Posted on Jun 30, 2010 08:09:51 PM
Call center services depend heavily upon the use of technology. It not only provides them with cost effective solutions, but also manages the workload effectively. Listed below are some tips to enhance your customer service competencies with the use of technology:
1) Interactive Voice Response System (IVR)
The job of aAn IVR is to handles the calls automatically. It also helps by allowing the user to monitor the call completion and call percentage in a call center. It’s the an easy way to conduct telemarketing services.
2) Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
An ACD is a system used to control the distribution of calls based on the diverse services provided by the call center. It supports the daily call summary by alarms, agents, reporting, and call back message support.
3) Computer Telephony Interaction (CTI)
It is a computer application used to control the complete phone system. It employs the services of the Universal Phone System to integrate with the system. Some of the services provided by CTI are transferring calls, receiving the incoming calls, voice mail retrieval, making placing the external calls and recording the call history.
4) Predictive Dialing or Predictive Dialers
It can be used for to do switching, dialing and call progress monitoring. Its use enhances the telemarketing productivity of a call center.
5) Call Monitoring and Recording Solution
This technology provides the features of remote call monitoring, live monitoring, order entry, call history and 100% call recording and management. It also provides complex search capabilities for call retrieval based on parameters like date, telephone number and agent.
Posted on Jun 30, 2010 08:03:07 PM
Call centers are not only about helping customers. They are also about building relationships with the customer and making him keep coming back. Listed below are some of causes of problems and their solutions that can help to enhance the customer service competencies of a call center:
1) Often it has been found that call center employees rely heavily on handwritten notes while providing customer support. Such practices should be discouraged, as handwritten notes do not get updated and their accuracy is also doubtful. The use of a customer service information system should be made for every query.
2) Feedback of the consultants regarding the system’s accuracy should be taken at regular intervals. All such issues should be resolved quickly and publicly. This helps by improving the system to best suit the employees.
3) Often at call centers, incentives are given based on speed of call completion. This acts as a deterrent to informed customer support. Incentives should be based on customer satisfaction, rather than speed.
4) It often becomes very tiresome to distinguish new printouts from the outdated ones at call centers. The employees should be encouraged to use colored pages for their printouts, and the colors should be changed regularly. This helps the management to check at a glance what versions of print materials the employees are using.
5) Managers should be made to walk the floor regularly. This will allow for frequent quality checks and will also increase the commitment level of employees.
Posted on Jun 29, 2010 07:31:48 PM
Did you know that call centers can be used for a social cause too? Apparently they can be, as was proved by CNN and Larry King. A telethon was organized with the participation of several big league celebrities in order to create funds for the rehabilitation of people affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The show aired on June 21, 2010 and was called ‘Disaster in the Gulf.’ The two-hour show had several big names to support their cause – Justin Bieber, Ted Danson, Cameron Diaz, Randy Jackson, Robert Redford, Deepak Chopra, Kathy Griffin, Lenny Kravitz, Tim McGraw and a special performance by Sting.
The two-hour show raised $1.3 million, with proceeds going to three charities deeply involved in helping people, the wildlife and the environment. Making calls, filling in donation details, managing calls are all call center core competencies. Thus, call centers were possibly hired. While the television actually showed celebrities receiving the calls and entering the details, there must have been a host of call center employees organizing the calls and ensuring a smooth operation.
Such noble causes also motivates call center executives to put in their best.
Posted on Jun 29, 2010 07:22:18 PM
After having decided what services to outsource, an organization determines whether to do so by using an onshore or offshore service provider. Both have their own benefits and drawbacks.
Onshore Call Center Features
By using an onshore service provider, you avoid issues surrounding cultural differences between your caller and your customers. There is also the added benefit of doing business without the need to learn and adapt to new business etiquettes. If a problem arises, you can instantly organize an onsite meeting with your outsourcing partner.
However, onshore call center services are associated with a large price tag. This can seriously affect the whole outsourcing budget.
Offshore Call Center Features
An offshore service provider offers a very low price tag when compared with its onshore counterparts. Offshore providers typically have very energetic and enthusiastic teams that are ready to meet all your BPO call center needs. Certain call center companies provide the option of onshore management for your offshore call center needs. Such offshore outsourcing call centers also have state-of-the-art infrastructure in place to handle and solve complex problems that may arise. Thus, this is the best option for any company seeking to cut back on costs, while not risking losing customers.
Posted on Jun 28, 2010 07:05:58 PM
Telemarketing services mainly involve calling up prospective clients and advertising products to them. However, not everyone appreciates receiving such calls.
