VoIP communication solutions reduce expenses and improve connectivity for businesses. These characteristics of VoIP based communication tools inspire more businesses to join the network of happy users. There are several outstanding communication platforms built with VoIP technologies. Class 5 Softswitch is one of the most popular business communication platforms. It transforms the whole user experience with its rich communication features and several added advantages.
Even if the communication features of this software take away the whole limelight, it has multiple other not so popular features. We have covered one of these features in this blog post and that is call routing.
The role of call routing features is quite prominent in the VoIP industry. Therefore, it should never go unnoticed. As the Class 5 Softswitch Solution has gained more popularity for its communication and collaboration features, its routing capabilities are not discussed widely. Call routing not just helps in reducing the telephonic budget of a company, but it can also bring in several other advantages. So, it is worth discussing it in detail.
Let’s not wait any further to discuss this interesting topic.
1. Class 5 Softswitch System at Brief
The VoIP industry is made up of multiple components. VoIP Softswitch solutions are key components in this industry because they manage the transmission of data, calls, and other multimedia packets from source to destination. In simple words, it makes it possible to conduct calls.
There are two major types of VoIP Softswitch solutions available in this industry. Class 5 and Class 4. The former caters to the retail market by providing communication and collaboration features. On the other hand, the class 4 Softswitch caters to the wholesale market by providing call routing, transcoding, and similar features for international call routing.
The class 5 Softswitch is also referred to as a retail Softswitch solution as it targets the retail market. It is a software solution that provides calling and messaging features to retail business users. It also makes long distance calling possible by assigning international calls to the class 4 Softswitch. The class 4 aka wholesale Softswitch routes calls to the retail switch at the destination to make long distance calling possible between two retail switch solutions.
2. Significance of Call Routing in the VoIP Industry
Call routing is one of the most important features in the telecommunication industry. There are multiple driving factors that make it significant in both the PSTN and VoIP industry. That is the reason a majority of VoIP solutions, including any VoIP Softswitch software, consists of different call routing features.
Cost
The call routing rule defines the cost per call or cost per second. As VoIP based calling is often preferred because of lower expenses, it becomes necessary to focus on call routing strategies. They must be cheaper than their counterparts.
Customer Experience
There are busy routes and available routes in the VoIP industry. Busy routes often delay call connections by putting customers into the wait queues.
This can degrade customer experience. Therefore, call routing strategies help in improving customer experience by offering quick connections.
Connectivity and Quality
For any business, it is necessary to connect with clients, prospective customers, partners, investors, and other business associates. Along with connectivity, quality of call and service are equally important. Call routing strategies in the VoIP industry manage these two important factors, too.
Flexibility
Call routing is not just connecting clients with the business representative with the cheapest route. There are several other influential factors associated with it. Therefore, multiple types of call routing strategies are necessary for VoIP solutions. VoIP custom software development companies also provide custom call routing strategy development services to meet this requirement of businesses. VoIP solutions are very flexible in building custom features.
3. Definitive Factors for Call Routing Strategy Building
Development companies add different call routing features into the VoIP software depending on multiple factors. One of the major contributors to the selection of call routing features is definitely the software type. A wholesale Softswitch will have different features to route calls than a retail switch. Certainly, we are talking about the class 5 Softswitch, so let’s talk about the driving factors that help in defining routing features and strategies.
Distance
Using a retail switch, you can make both short distance and long distance calls. Short distance calls include international calls from extension to extension. Additionally, it includes calls from customers residing in the same city or state. On the other hand, long distance calls are international calls.
Number Portability
Some customers or employees change their termination providers or DID providers, but they still choose to retain numbers. This enforces call routing engines or algorithms to consider number portability while routing calls.
Quality of Service
This is definitely a necessary factor to consider for routing engines of a class 5 Softswitch solution. Even if a route is the cheapest, if it has voice delays, echo, packet loss, or similar issues, it is necessary to choose another route. For any customer, quality of service and call is the first priority for sure.
Custom Routing Rules
Different businesses may need different types of routing strategies in businesses. For example, some businesses need sticky agent routing even in their retail switch to build a strong bond with their customers. Some businesses require off-hour call routing to route calls depending on the non-working hours or holidays. In short, different businesses require different call routing strategies.
Emergency Number Handling
Emergency numbers are the real thing, but they are not supported in the VoIP communication industry. For example, if you want to dial 911, it will not connect with the cops in the USA. However, it is possible to configure an emergency number for routing the calls to the cops in America. Similarly, it may route calls to someone internally based on the configuration. In a nutshell, it is completely dependent on the configuration.
Other
Several other factors also define the development of call routing strategies in this VoIP Softswitch software for retail users. For example, technology and infrastructure are paving their way in smart routing strategy development. Artificial Intelligence is one of the major contributors to this segment.
If you are interested in learning more about the Role of AI in Defining Call Routing Strategies for Class 5 Switch, then read our blog post. This blog post discusses AI call routing and its influential role in the retail VoIP industry.
4. Key Call Routing Features in Class 5 VoIP Softswitch
As mentioned earlier, the key features available in your retail switch depend on various factors. However, there are ideal call routing features that your solution should have. As a result, you can enjoy several advantages of using this platform.
Time Based Routing
This is a very important type of routing feature. It routes calls to an IVR menu or a business representative depending on the time conditions. Time conditions are defined depending on different criteria. Firstly, off-working hours and during-working hours based call routing is one important strategy. Secondly, routing calls depending on the call volume and load on the executives. Finally, calls are routed depending on the other rules like sticky agent, skill based, extension routing, etc.
Call Forwarding
In business, forwarding a call to a business executive is a common practice. For example, if a sales executive is managing a specific lead. Then, that sales rep will always receive calls from that prospective client with call forwarding on his or her configured numbers. This will not notify the prospective client about the personal or business number of the sales rep.
Cheap Long Distance Calling
Businesses use a retail Softswitch solution for long distance calling, too. As a result, the development companies need to add features to support long distance calling. The switch needs to choose the call route that is the cheapest and also provides good quality of service.
Priority Routing
One more important call distribution strategy is priority based routing. According to this, all premium clients are directly connected with an allocated business manager or an account manager. The rest of the clients or calls are managed depending on the priority.
Concluding Note
In a nutshell, the science behind call routing in the retail VoIP business is quite surprising and interesting. We have tried to cover all vital facts and information in this blog post. This must have magnified a trivial looking feature in the class 5 solution, which is call routing. It is often ignored by several businesses by putting all focus on call management features. However, routing is a vital feature to manage calls effectively. Therefore, next time you are thinking of buying this switch or upgrading your existing switch, make sure you get all vital routing features in it.
We provide one of the best and feature rich class 5 Softswitch solutions to businesses and service providers. This solution has outstanding routing features along with multiple other functionalities. To book a free demo and explore more about this software, contact us.
