Call forwarding allows one teammate to transfer a call to another teammate. This procedure can be performed in two ways:

• “cold” transfer, which immediately sends the call to another agent,

• “warm” transfer, which gives the two teammates time to discuss the subject of the call.

No matter which option is chosen, the call transfer redirects the customer or prospect to an agent better equipped to respond to their request.

When a customer calls your company, they might not be contacting the right department (sales instead of after-sales service, for example). Or, their request might be very complex and require the input of a more experienced employee.

With call transfers, the caller can be redirected to the right department or person. To use this feature, your teams in charge of customer relations (sales, after-sales service, etc.) must use a CTI (computer telephony integration) system. This type of solution, like Aircall’s CTI, integrates your phone system with your computer system. No need for physical phones: your teammates can manage calls from a computer interface synchronized with more features and complementary software (CRM, customer databases, transfers, etc.).

During a conversation with a caller, your agents can click on the “Transfer” icon in their telephone app. Then they can choose if they want to transfer the call to a specific teammate, to another department or even to an external number. Their colleagues’ availability is indicated by a green dot on their file. They can proceed in one of two ways: by clicking on “Transfer now” and performing a cold transfer, or by clicking on “Talk first” and performing a warm transfer.

Call forwarding improves, above all, the quality of your customer support. How? Simply by making it easier for the caller to communicate with the right agent or department for the task. Your customers are guaranteed to be put in contact with a qualified representative, even if their request is very specific or if they’ve called the wrong number.

Warm transfers bring the most added value. This feature enables the first agent to put the customer on hold while they inform their colleague about the reason for the call and any issues. The first agent can switch between the customer and their colleague as many times as necessary in order to get all of the relevant information.

When the caller is transferred, the new agent already has all of the information they need to pick up where the first one left off. They don’t need to ask the same questions again. This depends on the software you use.

Normally, call forwarding enables your teams to: give the customer the best response possible, limit the time they spend handling each request, and optimize customer satisfaction.

Aircall’s CTI has a wealth of different features that can optimize the way call transfers work, as well as your overall customer service. The most useful features are the following:

• skill-based call routing, which transfers the customer to the representative who is best able to address their request;

• call commenting and assignments, which saves a record of each conversation before potentially transferring the call to someone else;

• call queuing, which puts callers on hold until an agent is available to help them; parallel calls, which puts a call on hold while contacting an external number at the same time;

• call forwarding to mobile, which forwards calls to one or several mobile phones when you’re on the go.

Request a demo to learn more about the features of call forwarding and of Aircall's CTI.

Since call transfers are a feature of CTI systems, it is first of all necessary to install this type of telephony solution. With Aircall’s CTI, you can use business tools (customer databases, CRM software, etc.) in conjunction with the features of your phone application (transfers, messaging, call analysis, etc.).

Then you can train your operations teams and managers on how to use call transfers. What’s the most important thing? Setting the ground rules:

• when is it possible to perform a call transfer;

• which type of transfer should we be using, “cold” or “warm”;

• how to work as a team to manage complex requests.

Try Aircall for free for 7 days and see how our telephony software can optimize your customer service operations.