ACD
An ACD (automatic call distributor) is the part of a phone system that receives incoming calls and routes each one to a specific agent or group. It follows rules such as skills, availability, priority or order of arrival.
Also called: automatic call distributor, automatic call distribution
Where an IVR asks the caller what they want, the ACD decides who gets the call. It holds calls in a queue, watches which agents are free, and hands each call over according to a routing strategy: longest idle first, round robin, skills-based (Spanish speakers to Spanish-speaking agents), or priority for certain numbers.
ACDs are the core of a contact center and produce most of its operational metrics, answer rate, abandonment rate and speed to answer all come from the ACD’s view of the queue.
For a small business the same job is usually done by simpler routing rules in a hosted phone system, or by a receptionist deciding who to transfer to.