Finding and Using a Call Center

Save time and manage growth by hiring a call center to handle communications

If you find your phone ringing off the hook, chances are you've thought long and hard about hiring someone to answer it for you. For some businesses, a receptionist is all that's needed. Others, however, require serious call management. If your business is one of them, you might want to consider hiring an outside call center to answer your incoming — and maybe even make your outgoing — calls.
Call centers can handle, among other things:

1. Customer service.
2. Tech support.
3. After-hours inquiries.
4. Order collection.

Consider: Outsource to a call center or do inhouse call center training

It may be time to outsource call handling if you expect a new product launch or expansion to dramatically increase your volume of customer calls, or if handling your growing number of calls will require you to invest in a new phone system or in new employees.
call center training firms listed at Business.com.

Start your call center search online

Before you begin looking for vendors, decide what types of calls your vendor will need to handle and develop an estimate of call volume and costs.

Compare call center costs with free online quotes

Get quotes from a variety of call centers to determine a reasonable price for the services you need. Some companies charge per minute, while others charge per dedicated customer service rep. Consider call center training and set-up costs, too.

Evaluate call center services

Choose a call center that understands your industry and offers the services you need, which might include more than call management, such as responding to service-oriented e-mails or participating in Web chats with customers.
call center consultant at Business.com.

Select a call center and seal the deal

Once you've decided on a vendor, make a site visit to seal the deal if possible. Learn how the call center training will be customized to your needs. Observe employees, read sample call scripts and conduct interviews with existing agents. Request references and be sure to sign an appropriate service contract.

Track performance with call center software

After your call center operation has begun, be sure to collect frequent reports from your vendor to evaluate its performance. Important metrics include call duration, conflict resolution, cost per call and average speed of answer. Buy call center software to track help tickets and other customer contact.
call center software can do for you at Business.com.

• Should you choose a call center that's located in the U.S., or one that's located offshore? Remember that the former may help your company image, but the latter might save you money.
• Choose a call center where your calls will make up between 5 and 50 percent of the center's total volume; less will translate into a lack of familiarity with your company, while more may overwhelm your vendor.
• Decline a call center's offer to purchase a phone number for you; retain ownership of your own 1-800 number and assign it to your provider.
• If your call center will be handling sensitive or private information — about your products, company or customers — make sure its employees sign a confidentiality agreement.

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