International Call Centers Basics

Learn about the purpose and functions of international call centers
By Adah Chung As a cost-cutting alternative, international call center outsourcing is a viable option for many businesses. International call centers help to maintain quality customer service, but at a lower cost since staff is outsourced overseas. International call center services can include catalog orders, help desk, inquiries, customer service, surveys or appointment scheduling. There are many countries that offer offshore call center outsourcing, such as India, Philippines and Israel.

The advantages of using overseas countries for a global call center include the time difference, which allows companies to operate on a 24-hour basis since workers overseas can continue to take calls after the business day. If you are interested in global call center outsourcing, there are some international call centers basics you should know:

1. types of international call center services;

2. services offered by global call centers;

3. technology used by international call centers.

Learn about offshore inbound call centers versus outbound international call centers

An inbound global call center is a center that is set up to take calls from customers. Customer service inquiries or computer help desk call centers are examples of these. Outbound call centers are those that make calls for marketing or appointment scheduling purposes.
Try:  For further information, Trec Global, an outsourcing business service provider in the Philippines, offers inbound call center services. Wizard, an outsourcing business service provider in India, offers outbound call center services, as described on their site.

Familiarize yourself with global call center services

Most offshore call center outsourcing companies specialize in business process outsourcing (BPO), which provides office support for business functions such as accounts collections, customer support, or data entry and collection. Many business support functions can be handled through a call center; you can use international outsourcing for more than just help desk or customer service functions.
Try:  NBA Computers, based in Pakistan, provides a detailed description of the many business functions that a global call center can provide, ranging from service activation to booking and reservations. Ecallcenter.com in the Philippines offers BPO call center functions such as telemarketing, appointment setting and lead generation.

Learn what kind of technology is available if you employ international call centers

Global call centers not only use voice to communicate with your customers. Many global call centers offer web-enabled communication as another way to keep your customer support running smoothly.
Try:  SNP Professional Services offers services in managing and answering email inquiries and a live web chat for your customers. Knoah Solutions, based in India, offers web chat services that allow you to send files or weblinks immediately to help with more in-depth and detailed customer service.