Thursday, December 15, 2011

Hire a call center for a result oriented answering service support


Answering services have become the major tool through which a business can ensure customer allegiance. Even a novice in the field knows the importance of customer retention and that of an able customer support service in the contemporary market situation.

 The customers might need support service at any hour of the day. And it is pretty natural on the part of the customer to expect immediate assistance. And this is where a 24 hour answering service by a customer call center comes to aid. Unlike the in-house employees, call center agents ensures that all the customer calls are answered and all the queries or concerns are handled.

 Besides accuracy and meticulousness another plus point of customer service call centers is the affordable rates. The initial investment might appear to be a little burdensome for small business enterprises but it is nothing when compared to expenditures that one has to incur while setting up an in-house answering service department. The results also show how effective a call center is when compared to the internal business personnel.
So appoint a competent customer call center and reap all the benefits of having an excellent answering service support.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Smart phones: making the inbound call center service providers faster and better


Inbound call center service providers have aided the business enterprises like anything. The incredible amount of success that has catered to the popularity of these call center companies have prompted them to widen their area of functioning. Not only they have expanded their scope of functions but are always trying to innovate and upgrade their service and looking for newer tools. One such very latest and very effective tool is the smart phones.

These amazing electronic devices have ushered in a new era as far as business communication is concerned. Endowed with GPRS technology the customer care executives can use these smart phones to stay in touch with the customers no matter in which corner of the world they are in. Customer queries and concerns can be addressed at the earliest possible through texts, emails, chats and other web vehicles.

And also what is the most appealing part is that images can be used while communication. Use of images are bound to facilitate better and easy understanding particularly if the concerned subject involves a lot of technical nitty-gritty’s.Given the significant part that smart phones play in improving the business communication, no wonder each and every US call center are making extensive use of this device.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Call Center Agents Should Avoid Fast Food

Outbound call center agents lead a fast life that often don’t provide them time to bring home-made food and thus they mostly depend on fast food to satisfy their hunger. Contact center agents generally eat fast food, as it’s convenient, inexpensive and usually tastier. However, it is less pricey as it’s mainly cooked with poor ingredients.

Fast food should not be unhealthful, but mostly it is; call center business operators often love fast food with more fat, sugar, calories, and sodium, and least nutrition and essential nutrients. Fast food is rich in sodium as well as saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat. Eating too much fast food for a longer period of time may cause severe health problems like high BP, cardiac diseases, and obesity. Call center operators should avoid mayonnaise, gravy, cheese, and salad dressings. Order accordingly. It may appear like a haggle to super-size your order. Consume plain water, low-fat toned milk, or diet sodas in place of normal beverages, sodas, and milkshakes as these are rich in calories and sugar.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Why telemarketing is better for lead generation?


Telemarketing is undoubtedly better option for lead generation. It’s inexpensive. It does not require one to spend too much time, money or effort to get some reaction from the call receivers. Unlike other commonly used advertising techniques, it will not make you spend more than your competitors. You can reach a greater number of individuals across the globe while compared to door to door marketing. Equally vital, is the fact that the outcomes of telemarketing can be obtained for fewer amounts while compared other mediums like radio and TV.

It’s also useful in fetching the concentration of people. It is not a secret that people can't disregard the ring of a phone. If the expert telemarketers are skilled and well-mannered enough, they can certainly keep the receiver hooked on the phone and they will try to convince them to buy whatever product or service they offer.

Business lead generation via telemarketing may have misplaced the glory that it had earlier.  There are still entrepreneurs who understand its influence to magnetize prospective customers, and keep them hearing to the caller’s pitch.  It has been proved that telemarketing is able to open up new directions for businesses that can’t be easily penetrated by other types of marketing methods.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Lead Generation Software for Gathering Hot Leads

Outbound contact centers offer lead generation as a service to businesses in order to help them gain more customers and increase sales in the process. Getting new customers attracted to the products and services is not a matter of joke and the right call center business companies know how to go about gaining fresh leads for the businesses. The right software for generating leads must have a user friendly platform so that it is not a headache for the call center business companies to get them trained in using the software; much time and expenses are not to be used for the training process.
Advanced lead generation software helps businesses to identify, capture as well as convert the online leads into good opportunities for sales through the provision of unique lead intelligence. Lead intelligence is the way the software gains insight into the buying intent as well as the purchasing process of the prospects. The software for generating leads used in contact centers also help to recognize anonymous visitors to the client’s website, analyze their purchasing intent and their interests for paving the path for targeted sales response.

The software analyzes the sophisticated behavior of the consumers online and then finds out where the prospects are in the purchasing process. The software helps contact center agents concentrate on the lead nurturing programs, shortening the sales cycle, closing deals faster, and improvement of the all round marketing as well as sales productivity.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Forecasting for Optimizing Call Center Management



For effective call center management, forecasting is an activity that you cannot do without. In a business call center, the managers must know when the flow of calls is the highest, and when the call volume is low; this knowledge is essential for the managers to decide how many agents will be required to handle the calls in a day to day basis.

Good workforce management software is essential for the call center companies; this is an important part of the forecasting strategy. Get the kind of software which is able to gather the accurate information on the call volume every day. The software should also be capable of using like a sign post for holiday and seasonal call peaks and falls.

The workforce management solutions in the call center companies help to create intra-day forecast updates on a regular basis throughout the day. The managers can then start calculating a fresh forecast that is based on what has already taken place. This way, the agents will be able to properly manage workforce for future and come up with good decisions. The forecasting and scheduling is then focused on the response time as well as the urgency of the many channels that include emails, chat and calls.

It is important to consider the skill sets of the agents, as the agents with more experience are capable of shouldering more responsibilities within the business call center. Agent adherence must also be monitored for making sure that agents are available when there is a requirement in the schedule. Proper workforce management can keep under staffing and over staffing issues away.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Shopping is Easy with Order Taking

Gone are the days when people had to wait in queues and wander a lot at the many stores before they came across a product they really wished to purchase. The businesses that have websites offering the product catalogues for the people to choose from the range of products and make a purchase by placing an order, must hire a good order taking answering service call center. The agents offering order taking service know all the job requires them to do and are skilled enough to perform accordingly.

