Today’s call centres are more than typical call centres that have operators or agents listening to and answering customers calls .Today’s call centre have additional functionalities of handling the text and chat queries from the customer. To efficiently handle and track all these powerhouse requirements at low costs VOIP technology is used to bring down the expenditure spent on conventional telephonic communication.
The VOIP call centre uses the switch-less topology to handle the customer’s calls using Session Initiation Protocol which is abbreviated as SIP. The VOIP call centre solutions are used along with the traditional call centre applications to handle the high traffic volumes combined with advanced technical capabilities of voice over internet platform. These are not the replacements to the conventional call centres but serve to aid them by leveraging the combined benefits of low cost VOIP and efficient VOIP setup.
VOIP call centres do not have telephones and also do not need computers or desktops at agent’s desks. It serves to communicate messages from customers to agents and vice versa through screen pop ups from a centralized location. The solution so provided is quick, safe and easy to install and set up. It takes around thirty minutes to set up.
The VOIP technology provides easy management also as the calls can be stored, processed and recorded at a centralized location.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Call Center Job Description - Hosted Call Centre
Hosted or Virtual call center is a term used for a call center that performs its operations without the need to be built in-house. A hosted call center uses software for connecting to a common central data center.
Many individuals or companies call-in and communicate with the center. These are inbound voice-based services that a hosted call center provides. The advantage of using a hosted call center is that it makes the organization appear to be quite large even if it is as small as a home-based business.
Mainly, a hosted call center is used for Customer Relationship Management or CRM. If your business can not afford a team of customer care executives available all day long, setting up a hosted call center can help. Customers can call at this center during odd hours and can either have their query resolved immediately or can be assured of being called within 24 hours or so by an executive.
Hosted call centers can also be used for a variety of other purposes. They can be used to communicate with people while travelling, to redirect calls from one number to another and for various other telemarketing purposes. There will be no need to set up an in-house call center for all these and the cost saved can be used up in other areas like research and development and marketing etc.
Many individuals or companies call-in and communicate with the center. These are inbound voice-based services that a hosted call center provides. The advantage of using a hosted call center is that it makes the organization appear to be quite large even if it is as small as a home-based business.
Mainly, a hosted call center is used for Customer Relationship Management or CRM. If your business can not afford a team of customer care executives available all day long, setting up a hosted call center can help. Customers can call at this center during odd hours and can either have their query resolved immediately or can be assured of being called within 24 hours or so by an executive.
Hosted call centers can also be used for a variety of other purposes. They can be used to communicate with people while travelling, to redirect calls from one number to another and for various other telemarketing purposes. There will be no need to set up an in-house call center for all these and the cost saved can be used up in other areas like research and development and marketing etc.
Call Center Job Description - Hosted Ivr
The hosted IVR are the Interactive Voice Response solutions deployed by firms that have a legacy PABX system of their own and are looking for a cheap and cost effective IVR deployment. The hosted IVR has all the features of a conventional IVR system like they are equipped with functionalities to integrate a pre recorded database queries with a voice over telephony system and hence do not require any manual or human support.
The deployment of a hosted IVR spans across three stages:
Interconnection hardware: This is the first step that serves to connect the PABX gateway to external phone lines .It basically requires a router working as gateway or an ATA. Depending upon the configuration of the input and output audio lines a decoder or a signal converter is also required to convert analogue to digital signal and vice versa.
Interconnection Process: For successful call forwarding and transmission a sound and efficient interconnection process needs to be defined and the algorithm associated with same process needs to be embedded in the system so that call channelizing becomes easier and faster .For example if a customer does not want to enter into IVR system and instead prefers to talk to an operator ,he should be asked to press 0 and the call must then be routed to public telephone network from the PABX gateway.
Sound Recording: This is an optional step but its importance cannot be ignored as proper sound and voice responses need to be recorded to make the Hosted IVR system more users friendly
The deployment of a hosted IVR spans across three stages:
Interconnection hardware: This is the first step that serves to connect the PABX gateway to external phone lines .It basically requires a router working as gateway or an ATA. Depending upon the configuration of the input and output audio lines a decoder or a signal converter is also required to convert analogue to digital signal and vice versa.
Interconnection Process: For successful call forwarding and transmission a sound and efficient interconnection process needs to be defined and the algorithm associated with same process needs to be embedded in the system so that call channelizing becomes easier and faster .For example if a customer does not want to enter into IVR system and instead prefers to talk to an operator ,he should be asked to press 0 and the call must then be routed to public telephone network from the PABX gateway.
Sound Recording: This is an optional step but its importance cannot be ignored as proper sound and voice responses need to be recorded to make the Hosted IVR system more users friendly
Call Center Job Description - Call Center CRM
What is Call Centre CRM? A call centre CRM is a software application package developed to accelerate and boost the efficiencies of a call centre. A call centre CRM application provides a user friendly interface that integrates and consolidates the data flow across all the wings of customer care centre.
The data related to customer like his contact number, his time zone, his particular preferences and his product cart is stored in one comprehensive database. The data so gathered and stored is used to design special promotional plans to appease and attract the customer. These somewhat customized plans and offers result in greater customer satisfaction.
The call centre CRM software makes the call centre processes easier for the employees working in the call centre thereby boosting their productivity and morale. This application has all the advanced and basic features of conventional CRM software and these features provide a streamlined flow of information across all the departments.
Today, CRM software is indispensable for call centres as the very reason for the existence of the call centre is to help the customer. CRM software makes this process a lot easier and manageable. CRM front-end provides a 360 degree view of the entire business that helps to formulate accurate and precise business strategies.
