What is Call Disposition? A 2025 Guide for Call Centers

Call disposition is assigning a label based on how the call went to provide brief insight about the call. It allows agents to record essential details of each call using specific labels or codes. It facilitates practical call handling and customer analysis, helping enhance service plans and overall business success.

Call disposition codes are predefined codes for labeling call disposition. These codes differ depending on the call center software solution. Most software allows the company to customize the disposition codes to match business needs and make them understandable to the team.

Some typical call disposition codes are “ Resolved,” “Not interested,” “Appointment Scheduled,” “Call Back requested,” and “Information Provided.” Other examples include “Follow-up required,” “Service Inquiry,” “Callback requested,” “Sale closed,” “Do not contact,” and more. These codes cover various call outcomes and briefly explain the interaction.

When an agent finishes the call, they need to keep track of what happened on each call. Selecting the most relatable option from the list of call disposition codes defined in the call center solution. Processes involved in call disposition are listed below:
 

• Call Arrival: The process starts when the system detects an incoming call.
• Call handling: The call is handled by an agent or routed to voicemail.
• Call Outcome Determination: After the call, the agents select the most appropriate and relevant outcome from a list of disposition codes. For instance, if the customer is not interested in their product, agents select the “Not Interested” tags for that call.
• Recording data: This is recording the chosen code from the option into CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software.
• Data Analysis and Reporting: The gathered data is analyzed to assess performance and guide improvements for future interactions.

System dispositions are predefined responses automatically assigned based on call outcomes like “Busy” or “No Answer.” Because they are automated actions, agents do not have to select them manually. Some common system disposition lists include “Busy,” “No Answer,” “Invalid Number,” and “Unreachable.”

It is the outcomes/label manually selected by the agent after a call. Agents assign these options based on how the call went. Some common agent dispositions are” Resolved,” “Not Resolved,”” Required Follow-up,” and others.

Call disposition codes highlight the outcome of a call in a call center. They provide valuable insights into customer interaction, help to understand previous calls, and prepare future strategies.

Below are some common examples of codes used in both types of call centers.

• Resolved: The caller's problem was successfully resolved on the call.
• Transfer to department: The call was transferred to other departments for further assistance.
• Follow-up required: Further assistance is necessary to resolve the issue.
  Information provided: The customer’s inquiries were answered, and the agent provided the required details over the phone.
• Complaint registered: The caller reported an issue and was recorded for further action.
• Service Inquiry: The caller asked for details about a service.

• Interested: The person showed interest in the product/service.
• Not Interested: The person was not interested in the product/service.
• Callback requested: The contact asked to be called back later.
• A voicemail left: The call was not answered, so a voicemail was left.
• Wrong number: The phone number was incorrect.
• Sale closed: The call ended with a sale.
• Do not contact: The person requested not to be contacted again.

Implementing call dispositions in your call center has many benefits. It reduces manual tasks, informs the entire team about customer interactions, and enhances call center management and reporting. It also helps direct sales strategies, improve compliance with regulations, and provide a more personalized customer service experience.

Call disposition empowers agents to swiftly record call outcomes and move on to the next interaction. It allows agents to plan and focus on the next call rather than spending time manually documenting all call details, giving them a sense of control and efficiency.

Call disposition tracks customer interactions and what happens during them, making it easy for the whole team to stay informed. This way, everyone can share what they know without listening to call recordings or bugging their teammates for updates. It helps create a more connected and collaborative vibe among the team.

Call disposition codes simplify the entire call center management process by providing valuable data and allowing you to track the most critical metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators).

Supervisors can generate reports based on call disposition codes and easily track reasons for calls, resolution rates, abandoned calls, escalated interactions, successful sales conversions, and more.

Call disposition categorizes calls that require follow-up actions so agents prioritize these calls and contact customers, delivering a better service experience and improving customer satisfaction.

Call dispositions are super helpful for sales teams because they track how each call goes. When agents plan, they can better determine the next steps and jot down important details about the customer.

For example, if a lead is interested but not ready to buy, the agent can follow up later with the correct info at the right time. Now, sales teams can focus on the best leads, avoid wasting time on those uninterested, and boost their overall sales performance.

Call Disposition helps maintain regulatory compliance by recording and categorizing all customer interactions according to industry standards. Following regulations is necessary to avoid fines.