An order taking answering service functions round the clock and on all days including the holidays. The agents are present throughout the day ensuring that no call goes unanswered from the customers, as then it would be considered as a loss from the business perspective. The customers also find it convenient to choose a product from the product page or catalogue displayed on the website and then calls the contact number provided by the company so that they can place their order.

This call is taken by the order taking service, and the agents take down the order, along with the name of the customer, his/her contact details, and also informs the customer on the shipping charges and details, the time taken for the delivery and other information pertinent to the purchase and the delivery. The businesses keep the order taking service agents informed on all the latest developments and launch of products and any changes in the shipping charges and mode of delivery. The agents should be able to confidently resolve all the queries of the customers.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Benefits of Using Hosted Call Center Software

Several call center companies are adopting the hosted call center software because most of the contact centers are finding that this system has a host of benefits over the on-premise systems. Firstly, the system is fast to deploy, as there are no software and equipments to be installed or configured in the call center customer service. So, it takes very few days to get the system up and running.

The hosted call center software is delivered through the internet and so the call center companies do not have to make huge investments in the software licenses, network architecture and new hardware; thus, the ongoing costs are also decreased. In this system, the call center customer service can get a lease ion the software on a ‘pay as you go’ manner.

The solutions are usually hosted in data centers all over the world, and the managers have the option to scale up the call center functions without making any investments in any new architecture or hardware. The organizations that experience seasonal business cycles are highly benefited by the hosted solutions. The solution is also offered to the call center companies as a managed service. By adopting the hosted solutions, the call center customer service agents know that the responsibility for application performance, upgrades as well as maintenance of infrastructure and related hardware are all shouldered by the hosted system. This decreases considerably the strain on the IT staff of the contact center and the businesses can expect to have more effective business services and solutions from the call center companies.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Compliance Required In Call Centers

Call center companies in India are known to thrive when they have the right people in place, but the call center recruitment can be a challenge. Those who have experience in hiring the right people know that these can be found, when they are ready to look at only the technical skills. Behavior of individual skills are also assessed and measured when they are taking a call center in India.

While it is important for individual elements of employment, which may include specific tasks, duties and responsibilities of the post, they have the skills, abilities and other behavioral characteristics necessary to successfully execute work functions and responsibilities of the position in particular.

Through extensive research, which focuses on the creation of the analysis in the industry call center Indian call centers to identify the specific skills that appear to be important in all businesses and industries. This study clearly shows that work and work within each organization differ in their core competencies that drive the successful performance on the job.

Many of the companies studied in many call center companies in India and contact center how to define four key skills for the staff of the customer to success and how they can work in a call center in physical and working in different model home . Call center company in India, found that all participants in the study, compliance has always displayed the most important success factor in the ability of customer service, the home environment or at home.

Compliance generally refers to a rule is a specification, policy, standard or law can contain. In the call center, compliance often means following rules, policies and guidelines. This respect can be measured in different ways. By appointment at the center of India call the hiring manager will be able to match the candidate rules to follow opinion polls.

Consulting services in India for leasing, the leader takes a customer service representative will evaluate the level of work than the objective statistics relating to these rules or policies, including the presence of absence, delay or to schedule compliance. They may also request the former head of the behavior of the individual and the extent to which they can demonstrate compliance with the newspaper.

You can help businesses call center in India to evaluate effectively the candidates at this stage of the application process, call center companies measure what the individual candidates "do not" what "they" and what they can provide useful center contact.

Applicants to align the needs of contact centers will help you make better results and improve the previously tedious and difficult task of a call center hiring.Overall and compliance has been identified as "The most important aspect when they engage in call centers in India, recruitment, it is important that human resources manager can identify those who are subject to enforcement and those who are not. If the candidates most often identified as potential for success is also can demonstrate compliance on a regular basis, contribute to the overall success of the call center.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Optimizing Call Center Scheduling

The constantly changing environment in the global call center puts significant demands on those responsible for scheduling according to anticipated call volumes. These individuals not only have to accurately forecast call volumes for a specified period of time; they must also consider the skills and availability of the agent base.
When programming the call center is optimized for the global environment, the overall performance has improved. And the timing optimized in the call center is more effective when the team's contact center call center is happy or just happy with the shifts they are assigned.
As supervisors and contact center call center managers to follow some tips with the right combination in the call center dynamics, these tips can help you plan and enhance an environment that will stimulate improved performance created.
First, consider the implementation offer shift. You can open to provide every six months, or simply to facilitate the offering on a regular basis, making it a part of the planning. The offer came as easy as attending a Web-based tool is used for your agents and supervisors to work together to provide travel and trade.
Second, we will move that traffic can be completed without much paperwork. Agents have the ability to move their operations on a daily basis, while you can set the parameters of the trade a couple of times for each agent. Without these guidelines in place, it can be difficult to keep expected.
Finally, consider adding flexible start and end times. This allows agents to arrive later by an hour or two, or work more hours some days. This flexibility is based on the needs and delivery of the global call center, such as individual agents. It is important that this flexibility is well managed to ensure that the hours are not lost in the shuffle.
The key to successful global call center scheduling is to create a schedule that not only caters to the forecasted need of your center, but also the desires and capabilities of your customer service call center staff.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

