Call Center Outsourcing Key Terms

Understand call center terminology to make effective choices

For many companies, outsourcing call center functions is a more cost-effective solution than hosting one in-house. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, however, there are a few terms that you need to understand. International call centers, for example, may offer significant cost-savings, but may have a negative effect on public relations. You also should determine whether you need an inbound or outbound call center. Most important, however, is probably the National Do-Not-Call Registry.

Inbound and outbound call centers

Inbound and outbound call centers are just like their names imply. Inbound call centers take calls from your customers. This is ideal for customer service issues and taking orders. Outbound call centers make calls to potential customers. This is also known as telemarketing.

Private label call center

With a private label call center, you can retain your company's brand. When a customer calls your number, they will think that they are calling your company directly.

International call center

An international call center is located outside of the United States. Due to a lower standard of living, workers in other countries can accept lower wages than American workers.

National Do-Not-Call Registry

Consumers that do not wish to be contacted by telemarketing companies can put their phone number on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. It is illegal to call numbers that are on this list. Telemarketing companies must check their call list against the Do-Not-Call Registry once every 31 days.
National Do-Not-Call Registry for more details.

Contact center

A contact center offers more than just phone services. They may offer inbound and outbound mail and fax services as well. They may also offer email services or live customer support chatting. Use a contact center if you want a more full-service approach.

CRM software, customer relationship management

CRM stands for "customer relationship management" and a CRM software program allows you to keep track of your customers. This is necessary when outsourcing call center services because you are not dealing with your customers directly. CRM software allows the call center workers to take notes about customers and log the calls that they make.

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