Call parking: what it is and why a sales floor needs it
· 4 min read
Call parking puts a caller in a shared waiting spot that anyone on the team can pick up from. In an agency where calls bounce between producers and service staff, it saves a lot of shouting across the office.
Parking versus hold
When you put a call on hold, the caller is still tied to your line. Only you can take them back. When you park a call, the caller moves to a parking spot that the whole team can see. Anyone can pick them up from any phone, and your own line is free for the next call.
When agencies park calls
- A customer calls the front line about a claim or a billing question that their producer or a service specialist should handle.
- A producer needs to step away to check a carrier portal or a rate before continuing.
- A call comes in for someone who is finishing another call and will be free in a minute.
- The person answering isn't licensed for the question being asked.
Parking versus transferring
A transfer sends the caller straight to a specific person. Use it when you know who should take the call and they're free. Parking is better when the right person is busy for a moment or when whoever frees up first should take it.
Habits that keep parked callers from being forgotten
- Tell the caller what's happening and roughly how long it will take.
- Say out loud, or in chat, who the call is parked for.
- Watch the hold time. If a caller has waited more than a couple of minutes, pick them up and give an update.
- Use hold music or a message so the caller knows they're still connected.
In Insurance CRM, agents park a call by dragging it onto the parking lot. Each parked call shows how long the caller has been holding and who answered.