Call Center Services - An Ever Increasing Demand

Are your company's call center services all that they could be? Even centers that were state of the art a decade or so ago might be out of date and inadequate today. As technology expands, so do clients' expectations regarding communication. Nowadays, a client will normally expect to be able to contact a company representative more or less twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, either by phone, fax or email. Clients expect a quick response and courteous, efficient service regardless of how the communication is carried out. Though the technology to support this level of service is readily available, it can be a challenge for call centers to keep up with. Moreover, the quality and scope of outgoing calls remains important, as global competition for clients is fiercer than ever.

Here are just some of the services that inbound and outbound call centers need to provide to be competitive in today's buisness world. Agents must be able to take orders, process transactions, respond to requests for services and information, and provide effective help for clients who are having problems with the company's products. A sort of 'help desk' is often necessary, with two or three tiers of agents who can respond to various requests and queries. Regarding the outbound function of the call center, market research, polling and sales calls are conducted on a near-constant basis. Supervisors are needed to monitor the agents, and outcomes of calls are tracked and reported by various means. Usually, this requires the call center to have on-site supervisor stations, as well as up-to-date means of tracking and reporting. These fairly traditional services are only the beginning; nowadays, a call center may also be required to respond to letters, faxes and emails, use computer telophony integration (CTI), and provide service through voice recognition programs for those times when the call center is 'closed'. However, that really is the point - a modern call center should never really be closed at all. Increasingly, clients may reside in different time zones, and they have the right to expect service at any time. Even within a given time zone, there is an expectation of constant availability. This, along with the proliferation of means of communication and the need to integrate and respond to information from various sources, adds to the modern call center's tasks.

The need for all of these services puts considerable pressure on the modern call center, not to mention the company itself! For this reason, some small and medium sized companies may find themselves unable to meet all of these demands for service on their own. Some companies may resist outsourcing their call center needs, perhaps feeling that the personal touch would be lost. According to call center service providers, however, they needn't worry - the modern call center is more than able to provide knowledgable, personal service to clients. It has been proven mathematically that a single large call center is more effective - in terms of cost and service - than multiple small centers. It is easy to understand why this makes sense. The larger the call center, the more able it will be to provide the full range of services needed today. Some technological solutions are expensive to acquire and update, but if their cost can be absorbed by a large call center that services multiple companies, everyone can take advantage of the technology without having to individually acquire all the hardware and software. Moreover, in a large center, training and supervision becomes streamlined and effective. Individual agents gain expertise at a rapid pace; being exposed to a range of clients, their learning curve is huge.

All in all, there are many reasons to consider call center outsourcing, not the leas of which is the demand for an increasingly comprehensive range of call center services. Nowadays, companies really have no choice but to give clients what they want and need. A modern, fully equipped call center can help you do just that, at a reasonable cost and with updates available as often as you need them.

Prodialing strives to provide concise information concerning the high tech arena of callcenters, including call center services, predictive dialers, IVR and much, much more. See our website at ProDialing.com (http://www.prodialing.com).

---

Sending Mixed Signals Can Send Your Clients Away

I call it the "wave and roll."You walk up to... Read More

Customer Service Is More Than Just Being Nice To People

Many organizations tackle to the issue of customer service by... Read More

Top 10 customer service tips

1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people... Read More

Caring for Your Customers

You probably think I am going to say something like,... Read More

7 Bits Of Critical Information You Cant Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers

If you think customer relationship management is just a piece... Read More

Customers Who Rave About You and Your Service

According to customer service studies by marketing gurus of the... Read More

Make Your Customer Your Friend

The simplest way to describe a 'durian' (pronounced doo-ree-ann) is... Read More

How to Retain Your Customers the Dish Network Way

Customer retention is vital to a business. If you cannot... Read More

Outsourcing: The Unspoken Costs

Outsourcing seems to be the new-new thing and approximately 50%... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Win the Loyalty of Customers

Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win Customers... Read More

Cultivating the Trust Factor

In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain... Read More

Dealing with People - Words to Avoid

You probably realise how the wrong tone of voice and... Read More

All of the World of Business Is a Stage

One of the basics of acting taught to me in... Read More

Modern Call Center Solutions - Keeping in Touch is the Key

Call center solutions solve a range of age-old problems. As... Read More

8 Critical Steps to Establish a Customer Service Culture

"Every company's greatest assets are its customers, because without customers... Read More

What?s in a Name?

Different people call their Customers by different names. If they... Read More

Minimize The Pain of Check Recovery

$350 million in bad checks are written each and every... Read More

Dont Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot

Q: In a recent column you made the point that... Read More

Doesnt Anybody Work Here? Nametags Impact Employee Communication

Walmart was the first business to require all its employees... Read More

Developing A Customer Complaint System

Background The company was experiencing an increase in the number... Read More

Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client!

Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every... Read More

Your Number One Asset

Customers put you in business, keep you in business, and... Read More

Foolproof Customer Service Strategies (That Only A Fool Would Try!)

Ever notice how customer service varies from store to store?... Read More

Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - The Weather

Note to Kmart: It wasn't about the weatherIn the 1970s... Read More

Make An Action Plan To Improve Customer Service

Customer Service is a critical factor for keeping your clients... Read More

Why You Should Always Honour Your Guarantees - Even When The Customer Is In The Wrong

The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So... Read More

Sales Marketing: 10 High Impact Ways To Improve Your Customer Service

If you want to last a long time in business... Read More

My Child Has Opie Eye!

7:00 a.m., the silence in the house is broken by... Read More

Retail Store U-Scan Machines: Self-Serve or Voluntary Part Time Job?

Do many of us realize that we are working an... Read More

The death of customer servie

The other day a reporter call to interview me on... Read More

Customer Service - How Good Are YOU?

At 8.30 am a wealthy client (on his way to... Read More

How To Use Your Current Customers

Jay instructed a customer of his to offer a rare... Read More

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

However, in the world of business, this cliché may not... Read More