On Demand Solutions for Call Center Operations

On demand solutions or the software as a service (SaaS) technology have the capability to enhance the contact center call center operations. There are a variety of features that come with the SaaS technology, but the main feature is that the customer support call center is able to transfer software through the internet for the purpose of offering applications in real time. On demand solutions is the key to effective call center operations.
The on demand solutions do away with the need for intricate installation of software and appliances, as well as bulky hardware. The models are dependent on subscriptions and not on high initial costs and fees, so you can say that this is a very cost effective affair. The contact center call center companies are also benefited by the fact that the on demand system allows rapidimplementation and training. This system only takes some days to be up and running and thus saves highly on time.
When a customer support call center is using the SaaS technology, the dependency on the technical staff is reduced and solid infrastructure is provided. Uninterrupted, dependable and guarded service is offered by the data centers that are created by the strong web based solutions from on demand system. The data centers provide support all round the clock, on all days of the week and on all days of the year. This offers high quality support to the contact center operations. SaaS solution is utilizes a service model which is hosted by the provider,, and the applications are accessed only by the web based browser.
With the on demand solutions, contact center services are now completed by the agents at a high performance rate, better support, faster adoption, and better response times. When there is the on demand system, there is no need for expensive software licensing, the upfront costs are low, and there is no requirement for solution fees, and hardware installation. The cost of ownership for the SaaS contact center operations is very reasonable. The updates to the contact center functions can also be done seamlessly and easily. There is also very little need for technological infrastructure and there is no need to worry about IT operations.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Cloud Based Inbound Call Center Operations

If you want to offer the best possible services to a business, you must ensure that your customer service call center has the right tools and technologies to conduct the contact center operations smoothly. There are several advanced features and capabilities that the inbound call centers can use, but a majority of the contact centers cannot use it owing to the high upfront investment costs as well as the IT restraints that are engaged; this happens with the premise based inbound call center model. With the cloud based model, the inbound call centers will be able to do away with several issues like IT staffing, software and hardware problems, as well as the high upfront costs that are associated with managing the telephone lines.

The cloud based system enables the agents at the technical support call center to handle the customer issues in a better, more efficient and effective way. The customer satisfaction levels are high as they get service from agents who speak to them intelligently; this is something that the customer service call center agents are able to as the cloud based system enables them to gain background information on the customers previously and so can better talk to the caller who calls the agent.

The IVR feature is another tool that appears to be pleasing to the customers. The IVR system helps the technical support call center management in making decisions about the inbound call traffic, which reflect the changing priorities. The IVR system can be set up with messages that are pre-scripted and can make the customers know what the length of queue is telling them the reason for the call delay. The IVR system can provide the customers the opportunities to leave voice mails for requesting a call back. This will let the agents not have to wait in the long call queue. Note that the call back requests in this context are routed to the agents at the inbound call centers like live calls.

There is also no dearth of agent performance tools in a customer service call
center; the agents get to use quality monitoring, voice recording and other advanced tools that increase the effectiveness of the contact center and also heighten the satisfaction levels of customer experience. There is no reason that the contact center companies will not be compelled to vote for the cloud based inbound call center model; there are just too much facilities and benefits that the managers and supervisors cannot resist. Apart from saving on the expenses and the time, the call centercompanies are also able to offer more effective services to the businesses.Make the most of the cloud based model and give the business that hires your contact center services the best possible success.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Call Recording Boosts Lead Management

Did you know one of the best ways to drive effective lead generation and management is to record the calls of your inside sales team? While it may seem like micro-managing or playing Big Brother, this practice has been used fA large amount of information is recorded in all your interactions with sales staff has a client base. When the conversation is saved for later review, you have the opportunity to both sides of the conversation to hear and identify areas where the contact center call center agent was great and other areas that may have missed an opportunity. If you want a solid lead in the management practices of your sales process to follow in their interactions to integrate call recording can be a handful.or years in contact center call center companies to drive effective performance. It is considered that the value captured in this practice is priceless as a teaching and coaching tool.

Call recording in the lead generation companies is also contributing to the total value of lead generation and lead management operations within the organization, because it uses intelligent call recording corresponding to the recorded call to contact them and let the content available. The lead generation providers can use the information to take "yes" and "no" results, so you can identify calls that were successful and those who use some work. That way you help funnel opportunities for your lead management efforts. This will also give the right lead generation solutions and help in business promotion and profit making. You can also listen to recorded calls to representatives for a fun learning environment, but it takes some skill to achieve this.

To the knowledge of all, your representatives are likely to resist doing so with other like no one really likes to hear his own voice, especially if the experiment is to set the screen to another. If you approach it is a relaxed environment and contains only small teams with only one screening calls, no surprise or embarrass. To break the ice, it will be advisable to invite one of your supervisors or managers to share their horror stories of an interview gone wrong.

This helps your sales representatives to convince anyone that a perfect record and everyone is susceptible to bad calls. At this point you can begin to consider the appeal in progress and to identify up-selling or cross-selling opportunities that were either missed or successfully completed. You can also identify calls that are perfect for managing information lead to offer.

Communication is the key to ensuring that your call recording efforts produce the lead generation solutions you intended. If the business owner hopes that the lead management efforts continue to thrive, integrate this process with your calling initiatives for optimal success. For all this to happen, the lead generation companies that the businesses hire must offer standard operations and know how to use cost effective methods for generation of hot and fresh leads and also manage the leads well, and also engage in lead scoring.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Technologies and Success in Call Centers

What do you believe contributes to the success of the call centers in US? Is it completely the attitude of its occupants or is it the sheer effort that is put into handling calls? Call center industry experts suggest that the success The combined results of both the call center can help to past performance of 100 percent and the quality of the call center drive can exceed the expectations of management. To do this, call center US supervisors need to include tasks that the success of their agents and professional growth will provide for it. With appropriate technology tools in place, regulators will be able to shorten the learning curve of agents, improving customer satisfaction and improve the bottom line. of the call center is 90 percent human ability and 10 percent technology availability. If a business is able to hire a call center US that is aided with the right technology, then there will be no looking back for the businesses and companies. It is important for the businesses to realize what they actually want the call center to do for them and then start looking for the right call center that is equipped with the right software and technology to help the business achieve its mission.

Deciding on the right technology can be a challenge for the US based call center manager. And while the technology around the call center focused on improving service levels, technology, reality must be seen as a facilitator. If this technique is used properly, it adds value to the US based call center. When not used properly, the application is really nothing better than the code in which it was written.

