Apps, online banking, and digital application processes are now standard features of a modern bank. Many services can be handled anytime and independently.
But when a request becomes urgent, complex or personal, customers still use the phone. Not because they reject digital channels. In that moment, they expect guidance, reliability, and a quick answer.
The phone is therefore not an obsolete contact channel. It immediately shows which topics require support, which processes trigger questions, and where products need additional explanation. For banks, the key question is therefore not only how to handle calls, but how to identify and route customer requests as early and accurately as possible.
The problem begins before the conversation
In many customer service centers, an employee answers the call, listens to the request and only then realizes that another department is responsible.
The call is transferred. The customer may have to explain the issue again. At the same time, employee capacity is tied up in contacts that are not within their area of responsibility.
When a request is classified only during the conversation, routing happens too late. Every misrouting costs time and can worsen the customer experience.
From routing to understanding
Intelligent call steering changes this process. Customers do not have to navigate keypad menus or rigid selection paths. Instead, they describe their request in natural language:
- “My PIN doesn’t work”
- “I have a question about my card”
- “I need information about a home loan”
The system recognizes the reason for the call and routes the contact directly to the right team or specialist. Routing is therefore based not on a technical menu, but on the customer’s actual request.
At the same time, every call contains valuable signals. Banks can see which topics occur frequently, where bottlenecks arise, and which contacts require specialized expertise.
This transparency improves workforce planning and shows which simple service requests can be automated or handled by newly trained employees. Specialist advisory capacity remains available for more complex requests.
Intelligent call steering is therefore more than a technical solution. It supports the organization and management of a customer service center, especially when contact volumes are high, staffing is tight or unexpected enquiries arise after campaigns or technical issues.
Practical example: Volksbank Kraichgau
The relevance of targeted routing in practice is demonstrated by Volksbank Kraichgau. Its customer service center handles around:
- 500,000 calls per year
- 57,000 emails
- 13,150 digital service contacts
At this scale, a classic generalist model has limited scalability. Not all employees need to be able to handle every topic in the same depth.
That is why Volksbank Kraichgau relies on the targeted recognition and classification of incoming requests with the recognition rate of over 90 percent.
This results in fewer transfers and more structure in day-to-day operations. New employees can start with suitable requests, while complex topics reach the right specialists more quickly.
The real relief therefore does not necessarily come from fewer conversations, but from better routing of those conversations.
Personal advice remains central
Artificial intelligence in customer service is often associated with replacing human work. In banking, this view is too narrow.
Banking services are based on trust, responsibility and expert judgement. The role of intelligent systems is therefore not to prevent conversations. They should ensure that the right conversations can happen faster.
When routine requests are routed more effectively, more time remains for advisory communication. Technology does not replace personal advice. It creates the conditions for employees to use their expertise where it delivers the greatest value.
Key takeaways
- The phone remains an important contact channel in digital banking. It clearly shows where customers need support and where processes or products trigger questions.
- Intelligent call steering helps banks recognize these requests early and route them appropriately.
- Customers reach the right contact person faster, employees are relieved of unnecessary work, and managers gain greater transparency into call reasons and workload.
As a result, the customer service center becomes not only more efficient, but also a more manageable part of the customer relationship.
FAQ
Intelligent call steering identifies why a customer is calling their bank based on freely spoken language. The call is then routed directly to the responsible team or the appropriate contact person. Importantly, the system does not just recognize individual words. It understands what the customer actually means – in real time.
Classic voice menus work with fixed options or keypad entries: “Press 1 for …”. With intelligent call steering, the customer simply describes their request in their own words. The system recognizes the reason for the call and assigns the contact to the right area.
Banks can reduce unnecessary transfers, use available capacity more efficiently and better identify common call reasons. At the same time, customer service leadership and operations gain greater transparency into call volumes, workload and current customer concerns.
Customers reach the right contact person more quickly and have to repeat their issue less often. This shortens handling time and creates a noticeably better customer journey.
No. Intelligent call steering supports employees by pre-sorting and routing calls. Personal advice remains essential, especially for complex, sensitive or advisory requests.
The solution is suitable, among others, for requests related to cards and PINs, online banking, payments, financing, securities and general service topics. Simple requests can be handled automatically, while more complex requests are routed directly to specialized teams. Which topics are automated or only transferred is decided by the bank itself. That is exactly what matters in practice: the solution must fit the bank’s organization – not the other way around.
The phone is used especially when a request is urgent, complex or personal. That is precisely why the telephone channel provides important clues about where customers need support and which processes require additional explanation.
A demo can show what is technically possible. But what matters is how reliably a solution performs in day-to-day banking operations. Spitch is already in productive use at 22 Volksbanks in Germany. This is complemented by regular roundtables, direct exchange with the banks, dedicated contacts and a support hotline. Because in the end, it is not the most attractive presentation that wins – it is everyday performance. And satisfied banks remain the best reference.
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