In a call center, not all agents have the ability to handle every type of customer request. Some agents have greater expertise in technical issues, while others specialize in sales, after-sales services, or specialized support. At the same time, incoming calls do not all have the same nature or level of complexity.

Under such circumstances, simply routing every call to the first available agent is not always the best approach. One important solution to this challenge is to create a Multi-Skill call center and implement Skill-Based Routing.

This approach enables a call center to route interactions to the appropriate agents based on the skills required, while also making more flexible use of available workforce capacity.

What Is Multi-Skill?

In a single-skill call center, each group of agents typically has a specific responsibility. For example, one group may handle only sales calls, while another group handles only support requests.

In a Multi-Skill Environment or call center, however, an agent can be trained and qualified in more than one service area or skill.

This structure makes call center capacity more flexible because an agent can handle different types of interactions when required.

Why Is Multi-Skill Important?

When agents are restricted to handling only one type of interaction, the capacity of one group may remain unused while another group is dealing with a long queue.

For example, assume that during a particular period:

• The sales queue has 20 customers waiting.
• The support queue has only 3 customers waiting.

If sales agents are only authorized to handle sales calls, even available support agents cannot help reduce the sales queue.

However, if some employees have the skills required to handle both types of requests, part of the available capacity can be used to serve customers waiting in the sales queue.

Therefore, one of the key advantages of a Multi-Skilled call center is greater workforce capacity flexibility.

What Is Skill-Based Routing?

Skill-Based Routing (SBR) refers to routing a customer interaction to an agent who has the appropriate skills to handle the request.

The system first determines what type of skill is required for the interaction and then selects the most appropriate qualified agent from those who are available.

For example, if a customer calls regarding a specialized software problem, the system can route the call to an agent with expertise in that particular area rather than simply sending it to any available agent.

How Does Skill-Based Routing Work?

To implement SBR, organizations first need to define a set of skills for their agents.

When a call or interaction arrives, the system can also classify it based on its characteristics.

The system then considers only agents who possess the required skills as suitable routing options.

As a result, routing is no longer based solely on the question of “Who is available?” Instead, the more important question becomes:

“Who is available and has the appropriate skills?”

Benefit 1: Better Utilization of Workforce Capacity

One of the most important advantages of a Multi-Skilled call center is improved workforce utilization.

In a single-skill structure, each team typically has a limited capacity for a specific type of interaction. If demand is unevenly distributed among teams, one group may become overloaded while another remains underutilized.

In a multi-skilled structure, agents with multiple skills can move between different types of interactions as demand changes.

As a result, the overall capacity of the system becomes more flexible, and workforce resources can be directed toward areas where demand is highest.

Benefit 2: Reduced Waiting Time

Consider a call center that receives two types of calls: sales and support.

If each group handles only one type of call, a sudden increase in demand for one service can result in a long queue.

However, if some agents are qualified to handle both sales and support interactions, their available capacity can be used to reduce the queue.

Therefore, under appropriate conditions, Multi-Skill and Skill-Based Routing can contribute to shorter waiting times and improved Service Level.

Benefit 3: Greater Flexibility in Response to Changing Demand

Customer demand is not constant. On one day, sales calls may increase significantly, while on another day, support requests may become more frequent.

If a call center operates with a completely segregated workforce structure, adjusting capacity to these changes can be more difficult.

However, having multi-skilled call center or agents allows part of the workforce to be allocated to different areas according to current demand.

This capability becomes particularly valuable when demand changes unexpectedly or fluctuates significantly over short periods.

Are More Skills Always Better?

No. Creating a Multi-Skill Environment also introduces new challenges.

Training employees in multiple skills requires additional time and resources. Furthermore, as the number of skills assigned to an agent increases, workforce scheduling, competency management, and maintaining sufficient expertise can become more complex.

Therefore, the objective of Multi-Skill is not to turn every employee into a generalist capable of doing everything.

The goal is to design a combination of skills that creates the greatest operational value for the call center.

The Main Challenge: Designing the Right Skills

One of the key challenges is determining which skills should be combined.

If two types of interactions are significantly different in terms of subject matter, complexity, and response requirements, combining them within the same job role may not be practical.

On the other hand, some skills can complement each other. For example, an agent may be trained to handle general customer service as well as several specific types of technical support.

Therefore, the Skill Set should be designed based on factors such as:

• Type of interaction
• Complexity of the interaction
• Training requirements and training time
• Demand volume
• Required level of expertise

A well-designed skill structure should balance operational flexibility with the level of specialization required to maintain service quality.

What Is the Difference Between Multi-Skill Staffing and Skill-Based Routing?

These two concepts are closely related, but they are not the same.

Multi-Skill Staffing primarily addresses the question:

“What combination of agents, with what set of skills, is required for the call center?”

In contrast, Skill-Based Routing addresses the question:

“Which qualified agent should handle each available interaction?”

Therefore, Multi-Skill Staffing focuses on designing workforce capacity and skill combinations, while Skill-Based Routing focuses on intelligently assigning interactions to the appropriate skills.

To create an effective multi-skilled call center, both elements need to be designed and managed in coordination with one another.

The Role of Technology in Skill-Based Routing

In modern call centers, Skill-Based Routing is typically managed through specialized software systems.

These systems can use different types of information about the interaction and the customer and route the interaction to the most appropriate group or agent based on predefined rules.

In more advanced systems, data analytics and artificial intelligence can also help identify the type of customer request and determine the most appropriate routing path.

As a result, routing can evolve from a simple rule such as “send the call to the first available agent” into a more sophisticated and targeted decision-making process.

Conclusion

A Multi-Skilled call center allows to move beyond a completely segregated workforce structure by preparing some employees to handle multiple types of customer needs.

Skill-Based Routing, in turn, helps ensure that interactions are directed to the most appropriate agents based on the actual skills required.

However, the success of this approach does not depend simply on increasing the number of skills assigned to employees. Proper skill design, effective employee training, accurate data, and an appropriate routing system all play an important role in the final performance of the call center.

Ultimately, the goal is not to make every agent capable of handling everything. The goal is to create the right combination of skills, workforce capacity, and intelligent routing so that available resources can be used where and when they are needed most.

Author: Zahra Shirband – International Relations Expert ISQI

Resources:

[1] G. Koole, Call Center Optimization. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: MG Books, 2013, pp. 91–102.

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[3] M. E. Sisselman and W. Whitt, “Value-based routing and preference-based routing in customer contact centers,” Production and Operations Management, vol. 16, no. 3, 2007, doi: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2007.tb00259.x.

[4] B. Legros, O. Jouini, and Y. Dallery, “A flexible architecture for call centers with skill-based routing,” International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 159, pp. 192–207, 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2014.09.025.