Call recording is a technology platform that can deliver exceptional value. If it is only used to record calls, brings nothing to the call center. When the call recording feature for monitoring, evaluation and feedback for improvement is used, this technology can improve the overall performance of call center US.

Coaching and training is another area that can use technology to improve call center performance. The two new officers and veterans of the industry can benefit from coaching and training through e-learning platforms. When the call center technology platforms integrate to support the delivery of performance feedback and training initiatives, the organization can benefit from improved employee performance, streamlined operations and lower overall costs. If the beginning of the training is good and the standard, it will end so well. Call centers in US should make efforts in designing training programs on the right.

Call center US technology must also escalated calls when appropriate. This ability may be due to a disgruntled customer or an issue that is not a trained or equipped to handle. In such cases, calls must be raised quickly to problems or issues can be resolved quickly and the customer is a satisfied customer.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Automated Scheduling for Streamlining Customer Service

It is somewhat of an understatement to say that call center in Canada managers have a difficult job. Not only do they have the responsibility of ensuring an optimal experience for all customers involved in interactions with the call center One advantage of scheduling solutions of a call center in Canada, which are often overlooked, is their ability to manage and control the agent coaching and training. Integration with the ACD call center and e-learning platform, the call center managers can plan coaching sessions based on pauses in the call volume or other criteria. This, in turn, ensures that the agents of training and coaching they need, but without compromising service levels., they must also effectively manage a variety of people with different skills, educations, work preferences and availability. Today’s call center scheduling systems also let managers accurately track agent productivity, typically in real time, so they can up-to-the-minute stats on how well agents are meeting campaign/project goals.

The task of planning appropriate for the call centers Manila has become a complex dance of finding the right balance between the volumes estimated available resources with specific skills, the customer's location and preferred method of contact, and more. Without the ability to take these things and identify them in planning, Canada call centers managers can never achieve ultimate effectiveness.

No two are exactly alike call centers. A call center in Canada can specifically target customers in the UK and therefore they must be full during the heaviest hours of contact for customers. Another call center in Canada can specifically target customers in Canada, but their typical customer would rather communicate with the center by e-mail on the road instead of making a call.A manager of the Canada call centers should be able to plan effectively for customer preferences and the expected volume. Consider these examples rather than really the same center with two different campaigns to switch to describe, which is not unusual in the industry. Imagine planning headaches for the manager call centers Manila.

Fortunately, there is technology available today for the call center manager, assist in the planning and preparation for all campaigns. By automating the planning process, not just the director of call center in Canada to streamline their operations, but also allows officers to actively participate in their planning. At the same time, managers are able to focus on the management of the center.Software solutions can be used that takes into account the time training and coaching, lunch breaks, holidays and time off requests, scheduling preferences and skills of agents. Call center managers juggle a variety of variables when trying to schedule for the call center and mismanaging those variables can lead to an overstaffed or understaffed call center that does not run efficiently and generates a negative vibe. Such an environment can lead to degradation in service and increased employee turnover.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Hosted Call Center Software with Flexibility

It is true that more than 70 percent of call centers in US are now using workforce management for scheduling and forecasting. The results really aren't all that surprising when one considers all the advantages today's workforce management solutions in a US based call center have over spreadsheets; they help companies improve service levels, decrease the operational costs, and also boost up the customer and agent satisfaction.But what about the other 30 percent remaining spreadsheets or manual systems used for planning agents? What back? Some of them are reluctant to migrate to the hosted delivery model. A growing number of WFM solutions are now delivered by Software-as-a-Service model (SaaS) or a "cloud", but some US based call center companies still see the potential drawbacks to migrate their local systems to the cloud. Some prefer to "make due" with their old call center applications, most of which are increasingly old and obsolete, until they feel more "comfortable" with making the migration.
The majority of call center US applications via the ASP model is nothing more than the construction-based solutions that are easily accommodated in a data center. They were never designed to be "hosted" in the first place. This traditional hosted application used in the call centers in US had a legacy of bad experiences because of their lack of features and functionality, and not to have this poor performance.With the web now provides, however, is greatly changed. With the network of today and datacenter technologies, hosted software vendors are now able to tailor their solutions based on the needs of each client. In addition, the delivery model or a cloud the SaaS opened a plethora of flexible deployment options. Moreover, the clouds today based call center systems are much easier to integrate with other key systems call center US, whether on site or hosted.
In general, users consider suppliers and hosted solutions are highly flexible and scalable, but there are significant differences between providers of hosted call center US, as under the basic premise of the competition.There are some aspects of the problem of flexibility that the prospect should be addressed by making a selection. The first is the ease of setting up and changing demand and the second is the flexibility of the supplier in making upgrades to their solution. US based call canter hosting providers simply loading new software, making it immediately available, compared to the hypothesis based on the vendors. In both scenarios, the involvement of end users is necessary to integrate and implement improvements in their working environment.
Scalability remains one of the biggest benefits hosted solutions have over on-premises solutions. With a hosted solution, a company or business can quickly and easily scale up or scale down the number of call centers in US seats they are paying for, which is the key for companies with cyclical or seasonal sales cycles. This way, the companies make payments based on the present number of seats. This can be much more cost effective than paying for hardware or software licenses based on the maximum number of seats or users during peak periods - and then having the hardware and software sit there, 'under-utilized,' during the slow periods.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Premise-based Communications in Call Centers





