Here are some ways you can design a call flow that will ensure incoming calls make it to the agent teams with the most appropriate skillsets.
User level: Admin
What is skill based routing?
Skill-based routing creates a logical call distribution system for situations where incoming callers have a wide range of needs. Your call center may receive calls in different languages, requests for technical assistance, or other cases that require agents with specific skill sets.
When a call is routed to a skill group, CloudTalk rings agents based on their configured skill level: Very good is tried first, followed by Good, Sufficient, Insufficient, and finally agents whose skill is Not set. If multiple agents have the same skill level, CloudTalk alternates between them using a round-robin method to balance workloads.
By using caller data or inputs to route calls this way, skill-based routing helps minimize queue times and ensures customers reach the right agents faster.
When is it useful?
There are many cases where a company benefits from using skill groups to classify their agents. For example:
You have an international company. Your support center has many bilingual agents with varying levels of language skill.
If an incoming call has a German area code, it should be sent to one of your German-speaking agents. If the call is from France, it should go to a French-speaking agent, and so on.
Agents who are better at a particular language should be prioritized for callers who speak that language.
You also want to use stored data about your contacts, like contact tags, to direct certain calls to agents with additional skill sets, like technical support.
Skill Based Routing with IVR Menu
Before building a skill-based call flow, make sure you have existing groups. To get the most out of skill-based routing, add skills to agent profiles to create specialized skill groups.
To open the Call Flow Designer:
From the Dashboard, click Numbers.
In the My numbers tab, find the number you want to configure.
Click + Configure (or the flow name, if one exists) in the Call Flow column.
Use an IVR Menu when you want the caller to choose which language or skill group they need by pressing a key. For example, your prompt might say: "Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Español, Press 3 for Français."
Build the flow
On the canvas, click the
+button where you want to add the IVR Menu.In the step library, under Routing logic, select IVR Menu.
3. In the IVR Menu config panel, set up the prompt sound (the recording that tells callers which key to press). You can create a new sound, upload one, use text-to-speech, or search your existing library.
4. Set the Seconds to wait on this step (how long callers have to respond).
5. Click Save.
Add branches for each language/skill group
6. Click the + button below the IVR Menu step to add a new step.
7. In the step library, under Connect to agents, select Ring to.
8. In the Ring to config panel:
Set Ring target to Group.
Search and select the group that matches the language (e.g., your English-speaking agents group).
Set the Ring for duration.
9. Scroll down to the IVR settings section at the bottom of the panel:
Pick the IVR keyboard number for this branch (e.g., 1 for Support (EN)).
10. Click Save.
11. Repeat steps 6-10 for each department, assigning a different key number each time (e.g., 2 for Spanish, 3 for French).
Add a failover branch
12. On one of the branches, check the Failover for no key pressed checkbox in the IVR settings. This ensures calls are handled even if the caller doesn't press anything.
13. Click Save in the top-right corner to make your flow live.
Your call flow is now set up so that callers can choose their department via the IVR Menu. Within each group, CloudTalk rings agents by skill level (Very good first, then Good, and so on).
Skill Based Routing with Condition Splitter
Use a Condition Splitter when you want to route calls automatically based on caller data, without requiring the caller to press a key. The Condition Splitter filters calls through conditions you define, such as contact tags, country codes, or custom fields.
Use case: Route all incoming calls tagged as "technical" to your technical support skill group, without the caller needing to do anything.
Build the flow
On the canvas, click the
+button where you want to add the Condition Splitter.In the step library, under Routing logic, select Condition Splitter.
3. Click the Condition Splitter step on the canvas to open its config panel.
Create the failover branch first
4. Check the No other condition is met box. This creates a fallback for calls that don't match any of your conditions.
5. Click Save.
6. Below the Condition Splitter on the canvas, click the + button on the failover branch.
7. Add a Ring to step targeting your general support group.
Add a condition branch
8. Click the Condition Splitter step again to reopen its config panel.
9. Click Add new.
10. Set up the condition:
Property: Contact - Tags
Operand: contains
Value: technical
11. Click Confirm, then Save.
[SCREENSHOT: Condition Splitter config panel with condition: Contact - Tags contains "technical"]
12. Below the new condition branch on the canvas (showing "Contact - Tags..."), click the + button.
13. Add a Ring to step targeting your technical support skill group.
[SCREENSHOT: Completed flow on canvas: Condition Splitter with "Contact - Tags..." branch (Ring to Technical Support) and fallback branch (Ring to General Support)]
14. Continue adding more condition branches as needed. Each condition branch can route to a different skill group.
15. Click Save in the top-right corner to make your flow live.
Calls tagged as "technical" will now be routed to your technical support group, where CloudTalk rings agents by skill level. All other calls go to the general support group.
Skill Routing FAQ
In what order are skilled agents chosen for incoming calls?
When an inbound call is routed to a skill group, CloudTalk rings agents in this sequence:
Availability: only agents who are online and not idle are considered.
Highest skill level: "Very good" rings first, followed by "Good," "Sufficient," then "Insufficient," and finally agents whose skill level is "Not set" or is not set at all.
Ringing strategy: Round-robin. If two or more agents share the same skill level, the system alternates between them to balance workloads.
Need help or have a question? Just reach out through our Support portal — we’re here for you.