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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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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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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Order Taking Services On A Silver Platter

The continuous developments in technology have sharply changed human behavior. People rarely visit the library to search for information. Instead, they seek the wires of the Internet to obtain what they need in one click. The traditional way of courting has been almost faced out. In lieu of face-to-face interaction, mobile phones and online chatting has been the fastest tool in relationship engagements. Even the mindsets of consumers changed. Customers use the telephone to place an order, rather than standing on a long queue. Truly, humans want to get what they want on a silver platter.

How does your company address this transition in the buying habits of customers? If you still have trouble with how you are going to adapt with this market practice, do not hesitate to ask for the assistance of inbound contact centers.

Live order taking services have been one of the many entrees call centers serve. They are armed with competent and engaging telephone operators who are experts in the art of customer satisfaction. Order taking service providers have updated their technology to connect customer orders immediately to your company's web page. Furthermore, the computer screens of the agents contain the meat of your products and/or services. With this, sales order taking is done with speed and accuracy.

Since most inbound call centers provide 24/7 live answering service, including holidays, every customer has the convenience and comfort to place an order anytime and anywhere s/he so desires. This allows you to receive orders at non-peak times without additional charges.

With all of these and more, nothing can stop you from developing your sales methods.

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How To Properly Execute Answering Services

The essence of answering service does not rest alone on its existence. It is in the ability of an agent or a professional telemarketer where success is measured. Therefore, every staff that is assigned to this function must be equipped with verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Being smart while practicing humility, politeness and sincerity is the best ingredient in making phone calls as pleasing as possible.

Here are the following tips to deliver an effective answering service:

• Answer calls before the third ring. Most likely, customers demand that call receivers respond on the first ring. Letting the third ring to drop makes an impression of being unprofessional and consequently, will be the reason to lose a client.

• Be nice and friendly. No matter what emotional bearing a prospect has for a particular call, the agent must always remain polite. Though, not all persons will be able to reciprocate such form of goodness, it is still meaningful to leave a positive mark.

• Leave problems at home. Bringing emotional struggle while receiving calls is highly disastrous. It would lead to an underperformance and dissatisfaction of customers.

• Be informed and knowledgeable. Know more about the company and its products and services, and other information that are both relevant and stimulating. Do not impart messages which are incorrect.

• Avoid fillers.

• Respond to messages immediately.

• Never put a caller on hold.


A telemarketer can add more key points as long as those are effective. The most important thing in answering call is to build rapport with prospects without compromising professionalism and quality.

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