Okay, let’s look at the definition of call center. A call center is basically a service center, which is well-equipped with adequate telecom facilities, Internet access, and a wide database. All these facilities are geared up in order to provide voice-based or web-based information. This is done to provide support to customers who are either in the same country or are placed abroad through trained personnel.
In order for managers to make sure that the call center is working efficiently, it is common for them to calculate and comply with certain indicators – Key Performance Indicators. To better understand what they are, we offer you examples of call center metrics: CSAT, CSI and NET.
Almost all the business sectors have Call centers existing to service their requirements.
Some of the most prominent sectors are banking, utilities, manufacturing, security, market research, pharmaceuticals, catalog sales, order desk, customer service, technical queries (help desk), emergency dispatch, debt collections, food service, airline/hotel reservations etc. In fact, due to the wide area of services that are provided by the call centers, there has been a creation of a number of lucrative careers, which provide a wide range of opportunities to graduates.
Benefits of call centers
Earlier, call centers provided only services related to the voice-based customer support. However, now most of the call centers have become more of a contact center that offers services ranging from voice-based customer support as well as email response, web-based text chat services and other customer interaction channels. And this brings us to the first advantage: the multichannel approach. Modern contact centers allow customers to use any convenient communication channels.
The next advantage is the speed with which service is provided. Thanks to special software, call center operators are able to process huge volumes of requests in a short time.
And another benefits of a call center that we cannot, but highlight is the quality of customer service. Thanks to the skills of the operators and the same special programs that give them access to all the necessary information, they are able to provide excellent customer experience.
Let’s not forget about the benefits of working in a call center. It’s a great option for young people or students with no experience, it’s available as a part-time job, and it allows employees to work from home, the office, or a hybrid.
Examples of call centers
So, in fact, knowing the definition of a call center, you already have a good idea of what tasks it performs as a business tool, but for a clearer understanding, we suggest you analyze examples of call center.
Let’s choose the only one among all the types of call centers, let’s say the one you encounter most often: those of Internet providers. Let’s say the network at your home is down. The most logical step would be to call the phone number listed on your router. This number will lead you to a call center operator who is ready to solve your problem.
Types of call centers
The call centers can be inbound or outbound. Inbound call center are those where in calls are received from customers inquiring about a service or product that an organization provides. On the other hand, outbound call center are those where in calls are made to customers to sell products or collect information etc. Also, there is a type of call center that gathers functionalities of both inbound and outbound call centers – and it is called a blended call center.
And as much as there is different types of call center, there also are different types of call center software. The main two categories you may have heard about are on-premise and cloud-based solutions. The main difference between them is where the software is hosted, as well as the principle by which it is sold. On-premise call center software is sold as ready-made software that is installed on the company’s server and paid for in a single payment. Instead, a cloud-based solution is based on the servers of the provider company, and the client accesses it via the Internet. This type of call center software is paid for in the form of a quarterly/annual subscription.