Imagine the following scenario: your business begins to skyrocket. Consequently, the volume of inbound and/or outbound calls in the company overwhelms your current setup. Your team is required to receive or make more calls than they’re able to field.
In turn, customer dissatisfaction stacks up as their calls aren’t answered due to constant busy lines or a long waiting time. Suddenly, your business is dealing with customer service complaints and your initial endeavors fall short. That’s when you know it’s time to hire a trusted call center management software.
No matter the size of your business, you need professional strategies to manage communications within the company to optimize your staff’s working time and, of course, guarantee full customer satisfaction. Before you hire the ideal service, there are a few things you should bear in mind.
Call center softwares aren’t all the same
The service you hire should adapt to the size and specific needs of your company. If you run a small business, you’d likely want a simpler and more affordable setup, as opposed to the ones seen in large corporations.
Your communication settings should fit into several categories, all of them directed to the improvement of overall customer experience and company goals. And there are lots of factors to take into account here.
Higher productivity
Without a call center service, your employees will often abdicate their major responsibilities to ensure customer service isn’t left unattended, or that the sales contact list is tackled. That may be a valiant effort, but this hampers productivity levels on a daily basis, thus generating an unbalanced workplace strategy.
Additionally, interactions with customers should be fast-paced. Otherwise, there’s a higher chance of an abandoned call and a lost customer. They need an approach that’s tailored to their issues with prompt clarification.
It’s wise to implement an ACD (automatic call distributor) to quickly route your callers to knowledgeable call center agents and transfer their calls when needed. This way, they won’t wait long to have their problem effectively resolved.
Inbound/outbound call services
Is your company sales-driven? Or is it mainly focused on customer experience and feedback?
Specific aims require a specific call center system. Available options include inbound calls, outbound calls, or both at once.
Look at inbound services if your company deals mostly with customer support and offers business information. Some companies may contact their customers through inbound calls for evaluations of previous interactions with an agent.
On the other hand, if your business is sales-oriented and involves promotions and cold calling, then outbound services should be a preference. Get in touch with your provider to assess their deals and discuss whether your choice is fitting.
Performance reports
Your software of choice should include reports that track the individual performance of agents and the general performance of the call center.
With comprehensive desktop analytics, leaders and managers can review whether previously set goals were met and which agents need improvement in particular areas. Employees can also monitor progress by viewing their personal data, which include total calls, abandon rate, average answering speed, etc.
This examination provides a valuable overview of the company’s development. There’s no growth without improvement, so call reports are a prerequisite for owners who want to see their business thrive.
Service availability
Power outages happen, and so do technical issues — that’s life. However, nothing deflates a customer’s interest faster than “we’re experiencing technical difficulties”.
The difference between regular service and amazing service has to do with availability and recovery measures. Ideally, you would choose a software that works 24/7 without interruptions. In case something happens, the team you’ve hired would have a secure course of action to resolve the problem immediately, even if that means taking over your phone lines for hours.
Call center management can make or break a business, so be meticulous in your choice. With an array of available options in the market, you’ll find just the one to suit your business’ demand.