The data related to customer like his contact number, his time zone, his particular preferences and his product cart is stored in one comprehensive database. The data so gathered and stored is used to design special promotional plans to appease and attract the customer. These somewhat customized plans and offers result in greater customer satisfaction.
The call centre CRM software makes the call centre processes easier for the employees working in the call centre thereby boosting their productivity and morale. This application has all the advanced and basic features of conventional CRM software and these features provide a streamlined flow of information across all the departments.
Today, CRM software is indispensable for call centres as the very reason for the existence of the call centre is to help the customer. CRM software makes this process a lot easier and manageable. CRM front-end provides a 360 degree view of the entire business that helps to formulate accurate and precise business strategies.
Call Center Job Description - Call Center Scheduling
Call centers employ hundreds and thousands of agents to handle the customer calls .The amount of incoming traffic averages out to about a million calls per day. In such a scenario call center scheduling becomes one of the most important tasks of a call center manager.
A manager should efficiently schedule the calls in a call center so that the work load on an agent does not overburden him. It is a fact that as the work load on an agent increases the efficiency with which he handles the call decreases. In addition to decrease in efficiency he also gets de-motivated and as de-motivation increases attrition rate also increases.
Managers believe that salary and other monetary incentives are not the sole motivators for the workforce of an employee but a good and happy working environment actually does wonders to the employee satisfaction, so HR managers should work to schedule the tasks so that agents are happy and satisfied.
Call center scheduling software can help managers to facilitate the work delegation process by paying due attention to the skills, personality and profile of an agent. If all these parameters are taken care of the agents are better equipped to satisfy a customer by giving the latter prompt and crisp information.
A manager should efficiently schedule the calls in a call center so that the work load on an agent does not overburden him. It is a fact that as the work load on an agent increases the efficiency with which he handles the call decreases. In addition to decrease in efficiency he also gets de-motivated and as de-motivation increases attrition rate also increases.
Managers believe that salary and other monetary incentives are not the sole motivators for the workforce of an employee but a good and happy working environment actually does wonders to the employee satisfaction, so HR managers should work to schedule the tasks so that agents are happy and satisfied.
Call center scheduling software can help managers to facilitate the work delegation process by paying due attention to the skills, personality and profile of an agent. If all these parameters are taken care of the agents are better equipped to satisfy a customer by giving the latter prompt and crisp information.
Call Center Job Description - Telemarketing Services
Telemarketing service is term introduced by leading telecom company AT&T in 1970’s to advertise and sale WATS through its telephonic network. Encouraged by the success of this concept telemarketing is now widely and extensive used by all businesses to bolster their sales and advertising campaign by reaching out to as many people as they can through telephony.
In telemarketing services, agents sitting in an office or call centre make calls to solicit consumers and make them aware of the products and services offered by the organizations they are tele-selling for. Telemarketing services as the name and purpose suggests involves unsolicited calls and therefore these calls can also cause a lot of disturbance to people who do not want to receive these sales calls.
To cater to the mental peace and privacy of such people United States introduced a national do-not–disturb directory that consists of telephone numbers of people who do not want to receive calls from telemarketing services.
Telemarketing services take place in three steps, the first step is the identification of prospective customers, the second step is reaching out to them through telephonic calls and the third and most important step is to follow up the process. Telemarketing can, in fact improve sales for a business.
In telemarketing services, agents sitting in an office or call centre make calls to solicit consumers and make them aware of the products and services offered by the organizations they are tele-selling for. Telemarketing services as the name and purpose suggests involves unsolicited calls and therefore these calls can also cause a lot of disturbance to people who do not want to receive these sales calls.
To cater to the mental peace and privacy of such people United States introduced a national do-not–disturb directory that consists of telephone numbers of people who do not want to receive calls from telemarketing services.
Telemarketing services take place in three steps, the first step is the identification of prospective customers, the second step is reaching out to them through telephonic calls and the third and most important step is to follow up the process. Telemarketing can, in fact improve sales for a business.
Call Center Job Description - Outbound Call Centre
What is an outbound call center? It is that call center which specializes in making calls to various customers or prospective customers on behalf of a company, business or client.
The calls received by call center executives are called inbound calls whereas the calls made by them are called outbound calls. The purpose of these outbound calls can be to make sales, share or collect some information that includes telemarketing, surveys and verifications etc. It could also be for promotion of certain schemes for the existing customers.
An outbound call center generally has targets to achieve unlike an inbound call center. If it aims for selling, there will be sale targets. Also, the cost per call, the revenue collected, agent performance etc are some metrics that an outbound call center uses. An outbound call center also has to take care that it does not disturb, offend or annoy people. There are people who enlist their names and numbers in a do-not-call list.
Some call centers try to get the list of numbers illegally to increase their business and may sometimes land up in trouble. It is important for an outbound call center operator to respect the privacy and preferences of these people and remain under the limits of law.
The calls received by call center executives are called inbound calls whereas the calls made by them are called outbound calls. The purpose of these outbound calls can be to make sales, share or collect some information that includes telemarketing, surveys and verifications etc. It could also be for promotion of certain schemes for the existing customers.
An outbound call center generally has targets to achieve unlike an inbound call center. If it aims for selling, there will be sale targets. Also, the cost per call, the revenue collected, agent performance etc are some metrics that an outbound call center uses. An outbound call center also has to take care that it does not disturb, offend or annoy people. There are people who enlist their names and numbers in a do-not-call list.
Some call centers try to get the list of numbers illegally to increase their business and may sometimes land up in trouble. It is important for an outbound call center operator to respect the privacy and preferences of these people and remain under the limits of law.
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