When a customer calls and no one answers, it causes frustration. Being stuck in a long call queue, getting passed around, or reaching the wrong person leads to a poor customer experience. Many repeat callers end up hanging up because they don’t want to go through the same trouble again.
In a busy call center or any business that needs to answer calls from customers or clients often, a setup without a clear call routing system doesn’t work well.
That’s where inbound call routing helps. This article will explain what inbound call routing is, why it matters, and how to set up your own system.
What Is Inbound Call Routing?
Inbound call routing is the system that decides where each incoming call goes. Instead of all calls ringing to everyone or piling up in one place, the system sends each call to the right person or team.
This setup helps a business answer calls faster and keeps things more organized. For example, a customer calling with a billing question can be sent straight to the billing team. A repeat caller can be sent to the same agent they spoke with before. If one agent is busy, the call can go to the next available person.
Inbound call routing is used in call centers to manage high volumes of calls and reduce wait times. They often use phone call routing software that makes forwarding calls to the right person easier.
The end goal is to make sure every caller speaks to someone who can help them right away.
How It Works
When someone calls your business phone number, the system doesn’t just send the call to a random person. Instead, it follows a few simple rules to figure out the best place for that call to go. These rules help make sure the caller gets the right help without waiting too long.
For example:
- Time of day – During office hours, calls can go to your team. After hours, they can go straight to voicemail or to an after-hours phone service.
- Caller’s input – If the caller presses 1 for sales or 2 for support, the system sends the call to the right team.
- Agent availability – If someone on your team is free, the call goes to them right away. If not, it waits or moves to the next available person.
- Caller location – Calls can be sent to the branch or office closest to where the caller is.
- VIP status – If the caller is a top customer, they can be pushed to the front of the line or sent to a special team.
All of this happens in seconds, and it helps your business stay organized while giving each caller a better experience.
Types Of Inbound Call Routing
There is not one way to route calls inbound. Depending on how your business works, you can choose a routing style that best fits. Here are a few common types:
Fixed Routing
With fixed routing, every call goes to the same number or person. It’s simple and works well for small teams or direct lines.
Round-Robin Routing
This method shares calls evenly. Each call goes to a different agent in a set order. It helps spread out the workload so no one gets too many calls at once.
Skills-Based Routing
Calls are sent to agents with the right skills. For example, a call in Spanish goes to a Spanish-speaking agent. This makes it easier to solve problems on the first try.
Time-Based Routing
This setup sends calls based on the time of day or day of the week. For example, calls during the day go to the main office, while evening calls go to an after-hours team or voicemail.
Benefits of Inbound Call Routing
Inbound call routing helps organize and send calls where they need to go. Here’s a detailed look at how it can make things better:
- Faster help for callers: Inbound call routing forwards calls to the right person fast. This means customers get help quickly instead of sitting in a long call queue.
- Fewer unanswered calls: By sending each call to an agent assigned to that type of request, fewer calls go unanswered. Everyone knows what they need to do.
- Balanced call distribution: Calls get shared more evenly across the team. No one gets stuck with the fewest calls or too many at once.
- Better experience for repeat callers: Customers who call again don’t have to explain everything twice. Smart routing can send them back to the same agent, which helps things move quicker.
- Less stress in the call center: Agents don’t feel overwhelmed. They get the right calls at the right time, which helps them do their job better.
Professional call routing without the big cost. Check how Talkroute fits your budget.
How to Set Up Inbound Call Routing with Talkroute in 3 Easy Steps
Setting up your very own inbound call routing system with your Talkroute account is easy. Let’s say you just onboarded a new IT support team and want to add them to your inbound call routing system. Here are the three steps to do it.
Step 1: Log in to your Dashboard and find the Call Menu section. Click on “Add New Menu Option” to add a new route. To activate the call menu option, you can refer to our tutorial page.
Step 2: Fill in the necessary information on the window, such as a description or whether to ring in sequence or to ring all. You can also set how many times you want to try the sequence, and where the unanswered call redirects to.
As for the advanced settings, you can choose to select what caller ID to display and the ringtone you want to use. Note that selecting “show the caller’s phone number” as incoming caller ID may cause some inbound calls to fail to ring your forwarding phone numbers.
Step 3: Once you are satisfied, click “Save & Close” and that’s it! You’re done. You also have the choice to turn off call options in the dashboard whenever you want.
Keep your calls organized and your team efficient. Try Talkroute free for a week.