If you have been feeling that both the media and the market have turned their full attention to call center US solutions in the cloud leaving the enterprise premise-based market dangling in the wind, you’re not alone. But the truth is that the enterprise premise-based market is alive and thriving, as there is still a very large market segment that relies on this more traditional solution and for various reasons, is not planning a move to the cloud.
Fortunately there is a call center based in the United States and suppliers of contact center that has not shifted their focus and are dedicated to serving the business case based call centers in the U.S. market with advanced products and services.
Leading premise-based US based call center solutions in this category are known for their unified communications and the United States-based solutions for call centers in US that communication in real-time contact with the integrated routing, presence, conferencing, voice, chat and social media with conventional tools, email, fax and voice mail.
The guiding principle is that software agents should be provided with the tools that give them the opportunity to optimize the communications in all media. This form of communication is optimized, software vendors believe that the performance of each contact, regardless of the type of media (Internet, telephone, fax, chat, etc.) is treated with the highest, the most appropriate level of care.
His solution is equivalent to a "multimedia highway" which, inter alia, mixtures of handling incoming and outgoing calls and contacts backup routes for staff during periods of peak demand such talks have been waiting longer than the judge conducive to call center US a high level of service.
The US based call center premise software solution provider has many features that not only work to improve the profitability of the company, but also help agents provide better service, which also reduces their stress level employees, too. This includes pop-up display that information on behalf of the appellant and personal information, the sales campaign in which they faced, etc. before the agent interacts with a contact, shaving minutes from the removal of any conversation and less time using less network waiting in the queue.
Of note is that since the software gives agents the ability to see all queues is displayed on their screen, they can put their own workload to manage, and take all necessary measures to control what their colleagues in case they need to chat or one of them seeing one of them or return a call best suits their specific skills. In addition, customer service agents working in call centers in US and do not switch to other applications for managing e-mail, chat or text messages, and the spectrum of functionality from a single platform.

Predictive Dialer Used in Call Centers





A predictive dialer is a computer-based dialing system that has the ability to quickly make multiple outbound calls, pulling from a database of phone numbers that connect to a variety of communication and telephone lines. The configuration and the amount of agents working in call centers in India using this system will affect how many calls the predictive dialer places per hour.

Predictive dialers in call centers in India use statistical algorithms to greatly cut the amount of time agents spend waiting between conversations, while almost completely eliminating the chance of someone answering when no agent is available to speak to them.

The ‘predictive’ in predictive dialers basically describes the ability that the dialer possesses, being able to decrease or increase the call volume, depending on how long it takes for an agent to complete the call process. Call times in call centers in India can change each day based on various factors including: the fact some campaigns are longer than others, the widely varying amount of information about specific products and the amount of staff on the clock.

Predictive dialer systems differ from auto dialers as these systems allow live agents to interact with live clients, providing agents with crucial client information on their computer screens and continuously updating all web page or CRM-based application information related to that specific client.

Predictive dialers used in any India call center also can set times to call back a potential customer, offer reminders, deliver emails and transfer calls.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Call Center Team Building Activities




The functioning of a team must be effective and efficient at a call center, as if the team works well, the company they are working for enjoys the benefits and the call center company also earns a popular name. There are many call center companies which can understand the high stress that is dominating the ambience at a call center and diverts its efforts towards the team building activities in a manner to do away with the stress levels.There are various ways through which a contact center call center can develop the strength of its team. However, it should be done in the fun way so that the team members at the call center companies must be able to get motivated to work well as a team and also gain the interest in doing so.

  • Arranging for team sports
Call center services must make an effort to encourage the people working at the call center companies in signing up to play games like cricket, football, kickball, bowling, softball, or any other sports. This gets the team members at the contact center call center enthusiastic and they play as a team against other call center companies or against other businesses in that particular region. The call center services can arrange for sports in which both the men as well as the women working in the call center can participate. This helps in team bonding and the team members come to know each other better, so that in future they gain the impetus to work together as a team and also enjoy it.

The call center companies can also have team jerseys distributed to the employees and also get the sports equipment required for playing games. After a game is over, the contact center call center can also arrange for refreshments like tea, coffee, beverages and drinks, as well as some snacks and maybe pizza. If the team wins, the company can also have a party to boost up the team spirit even more.

  • Having costume contests
Apart from sports, people working at the call centers can also take part in costume contests. The call center representatives can come fashionably dressed to the call center maybe once in a month, and the company decides who has the best costume after a fashion parade takes place at the contact center call center. This enables a fun atmosphere for the people to come closer to each other so that they can better work together as a team and have no differences.

  • Yoga Classes
For relieving stress, the call center companies can also offer complimentary yoga or aerobics classes in order to reduce stress and help create a better working environment to work in. These classes enable the call center agents to take their minds off their work for some time and alleviate the stress levels so that they can work effectively.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

About A Call Center in Demand





Business ventures have to face stiff challenges from a number of quarters when they start off. The capital is not always sufficient to engage the best manpower and also arrange for top notch infrastructure. That is why the call center services are a source of support and strength for these startups. A call center in demand is best explained as a unit that offers its premises, technology and manpower to handle telemarketing and lead generation projects, other than the customary customer service ones. These call center outsourcing units have a professional setup that makes it possible for them to take on several different projects at the same time. The different departments are compartmentalized and different teams are deployed to handle the diverse accounts.

How can a business venture get help from a call center in demand? To begin with, the call centers are a professional backup system for the startup. In a business where they will make do with any help that comes their way, call center services are able to handle all the non-core functions of a business. For a consumer-oriented business, the customer service call center can receive and process the calls of consumers who show an active interest in the products or services. It is necessary for a new business unit to respond to their customers professionally. No startup wants to earn a bad reputation when they are trying to build up their consumer base and generate revenue. The answering service team has a major role to play in building up a brand for the startups. That ensures that consumers associate some kind of quality from the startups even though they are new to business.

Moving ahead, the startup has to generate revenue by getting more consumers on board. The lead generation team of the call center will be able to help them in this regard. It is not possible for startups with stringent budgets to make use of radio or TV ads. On the other hand, the use of telemarketing calls is able to reach out to a wider consumer base without stretching the budget. The telephone is an intimate medium to speak with the consumers. The sales lead generation agents can immediately understand the mind of the buyer when they interact directly with them. If a caller has some reservations about the product or service, it can be dealt with. It also puts to rest certain rumors that are usually associated with products manufactured by a new business venture.

Lead Generation Content: Steps to Keep in Mind

For a lead generation unit, writing the content can be quite a challenge. You will find many content writers who can generate content for your team. However, unless you find the right ideas to propagate and promote, your content will never find its place in the sun. Call centers that want to hire writers must decide on the type of content that they want to generate. What do you want to talk about? Some call center units are satisfied with talking about services and products, while some others want to speak about the brand. The idea in this case is that if the brand sells, the products or services will automatically be picked up by consumers. The writers on your team need to be told what you are planning.

