INBOUND CALL CENTER: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW?

An inbound call is a customer initiated a call to a contact center or call center. In most cases, the help desk tackles all calls which are made by employees and not necessarily customers. That said an inbound call center is that which wholly handles all calls made by employees at large. This particular center handles a series of inquiries ranging from billing, sales, account assistance, subscription management, technical and product support from established clients or potential customers. An average call center is charged with the responsibility of handling both inbound and outbound calls.

The accessibility of customer care representatives and the routing policy applied affects the efficiency of an inbound call center. The agent at the inbound call center is referred to for assistance; different agents specialize in different sections such as account opening, sales, and billing. In different scenarios, the agent can be contacted through live chats or email depending on the urgency of the issue or the client's timeline.  The call agent can easily access a customer's information from their database whereby he can verify the authenticity of information given. By using the client's caller ID, National ID or simply by email, an agent can establish the customer's complete profile and in most cases track cases left pending or ongoing in their system.

An inbound call center is often mistaken for an outbound call center but there is a huge variance between the two. An inbound call center handles a majority of incoming calls. This is whereby the client or potential client call you rather than you calling them. This makes an inbound call center customer care fixated. Clients tend to call upon inquiry of services or products the company specializes in. The outbound call center differs with the inbound call center in that the former is sales oriented. The agents present at the outbound call centers are charged with a list of which has potential customers to be contacted.

To establish the difference is quite simple. If the majority of the calls made are inbound then it is referred to as inbound call center and if more than 50% of the calls made are outbound, it is referred to as outbound call center. It is crucial to know the type of center you want to establish as this will enable you to understand the type of technology you may need. Different types of centers require varied system implementation and protocols. For instance in inbound call centers, the agent doesn't require a dialer in the system. In an outbound call center, you may find the need to listen in your agents' phone conversations for monitoring during sale pitching.

Inbound call centers are paramount to an organization or any company. These centers can easily affect the image of your enterprise and you should be keen on all factors regarding the agents. To streamline the performance of the call center, you can ensure all agents are upbeat and candid when it comes to picking calls. A client shouldn't have to wait for ages to get assistance from an agent. Usually, clients call in as a last resort to seek assistance; a dismissive agent will not be well received. It is crucial to maintaining high standards when it comes to customer relations and also delivers actual service, not a false hope in an attempt to please the client.

There isn't any customer who will be glad to make follow-ups of an issue that can be dealt with on first call basis. Therefore an agent who goes above and beyond during the first contact to solve the matter raised is far more beneficial. Both the agent and client get a positive outlook on the whole service without any party getting displeased. In cases whereby the agent needs to transfer the call to another call agent or an officer for further assistance, the agent mustn't keep the client on hold for too long. You can easily train your agents on answering phone calls and provide them with all the necessary information to minimize the rate of transferred calls. This will greatly improve customer satisfaction and workflow.

To establish the success of your inbound call center you can check on the agent's free time and the average call time on the system. This will help you trace which agents are most effective and the ones who need motivation in order to improve performance. However, just because an agent is idle doesn't mean that they are productive. The more calls an agent make does not necessarily mean their performance appraisal is on the rise. Some agents do not have the public relations aspect when it comes to dealing with clients and this will reflect during the call sessions. It is paramount one chooses the agents for an inbound call center carefully to allow smooth running of operations.

An inbound call center will be highly beneficial to your company in the day to day operations. The center will add on to your company's image and general viewpoint.