Live Answering Service: Black Friday Sale

Black Friday is certainly one of the biggest shopping events in the United States. On this day, hordes of shoppers waiting in line outside shops and department stores would be rushing inside when they open. This can be a headache for owners and employees, but it can also be a good opportunity to set up a live answering service. By hiring a contact center that specializes in order taking or order processing, shop owners would be able to ease the volume of shoppers. It can also help improve the customer service experience. Let’s look at it this way: customers will just have to call a live operator, make a purchase, and then pick up the merchandise at the time of their convenience.

There are plenty of telemarketing firms that provide seasonal live answering service for their clients. For those shop owners seeking to improve their operations, this might be a good investment.

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Managed the Outsourced Contact Centers

For a company that wishes to increase their sales, particularly those that rely on inbound customer calls, they would stand to benefit much from the use of a live answering service. Such a tool, offered by an professional outsourced contact center, could actually provide better results than what an IVR or an in-house company agent can provide. And given the naturally huge volume of calls in one day, it does make sense for the firm to set up a sensible customer service support system.

There are so many firms to choose from, all claiming to give the best order processing service to their clients. Of course, there are only a handful of those that can actually deliver what they claim. The key here for a company in choosing the right contact center is to take everything the latter claims with a grain of salt. Investigating their background, consulting relevant agencies, as well as checking with associations connected to a contact center can provide a means for a firm to make a sound decision on whom to invest in.

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Actions That Bring You To A Successful Customer Service Support

Be it on a business-to-client (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) arena, customer service support must be an all-out effort. However, owing to the high costs associated in running an in-house inbound call center, many firms have been forced to implement an ordinary answering service, far from what is expected from them.

For those that cannot stand giving their customers mediocrity, they have signed up for an outsourcing program from best-in-class inbound call centers. For a price that is by far lower, an around-the-clock live answering service plus other services, like order taking and live chat support, objectives of increasing both customer satisfaction and retention are highly possible.

How do outsourced call centers achieve their client's goals? For one, it is their process, polished from countless experiences and made possible by human and physical resources. These are the factors that have led outsourcers to perform properly the actions that bring them to a successful customer service support. These steps are enumerated below.

• Every phone call is answered. With live telephone operators who are like sentinels guarding telephones ring, not a single phone call will escape from their watch.

• Barriers of communication are eliminated. Every contact center is armed with the necessary application, software and hardware components that will produce clear, spontaneous and real-time communication between the agents and the customers. Furthermore, every telephone operator knows by heart the products and/or services of their clients. Therefore, every inquiry is answered correctly.

• Expectations are met and exceeded. The combination of a competitive workforce and advance technology is the only way to meet and even exceed expectations from customers.

• Steadfast and instantaneous services. Since performances of manpower and physical assets are always monitored and evaluated, customer care remains steadfast and instantaneous.

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Quick FAQs about Best-in-Class Inbound Call Center

More often than not, it is better to outsource your customer service support than to be filled with headaches in the construction and operation of an in-house call center. With a reliable contact center, your angst and qualms about an ineffective, unsatisfactory and expensive customer care evaporate into thin air. Much to your delight, a luxury of time and savings are to be poured in core functions and internal control.

So, when you are firm in pursuing an outsourcing path, here are some quick and important FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) anything about an inbound call center and outsourcing. Read below and be filled with basic knowledge.

What services are the essential requisites of a best-in-class inbound call center?

Basically, all reliable contact centers are unique from each other. However, they share common attributes. First, they employ competitive telephone operators who are stuffed with various skills, including language, verbal communication, interpersonal, sales and marketing. Second, proven methodologies are their secret to success. Third, installed in their infrastructure is the telecommunications technology and specialized applications which enable the customers and virtual receptionists to converse in a clear and real-time channel.

Is there a need to outsource all inbound services?

It depends upon your necessity and budget. For small-and-medium businesses (SMBs) and neophytes, it is a need to outsourcer a 24/7 live answering service and order taking service, or even reservation and bookings. This is so because it does not just help you answer every beep but also build a strong brand. When you have a pool of telephone operators during business hours but cannot answer all phone calls, you can seek overflow call solutions.

Is it better to outsourcer to an offshore service provider than to an onshore company?

Definitely, it is a yes. Why is this so? For obvious reasons, you want to reduce or save costs, then you resort to an offshore company where cheap labor is available but does not compromise quality.

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Specialized Applications Improve Efficiency of Inbound Call Centers

The inbound call centers were basically built out of the convenience and comfort brought by technology. Customers, through hardware and software applications, are free to express their concerns relative to the products and services of a particular company. On the part of the firms, they are able to easily serve, by far better, their customers with greater efficiency.

Specialized call center applications have made customer service support more effective than before. Among these are the following:

• Help-desk software. This applications helps you keep track of customer emails, aids in making your site appear more professional, gives an easy path for communication with your customers. Furthermore, this guides customers on how to properly report a problem or issue directly to you.

• Reservation system. For fast bookings of flights, cruise or hotel accommodations, this is a great tool for you. Let this handle your customers while they travel.

• Contact management software. Allows you to track down contacts, to manage sales, schedules and events and helps to resolve issues with customers.

• Knowledge-management software. Through this, call center representatives takes the right measures after receiving complaints and other concerns from customers. In addition, decisions are objectively made, as oppose to a subjective type.

• Sales and marketing software. It helps agents optimize their sales and marketing efforts because it provides product and pricing information, cross-selling and upselling.

• Billing and order system. Order taking processes are smoothly governed through this. Telephone operators have the access to company's customer-account information, making it more convenient to process a customer request.

