The Keys to Success: How to Run an Effective Call Center

In today’s diversified global marketplace, where face-to-face customer service is increasingly rare, creating a dynamic call center staffed with capable, enthusiastic employees is absolutely essential for any company looking to expand its clientele while simultaneously maintaining a high level of satisfaction among current customers. According to the Technology Marketing Corporation, up to 75% of customers surveyed will refuse to continue doing business with a company that they feel has offered them sub par service. With customer service such an important element of your business, and the call center as your main tool of providing that service, how can you make sure that your call center is up to the task of representing your brand to the public and taking care of their concerns? Are there special challenges and concerns that arise when you decide to outsource your call center to a different location than your primary offices? What are the keys to outsource call center success?

The first consideration that must be addressed in order for a call center to flourish is, naturally, staffing; taking care to hire the best agents available for your call center will make an enormous difference in how much time and energy you’ll need to invest in agent training and management down the road. Look at the quality of education received by your prospective staffers. Did they attend prestigious universities, or schools with strong customer service training programs? Did they perform well in school? Do they have the necessary degree or certificate? Are they already knowledgeable about the products or services your company provides? Obviously, details of your specific product can and will be taught in training, but hiring staffers who already have some background in your field could be a huge advantage. When outsourcing, it helps to make sure the offshore company you’re intending to work with has educated employees who are committed to high standards of quality, and that the company itself comes recommended in your industry.

Another key to success involves clear and meticulous agent training and development. In general, customers value a few pivotal core traits in their customer service representatives: They want to talk to someone who is knowledgeable, personable, well-spoken and engaging. While your efforts to hire the best candidates available have helped provide a good personnel base for your call center, how do you make sure that each and every one of your employees possesses those four key characteristics? The answer is training. Clearly defining your company’s goals, values and objectives, as well as educating employees on the specific nuances of your company’s products and services, will go a long way toward creating satisfied customers. An effort should be made to help integrate your outsourced employees into the main body of your company in order to create and maintain brand consistency. Make sure everyone is “on the same page”! Hands-on training is especially important for outsourced call centers, so don’t make the mistake of assuming that the company you’re outsourcing to - despite how experienced or highly recommended they may be - will necessarily be able to provide a level of service that is compatible with your company’s specific needs and desires. The only way you’ll be able to guarantee your clients’ satisfaction is by carefully training your call center workers and preparing them for all aspects of the job.

Just as vital as training, but often overlooked, is the third key to call center success: Effective management of your agents. Continually checking in with your call center, monitoring calls for quality assurance and generally making sure that operations are running smoothly will have a direct and positive effect on the skill and productivity level of your employees. Are your call center agents adept at handling standard issues such as call routing, or determining where a specific call should go within the call center in order to most effectively answer a customer’s questions? How is their reaction time – are they confused and fumbling, or comfortable with speaking to the public and quick to respond to their questions? You must constantly adapt to the needs of your call center agents by refining your methods of training, reinforcing their knowledge of your company and products, and rewarding them for a job well done. Don’t allow your customer service to slip through the cracks by neglecting the all-important task of agent management!

When it comes to an offshore call center, however, the quality of your employees isn’t your only concern. You must also make sure that your call center has the right technology in order to maximize efficiency – a concern of special importance when your company’s call center has been outsourced. Does the outsourced company have up-to-date computer and phone systems? Are their systems compatible with your own? Will it be easy or difficult for you to train and monitor employees online or via videoconferencing (often an indispensable tool in an outsourcing situation)? All of these questions must also be considered and addressed in order to create a truly successful call center outsourcing situation.

Finally, one of the most important elements in creating an effective call center for your business comes down to simple psychology. Do you understand you customers? Can you put yourself in their shoes? What would you want from a customer service experience? For instance, many customers will be contacting you call center with questions or complaints, which means that they’re already frustrated and upset before they even dial your number; how they feel at the end of the call is entirely in the hands of your call center agents. Customers want and expect your company’s representatives to behave thoughtfully and with empathy, to ask pertinent questions, to speak with authority on the matters at hand, and who take control of the situation without seeming domineering or rude. When you’ve outsourced your call center, keep in mind that cultural differences may mean that your offshore employees will not necessarily know what customers expect of them. What, then, is the answer to this customer service conundrum? Thorough training and meticulous management! Employ all of these keys to success and you’ll be unlocking the secret to customer satisfaction in no time.