When you have decided what to write about, it is time for the sales lead generation unit to determine a readership. Call center outsourcing units that do not fix upon a demographic group as a reader base will go all over the place. That is not a productive approach for a lead generation campaign. It would also be wrong for lead generation companies to automatically assume that everyone on the Internet would be interested in your content. You will have to choose because you would not want the effort of your team to get diluted over too much of territory. Segregate your readership like “American working mothers of t
eenagers”. That will give off the right idea to the writers and they will be able to attune their voice and words accordingly. The topic selection will also have to be based on the kind of readers you are targeting.

Consumers are sold on a new, innovative idea. They want to experience and know something that they have not heard before. If your product or service does not have that unique quality, what is known as Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in advertising parlance, your lead generation efforts are unlikely to be very productive. Call centers must study the product that they are going to sell. The telemarketing team also has to talk to the manufacturers and compare the products with the competition in the same domain. That will help the sales lead generation team identify the USP of the product or service. This will be the focal point of the content generation team. They have to write marketing copies with this unique quality at its fountainhead.

The lead generation campaign has to be defined in clear terms. Writers cannot be expected to crank out copies on vague, ambiguous ideas. If they are expected to convince the consumers with their articles and blog posts, they have to be sure about the idea themselves. A confused writer will always write in an opaque way so as to hide his own lack of knowledge on the subject. The sales lead generation managers can train or brief the writers in definite terms. The first few copies of the content also need to be scrutinized for irregularities. This is the time when fundamental mistakes are most common.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Social Media for Lead Generation

Social media is the ‘in’ thing today as far as sales lead generation is concerned. People are interested in visiting social networking sites, and this trait can be used when generating leads. This is a great way to gain new customers and increase sales by developing the brand name through social media.

Marketing plays a vital role in sales lead generation, and this is why the marketers at the call centers are making a lot of efforts in planning lead generation, lead scoring and nurturing programs. This data is then related to the sales results to find out the efficiency of the sales lead generation program. A good US call center must develop a lead management functionality that enables the marketers to plan, monitor, power and track the revenue performance management campaigns conducted by the call centers. This is not enough, with social media being a hot thing, there must also be campaigns run by the marketers on social media for lead generation.

Today, the call centers are shifting the focus of marketing for helping a business flourish towards alignment with sales objectives. This is a sensible option for the businesses and companies today. Social media today has become a key objective when business is in question
. Businesses must allocate their funds to lead generation purposes, as when the sales relies on marketing generated leads, the outcome is a lot more lucrative than when other avenues are focused on.

Social media is being viewed by the businesses as a steady source for gaining more and more new customers. It is found that consumers gain an interest on products and services that they like on Facebook and follow on Twitter social networking sites. Through the social networking sites, the businesses should share content that speaks a lot about their products and their expertise in the industry. The goal for the US call center should be to create value for the followers. The social presence of the business must be realized by having social links that consumers can go through.

The businesses must also make sure that the call center they have hired for this purpose is regularly monitoring the conversations on social media about the brand as well as the competitors. The call center agents must respond to all the feedback and the questions from the customers. The key to success is to meet new people over the social networking site, and then communicate as well as build relationships.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Call Centers and the Latest Trend in Telemarketing






Telemarketing is a good lead generation channel and in the recent days it is evident that almost all the lead generation companies and affiliate networks are getting pitched against hot transfers, live call transfers, warm transfers or some kind of telemarketing verified lead. The interest in telemarketing has grown considerably over the years and the 2 m
ain reasons for it are based on the voice industry
as a whole and the outbound service.
It is sad that several call centers were put out of business in the last 5 years owing to the consumers registering to the Do Not Call (DNC) List. However, telemarketing is becoming a profitable experience again, as with the DNC getting larger, there are less people dialing, so the competition is getting less. Note that a number of clients who were purchasing the leads that are generated overseas also called it off, as they found that the prices had increased to the point of being the same as the internet and onshore generated leads. This has caused a significant drop in the incentive that has to be outsourced to India. It is a fact that the outsourced as well as the
Indian generated leads have a tendency to close at lower closing rates compared to the lead generated by the US. With the cost differentiation becoming negligible now, the appeal is also disa ppearing. With the less competition now new US call centers are returning to the telemarketing game.

With the all round voice channel doing well in the industry, the call centers are in trend. Call centers today are designing voice programs, so that the phone numbers which are associated with the affiliate advertisements can be tracked. Consumers are calling up the numbers that appear on the client websites for requesting information on the products and services on offer. Apart from only general inquiries from the consumers, the call center agents also have to attend calls through which the consumers place orders. With the tracking being associated with the dial-ins and the comfort level for the clients increasing for accepting calls, a plethora of lead generation opportunities are emerging. Call centers are thus being defined as one among the most popular businesses that are dominating the present communication industry.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Importance of Wallboards in Call Centers

Wallboards are giant sized monitors that you find hanging from the ceilings of call centers. Any busy call center will have several of these mammoth screens that give information about different call center services and processes. On a very basic level, a wallboard is like a display screen that shows everyone on the floor what the status of the project is. The manager or supervisor is given the responsibility of working out the wallboard. Many of the updates on the screen come from automated software. Sometimes the managers also add value or make changes manually. The way it is displayed in plain view makes it very obvious that the call center companies want everyone on the work floor to know what is going.

There are several advantages of using wallboards in call centers. The first one is that the employees on the call center floor get updates and alerts on how the project is rolling. It is a quick check for the agents as well as the managers to find out how much ground they have covered and what is left of the task. Telemarketing projects are dynamic, as they are flexible. That is why there is a need to change gears during the course of the sales cycle. You might find that you have not covered half the task though half the time is already over. That is when you have to pull your telemarketing services together and push harder. Wallboards help in determining that time and explaining that sense of urgency to the agents on the floor. It is like a timepiece that tells the time, except that the wallboards are multifunctional and tells you a lot more than the time.

