What Is a Transfer Assistant?

A transfer assistant is a software component you can use to quickly and efficiently transfer a caller to a requested person within your company. This feature effectively provides a similar function to that of a human operator, but in a way that is fully automated, and capable of working as an integrated part of an automated phone menu system.

How a Transfer Assistant Works

When an outbound caller reaches your company switchboard they’ll be greeted with an option to request transfer assistance. The transfer assistant will give callers a number of options for reaching the right person. This may include:

• Transfers to a specific worker by name

• Call forwarding through to a requested department or section of a company

• More thematic and intuitive queries, such as broad requests for customer service or a question about technical support

• A "hot" (or attended) transfer, in which a human operator is brought into the call to ensure that a caller's experience is as streamlined and "human-friendly" as possible

Benefits of a Transfer Assistant

• Cost-effectiveness: A transfer assistant can eliminate the need for human operator services. The routine process of transferring straightforward calls can be handled automatically, leaving only the more nuanced transfers to human assistance.

• Efficiency: A transfer assistant can be configured to pass calls directly to the person most suited to provide assistance. Moreover, if your team is partly or wholly remote, a transfer assistant can be configured to forward calls only to those whose presence is marked as active.

• Customer satisfaction: Efficient call transfers mean that your customers and clients get to spend less time waiting on hold, or worse, being transferred around your company. Less waiting makes for happier customers.

• Enhanced business intelligence: Crucially, transfer assistant data can be audited and analyzed. This data allows you to constantly improve how inbound calls are handled.

Who Should Use a Transfer Assistant

Companies with a larger workforce can benefit from transfer assistance functionality. The more complex and nuanced your team structure, the greater the efficiency gains automated transfer assistance can provide.