Automated Call Distribution (ACD) is a system that routes incoming calls to specific set of terminals or workstations that agents use in a contact center to attend the customer inquiries and requests based on certain policy and algorithm that determines the best available agent or agent group to respond to a given incoming call.

ACD systems are often used in for effectively handle large volumes of incoming/outgoing phone calls from callers who require assistance at the earliest opportunity. The routing strategy is a rule-based set of instructions that tells the ACD how calls are handled inside the system. Instead of the conventional extension wise policy, ACD ensures uniform call distribution through call placement.