The second big advantage of the wallboards is that it puts the managers and agents on the same plane. Work in call center units happen in cubicles and work reports sent at the end of the shift. There is little that is expressed openly. Agents do not always have the idea of how much their peers are selling and if they are actually leading the pack! Wallboards will allow individual telemarketing agents to evaluate where they stand. The managers can keep updating the metrics like longest hold time or the number of incoming calls waiting in the queue. Agents of the inbound call center will immediately know that they have to pull themselves together. Just like the wallboard keeps track of the lack in progress, it also announces success! The entire floor will immediately know when an agent hits the target.The use of wallboards has made work easier at the call centers. Call center units are always in search of a unified reporting structure that leaves nothing to the risks of miscommunication. This is the best way of updating a reporting format that everyone can take a look at instantly. In a telemarketing department, projects and metrics have to be dynamic in order to be successful. Wallboards go a long way in ensuring that the agents and managers work in that constantly innovating ambiance.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Do You Need Inbound or Outbound Telemarketing?





Are you in need of inbound call center services or outbound telemarketing calls? The question has dazzled many brands that want to hire call centers. The task of the brand is to identify the nature of telemarketing services. If the brand is selling a high-priced item that will require some thinking on the part of the consumer, the outbound call center team has to nurture the leads. You will have to hire the lead generation unit to take over and build up the leads. This generally happens on B2B projects. The buyer may have to consult a team of managers or a panel before they can commit to it.

On the other hand, when the price tag on the product or service is not essentially high, the call center can work on generating a buzz about it. The point is to create hype and then sell the product on
the promotional campaign. It will be easier for the call centers to use the Internet in doing this. When the consumers are aware of what is going on, they will dial up the phone answering service desk and ask for information or actually buy something.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Setting the Right Goals for Call Center Agents




It is essential for call center managers to set the right goals for the agents to help them give their best. The managers must make sure that they are motivating their agents in the right direction so that the agents can work at a high level for accomplishing the goals of the company. I
f the managers at call centers are able to provide their agents clear and effective performance objectives, then the agents can perform well under pressure and deal productively with the customers.
There are several tips that the managers and supervisors can follow for setting goals for the agents to achieve. Specific targets must be listed for the areas of performance that has to be measured. The managers must also develop a certain time for call handling, attendance guidelines and quality sco res to make sure that the call center agents are punctual and working effectively.

The call center managers must be able to organize meetings on a regular basis; this ensures progress in work. The meetings and trainings should be diverted towards helping the agents improve. The agents must be well trained so that they can overcome the many shortcomings in their behavior or approach. The managers can sit individually with agents and listen to the calls with them, so that the agents have a hands-on experience in where they need to improve and what they can do in a better manner to deal with customers.
The managers must also listen to the concerns of the agents, if they have any and try to address them effectively. The managers must value the feedback that agents are offering them. The feedback helps the managers to be alert on the problems that may hinder the operations of a call center. It may also help the managers know when the agents require further training for meeting the goals of the company.The managers must make constant efforts to offer refresher training so that the agents do not forget what they have been trained for. Such trainings will help the agents achieve the standards that have been set for them. Employees who are well trained must be able to show a strong knowledge of the products and services. The employees at the call centers must also have the finesse that is required for handling customer complaints in an effective and efficient fashion.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Generating Leads Online for Business Growth

Every business recognizes the impact of lead generation in gaining new customers, increasing sales and making profits. If you want to generate leads online, note that websites as well as blogs can be very effective tools for doing so. Lead generation online is made possible by using certain activities of internet users like search terms, advertisement clicks, websites visited and other activities.First of all, then you must know your target prospect audience by demographic data as well as other characteristics. A lead generation system can be developed after identifying the characteristics of the prospects. The online lead generator may develop a targeted and informational website that should be able to offer an impressive product or service presentation. The lead generator can design his/her own website or can hire the services of a website designer. The content provided in the website should be related to the business or organization and must be on topics that interest the prospects.
To the business website, lead generation forms may be added that are to be filled in by the visitors to the site. This enables the company to capture lead information, such as the name of the prospect and his/her email address. The information is then stored in a database by the company to be handy in the future marketing endeavors.
It is also essential to generate traffic to the business websites, so that a huge amount of leads can be generated. A promotional campaign may be developed by the lead generators keeping in mind the characteristics of the prospects. The aim of the campaign should be reach as well as appeal to the target audience. The lead generators can use pay per click ads which are directed to the search terms of interest. Banner advertisements and even display ads help to draw many visitors to your website.
The results have to be monitored very carefully. There has to be system for monitoring the results. This will enable the businesses to know what is working and bearing fruit; the company can make efforts to do more of that activity and limit the techniques which are not working very well. T6eh monitoring results may also be utilized for testing the new campaigns in order to make sure that the conversion rates are high.with the right approach to online lead generation, a business can attain new heights and be able to meet its business requirements. Lead generation can considerably increase the sales, number of new customers and help a business flourish.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Lead Generation Policy and its effects




The term Lead generation itself sounds very interesting. As if something that relates to power generation. Yes, actually it is. In order to understand the term lead generation, firstly we need to understand the term lead. What does the term “lead” actually mean to a business? It means prospect. A prospective customer who has valid and genuine queries or interest towards the product or services can be denoted as a lead.
The generation of this kind of more and more customer is what calls lead generation. Growing up the interest and query of the products and services among the common people and turning them into customers is the intention of different lead generation companies. The professionals make it possible by the practice of outbound calling. They call up the people getting their number from different database and inform them about the company’s product and services. As per the requirements of the customer, the professionals try to push for their products / services. If the customer states with a clear yes, that’s a lead. This lead then might get converted into sales. The whole procedure of generating lead over the phone is called lead generation telemarketing.
There are many different tactics of lead generation but these lead generation solutions have made the business easier which results in profit maximization and economic growth.

