Call routing with an AI phone agent in your switchboard
This guide covers how an AI phone agent routes calls to the right person or department. You learn about the rules for issues, absences and how the contact list is kept up to date.
An AI phone agent takes the call and understands what the person wants. The agent then transfers the caller to the right person or department based on your own rules. It can also account for working hours and absences to ensure the call lands correctly.
How the agent finds the right destination
The agent is designed to understand what the caller wants. It listens to the issue and then follows your rules for call routing. You decide if the call is routed by issue type, location or the department the customer seeks.
You often want certain employees to receive calls directly on their phone. Other groups might prefer to receive the issue in text. You set the limits for who receives calls at all.
Managing absences and working hours
A switchboard needs to know if the staff are present. You can set the working hours for each person. The agent only transfers the call when the person is actually available.
During absences such as holidays or illness, the agent can act in several ways. It can move on to the next person in the same group. If no one answers, the caller can leave a message, or the AI phone agent sends an email with a summary to the right inbox.
Keeping the contact list up to date
The staff roster needs to be accurate for the right person to answer. If you work with manual files, someone has to constantly add and remove names. This takes time and often results in an outdated list.
It is usually best if the directory updates automatically from an existing source. Once it is connected to that system, the agent retrieves the details there. This means the call routing remains accurate even when you change employees.
Differences from keypad menus and human operators
A keypad menu lets the caller choose from a set list of options. It is a proven method for a small number of choices. A manned switchboard instead has a human who listens and routes the call based on their own judgement. This provides a personal voice for the caller.
An AI phone agent instead lets the caller state their issue using their own words. It then transfers the call based on your own rules. An AI phone agent often acts as overflow when your human staff are busy. Many calls are answered immediately and callers avoid waiting in a queue.
Setting up call routing with Real Talk
Real Talk provides a Nordic AI phone agent. You keep your current switchboard. We assign a Swedish phone number that you easily add to your current environment.
You control which contacts are forwarded to the agent. You then set the rules for when we transfer a call to a human. Your employee gets direct access to all collected data. All data is processed in data centres within the EU.
- Which issues should be transferred and which can the agent resolve?
- How do you want to handle calls outside of working hours?
- Which system do you currently use for your contact list?
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to change our switchboard to transfer calls to the agent?
No, you keep your current switchboard or cloud phone system. We assign a phone number that you easily add to your current environment. From there, you control which contacts are forwarded to the agent.
What does it cost when a call is transferred?
We combine a fixed monthly fee with a price per minute. The monthly fee includes free minutes. Forwarded calls are billed by the minute and at a lower cost than incoming ones.
Does the agent understand if someone speaks another language?
Yes, it is designed to understand what the caller wants. The agent commands Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, and many other languages. It can switch languages mid-call if the caller prefers it.
What happens when the agent transfers the call to us?
The service hands over the issue to your staff. The employee gets direct access to all collected data and a summary. This means the caller avoids repeating their story from scratch.
This guide is written by Real Talk, the Nordic AI phone agent.