Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a software application that runs on the existing campus telephone system, and there is also a report module available. It reports ACD statistics to assist the user departments in managing their calls and agents. ACD supports supervisor monitoring, queue information on displays of ACD telephones, and up to 3 different types of queue announcements. Use of ACD requires that at least one agent is always logged-on and available to take calls. Reports include call statistics such as number of calls received or abandoned, average wait time, and average handling time, within businesses that process large volumes of telephone calls for customer support, reservations, order desks, and other similar operations.
ACD is often described as a specialized telephone system or application designed to route an office's incoming calls to any available personnel so that calls are evenly distributed. ACD provides callers with announcements indicating that they are in queue, and will be served in the order they were received. ACD applications are sometimes front-ended by a call processing menu. Other characteristics include the following:
- system-wide music-on-hold will be heard in between announcements
- calls are connected to available agents one call at a time
- agents must log-in with a PIN code to be available for ACD calls
- daily opening and closing procedures must be performed including nightly call diversion to after-hours greeting
- calling and statistic reports are available through CCM
- number of calls allowed in queue must be defined
- user departments receive orientation, after which they assume responsibility for continued training and user support
- reconfiguration of extension numbers on digital and analog sets may be required
- ACD system(s) and CCM server software is maintained by ITS, and any changes in programming must be requested through a Telecommunications work order