The US government provides a facility to its citizen whereby they can register their telephone or cell numbers in a ‘Do Not Call’ list. If any telemarketer calls a listed number, the company runs the risk of being sued. However, there are still ways to work around this barrier for telemarketing call centers and they are:
i) Telemarketing calls can be made to people who have purchased a product from the company within the last 18 months.
ii) The law does not cover business numbers.
iii) Calls can be made to people who haveused the company’s inbound call center services within the past 31 days.
iv) Charities and surveys are exempted from the law.
v) Bill collection and late billing calls are also exempted.
The best way to manage all this and avoid facing imprisonment is by employing the services of a good BPO call center, which keeps track of all the above factors.
Posted on Jun 28, 2010 06:51:10 PM
By outsourcing its services to a BPO call center, an organization expects to improve its profit potential. This option allows companies to work solely on their core services, while enjoying labor arbitrage in their non-core services. On the surface, this looks like a win-win situation. But is it so? What if the hired call center is not competent enough to handle its projects?
The mismanagement of a project by a call center results in the loss of goodwill for a company. This is why the choice of BPO call center must be a highly informed one. Several factors distinguish a bad call center from a good one. Some of them are:
i) Infrastructure should be robust and efficient.
ii) Call center employees should be properly trained.
iii) Backup facilities should be well structured.
iv) Updated and advanced technological appliances and software should be in use.
v) Workforce should be motivated to achieve heights in excellence.
vi) The call center should be well staffed to meet the requirement of all its clients.
The factors determine how efficient a BPO call center is. It is only by hiring such an outsourcing partner that an organization can expect to enhance the Return on Investment (ROI).
Posted on Jun 25, 2010 07:46:41 PM
Companies typically opt for offshore outsourcing for the cost advantage. A mid-2009 report by AMR Research Inc on the state of IT outsourcing showed that 80% of the enterprises surveyed planned to increase their IT outsourcing or keep it the same. Some of the major destinations providing competitive BPO call center services are India (full spectrum services) and Brazil (network solutions and game development).
However, outsourcing is more than labor arbitrage, or the search of cheaper labor. Consider this data. In 2009, India produced about 75,000 IT workers, as compared to 26,000 in the US. Thus, by shifting non-core processes to BPO call centers, an organization can have these activities being performed by high-trained personnel in well-equipped offshore call centers. This way, the organization can focus on its core competencies and work on increasing their throughput.
Before making a decision on its outsourcing partner, an organization must first fully understand its business needs and how such needs fit into the call center core competencies.
Posted on Jun 25, 2010 07:30:10 PM
Working at BPO call centers may mean working at night. For example, the first shift for call center employees servicing UK clients typically is between 6.30 pm and 2.30 am (IST). Developing countries like India lack a public transport system that people working odd hours can use. This leaves the call center employees with two options. They can either shift to places very close to their office or hire private cabs for long journeys. Neither of these options is usually within the budget of call center employees.
Some measures are being adopted to increase the alternatives for call center employees. For instance, the Business Processing Industry Association of India (BPIAI) is trying to chalk out a metro plan with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that will help call center employees to travel late at night.
However, another concern revolving around transportation at night is safety, especially for women. NASSCOM, together with the Government of India, has passed a law making it mandatory for every BPO call center to provide safe transport for female employees working at night. Following this, several leading BPO call centers have already planning routes for cabs and buses.
Posted on Jun 24, 2010 05:17:46 PM
In today’s competitive environment, one needs to be prepared at all times. So, are you ready to provide customer support to your clients if a natural disaster hinders your BPO call center from functioning?
Emergency call center units are special call centers built solely for the purpose of handling calls in such conditions. They stand ready to serve 24x7x365. Such a backup ensures that customer care of the organization is not hindered. Employees at such centers are trained in multiple streams. This ensures that when the emergency occurs, only a small briefing is needed for services to restart. It employs the latest in advancements in BPO call centers.
Another functioning of such call centers is in the case of actual emergencies like a plane crash or terrorist attack. Special help lines are established so as to help the relatives of victims. Employees working on such projects need to have special traits like compassion and patience to listen to their callers.
Posted on Jun 24, 2010 04:09:48 PM
A new trend is taking over BPO call centers. More and more call center service providers are setting up offices in rural areas across the world. Why this shift towards rural areas?
The answer is simple: cost effectiveness. Mostly data management call centers are trying out this option. However, for call centers that require voice expertise, this option does not appear feasible. Computer knowledge is another area of concern. Although setting up a BPO call center in a rural area may reduce the cost of labor, huge expenses need to be incurred in training. Infrastructure and reliability of consistent service are other concern areas. While some BPO call centers are tapping into rural resources in the hopes of increasing their savings, some choose quality and consistency of customer service in BPO over all other factors.
For the rural population, this development is good news, as there is scope of increased employment and higher income levels.
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