Do any of these problems sound familiar?
If so, then it might be time to consider call center software.
In the past, the phrase “call center” has earned a bad reputation, but in reality, it’s nothing more than software that offers businesses real-time insight into what’s happening with their incoming and outgoing calls.
Today, it’s much more frequently referred to as “contact center technology.” This reflects the idea that customers contact businesses today not just by phone but through multiple media outlets, including e-mail, online chat boxes, web videos, social media platforms, and more. Any time you’re engaging with a customer and want to have measurable analytics around that interaction, contact center technology can help.
If you’re new to call center software, the terminology can get a bit confusing. Here’s a quick overview of some important terms:
Say, for example, you have a customer who’s sitting on hold. You can set up this software to alert you or others on your team to this issue before it becomes a problem. You can make that call a priority before it becomes a lapse in customer service.
All these metrics are viewable through an easily readable dashboard.
Contact center software lets you see a variety of metrics, including the following:
If a call was abandoned (the caller hung up without having reached a person or leaving a voice mail message), the software can automatically send an e-mail to a manager with the caller ID name and number. The manager then has the opportunity to follow up immediately with that customer.
The software also provides voice mail management, with escalating notifications about waiting voice mail messages. This helps ensure no voice mail falls through the cracks, even if an employee has called in sick or left for vacation.
With a call center software solution, you also get more intelligent call options. For example, if the wait time is longer than the customer wants to sit on hold, he or she can schedule a time for your company to call him or her back. This respects your customers’ time while still allowing their questions to be addressed.
Regular phone systems do not have this functionality, and these kinds of improvements to overall customer service can be huge differentiating factors between you and your competition. Small moments of “wow” customer service can be surprisingly easy to orchestrate, and they make very powerful positive impressions on your existing and potential customers.
At the end of every business day, these metrics can be e-mailed into a manager’s inbox, which allows for a high-level overview of these call-related issues, as well as continual improvement over time.
You also don’t miss out on any future revenue potential due to upset or frustrated customers.
With call center software, you can see these periods of high call activity and manage them as they come up. Whether it’s because multiple people went to lunch at the same time or you just happen to have an abnormally high number of customers calling in simultaneously, you can see exactly how many people are on hold in that moment and then do something about it—without having to pay additional employees.
If your business is interested in acquiring call center software, this can happen one of two ways:
It’s also important to note that this software is much more reasonably priced than it was even fifteen years ago. The widespread availability of VoIP phone solutions has made this technology, which used to be the exclusive domain of scaled businesses with in-house expertise and large budgets, feasible for small companies—even those with less than fifty employees.
Many businesses can benefit from this software, including the following:
As a rule of thumb, if you employ four or more people to handle your inbound call load, you might want to consider investing in call center software.
If you would like an on-site call center assessment, please contact us today, and we can help you through this process.
Vice-President, Tele-Data Solutions
E-mail: vin@tele-datasolutions.com | Direct Line: (908) 378-1218
What brings me satisfaction is meeting with New Jersey–based businesses and genuinely helping them solve communication and business problems. As someone who has lived in New Jersey my entire life, I love working and playing here. I live in Morristown with my wife, Lisa, and root for the New York Giants.