These are just some of the specialized applications being installed in the inbound call centers. If you pray for an upward trend of your customer satisfaction, partnering with the right contact center will produce better results.

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Get Your Business Ahead With 24/7 Live Answering Service

There are no excuses for companies not to answer inquiries and complaints through the phone and even in the Internet. Service support is one of the responsibilities that every firm owes to its customers, whether they are existing or prospective. This fact alone should be the motivating force that will inspire them to do their duties effectively. Nowadays, this task is made even heavier due to the demand of the public for businesses to operate a 24/7/365 answering service. If firms really want to make their buyers stay and to create a positive image, then they will have to satisfy this need.

Well, you only have one response to this call and that is to implement an around-the-clock live answering service. That is if your company values your customers. Establishing a sleepless customer care program allows your customers to get the help they need anytime the necessity arises. You might ask, "Why do it live when an answering machine can accomplish the task?" For obvious reasons, an automated answering service can provide only limited solutions to simple queries, like a credit card balance. Yet, complex situations like a defect in the product cannot be covered. Needless to say, customers feel comfortable spilling the beans to a live operator than to an insensitive and unresponsive recording.

Some companies think that answering service is useful only in inquiry and complaint handling. Little did they know that it is an another efficient channel where customers can place and process an order, and for the agents to engage in cross-selling and up-selling. Selling is not only confined within the walls of your offices for it can take place anytime over the telephone and even in the Internet. Therefore, in addition to taking care of customers' issues, you can pump up your selling activities through the aid of the telephone. With this set-up, there is no way that your company will miss a customer call or order.

This is one situation that is easier said than done for it requires you to invest in costly infrastructure, labor and other overhead costs. In order to avoid the jaw-dropping initial set-up costs, you can contract a trustworthy inbound call center for a low price tag. With their trained and experienced live operators, specialized call center applications and client support all ready, you can start your customer care programs at the drop of the hat.

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Checklist of A Good Inbound Call Center

When you decide to outsource your customer care, the challenge lies on picking the right and good-performing inbound call center. This means picking one partner out of the thousands in the industry. Selecting the “chosen one” does not rest on the price alone nor on the technology or reviews from web forums and social networking sites. You have to make sure that you are dealing with the one which is not less than the best.

More often than not, an inbound call center is a community of committed and dedicated people driven by a common beliefs and values, with the same purpose and performing to provide a one-of-a-kind customer care. However, not all contact centers have what it takes to be the good one.

Here is a brief guide in choosing a good inbound call center:

• Productivity. Cost-effective operations are made without compromising customer satisfaction and quality performance. Productivity is the attribute which is the balance between efficiency and effectiveness, which means that resources are not wasted while goals are achieved.

• Realization of revenue. Since the main purpose of inbound call centers is customer service support, customer retention and attraction of potential customers are needed to attain. The result of which is the inflow of revenue to the company.

• Employee satisfaction. Key players of customer care ought to be satisfied with their work life. Excellent call centers have employed empowered, motivated and happy representatives to double effectiveness in the profession.

• Customer satisfaction. This is without doubt the reason why firms release tons of money. This is so because customers who are satisfied are the same people who will bring money in a business entity through continuous subscription to products and services.

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Improve Customer Service By Going 24/7

Having an in-house customer service call center surely does have its benefits. It allows you to maintain a working business relationship with your clients at any time of the day. Going 24/7 shows them that you are committed to providing them with the service they seek and require of you.

Customers are constantly looking for service and when they need more from you, they won't hesitate to instantly pick up a phone and make contact with your company. Purchasing orders should be acknowledged immediately; you need to keep your sales flowing. Clients will constantly be placing purchase orders from you and it's your job to make sure that they are addressed. Giving your clients assurance that you meet their expectations and deliver proper service is a big benefit to your business relationship with them.

Your order processing service should be quick to keep those purchase orders liquid and flowing. Providing customers with such a reliable and convenient service is sure to keep you in long-term business deals with them. However, if you're thinking of the overall cost of the whole thing, then you should consider outsourcing. It's still a good way to keep your customers in contact with you and you still provide clients with the professional service they want to be receiving from you. This way, doing 24/7 business is very achievable.

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Choosing the Right Offshore Partner in Inbound Telemarketing

So, you have weighed the boons and banes of outsourcing and you finally came up with a decision. Outsource the services of an inbound call center. The next step is to select an exceptional contact center which is offers services that are both cost-effective and of high quality.

Before I lay down the guide, you need to answer the following basic questions:

1. What are the things to outsource? Is it only a live answering service, or together with order taking? Do you need a complete arsenal of call center services?
2. Where do you intend to outsource? Do you want an onshore company or will it be better to find an offshore partner?
3. When is the right time to outsource? Is there an urgency or will you wait for another couple of months?
4. How are you going to outsource?

Here are the criteria in selecting the contact center that fills your appetite:

• What kind of relationship do you want to establish? Is it short-term or long-term? How does the service provider deal with this?
• Know the size of the company. Do you want to cater a larger population of sales leads? If yes, then you need to find a big call center. If otherwise, you can be greatly served by smaller ones.
• Make sure that the firm is financially stable. There is no greater hell than to know that your chosen partner has shutdown operations at the start or in the middle of the customer service support.
• Goodwill and reputation by getting information on certifications, previous clients and achievements.
• Examine if there are hidden costs. It is extremely awful to notice that bills increase because there are concealed fees.


Before choosing the call center, make sure to thoroughly analyze and check their services and workforce. That they can provide you with the services that they you are paying for.

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