Skip to main content

​
First-Line-of-Defense (FLoD) Best Practices Playbook

​
1. Purpose & Scope

First-Line-of-Defense (FLoD) handling is fundamentally different from after-hours or overflow coverage. Enterprise customers expect:
  • High containment
  • Seamless, human-like experiences
  • Accurate routing and resolution
The objective is to replace full CSR or call-center workflows, not simply capture incremental bookings.

​
Primary Success Metrics

  • Containment Rate – Calls fully resolved without branch involvement
  • Booking Rate – Calls that result in successful job bookings

​
2. Enterprise IVR & Routing Alignment

A deep understanding of the client’s IVR structure is essential for accurate performance measurement and customer experience consistency.

​
Key Considerations

  • IVR branch hierarchy and routing logic
  • Call filtering (spam, robocalls, silent calls, telemarketing)
  • Reporting alignment with existing IVR behavior
Best Practice: Do not remove IVR filters without recalibrating metrics—filtered nuisance calls can artificially depress booking and containment rates.

​
3. Multi-Tenant & Enterprise Hub Environments

Enterprise environments often operate with multiple tenants, locations, or brands.

​
Best Practices

  • Detect the correct service location based on caller context (e.g., ZIP code)
  • Route and book into the appropriate tenant without visible transfers
  • Enable cross-tenant customer lookup to maintain accurate call logs and task assignment
Outcome: A frictionless experience where customers never feel “handed off” between systems.

​
4. Escalations, Warm Transfers & Whisper Flows

When escalation is required, handoffs must feel intentional and informed.

​
Best Practices

  • Use contextual whispers to brief receiving agents before connection
  • Preserve conversation history during transfers
  • Offer fallback options if a branch is unavailable (queue transfer or callback)
Goal: Maintain trust, continuity, and professionalism during escalations.

​
5. Bilingual Support

Enterprise deployments frequently require bilingual coverage.

​
Best Practices

  • Provide equivalent AI experiences across supported languages
  • Ensure escalation paths exist for human bilingual support when required
  • Measure containment and CX consistently across languages

​
6. Structured Call Outcomes & Automation

Standardized outcomes improve reporting, automation, and operational clarity.

​
Core Outcome Categories

  • Booked
  • Unbooked
  • Resolved
  • Action Item
  • Excused
  • Internal Transfer
  • External Transfer

​
Action Items

  • Automatically generate platform-native tasks (not email-only follow-ups)
  • Categorize issues such as billing, ETA, warranty, or membership updates
  • Enable asynchronous resolution without burdening branch staff

​
7. Scenario-Based Handling (Business Hours)

Clearly defined routing rules reduce confusion and unnecessary escalations.

​
Examples

  • Human request or escalation: Bot → Human or Branch
  • Safety risks or emergencies: Bot → Branch
  • Billing, invoices, warranty questions: Bot → Task
  • Spam, vendors, wrong numbers: Bot only
  • Complaints or service quality issues: Bot → Task
  • Parts, follow-ups, or ETA inquiries: Bot → Branch or Task
Principle: Escalate only when resolution truly requires human intervention.

​
8. Reducing Branch Load

High containment depends on minimizing unnecessary live transfers.

​
Proven Strategies

  • Default to task creation for non-urgent issues
  • Strengthen AI objection handling while preserving CX quality
  • Use follow-up SMS with booking links for unbooked calls
  • Enable two-way SMS for:
    • Billing updates
    • Portal access
    • ETA notifications
    • Self-service resources

​
9. Reporting & Data Integrity

Clear reporting rules ensure trust and alignment.

​
Reporting Standards

  • AI → internal human transfers do not inflate total call volume
  • Bookings completed by humans or callbacks do count as booked calls
  • Only external (branch) transfers count toward transfer metrics
  • Provide a consolidated call log for auditing and reconciliation

​
10. Measuring Success

Enterprise FLoD success is measured by:
  • Containment Rate – Reduced branch dependency
  • Booking Rate – Accurate, completed bookings
  • Customer Experience – Smooth handoffs and fast resolution

​
11. Improving Observability (Optional Enhancements)

To increase visibility and responsiveness:
  • Real-time alerts via messaging platforms (Slack, Teams, SMS, email)
  • Platform-native tasks for structured follow-up
  • Proactive notifications for technicians or dispatchers
Last modified on February 19, 2026