One of the fastest-growing trends in business these days is the call center. Outsourcing calls can increase profits, enhance the quality of customer service, streamline business operations and save money. With virtual accessibility, call centers have become an option for any business, large or small.
What are the benefits to a business owner of using a call center?
(1) Staying Up-to-date. Call center agents are on the job 24/7 to handle calls and keep business owners advised about what`s going on in their client base. Some call centers even furnish statistics about customer calls.
(2) Fewer Personnel Headaches. Agents are hired and trained by the call center, which also conducts payroll and other personnel functions.
(3) Efficiency. Incoming calls are automatically transferred to the right agent, making the best possible use of an agent`s knowledge and expertise. If one agent cannot solve a problem, the call can be rerouted to a more knowledgeable agent. Calls are always answered despite the ebb and flow of business call volume.
(4) Accessibility. With 24/7 staffing, agents are always available to place orders, settle problems or complaints, offer technical expertise, answer inquiries and schedule appointments, all at the customer`s convenience.
(5) Savings. outsourcing calls to a call center eliminates the need for office space, furniture and equipment for customer service representatives. Also, it`s cheaper to outsource calls than to hire agents on all three shifts.
(6) Greater Freedom. Call centers handle the customer base, allowing owners to expand their business.
On the other hand, there is disadvantages to using call centers.
(1) Erratic Service. The quality of customer support depends upon the skill and expertise of a given agent and abilities can vary greatly between agents.
(2) Communication Problems. Customers are frustrated by not being understood and not understanding agents from call centers in non-English speaking countries, with accents and/or insufficient ability with the English language. Some customers maintain that these agents are badly trained, unable to solve problems, answer questions or take appropriate actions.
(3) Lack of Knowledgeable Personnel. Some call centers have insufficient supervisory personnel to troubleshoot problems an individual agent cannot deal with. This can leave a customer`s question indefinitely in limbo.
(4) Discontented Agents. Some representatives report feeling dehumanized at call centers due to inadequate wages, lack of privacy, inability to leave their work areas and the stress of constant incoming calls. This can produce apathetic agents who are unfriendly to customers.
(5) Having to Call Repeatedly. Some customers complain that, due to the great variability of skill among agents, they must dial the call center more than once to find an agent who has the expertise to solve a given problem or to address a particular query.
Call centers are the direction of the future and most businesses are at least considering outsourcing their calls. Ultimately, the success of outsourcing will be a result of the quality of customer service delivered by the call centers themselves.
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