Call flow deviation is any departure from the defined sequence of steps a call is expected to follow, such as required verification, disclosures, troubleshooting questions, transfers, or wrap-up actions. It can occur in the IVR, during agent handling, or at handoffs between teams.
Operationally, deviations matter because they often change outcomes: longer handle time, more transfers, missed compliance steps, inconsistent customer experience, and lower first-call resolution. Tracking where and why deviations happen helps leaders identify training gaps, unclear scripts, broken routing, or policies that don’t match real customer needs.
Not all deviation is negative; some reflects necessary judgment for edge cases. The goal is to distinguish productive exceptions from avoidable variance and to update call flows, coaching, and routing rules accordingly.
