Toll Free No: 1877-374-0211


Spread the love

As businesses grow, there comes a time when it can become difficult for them to manage client phone calls and queries. At this point, it is a logical step to outsource customer support duties to a call center company which can help the business in providing continuous support. When customer calls or queries are quickly answered in real time, they tend to be more loyal to the company and also refer it to others.

https://youtu.be/johAd3OHK-k

Outsourcing to an inbound call center will also ensure benefits such as reduction of operational costs, maximization of revenues, higher service quality, and above all, a high level of customer satisfaction. Overall, outsourcing to an inbound call centre is a great way to attain business objectives and stay ahead of the competition. An inbound call centre also monitors the quality of interactions and has qualified supervisors who monitor answers and information on inquiries. They also provide corrective action where required. 

It is a fact, customers today want personalized services and look for the best experience. This is also true in case of their interaction with company representatives on calls. They prefer to speak to real people as opposed to a pre-recorded message delivered through answering machines. This is because customers handled by live representatives invoke a positive impression and people stay loyal towards you. However, maintaining an inbound call center demands investment in terms of time, money and effort. Hence, it is a good idea to outsource inbound call center projects. 

With a trained agent, inbound calling benefits are countless. However, you would be surprised to know this is where the real gap lies. Most agents aren’t well-trained or equipped to handle customer queries. This survey pointed out that 33% of Americans would consider buying from rival businesses if they weren’t given the right customer care. Currently, companies are losing $70 billion every year simply because of improper customer service.

Now, that is a problem, and in this article, we are listing down a few proven to work inbound call center sales tips for you to pick up on.

Attract, Engage, Delight

Phone answering services by expert callers

While you might already be familiar with the inbound methodology, it does not end with just getting a paying customer. There is also something called an inbound customer service framework. Inbound customer service is all about attracting, engaging, and delighting customers and turning them into loyal advocates for your business. By solving their problems and helping them through your product or service, it is possible to turn customers into a growth engine for the business.

An inbound methodology consists of three stages namely: attract, engage, and delight.

Attract

Applying an inbound methodology to customer service is about attracting potential new customers. This is done based on resources and positive feedback from existing customers. It is possible to attract both existing and future customers through a self-service resources like a robust knowledge base and content such as educational blogs and videos.

Engage

If you feel that self-service resources are not enough, then try engaging them by quickly triaging and responding to incoming tickets. Try to solve their issues in the shortest possible window and provide different channels for them to reach out to you. This could include phone, email, social media, and live chat.

Delight

It is possible to activate customers as your loyal advocates by delighting and retaining them for your business. They will not only leave positive reviews, but also refer the business and its services to other friends and colleagues. For identifying these happy customers, it is imperative to deploy customer feedback surveys and understand their satisfaction levels. 

The power dynamic has shifted today and moved more towards the customer. Social media has a major role in this power shift. Satisfied customers share their good experience with others but also don’t hesitate to share if they have had a bad experience.

For any business, word-of-mouth publicity is the ultimate tool to garner for clients. A good team member will understand how your business has an obligation to customers and help them gain real value from products and services. Customer service is what can differentiate your solutions from the rest in the market and happy customers can become your best marketers.

Types of Inbound Call Center Solutions

inbound call center services by expert callers

Phone Answering Services

These are the most in demand among live answering services in the call center sector of the business process outsourcing industry. For companies wanting to establish a better connect with their customers, phone answering services are the best bet. Removing the monotony from an automated call service, a phone answering service ensures giving personalized touch to customers. 

Order Taking Services

Order taking has become an in-demand service due to a rise in demand for various products in the market today. Customers now also want to understand more about the product or service before they purchase it. This is where order taking services come into the picture. One of the aspects of inbound call center solutions is order taking services. 

Claims Processing Solutions

Claims processing refers to requests from customers for settling outstanding due amounts. It is a transaction processing service which deals with back-end work and includes workflow management for the claim among other things. Claims processing solutions are thus an integral aspect of an inbound call center. 

