Call centres have been in use for a number of years now and are used for a range of business needs such as customer service, internal and external support, telemarketing and much more. A wide range of businesses need a call centre for them to operate efficiently, here we are going to tell you companies that may require a contact call centre and the benefits of having one.
What is a contact call centre?
A contact call centre is a centralised hub whereby customers or employees can phone for assistance or information. They generally have the ability to take a large volume of calls over the course of specific opening hours. There are two types of call centres; inbound is normally used for customer service and support whereas outbound is used for telemarketing.
Contact call centres play a significant role in the running and operations of a business, they are the first point of call for the customer and can often be how an organisation retains customer loyalty.
Businesses that need a call centre
Below are a few business sectors that are more likely to require a case study along with call centre uses:
- Online retailers – customer service and complaints are one of the main uses of a call centre for online retailers. Other uses include: marketing research, customers inquiries and telephone orders.
- Internal IT support – for large organisations an internal IT support team is essential to the running of the business. Unfortunately, not everyone is IT savvy and often requires the help of IT professionals so their work can be more productive.
- Banking and financial services – banks often need a customer support number for customers to contact. A call centre is often critical to the running of customer accounts and day to day transactions.
- Government – call centres are required for many different government sectors which include: automotive bureaus, police stations and passport offices.
- Travel and transport – bus, trains and airlines often need a call centre for customers to call to make bookings, find out more information regarding a journey and to make cancellations.
- Medical – here in the UK we have a medical line whereby ill or concerned people can call for medical advice rather than going to the doctors or straight to A&E.
- Insurance – call centres are essential to the way insurance companies work, it is one of the main ways insurance companies obtain customer information.
Why does my business need a call centre?
Implementing a contact call centre allows your business to be more productive, they allow you to collect and analyse data along with observing trends of customer handling. This allows your business or organisation to make improvements in the way your company operates.
Telephony services is great for your business to improve communication efficiency. Telephony systems are a great way of managing your call centre to best suit your business. You can install a queuing system which means you will never miss a call, and while the customer waits you can inform them of any features of your products or services, along with any relevant information. You can also improve the customer’s journey through the call centre by allowing them to choose a department where they can speak to a dedicated agent; enabling them to speak to someone more knowledgeable about their specific needs and requirements.
I am a small business do I need a contact centre?
Even though you may have a small business, one of your main goals will be to satisfy your customer’s needs. If you are selling a product, then customers will often look for people to speak to when they need assistance, when it comes to a small business, that someone to talk to can often be the owner, who is not always around to help. Having a contact centre means your phones are no longer constantly ringing with customers held on the line for minutes on end.
The more time you are having to deal with customer enquiries actually means there is less manpower being used to make or distribute the products. Another thing to think about when it comes to a call centre is this is often one of the best places for you to receive customer feedback about your services or products, which will only help you improve in the future.
Why does a call centre give me a competitive edge?
Call centres provide businesses with a competitive edge; customers are more likely to be loyal to your company as they know they can contact you at any time for information or assistance. Another thing to consider is if you have the call centre within the UK customers are more likely to ring as they know it is easier to speak to someone compared to abroad. While you may think it is cheaper to outsource, by bringing it all in-house your business becomes more in sync with every aspect of the company. This allows you to improve business strategy along with improving services and products for customers.
What are the main benefits of having a call centre?
One of the main benefits of having a customer care or call centre is providing all of your customers with the support they need. By doing so, it helps your business as it provides your customers with a reason to stay with you, promoting customer loyalty. Taking care of your current customers is the key to creating a long-lasting and successful organisation. You will also find it is far less expensive to retain your current customers in comparison to winning new ones. It is no secret that loyal customers turn into brand advocates and without you even knowing they are helping to promote your company to their friends and family.
Having a call centre allows you to focus on your core function as a business, it takes away the stress of having to deal with hundreds of customers with only a few members of staff. With the perfect sized call centre, you will find that customers are taken care of in a timely manner which allows you to work on what really needs to be done within the business.
If your business does grow in size, it also means you can easily scale up, and if you decide in the future, you wish to downsize, it’s just as easy. You will often find with call centres; you can scale them based on customer demand. As an example, if you tend to experience seasonal trends, you may look for more members of staff during these periods to help deal with the constant flow of customers.
Call centres also give you fantastic insight into what your customers are like, such as their buying behaviour. It can also give your representatives a chance to provide your customers with more information about other products they might want to look at; this could be based on their call history or simply what they have spoken about during their call.
By being in regular contact with your customers, it also allows you to tailor your customer experience based on previous phone calls. It provides sales and customer representatives with the right training to ensure your customer’s needs are constantly being met, providing them with an overall experience.
Setting up your call centre
Setting up a call centre can sometimes be a little tricky, especially when you are doing it on a larger scale. We always highly recommend getting in touch with a specialist contractor before you go ahead with any installation to make sure you have everything you may need. They can also go through a range of different pieces of equipment you may not have considered initially. Specialist network engineers build call centres on a regular basis, so it may be worth chatting with one beforehand to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Our 6 top tips for setting up a call centre
- Firstly you need to think about how many people you are going to need to hire for your contact call centre to work effectively.
- Decide where you would like to locate the contact centre, you want to think about the type of people you are trying to bring into your contact centre and what skills they may need. We also recommend having it within a specific proximity of your headquarters. Being close to headquarters often means employees feel more aligned with the brand. It is also better for the business if you need to hold conferences or training days for staff.
- Choose technology that best suits your business. Headsets are one of the most important pieces of technology to think about. We recommend looking at Viking-Direct. As well as new telephony technology are you going to need to think about getting a customer relationship management tool? Software development companies can help improve the way you handle customers along with their personal information and data. You may also want to think about storage of data, do you have a server or are you going to need data centre installation? Another thing to take into consideration is new GDPR laws which came into play as of 25th May 2018, if you would like more information we recommend looking at EU GDPR, you can also use a number of resources from IT Governance to effectively train staff.
- Ensure you have enough time to implement the contact call centre and make it as productive as possible. Many organisations fall down when setting up a call centre if they do not give it enough time to work effectively. After initial set up, you need to analyse the effectiveness of call traffic; how customers are handled and whether customer queries are being answered in the best way possible.
- All staff must be trained before the contact call centre has been opened. Ensure all your agents have the right information and are extremely knowledgeable, so they are don’t have any hiccups once you open.
- Motivation is key, unfortunately, call centre staff can sometimes lack motivation as the job can sometimes be repetitive and tedious, ensure you have a strong management team to keep motivation levels high and productivity to a maximum.
Summary
Call centres are great to implement into your business if you need a customer support team, support within the business or general enquiries team. It gives your business a competitive edge as customers can get in touch at any point of their customer journey. It will improve the way your business runs, making the business more efficient at every stage.
Not only does a call centre help your customers but it can also be extremely beneficial to the way your business runs. Call centres can provide you with vital information about your customers that you may not have known, for example, their purchasing behaviour. It also provides you with insights into how they work and what they may be looking for in the future; providing you with a gateway to selling more of your products or services.
Scalability is another great feature of call centres, it won’t cost you anything if you are not using specific features or equipment. You can simply increase the number of telephones and computers you have working depending on what time of year it is or whether your business is increasing.
Don’t forget if you are looking to install a call centre, get in touch with a dedicated member of the Puffin Solutions team for a free no obligation quote.