ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) — Automatic Call Distribution
What is ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)?
ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) is the system that decides which specific available agent receives an incoming call once it's been routed into a queue — typically by skill, agent idle time, or a configured routing strategy such as round-robin or longest-idle-first. An ACD sits downstream of the IVR: the IVR captures what the caller needs and picks a queue, and the ACD then picks the agent within that queue to actually ring.
More detail
Common ACD routing strategies include round-robin, longest-idle-agent, and skills-based routing, which matches a caller's need (language, product, priority tier) to an agent qualified to handle it.
An ACD typically also tracks queue metrics — wait time, abandonment rate, service level — that a contact center dashboard surfaces to supervisors in real time.
Frequently asked
- Does ACD replace the need for an IVR?
- No — they do different jobs. The IVR gathers the caller's intent and selects a queue; the ACD then applies a routing strategy to pick which specific available agent within that queue receives the call.
- What is skills-based routing in an ACD?
- It's a routing strategy that matches a caller to an agent qualified for their specific need — language, product line, or priority tier — rather than simply the next available agent or a strict round-robin order.
See also
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