Friday, June 17, 2011

All That It Takes for Call Center Management




Call center managers have a pivotal role to play at the workplace as directing a call center requires people management skills and also needs organizational qualities in the managers. The manager has the mammoth responsibility of maintaining high quality customer service while motivating the agents to provide the best possible service.
The managers at a call center must learn to respect creativity and give the agents the chance to speak their minds. Encourage the call center agents to develop ideas on offering high quality services and functioning effectively. The managers must sit with their associates in regular intervals and then listen to the calls.
The manager is also responsible for monitoring the service levels and then abandoning rates. It is up to the manager to decide what service level is most beneficial for their business and make sure that the agents are able to meet those levels. It is important to have the correct staffing levels.The managers must also offer incentive packages to the agents to make sure that they are rewarded for their performance. The managers must be able to balance speed with quality to ensure that the call center is able to function effectively and help the business they are working for.
The call center managers must have a well designed quality program that promises to be effective. Note that a call center must have a program which is quite large for covering all the functions as well as the associates. The quality program that a call center comes up with should be consistent.The manager must be strict about how the agents adhere to their schedules. If the manager is managing a small call center, then it must be ensured that the meetings and breaks are shortened. The employees must be well trained and motivated so that they are ready to handle the calls confidently at every moment. When handling incoming calls, the employees should be at their seats and logged into their phones. The managers must make sure that the agents are learning everything required to handle calls effectively and are also able to practice it for real.The managers at the call centers must be well prepared for all the staffing needs. Remember that turnover is a problem in call centers; the managers should be able to work with the agents on their career development for retaining them, but must also prepare themselves to hire when required.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Chat Support Service: The Way Forward

The use of chat support service is the way forward for many customer service call center units. Consumers often find it more convenient to contact a contact center call center through the online chat service. Chatting is an informal way of interacting with the consumers and providing answers to their questions. Because the consumers are not speaking to the agents directly, the cloak of anonymity helps them ask questions without any hesitation. Many of these users make use of the chat support call center by creating online avatars that cannot be traced back to them. The fact that the medium itself is informal helps matters.
From the perspective of the chat support service, chatting provides unique
opportunities that they cannot get while using phone calls. The written medium is helpful for the agents to explain their point. The consumers do not have to stretch their auditory senses to the maximum! Because chat transcripts can be saved, the consumers can go back and check up on the set of instructions. It is convenient for the chat support call center agents also because they can use the same set of guidelines on different chat windows. The customer service call center has found a new weapon in this form of connecting with consumers.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Inbound Call Center Services: Branding


The purpose of the inbound call center services does not end with answering calls. This is just one part of the job, probably the core function. The inbound call center team has a role to play in the process of branding. The job of brand building is dependent on every member of the organization but not all of them are interacting with the customers on a daily basis. That job is being done by the members of the inbound call centers. That is why their role becomes more important: they represent the brand and how they interact with the customers will decide their impression of the brand.
The importance of the inbound call centers is heightened because they have a role to play in customer acquisition as well. Consumers with a sense of interest and curiosity in the brand’s products and services will dial up the inbound call center services. That is the opportunity that the inbound call center agents have to make use of. They can make a sales pitch after the issue of the customer is resolved. Making a telemarketing pitch to an interested customer is easier and more likely to succeed than the one that is made through random cold calls.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Call Center Companies: How They Help Your Customers




Business firms that are consumer-oriented have to provide quality answering services to the customers. There is considerable difference in the way consumers perceive a brand these days. It is not just about the product and service anymore. Before making a purchase, consumers are seriously interested in checking out how the phone answering services respond to callers. After buying, customers do not want to go through a harrowing experience of getting some backup out of a reluctant and largely inefficient call center customer service. They want quality service and some studies have revealed that the consumers are willing to pay extra for improved call answering services.
The call center companies have a major role to play here. Every call center company that ties up with a business firm must be aware of their responsibility towards customer retention. Respondents to surveys conducted to find out the reason for a consumer to shift brands found out that call center customer service ranks very high. By providing excellent answering services, the call center company can retain consumers and also build up the consumer database. Nowadays, the call center companies also have a dominant role in customer acquisition. Callers who are looking for general information can be converted into customers by a proactive call center customer service.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Call center: Importance and Specifications



The conception of call center technology came into action in the tail end of the twentieth century when the entire world was looking forward for massive business growth and development. The Developed and dominating countries were first to implement this technology into their business which resulted in high profit margin standards. This art of business was then spread to others leading to the major change and growth in the business development worldwide.
Different traders used this business formula of call center in different ways for their own business growth. Streaming into few specifications cal
l centers itself became an industry which we mostly known as call center Industry. This industry consists of different types of call centers engaged in various kinds of operations in order to satisfy customers. The type and specification of call centers can be classified into few major parts like customer service call center which are generally called inbound call centers, Outbound call centers are those which deals with the selling or survey campaign of different products and services, Chat support call center are also one of the major specifications that deals with the text and data part other then voice.

Chat support call centers are a bit different from any of the other specifications as it provides text chat support service to the different customer which is purely a non voice process dependent on text and data processing. These types of call centers are also known as contact call centers.All together, in today’s date the call center industries are the leading business industries all over the world. Along with the profit to the company, it also provides the best customer satisfaction all over.

Answering Service Call Center for Startups



The support of answering service companies can become crucial for startups. It is seen that new business ventures need answering service call center agents more than the established brands. The reason is simple. When the business venture is new, the customers are skeptical about the kind of service that they will get. This is also the time when they decide on their future association with the startup. If skilled agents are not receiving and processing their calls, these customers may feel the need to shift over to some other rival. That is where the answering service call center has to pull its socks and deliver the goods.
There is another area where the answering service companies can come in handy. That is the generation of new business. Consumers usually have a lot of questions about the products or services of a startup. The answering service call center is saddled with the task of answering these questions. The agents have to do a good job of responding to the situation. Their answers will get more consumers to convert into customers. On the flip side of the coin, consumers will be repelled by the lackadaisical attitude of the agents and decide to stay away!