transfer.
A cold transfer occurs when a call is passed to another agent or department without prior communication or context. The receiving agent has no background on the customer’s issue and must start from scratch.
For example:
- Scenario: A customer calls their bank about a fraudulent transaction.
Process:
- The IVR directs the customer to a general customer service agent.
- After briefly explaining the issue, the agent realizes the fraud department handles these cases.
- Without notifying the fraud team, the agent transfers the call directly.
- The fraud department answers but has no prior information, forcing the customer to repeat their details and issue.
A warm transfer involves the first agent providing context before passing the call. This could be done via a brief conversation between agents or by sending notes through the system.
- Scenario: The same customer calls about a fraudulent transaction.
Process:
- The IVR routes them to a general customer service agent.
- The agent gathers essential details (customer identity, transaction info, issue summary).
- The agent contacts the fraud department first, providing them with a quick summary.
- The agent introduces the customer before transferring the call.
- The fraud department already has the details and can immediately assist the customer.
Add another step.
Step 4: Data analysis
AI reviews the routing strategy and iterate based on the performance of the call and effectivity
AI call routing vs traditional call routing
Use cases of AI call routing
Until now, the main method of communication for handling customer queries has been the telephone. Introducing AI-driven call routing provides timely, helpful, and humanized responses in a far more useful way.
With the average call duration now at 7 minutes and 6 seconds, the highest it has been in 20 years, and call costs equally high, finding a new way to provide customers with what they need while saving time and reducing cost is a priority for business leaders across all sectors. They are reimagining the customer service landscape, where phone support now represents the smallest portion, while AI-powered services have become the dominant component.
That's where AI call routing comes into play. Let's examine some of its top use cases across industries to understand how personalized helps them achieve maximum customer experience at a low cost.
AI call routing for customer in healthcare
According to Notable, 88% of appointments are scheduled via telephone calls. Manual, error-prone processes leave slots open, costing healthcare providers $150B yearly.
One of the main issues with traditional call centres is the inefficiency and frustration of dealing with the IVR system. Customers often have to wait on hold, repeat their information, or deal with poorly informed information. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction, missed appointments, and lost revenue.
Thanks to intelligent routing algorithms, IR systems can quickly handle inquiries from the right representatives. In some cases, the necessary information for IR systems can be pre-programmed, allowing users to make inquiries with minimal data input. This reduces waiting times and helps healthcare professionals improve the speed of their service.
Case in point, Medbelle has seen a 60% increase in humanized scheduling after having its own conversational AI. Such advanced conversational AI systems enhance the organization of healthcare establishments and provide patients with a more seamless and responsive experience.
AI call routing for customer support centers
Staff and agent retention is one of the biggest challenges a call center must face in 2025. In the US, the turnover rate varies, between 30-40%, annually which makes it difficult to maintain good quality customer service.
Many call centre agents have struggled with enormous amounts of tickets before, and let's face it, it's often quite difficult to keep track of ticket resolution and be informed about progress.
AI call routing ensures that calls are evenly distributed among agents, preventing overburdening any single team member and reducing burnout. By directing calls to agents with the appropriate skills or expertise, agents can handle issues more effectively, reducing average handling times and improving overall productivity.
Modern call routing systems can handle voice calls and queries from chat, email, and other channels, ensuring seamless omnichannel support.
AI call routing for financial services and banks
Every week, banks hear from thousands of customers by phone and online chat. While 40-50% of those chats are quickly resolved by the current classic chatbot, many people still need to speak with a live agent for help. This can leave customers with potentially longer wait times as they can only get live help for non-urgent requests during working hours.
AI call routing analyzes customer profiles, inquiry types, and call history, and predictive call routing matches each caller to the most suitable agent. Customers' problems are likely resolved on the first call, reducing frustration and wait times.
Key benefits of AI call routing
A properly executed call routing system streamlines and simplifies business processes and workflows for callers, managers, and call centre agents.
Some call routing benefits are obvious, like reduced customer wait times, higher customer satisfaction levels, and increased productivity, thanks to its seamless automation.
Additional call routing benefits for large and small businesses include:
A Better Customer Experience
In the eyes of the customer, the most notable mistake concerns are:
- Long wait/hold times: 47.92%
- Have to repeat info / answer repetitive questions: 37.36%
- Frequent transfers or escalations: 25.47%
If consumers endure excessive wait times to speak to a live agent only to have to repeat information to that agent, the experience feels especially time-consuming and especially disappointing.
On the other hand, call routing dramatically reduces call hold times by immediately connecting callers to the nearest available agent or letting them schedule a callback. It also prevents customers from having to repeat themselves to multiple agents–which is the most frustrating part of an experience.
More Balanced Agent Workloads
The data is precise: today's customer service professionals are spread thin. According to Salesforce, agents (77%) and mobile workers (74%) are experiencing heavier and more complicated workloads than just a year ago.
AI call routing systems take a lot of considerations when directing calls: average idle time and talk time, agent schedules and statuses and more. Here are a few other ways call routing helps reduce agents workload:
- VIP customers are identified through phone numbers and routed to a dedicated team of senior agents to ensure their issues are resolved quickly.
- Calls are directed from various regions to local support centres, ensuring region-specific assistance and minimizing call handling times. This routing system helps connect callers to the nearest service centre based on location.
These strategies reduce agent tension by evenly distributing calls between sales team reps. Agents are also less exhausted, providing higher-quality customer service and support.
Decrease call abandonment
According to Salesforce, 83% of customers expect to engage with someone immediately when contacting a company. If customers can't connect to a live agent quickly and easily, most will just hang up, increasing the call abandonment rate.
In other words, people don't want to wait in a queue for an agent. They want a quick resolution. While always meeting this expectation might be impossible, enhanced call routing methods will help callers reach agents quickly.
AI routing, specifically, can optimize queue times by utilizing the agent workforce as effectively as possible.
The role of Synthflow AI voice agents in AI call routing
Synthflow AI voice agents play a crucial role in call routing by intelligently directing inbound calls to the right department, agent, or automated service based on predefined rules and AI-driven decision-making.
Here’s how they contribute to efficient call routing:
1. Intelligent Call Routing: Uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand caller intent, keywords, and sentiment. Determines the best destination based on customer input, past interactions, or priority levels.
2. Skill-Based Routing: Matches callers with the most suitable live agent based on expertise, language preference, or customer history.Reduces wait times and enhances first-call resolution rates.
3. Automated Self-Service & Deflection: Handles routine inquiries (FAQs, order status, appointment scheduling) without human intervention.
Transfers complex issues to live agents only when necessary, improving efficiency.
4. Context-Aware Call Transfers: If a call transfer is required, Synthflow AI ensures context (previous conversation, caller details) is carried over.Prevents customers from repeating information, improving customer experience.
5. Prioritization & VIP Routing: Identifies high-value customers and prioritizes their calls. Routes urgent inquiries faster for time-sensitive industries (e.g., healthcare, finance).
6. 24/7 Availability & Scalability: Ensures businesses can handle high call volumes without requiring additional staff. Operates around the clock, providing continuous support.
Synthflow AI can automate 50-70% of customer interactions without human intervention. It’s seamless integration with communication tools like RingCentral, NICE CXone, Five9, Genesys makes it easy for deploying AI call routing for your business
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