Screened transfers: introduced first, then connected
When a caller should talk to a person, the agent rings the right desk, says who's calling and why, and puts the caller through the moment someone accepts.
A blind transfer hands your team a ringing phone and no context. The advisor picks up mid-task, the caller repeats everything they just told the agent, and if nobody picks up, the caller is left listening to hold music, or nothing at all.
A screened transfer does it the way a good receptionist does. The agent rings the right person, tells them who is calling and why, and lets them decide. If they take it, the caller is put through at once. If nobody does, the call goes where you said it should, and nothing is lost.
Where calls should go
Transfers start with destinations, and each one says who it is and when to use it:
- A team, such as the service front desk or the sales floor.
- A person, such as the used car manager for appraisals.
- Your main line, or voicemail.
For each, you write when to send callers there, whether it only takes calls during store hours, and where to go next if nobody answers. You can also name the destination for requests that aren't clear, so "I have a question about something" still ends up with a person.
How the screening works
When the agent says it's connecting the caller, the transfer starts in the same breath. There's no "let me connect you" followed by silence.
The person who answers hears a short introduction: who is calling, and what about. Where your phone numbers allow it, they see the caller's number rather than the store's. Then they choose. Depending on how you set up the destination, they can press 1 to take it or 2 to decline, say yes or no, or do either.
The clock that matters
Each destination has a "Give up after" time: how long the agent waits for someone to accept. That time starts once the introduction ends. A long introduction (one that reads out the caller's number and repeats their reason) never eats into the time your teammate has to decide, and IDP measures how long introductions run on real calls to get this right.
Pressing 1 connects the caller right away. There's no second confirmation and no extra ring.
When nobody takes it
If nobody accepts in time, the call goes to the next place you chose for that destination: another team, voicemail, or taking a message. If it can't connect anywhere, the request lands with your team to follow up, with the reason the transfer didn't go through. A caller who hangs up doesn't clear a request your team still owes.
The record of every transfer
Transferred calls show every step in the call view: the destination chosen and why, the ring, the introduction, the decision and the connection. Screened transfers record when each line of the staff call ended, so you can see how long the introduction ran and how long staff took to choose.
Every transfer is tracked to the person or department it went to. Over a week, that tells you something a phone report can't: which desks take their transfers, which ones let them ring, and which reasons send callers to the wrong place.
On calls the agent places, too
Transfers aren't only for inbound calls. When an agent calls a customer, for a missed appointment or a follow-up, and the customer wants a person, the same screened transfer applies.
What you set up
- Your destinations: who they are, when to use them, their hours and where to go if nobody answers.
- For each, how staff accept: keypad, voice, or either, and the Give up after time.
- The unclear requests destination.
The agent's instructions decide when to offer a transfer. Destinations decide where it goes.
Questions about this? The agent on this page runs on IDP. Ask it anything here, or how it would work at your store.