If you’re managing an inbound call center, handling calls is the core of your business. Your inbound call center agents give your customers a first lasting impression, and they are also responsible for the number of sales opportunities your company will have.
So, how do you ensure that agents have the skills needed to deliver the expected results? Call handling skills can be learned, and training and coaching plays a vital role in that process.
Inbound call center definition
An inbound call center is an organizational team designed to receive phone calls for various lines of businesses, or any other organization that needs support.
Call center agents are the people trained to deliver exceptional customer service, buoying your brand’s customer satisfaction. Having customer service support taking care of your customer’s requests will free your time so you could focus on your core operations.
Being an accommodating agent while politely answering questions is just one thing in call handling hence it is not enough. The ultimate goal of agents is to win over a caller’s buying decision by the end of the conversation.
Although callers reach out to your business due to a concern, it is a crucial factor for them to figure out if they will stay in your company and continue to choose your business.
It is the call handler’s job to convince them you are the right choice, and that you are ready to provide any assistance they might need in the future.
Examples of inbound call center services
The inbound call center is the interaction engaged by the consumer or business trying to connect with you, unlike the outbound call center where it is you contacting them. Some call center companies offer both inbound and outbound services based on their client’s needs.
To know more about the issues and concerns that an inbound call center addressed, here are some of the major areas of inbound call center services:
Customer service
Customer service is the support offered to customers before and after they purchase or subscribe to your products or services. They also address all of the concerns or problems that users experience, depending on what the product or service is.
Today’s customer service goes far beyond traditional telephone support. Anyone can get support today via email, web, text message, or social media sites.
Many companies also provide self-service support, so that it’d be easier for customers to find answers on their own at any time of the day or night.
If the problem cannot be solved via telephone, agents redirect the calls to the appropriate departments, or if they need instructions they can simply provide the links with useful information.
Doing the extra mile for your customers by giving them exceptional customer service is important to retain customers and grow your business.
Technical support
This type of inbound call center aims to assist the clients if the product they purchased is malfunctioning or defective. It can be anything from a broken computer system, a defective phone, or a non-working appliance.
Technical support tries to help customers who have problems with their hardware and software systems. They examine the issue and provide step-by-step instructions on how to fix it.
If the customer requests a technician on-site, the technical support representative will also book for the technician to fix the issue.
Inbound sales
Inbound sales agents take calls from existing customers who need additional information about a specific product. The agents need to have a good tone of voice, and choice of words to interest the client and sell the goods.
Inbound sales agents should have extensive knowledge about the product so that they could answer customers’ inquiries properly. Their job description includes placing orders, scheduling appointments, and sometimes, following up on outbound calls.
Inbound call center outsourcing: What you need to know
Operating an inbound call center will cost you money, resources, and headcounts. One way that many companies consider cutting such costs is through the help of an external provider. This business strategy is called call center outsourcing.
Call center outsourcing is the process where a company hires an external service organization to hire and manage its staff from a different location or region.
For an inbound call center, for example, the external provider will be the one to hire and train your candidates to handle call center services for your business.
Outsourcing customer service will definitely allow companies to re-focus their attention and resources on other aspects of the business, such as product development, and sales.
This alleviates them from the stress of managing more employees for their customer service department. That’s why more and more companies hire an external service provider to oversee a specific business function such as your inbound call center operations.
If your business is in the process of considering this switch, and still in the process of weighing its pros and cons, OP360 is the expert you can lean on for this transition.
