Skill based routing in telephone exchanges

Abstract: Private branch exchange systems have been used to connect clients with enterprises for over 40 years and have over time progressed from manual switchboards to modern, internet based technologies. Despite technological progress, many clients still feel great frustration when contacting customer service, not being able to reach the person they seek. As part of Telavox enhancements to private branch exchanges, skill based routing introduces a new way to connect incoming telephone calls to the best suited agent. Using available information about the client’s call and the agent’s different skillsets, the call can be routed and connected automatically. This project identifies different components needed to create a system model allowing for skill based routing. Based on this system model, two user interface prototypes were developed through iterative user centered design processes: One administrator interface for setting up a skill based routing system, as well as an agent interface for displaying the new routing functionality. Through user surveys indications were found showing clients’ willingness to wait slightly longer to reach an extra qualified agent, especially if on hook waiting is offered. The final high-fidelity prototype was evaluated using unmoderated remote testing, validating that it can be used as a basis for implementing a skill based routing system. This project seeks to motivate future work in the field of skill based routing, providing an improved user experience for all users in the future.