What is a call center? Learn how it works and its importance in the CX

More than 60% of customers say that being able to resolve their issue quickly is the most important aspect of having a good experience. In this sense, it is important to promote the proper use of channels that favor problem solving, such as the telephone channel, which is still the preferred channel (79% of customers) and is perceived as the fastest way to resolve an urgent matter. and complicated, such as a financial matter. Read on to find out what is a call center and how does it work? What is a contact center? Also discover why the call center is so important in the customer experience .

What is a call center?

A call center uses the telephone channel as its main channel. Through it, telemarketers, as customer service advisors or agents are called, receive, and make calls to current and potential customers. So what is a call center? It is a call center, which has personnel trained to sell, provide support and assistance, conduct surveys and in a general way, interact with current and potential customers of the company. The objective of a call center is to offer quality service and generate positive customer experiences with the company. Now, what is an internal call center? It is the one that belongs to an area of the company and what is an external or outsourced call center? It is that service provided by a company that is exclusively dedicated to operating the call center of other companies that require it. This last model is quite well known, it is the subcontracting or outsourcing of this service.

One customer well taken care of could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising. JIM ROHN

Types of call center There are different types of call centers and selecting the correct one can be decisive in meeting the commercial objectives of your company. A call center can be: incoming, outgoing and virtual.

Incoming

It is also known by the name of inbound and refers to a type of call center that is perhaps the most popular. It is the one who is in charge of receiving the customer’s calls, to attend to their requests, complaints or claims. In this type of call center, it is the customer who generates or begins the contact, because he is the one who makes the call. Generally it fulfills a more support and help function to solve problems related to the products or services purchased or contracted. However, there is no reason to underestimate the power of this type of call center. Let us remember that problem solving is a determining criterion in the customer experience, as it is one of the pillars of the customer experience.

Outgoing

The outgoing call center is characterized by being the company (or the call center when it is outsourced) who generates or initiates contact with the customer, through a call. It is also known by the name of outbound . The functions of this type of call center are a little more related to commercial issues, such as: scheduling visits from the sales team with potential customers, informing the customer of news about your product or service, contacting new potential customers, offering new products to current customers, conduct marketing research, among others.

Virtual

It is the most recent, innovative and complete call center service. It is known by the name of contact center because it does not limit its reach to the telephone channel, but also takes advantage of technology and makes it available to the customer to improve their experience. It uses tools such as live or real-time chat on the company’s website. Tool that supports its operation in the use of artificial intelligence, to automate some processes and always offer the customer the best service, solving their problems in the shortest possible time. This type of call center is considered useful when it comes to improving the customer experience, guaranteeing the satisfaction of their expectations in terms of response times. A Study on omnichannel reveals that 64% of consumers expect real-time support, regardless of the customer service channel they use.

Functions of a call center

You already know what call center is, but specifically what does call center work consist of? or what do you do in a call center? Well, a call center has the following functions: • It offers specialized service in customer service through the telephone channel and in some cases, virtual • Handles a large volume of incoming and outgoing calls • Resolves and documents problems, doubts, complaints and requests from clients through tickets • Give an effective and agile solution to customer problems or requests • It has a fundamental role in marketing research as an input or source of information, to collect data and obtain management indicators in favor of commercial and strategic actions • Build win-win or win-win relationships between customers and the company • It transmits updated, truthful, transparent and detailed communication, which may be relevant to the client • Provides specialized support in daily processes and operations • Reach out to potential clients (when their scope allows it) based on a prospect database • Identify sales opportunities and close the process (when defined in scope). This function refers to what is known as telemarketing • Extensive information about a certain campaign, in that case, it is a support function for the marketing and advertising areas • Map or evidence recurring inconveniences, so that they can be analyzed and resolved definitively • Generate memorable experiences for customers, which contribute to building loyalty

How does a call center work?

The scope of the functions of a call center will be established by the company, from its corporate and commercial strategy. In this way, the call center becomes a lever and engine that streamlines contact with customers, to establish lasting relationships. Its operation consists of managing a flow of calls and customer contacts with the company (and vice versa, depending on the type of call center). These contacts are received through a switch, which keeps the calls on hold and redirects them, according to the availability of the advisors. Customer waiting time is usually used to deliver important brand messages or report news. The advisor provides customer service, solving their problem or managing their request and at the end of each call, requests to evaluate the attention received, as part of the call center’s commitment to its performance goals and to improving the customer experience.

How to track metrics?

To guarantee the correct operation and performance of the call center, it is necessary to perform measurements, including call monitoring . This process should be implemented based on a representative but manageable sample. Also, considering that the sample is not only of cases with problems. Monitoring does not consist of looking for negative aspects but rather of identifying the situation, replicating and establishing good practices, as well as proposing actions for opportunities for improvement. The quality of the call center will depend on the correct analysis of the information and the improvement actions that are proposed. Another key aspect, when talking about the performance of a call center, is the role of telemarketers or customer service agents. These people are the key to the proper functioning of the call center, to the reduction of costs in the provision of the service and to guarantee the customer experience. The 2020 Customer Experience Trends Report, in its findings, presents that CSTA (Customer Satisfaction Indicator) ratings increase 2.3% each year that agents or advisors remain on the same team. That is why it is important to carry out strategies to develop human talent, train and motivate the team. The correct selection of personnel is also important, understanding that it requires a series of skills, such as: • Service orientation, collaboration • Ability to solve problems • Proactivity, patience and resilience • Order and structure in the processes • Emotional intelligence and crisis management or stress situations • Kindness and empathy • Teamwork • Achievement orientation • Database analysis capacity • Oral and written communication abilities • Good voice management, have a pleasant voice, use the correct tone, breathe well and have a pleasant conversation.