Up-Selling and Cross-Selling

Both these are an integral aspect of an inbound call center solution. They help in retaining and reselling to existing customers and can work wonders for a business. They help in building a good rapport with potential customers; reducing escalated calls and offering repeated calls; and in increasing the call quality and productivity. 

IVR & 1-800 Toll-Free Support

IVR system for inbound call center
IVR system

A modern inbound call center software includes features such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and 1-800 toll-free support as well. Such services help in accommodating many customers in a better manner when handled at the same time. 

Email Management Solutions

A call center email management solution helps in connecting with customers better. Despite the rise of other social media channels, many people, especially the older demography still prefer e-mail to interact with a brand. 

Help Desk Solutions

A good inbound call centre also encompasses help desk solutions. This helps integrate different areas and offer seamless services to customers. 

Technical Support Services

An inbound call centre solution also comprises technical support for software, and other gadgets and equipment. They make sure to train their team in these aspects and are available 24×7. 

Event Scheduling

A good inbound call centre will provide the best event scheduling services to its clients. 

Things to Remember while Setting an in-house Inbound Call Center Solution

Create a Strategy

Even before you start hiring agents, make sure you have a strategy in place to implement it. Understand whether the call centre will offer technical support or proactive customer service, or both.

For companies that are focused on reactive support to inbound calls, create a customer support call center. If you are promoting products and long-term solutions, then it is better to build a customer service call center. The next step is to determine the type of calls and train your representatives accordingly. Lastly, make a plan to handle a higher volume of calls once your business grows. 

Know how Many Reps to Hire

When starting a new call center, it is better to determine how many representatives you wish to hire. To do this, understand your product usage reports and obtain customer feedback to get a better idea of how often they interact with your business. After this is done, hire a phone team with strong emotional intelligence and one that can handle emotions with ease. 

Invest in Call Center Equipment

For any call centre to be effective, it is imperative that you have good communication software. They not only process calls but also deliver them to your reps. The software can be scaled and expanded with growth. There is also a need to invest in proper hardware such as call-center headsets, computers, monitors, and keyboards. Calling tools can help in recording and tracking calls, and this information will help ahead in putting together useful customer information. 

Promote your Call Center

To share the exciting news with customers, partner with your marketing and sales teams to promote the customer service channel to customers. This will make you more accessible to customers and demonstrate dedication.

Analyse and Re-evaluate Call Center Metrics

Once the call centre starts servicing, the next step is to analyse your call metrics. The key performance indicators (KPIs) vary depending on the target audience and customer needs. Some common KPIs include average talk time, abandon rate, and call volume. These will help in determining whether the call center is properly equipped to provide long-term service and support. By constantly reassessing the performance, it will become easier to understand customer needs and create customized and personalized solutions. 

The Smart Choice – Outsourcing Inbound Call Center Services

Outsourcing Inbound Call Center Services

One of the best ways for any business to improve productivity, efficiency, and profits is to outsource the inbound call centre solutions. This helps in smooth operability for both the business and customers. Here are five advantages you should know. 

Positive Impression on Customers

Excellent customer service is vital to the success of any business. When customers are happy with the services offered, there is a natural increase in the word-of-mouth advertising, and they will also refer your services ahead. An outsourced call centre service is staffed with very talented customer service experts. They will not only represent your business in a professional manner, but also help in following up and delivering better customer experience.

Better Management of Higher Call Volumes

When small and medium businesses experience a sudden increase in customer volume, they may not always be prepared to handle this load. An outsourced call centre will be prepared to handle such a large call volume without making the customer wait forever. The result will be a higher rate of customer retention and this will further be a major driving force for the growth of the business.

Manpower is Free for Other Projects

Several companies have a dedicated in-house staff for handling incoming customer calls. Although they may have trained this person on providing excellent customer service over the phone, it can hinder them from completing other important tasks at hand. When the staff is left to handle inbound calls, there can be a major breakdown in efficiency. Outsourced call centre solutions help resolve this issue. They free up inhouse manpower for other operations, thereby boosting productivity and profits. 

No Additional Employee Training

A major expense for any business is in terms of training employees for additional tasks. When an outsourced call centre service is allowed to handle customer care and sales calls, this saves businesses from spending time and money on manpower which can be used to work on other things instead. The call centre trains their own employees in the area of customer care. 

