Modern call centers have come a long way from the high-pressure high-turnover ‘boiler rooms’ of the past, where there was nothing but desks, phones and determination. Or at least the better ones have learned how to evolve into something not just functional but even a little fun.
Today, you’re more likely to find an environment that’s designed to help employees feel comfortable so they’ll be calm and comfortable when they talk to clients on the phone. Certainly there may different requirements and purposes, from resolving customer questions and complaints to selling products, but much of the industry has realized how important it is to make the staff feel appreciated so they enjoy helping callers and want to stick around. This can include everything from incentives and promotions to regular training to even fun social activities. Centers that work with different types of industries or in time zones might offer preferred shifts or premier clients to top performers, which also gives newer people something to work toward.
Along with creating a good working environment, many call centers have focused on offering the latest technology. Call center software, for instance, can keep track of everything from caller wait times and to average length of calls.
Wallboard monitors can be set up so everyone can see, and individual representatives can also have their own computers that provide them with all sorts of information, including customer details and any products or promotions that can help them. These employers should also have current call center phone systems which include a variety of modern features like the latest call center phones and headsets.
If you’re planning to create a successful call center or enhance an existing one, make sure a call center phone system is on the priority list. When shopping for one, the following features could be useful and should be considered:
- Queuing. This feature allows callers to wait until a representative can speak to them. The system also lets them wait in the order they called in. Though no one likes to wait too long, callers may appreciate knowing that they’ll eventually move to the front of the line and be helped.
- Scalable. When considering a call center phone system and putting a business plan together, the owners should look ahead to future growth. This means always being open to new clients or new services. But if new contacts do materialize, you may not be able to keep up the demand with your current staff. So you’ll need to bring more people and make sure they can integrate into the phone system. Likewise, if business slows, fewer connections are needed. Connected phone systems can adjust easier to more or fewer employees.
- Recording. We’ve heard “all calls recorded for quality assurance” This is a good thing that come in, especially handy if a caller has a different view of an experience than the call center agent. Recordings can be used for education/training purposes as well. Perhaps a main manager can have access to these recordings for a ‘virtual check-up.’ They can easily monitor the conversation to see what is being discussed. A manager can also keep an archive of calls that worked out well and ones where things may have fallen apart.
- Something customizable. Most current call center phone systems allow the purchaser or purchasers to design all the features they expect they’ll need, rather than identical features as every other call center. Being able to personalize is useful.
- Real-time analytics. In the right hands, general performance data is useful, such as call volume ups and downs. These can be gathered anytime from daily to weekly to monthly. But a program that offers real-time data is also especially beneficial. It can tell details like how many calls are being taken presently, how many people are in the queue, and what agents are connected. This could be a quick way to see if there are problems or busier points throughout the day, if you need extra resources or to change things around.
- ACD. Short for Automatic Call Distribution. This service routes callers to different groups based on how they can be helped and what they need. This differs from queuing, which is more of a first-come first-serve basis to a general group of agents. You may still be able to structure both options: the initial call can be routed to a call center team who has been trained well is most knowledgeable about specific products or services. Then they can wait in the queue by someone who knows what they’re talking about and is happy to help.
- Virtual options. Traditionally, a call center was required to keep all the hardware on site, which meant that all that equipment needed a home. It ran the risk of breaking down, being susceptible to disasters, and not being able to grow easily if the company needed to grow. Today, a virtual call center allows data to go into the ‘cloud.’ This means that info can be sent and retrieved in online storage and no need to worry about massive storage/server onsite.
- Digital agents. Some of the front-line greeters can be replaced by a virtual guide who can provide a quick introduction and get customer details. Then their call is routed to someone who can best help them. This type of ‘bot’ is programmed to offer basic greetings and a simple vocabulary.
- SMS texting. It’s no surprise that fewer and fewer people actually like to talk on the phone and instead prefer to text others. This actually can work out well in the call center world. Fewer people wanting to talk to someone means shorter lines and the ability to help them sooner. That’s because some centers are adding the ability for “callers” to send a text that can be answered by text by an actual human. This way is efficient as well: instead of pleasantries that can be used over the phone and take time, a text can be shorter and to the point.
- Skill-based routing. Rather than giving the next call to whoever is free and next in line, the system can send it to the person most likely to offer the best assistance, such as a certain group of employees especially familiar with a particular product or service or able to work with certain types of situations. This is designed to make sure the right people provide help to avoid customers being frustrated.
- Alerts. A system can be customized to send managers alerts for things like the queue reaching a certain level or one caller taking longer than expected. This can encourage managers to pull in extra resources or tune in to see what the situation is with the extra-long call. Individual agents can also be sent alerts too for certain metrics that are important. These can be negative, like taking longer than expected or positive like hitting a certain goal.