For example, companies should refrain from calling phone numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry (DNC Registry), as calling numbers on that registry means legal actions and heavy fines.

The call center must also have internal DNC lists and the national registry. If a customer wishes not to be called again in the future, agents can simply assign the disposition code ‘Do Not Contact.’

So, agents can assign suitable categories to the numbers, such as ‘inactive number,’ ‘requested no contact,’ or ‘Do not contact.’ They can quickly sort through these and remove the do-not-contact number from the lists to ensure you don’t accidentally call them again.

It ensures consistent recording of essential call details. When agents select a disposition after each call, they categorize outcomes and update customer information. This corrects errors and clarifies preferences, keeping the data accurate and enabling better decision-making for future interactions.

By assigning a specific label (like "Interested," "No Answer," or "Follow-up Needed") to each call, managers and agents can quickly see how each interaction is at a glance. This organized data allows them to quickly assess performance records, track trends, and identify areas for improvement.

Using disposition codes is beneficial for organizations. Call disposition is an essential feature; however, agents often must search for it. There are many more challenges using call disposition.

A customer may call with issues, which makes assigning a single disposition code difficult. Agents might be overwhelmed and confused by the different codes available for each outcome, which leads to categorization and affects disposition analytics.

Agents without proper training may struggle to assign accurate and consistent disposition codes. This results in inaccurate call analysis, which can clash in the call center. Agents' reports may also not be reliable.

The disposition code needs to be updated regularly as products and services change. It is rigid and does not adapt to changing business and customer needs, reducing its usability. However, the frequent changes in code and their meanings confuse the agents.

Assigning the correct disposition code according to how the interaction went right after the call is rushed. As agents need to take the next call right away during peak hours, they might sometimes forget to assign a disposition code to a call or even assign the wrong code due to the rush.

Using call disposition boosts your efficiency. It is essential to update codes regularly, provide continuous training to teams, provide clear guidelines on using the call disposition codes, and develop disposition codes with your team.

It’s important to keep your call disposition codes updated with the latest trends. Regular reviews ensure that your team has updated codes aligned with your business needs, improving the accuracy of call disposition and data analysis.

Regular team training keeps your team updated on disposition codes. This leads to precise recording of call outcomes, improved data quality, and potential for better service. Continuous training also ensures agents use disposition codes accurately.

Using many codes creates confusion and results in inaccurate call categorization. Maintain a detailed and clear list of disposition codes that are expected to include all possible outcomes but are not so extensive that they become confusing. Set similar call outcomes in a single category to reduce disposition. A well-balanced number of codes ensures accuracy and consistency when categorizing calls.

Agent’s involvement while creating and refining call disposition codes ensures they are practical and easy to use. Since agents interact with customers daily, their knowledge helps you to understand codes better. This can help you to shape a practical and relevant call disposition list.

Clear instructions about the disposition code help clarify any confusion. They also ensure that agents use disposition tags accurately. Providing examples related to the situations for each code helps agents choose the right disposition code. This ensures that the data collected is accurate, which helps track agent performance and improve overall efficiency.

Most call center software does not have automated call dispositions. You may use call center software like Calilio, which has an automated call disposition process. Calilio allows its user to customize their disposition list, which will be automatically assigned to a call when the interaction is completed.

Call disposition allows you to analyze customer interactions, offering valuable insights to enhance customer support for both inbound and outbound calls. It helps businesses improve customer service quality, plan follow-ups, increase sales efficiency, and make informed decisions.
 

Call disposition is the categorization of call outcomes to track calls and help in follow-up efficiently. Busy, sales closed, no answer, and resolved are some of the popular call disposition codes.

A disposition serves an essential role in customer interactions by helping to classify and capture the results of each call or engagement. It’s not just about recording what happened; it’s about understanding the journey and outcomes of our customer conversations.

In call centers, dispositions are codes that summarize the outcome of a call. For example, "Issue Resolved" means the customer’s problem was addressed, while "Callback Required" indicates follow-up is needed. These tags help track performance and improve service.

Call disposition helps you categorize and document the outcomes of calls which boost efficiency and leads to happier customers. It provides valuable insights into customer behavior, empowering agents and management alike to analyze trends and make informed decisions.