How Business Phone Systems Simplify Inbound Call Routing
Business phone systems take the stress out of handling incoming calls. They come with smart features that make it simple to set up and manage call routing. Here’s how they help:
Built-In Call Routing Tools
Most systems include routing features that send calls to the right agent based on your rules. You don’t need to do it manually. The system handles it for you.
Easy Rule Setup
You can set rules based on time of day, caller input, location, or agent availability. The system follows these rules to move calls where they need to go.
Automatic Agent Detection
If one agent is busy, the system moves the call to someone who’s free. This keeps callers out of long queues and helps them reach someone faster.
Simple Dashboards
Most business phone systems offer easy-to-use dashboards. You can update settings, add rules, or check call activity with just a few clicks.
Better Caller Experience
With fewer missed calls and faster help, your customers get a smoother experience. And your team can stay focused without juggling calls by hand.
Recommended reading:
8 Major Benefits of Using Automatic Call Distribution
IVR Phone System: What It Is + 4 Steps To Set It Up
Make Inbound Calls Simpler & More Manageable with Talkroute Today
Talkroute gives your team the tools to manage inbound calls without missing a beat. Whether you’re running a busy office, supporting remote staff, or managing multiple departments, Talkroute helps you route every call where it needs to go fast.
Here’s why Talkroute is a smart choice for your inbound call routing needs:
Route Calls to Any Device
Send calls to mobile phones, landlines, desktops, or laptops. No matter where your team is working, they can pick up important calls.
Create Custom Call Paths
Build your own routing rules for different numbers, menu options, and extensions. You stay in full control of how calls flow through your system.
Set Schedules for Call Routing
Choose when and where your phones ring. You can create routing schedules based on business hours, holidays, or specific team availability.
Use Menus to Direct Callers
Give your callers easy options with custom menus. Let them press 1 for sales, 2 for support, or go straight to voicemail—all based on what works best for your setup.
Reduce Missed or Dropped Calls
By routing calls to the right person the first time, your team avoids phone tag and improves how quickly customers get help.
Give Your Team Clear Roles
Assign routing rules by user, department, or device. This keeps calls organized and makes sure each one goes to the right place.
Control Everything From One Dashboard
Your IT manager or admin can adjust routing settings, manage users, and monitor activity from a simple, easy-to-use dashboard.
Keep Callers Happy and Informed
Use custom hold music, messages, or auto-responses to give callers a good experience while they wait or get transferred.
Set up your custom call flow in minutes. Try Talkroute for free now!
FAQs About Inbound Call Routing
What is the inbound call process?
The inbound call process is how a business handles customer calls that come in. When someone dials your phone number, your phone system identifies the inbound caller using caller ID. Then, the system routes the call based on your routing strategy.
This could be time-based routing, skill-based routing, or another rule set. The goal is to route inbound calls to the right person or team member, like the sales team or support, so you can improve customer service and boost productivity.
Many businesses use inbound call routing software to manage this process through a smart routing system that uses crm data, the caller’s location, or customer preferences to guide the call flow.
What does routing a call mean?
Routing a call means sending it to the right agent or team using a set of routing rules. For example, a call routing system might send calls to a team member based on their skills, business hours, or even how many calls they’ve answered.
You can route calls using different methods like sequential routing, round robin routing, or predictive behavior routing. Some systems even use intelligent call routing to route incoming calls to the agent most likely to give a quick solution, which helps with first call resolution and improves customer satisfaction.
What is the difference between call forwarding and routing?
Call forwarding is a simple call management feature that sends all incoming calls to another phone number, like a mobile or another office line, when you’re unavailable. It’s often used to avoid missed calls or to support an answering service.
On the other hand, call routing is more advanced. It’s part of a full business phone system or contact center setup that uses a call routing strategy to direct calls based on rules like agent skills, agent availability, or the caller’s needs.
While forwarding just passes the call to one number, routing sends the call to the most appropriate agent, often using intelligent routing tools like a crm or interactive voice response system.
What is the difference between call routing and IVR?
Call routing is the process of directing inbound calls to the correct agent, department, or team using a routing system. It uses factors like the agent’s business hours, caller ID, and routing work data to decide who gets the call.
Interactive voice response, or IVR, is a tool that helps with this process by letting customers use their keypad or voice to choose where their call should go. IVR systems often ask callers questions or let them select options like “Press 1 for support.”
This helps route incoming calls faster and supports a smoother call flow. So, IVR helps guide calls, while call routing is what actually sends them to the right destination.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 200k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.
