Contact centers prove essential to the success of companies in a very evident way. They help to improve service by providing customers with channels to communicate from the comfort of their own homes, but… how does this work exactly?
Companies can have a series of in-house departments in charge of interacting with customers; however, more often than not, said interaction is hindered either because companies are swamped with work, or because customers have not the time to visit companies’ premises and engage in a face-to-face conversation with a representative.
Contact centers have improved the service of a large number of companies by streamlining customer communications. The departments where contact center services play a major role and are widely used include:
Customer Service. It is the channel through which agents can answer customers’ questions with regard to the features of a product or service.
Sales. It is the means through which customers can purchase products or hire services with great ease and a single phone call.
Debt Collection. It is one of the most important resources of finance companies as it makes it easier to contact delinquent customers and increases the recovery of outstanding debts.
It’s worth mentioning that both the Tech Support (Help Desk) and the Complaints/Suggestions departments are equally important as those previously mentioned when it comes to the operation of companies and the business process outsourcing practice. Tech support representatives solve technology-related problems faced by customers when using a product or service, while the complaints/suggestions area addresses in-house problems relating to customer experience and arising from the interaction between customers and employees.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Work to Contact center
When adopting a new service, companies expect to enhance their daily operation, so, in order to succeed in this endeavor, they must consider the advantages and disadvantages entailed in each strategy. By outsourcing tasks to a call center, companies cannot only ease their workload and improve management in multiple aspects, but also tackle problems better. The pros and cons of call center services are:
Pros
- Swiftness and objectivity. Customers are assisted more quickly over the phone than in person; wait time is reduced and agents are more objective when getting around and dealing with problems.
- Innovation. Agents can offer a prompt, efficient service that creates a strong sense of professionalism and commitment, and consequently builds a positive corporate image.
- Quality. Companies can record calls with applications and analyze them on a regular basis to identify customer needs that are not being met and make changes accordingly.
- Availability. Departments can deliver a specialized service seven days a week, 365 days a year, thereby allowing customers to reach companies without delay or restrictions.
Cons
- Customer effort. Phone-based services can cause difficulties in communication if customers are transferred to different representatives several times.
- Employee turnover. New hires who lack experience and need to be trained on their duties can become a liability to companies, especially when considering that agent attrition is one of the biggest and constant threats faced by call centers.
Companies that trust call centers with their operation, either partially or completely, can keep pace with today’s communication models and demonstrate that customer orientation is their main target.
In light of this and in spite of the pros and cons mentioned above, contracting with call centers is a strategy that allows companies to strengthen customer relationships while reducing their rooms for improvement.
Are You Already Running a Contact Center?
Download this article and learn to Reduce Average Handle Time (AHT)
CenterWare Xion by Nuxiba features a set of applications that streamline and expedite customer communications. No matter the industry you work in, this software platform will help you to provide a first-rate service through tools like call recording, reports, and analytics, IVR, call scripting, chat, etc.
Share this article and subscribe to our blog!