Table of Contents
Support Guide
Receiving Live Warm Transfers in Shape Software
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Shape Software
Learn how Shape Software receives warm transfers from lead providers and third-party call centers, including inbound call routing, automatic record assignment, call waiting, and best practices.
Receiving Warm Transfers from Lead Providers & Call Centers
Many mortgage companies and insurance agencies work with lead providers or third-party call centers that qualify prospects before transferring them to your team.
Rather than simply forwarding a phone call, Shape can receive both the customer record and the live call, allowing your users to answer with the customer's information already available.
This creates a faster, more informed customer experience while helping your team respond confidently from the moment they answer.
How Live Transfers Work
A typical live transfer follows this process:
1.
A lead provider or external call center creates or submits the customer record to Shape.
2.
Shape assigns the record based on your configured workflow.
3.
The external call center qualifies the customer.
4.
When the customer is ready, the call is transferred into Shape.
5.
The assigned user (or another configured destination) receives the incoming call.
6.
The conversation continues inside Shape.
Because the record already exists in Shape, your users have immediate access to customer information before saying "Hello."
Receiving Warm Transfers from Lead Providers & Call Centers
While Shape supports several live transfer workflows, we generally recommend the following approach:
This workflow provides the best customer experience because the intended owner has the first opportunity to answer the call while still ensuring the customer isn't left waiting if they're unavailable. By combining lead assignment with inbound call routing, organizations can maintain ownership when possible while automatically reassigning records when another team member ultimately assists the customer.
Best Practice: Configure your inbound call routing rules with one or more fallback destinations so transferred calls always have a path forward if the assigned user is unavailable. This helps maximize answer rates while ensuring record ownership follows the user who ultimately takes the conversation.
Other Supported Workflows
Depending on your organization's needs, Shape also supports:
Distribution After Transfer
The call center sends the lead into Shape without assigning it.
When the call is transferred, Shape assigns the record as part of the inbound call routing process.
Reassignment During Transfer
A lead may initially be assigned to one user.
If the transfer follows a different routing path, Shape can reassign the record during the inbound transfer process based on your configured call routing rules.
Call-Only Transfers
Shape can receive transferred calls without first creating a lead.
While supported, this is generally not recommended since the receiving user won't have customer information available before answering.
Automatically Open the Customer Record
For the best experience, enable Automatically Open Record on Incoming Call within your Profile Settings.
When enabled, Shape automatically opens the customer's record as soon as the transferred call is answered.
This allows users to immediately view:
- Contact information
- Loan or policy details
- Notes
- Previous activity
- Assigned user
- Timeline
- And more
This setting is highly recommended for anyone who regularly receives live transfers.
Answering a Live Transfer
When a transferred call arrives, users can:
- Accept
- Decline
- Ignore
If you're already on another call, Shape's Call Waiting feature allows you to:
- Hold your current call and accept the transfer.
- Ignore the incoming transfer.
- End your current call and answer the transferred call.
What Happens After You Answer?
The experience depends on how the external call center initiates the transfer.
Some providers connect:
- You and the transferring agent first, allowing for a brief introduction before the customer joins.
Others connect:
- You, the transferring agent, and the customer together immediately.
Once the introduction is complete, the transferring agent typically disconnects, allowing you to continue the conversation directly with the customer.
Because this behavior is controlled by the transferring phone system, the exact experience may vary between providers.
Ring Timeouts & Greetings
Many external call centers enforce ring timeouts during transfers.
If no one answers within the configured timeframe, the transfer may be cancelled or follow another routing path.
To create a better customer experience, we recommend using greetings within your inbound call routing rules.
A common approach is:
Greeting
"Please hold while we connect your call."
If the transfer takes longer than expected, a second greeting can reassure the customer:
"Thank you for your patience. Someone will be with you shortly."
This helps reduce caller abandonment while additional users are being attempted.
Automatic Assignment
Shape can automatically assign the customer record when the transferred call is answered.
This allows ownership to follow the conversation, ensuring the receiving user becomes responsible for future follow-up.
Assignment behavior is configured within your inbound call routing rules.
Routing Large Teams
Inbound call routing can attempt multiple users simultaneously.
For organizations with larger sales teams, Shape also supports QuickFire Connect, which broadcasts the transfer request to a much larger group of users.
As a general best practice:
- Standard inbound routing works well for smaller groups.
- QuickFire Connect is recommended when routing calls to larger teams.
(See our QuickFire Connect guide for additional details.)
Missed Transfers
How declined calls, missed calls, voicemail, and transfer timeouts are handled depends on your inbound call routing configuration and the behavior of the transferring phone system.
If you'd like to customize these scenarios, contact Shape Support or your Customer Success Manager for assistance configuring your inbound routing rules.
Best Practices
- Have the lead posted into Shape before the call is transferred whenever possible.
- Enable Automatically Open Record on Incoming Call for users receiving live transfers.
- Use inbound greetings to improve the caller experience during transfer attempts.
- Configure call waiting for users who frequently handle inbound transfers.
- Use QuickFire Connect when routing calls to larger sales teams.
- Review missed transfer reports periodically to identify opportunities for improving routing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need the customer record before the transfer?
No, but it's highly recommended. Receiving the customer record before the call allows Shape to automatically open the record when the phone rings, giving users valuable context before answering.
Can the customer record be assigned automatically?
Yes. Depending on your inbound call routing configuration, Shape can automatically assign the record when the transferred call is answered.
What if I'm already on another call?
Shape supports Call Waiting, allowing you to hold your current call, ignore the incoming transfer, or end your existing call before accepting the transferred call.
Why does the transferred call sometimes disconnect?
Many third-party call centers enforce ring timeouts. If no one answers within the configured timeframe, the transfer may follow the provider's timeout rules. Greetings and properly configured inbound routing can help create a smoother customer experience.
Can I receive transfers on a forwarded phone?
Yes. Live transfers work best using Shape's Webphone, but call forwarding is also supported.
Tip: If you're using call forwarding, avoid enabling Do Not Disturb on your forwarded phone. Some devices automatically reject incoming calls while in Do Not Disturb mode, which can cause transferred calls to be declined before reaching you.
Can I track missed transfers?
Yes. Missed transfers can be tracked using missed call settings, while accepted and completed transfers can be monitored through call activity, call outcomes, and status updates.
Can QuickFire be used for inbound transfers?
Yes. QuickFire Connect can be used as part of your inbound routing strategy when transferring calls to larger groups of users (more than 10). It allows the first available qualified user to accept the transferred call, making it ideal for high-volume sales teams.
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