The Role of Call Centers in Rearing Up Functionality In An Organization
A relationship between the customer and a company needs comprehensive management. When an organization is not responsive to the customer, it ultimately loses its interest. So, it is undoubtedly essential for a company to win a customer’s heart. And, to remain firm with the customer, strong communication is a must!
A call center mends the complications people face while availing of products and services by a company.
Today, millions of organizations are dependent on call centers or contact centers. Additionally, after the covid-19 pandemic, the need for call centers has emerged even more.
The Dawn of Call Center- A Concept That Favoured Everyone
In the early 60s, Rockwell initiated the American call center, which strengthened the relationship, brought down the barriers between the customer and the company, and offered bulk opportunities for unemployed people.
A call center or contact center is a personalized department for the organization that takes inbound calls and outbound calls, like customer inquiries or marketing calls. It became a perfect channel for customer interactions, primarily with the initiative of IVRs calls. IVRs calls are the automatic response calls that ask people to press 1, 2, and so on for resolving the customer’s queries.
Earlier, call centers were only used to handle incoming or outgoing calls, but the call centers became advanced with advancements in technology.
Today, customers can reach a company through various other modes, including social media, emails, live chats, etc. This blog however will focus on the voice aspect of a contact center. This has massively grown customer engagement and turned out to be convenient for everyone, including the company, customer, and the customer service representatives who work for the company in a call center.
Types of Calls Handled In A Call Center
Call centers consist typically of two types of calls, inbound calls and outbound calls-
Inbound calls
Inbound calls are those types of rings made by the client or the customer when they have a query or any problem. These calls should be handled precisely as this fulfills customers’ expectations with the company and gives a picture of the customer experience. The call center agents should resolve the queries as quickly as possible without compromising the call’s effectiveness.
Outbound calls
On the contrary, outbound calls are those calls that are made by the customer service agents either for collections, sales, and customer service surveys or for a follow-up to the inbound call requests. Outbound calls are a bit complex as these may occur at an inconvenient time for the client or the customer.
In both the calls, many factors (Response Time, Handle Time, First Time Resolution etc) have to be taken into consideration to ensure customer satisfaction and benefit the company.
The Functioning And Structure of A Call Center
For the effective functioning of a call center, an aptly trained team is essential, and it is the team that gives a prolific structure to the call centers or contact centers of a company. Besides the Recruitment and Training teams, the following form an essential part of a Call Center Structure.
Call Center Agent
Handling the phone calls that ring from the customer end or for the outbound calls.
Team leader (TL)
Handling aggressive clients/customers or those calls that are not handled by the actual agent. Also, the team leader oversees the entire team’s management.
Workforce Management
Preparation of holidays, leaves, schedules for the staff, etc.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Auditors listen to a randomly selected sample of recorded calls for every agent to gauge the same on various KRAs (Key Result Areas) and provide relevant feedback.
Call Center Manager
Designing software that tracks the calls and looks into the records such as – the number of call agents handled VS the number of calls being transferred. Thus, according to the status, the strategy is created for the improvement of the organization.
Management Of Information
Responsible for creation of dashboards, preparation of reports and records.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Call Center or Customer Service
Helping Customers Through Different Channels
A call center agent must have the flexibility to interact with their clients and customers on social media, email, live chats, and more. However, phone calls are the leading medium chosen by a call center to offer its customers support. The agents are provided a computer, CRM system, and a headset for their records and call process.
Interacting Calmly and Ready With The Solutions
In the market research, it is found that good interaction with the customer is a vital factor to run a call center. For that, an agent needs to be polite and humble to communicate with their customers.
They should be ready with quick solutions to all the customer’s queries, requests, and inquiries. Any miscommunication can heat the conversation and end up in an undesirable manner quickly. Thus, it is essential to address the customer in a calm and collected manner.
Offering an Exemplary Customer Experience
In this competitive world, it is tough for companies to sustain in the market; therefore, creating a comfortable environment for the customer can enhance their reputation and demand.
Asking the client politely, resolving their issues, and taking care of all their queries will ultimately turn into a great customer experience that is good for the company, the agent, and the overall business.
Adapting To The Customer’s Requirement
A call center agent must have the competency to know their customer’s needs and identify with their situation. This act will uphold the customer’s interest in the respective product or service and build an excellent rapport for the organization.
Sharp in Inspecting The Records of The Client
When a client or a customer makes a call and has a question, they expect to answer their questions as quickly as possible. This implies that a call center agent must be spontaneous and active enough to check the customer’s history and record with the company, and answer all the queries promptly.
If the agent is confused or not aptly skilled, the customer shall have to wait for longer than usual, thus adversely impacting the customer experience & the Brand..
A call center agent should have good communication skills, calm behavior, and a smart inspection for professional execution.
Conclusion
The different industry has different types of call centers catering multiple needs of the business and customers. All in all, a call center endows organizations with their inclusive blend of compelling business answers and a quick-fix to the customers.
Today, call centers have progressed and serve the business with excellent administration. This is how a call center plays an essential role in presenting the organization’s turnover rates and being an approachable medium for the customers.