Streamlining IVR Routing: A Destination Consolidation Case Study for a Fortune 50 Telecom Provider

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Contact centers are a major driver of operating costs for businesses. While some of these costs are unavoidable, there are other costs that are incurred due to suboptimal call handling and are preventable with a well-designed call routing architecture. These can have deep impacts on an organization:

• Suboptimal routing logic can lead to high and often unexpected technical debt.
• If there is a routing change required and the routing architecture is complex with multiple decision points, large teams must spend extensive hours solutioning and testing the changes before they can be released to production.
• A streamlined routing architecture can significantly reduce the time it takes for routing updates to be implemented and decrease the likelihood routing defects are implemented.

Kenway helped one organization who offers a variety of products and services to its millions of customers found that through customer growth, new products and services, and business segmentation the routing architecture became increasingly complex and difficult to maintain.

The Problem

The client’s IVR system faced several challenges due to the complexity of its routing architecture. Duplications of routing rules, redundant routing logic, unused rules and destinations, and inconsistent design standards had led to significant technical debt. Inefficient routing had monetary implications, with rising agent transfer costs and the need for numerous resources to maintain and troubleshoot the system. Additionally, the complexity introduced room for defects and inconsistencies in routing, leading to longer customer wait times and an unfavorable experience.

The Solution

Kenway Consulting performed a comprehensive analysis of the client’s routing architecture and initiated a streamlined approach. They identified redundancies and inconsistencies in routing logic, consolidated routing rules, and eliminated duplication while ensuring that calls still reached the intended agents. By standardizing data mapping and design standards, Kenway ensured consistency across all areas of routing. They implemented a test workflow to run the new routing architecture alongside the existing one, allowing real-time insights and avoiding potential defects. The ability to switch between workflows and a phased implementation strategy further minimized risks during the transition.

The Result

Kenway’s efforts resulted in a streamlined routing architecture with fewer decision points and a 71% reduction in routing flows. The number of routing rules was reduced by 57%, leading to easier maintenance, faster solutions, and substantial time and cost savings. The estimated annual savings in development costs alone were approximately $150,000. The carefully planned transition strategy and change management methodology helped acclimate stakeholders and users to the new routing design, ensuring a successful implementation.