Expand International Reach

When a business is conducted internationally, there is a need to consider the difference in time zones. With an outsourced call centre service, it is possible to be available for customer service round-the-clock. This means that customers across the globe will be able to connect with the business reps at their own time and convenience. This same measure of convenience may not be possible with an inbound call centre. 

Bonus: How to Keep Call Center Employees Motivated

Motivate call center employees

Still convinced An inbound call center agent is one of the major driving forces behind business success. Given that they are assigned front-facing jobs and are continuously interacting with the most important aspect of any business – customers – it is important that they stay highly motivated at all times. However, what is also true is that these agents are under extreme pressure to complete their targets and handle massive volumes of calls while dealing with all sorts of people.

An unmotivated agent can mistreat your valuable customer and therefore, it is imperative to consider a few things to enable then work better without sacrificing the quality of customer service. Motivation to work and serve the customers right needs to be constantly instilled in the minds of the agents. Motivated agents can help in serving customers better and therefore, here are some foolproof ways in which you can help them work to their optimum levels. 

Create a Welcoming Environment

A welcoming environment is more than just a good seating plan and temperature. It is also about ensuring a warm and friendly reception with the right attitude towards work and others. Your office may be one of the most attractive spaces to work in but not having a pleasant environment to work in can wreak havoc on their productivity levels. 

Identify and Appreciate Brilliance

This is one of the basics of human psychology. While it is important to build morale, what is also needed is due recognition and rewards for superior performance. Praising good work will not only motivate the agent to do better but also inspire others to work in the same manner and step up their game. 

Create Career Development Plans

For every individual, the idea of working in an organization is also about advancing their career. When agents do not see themselves growing in the business, they may not only experience demotivation but might also be likely to leave. Make sure to promote those who do well and achieve targets. Focus on creating career development plans and let the agents know that you care about their careers. They will be motivated to know that you want to give them the right opportunities to grow.

Investing in Training will Bring Best Results

Regular training sessions have various benefits. They help agents improve their performance and are an indication that the company respects and cares for them. It is important to acquire new skills for climbing up the career path and proper training within adequate time periods will help in doing just that. It will also enable agents in keeping themselves updated with the latest procedures, software, and other necessary functions.

Encourage Feedback 

Agents are in continuous touch with customers and understand their opinions and suggestions. Since they are the touchpoints, make sure you seek their proposals and gain valuable insights from them given their first-hand experience of what works. They will be able to tell you customer issues and problems and can become a valuable step towards business improvement. 

Celebrate Together

If in case any agent has achieved a target, then even if it is a small one, appreciate the efforts. It should not just be celebrated by the managers and seniors but also have the employees be a part of the function. 

Appreciate Publicly and Reprimand Privately

No person likes to be told off or spoken to rudely in front of others, more so, colleagues. Make sure you explain their mistakes to them privately and give them an opportunity to take corrective action. Appreciate their strengths and achievements in front of the team. 

Inbound call center agents are the pillars for a business and motivating them can meet the seemingly unachievable objective of steering growth while also keeping customers happy.

Conclusion:

Only 1% of customers would consider switching the company’s products if they are answered in the first call. This number is huge for the ones that do not provide the right service as the same surveyed group hinted at 15% of them willing to make the switch if the customer care is slackish. Moreover, being accessible via call centers isn’t working. 75% of consumers in a survey wanted a company that has omni-channel support mechanism. In a world that is constantly pushing towards non-call modes of communication, moving to more methods than one has become crucial. This is why a company that aspires to please its people has to move towards other communication systems, which now include not just emails but also varied social media channels. Moreover, your customers deserve a unanimous approach in the way they are handled across these channels. This is where ExpertCallers helps. With a lead of 12 years in this industry, we understand that your customers need to be heard, but not just that, they need to be adequately acknowledged.

Our panel of expert inbound call center agents have been well-trained and equipped to handle their queries and resolve them in the first communication itself. To get your customers the best services for customer support, you should contact ExpertCallers now.