Types of Call Centers
Call center operations serve a variety of functions. There are primarily two forms of call centers routinely operate in, inbound and outbound. As an inbound platform, they are used to provide support from corporations directly to their consumers on an individual basis. They can provide internal support for large and expansive corporations with operations spread out across the country, but who still need to access centralized functions such as IT services, HR, shipping, and a variety of applications. They can provide internal call routing, reminiscent of their original long-distance function.
What Call Centers can do
Call centers can directly and indirectly generate capital for the corporations that operate them. Both inbound and outbound call center operations can serve as a direct means to communicate with consumers and generate sales. Advertisements can direct consumers to contact the corporation through an inbound line where the agents provide their services directly to the consumer. Catalog sales can be generated both from a website as well as an inbound call center. Outbound operations can generate income from a variety of services; from selling coupon books to providing consumers with options for remortgaging.
Indirectly, call centers can save or earn their operators income. Collection agencies can attempt collections by contacting customers. This can be done by either the corporation who issued the collection or by a third party who is contracted to make collection attempts by issuing corporations. Internal inbound call centers can provide internal tech support to widely distributed offices. Tech support lines generate income indirectly by providing technical services directly to the consumer which reduces the return rate and hopefully increases customer satisfaction. Such tech support lines can also provide direct income by offering upsales to consumers.
Call centers can be either permanent in a fixed location or hosted. Permanent call centers generally provide a physical location for agents, supervisors, and administrators. Permanent call centers can also be staffed with remote elements. Agents who possess the bandwidth can login and operate with the call center software exactly as if they were present in the physical location. Such systems can also be leased by organizations who wish to conduct operations for a short period of time or with seasonal applications. This application is generally utilized by a politician’s staff for the purpose of contacting constituents directly to increase poll standings and election turnouts.
Hosted call centers are completely remote operations. The server is located at the provider’s physical location while the administrators, supervisors, and agents log in remotely. The benefit of this is that small-scale and seasonal operations can take advantage of an erected system while receiving the same capabilities and services available to a more permanent system.
How Call Centers Work
Outbound call centers utilize predictive and auto dialers. These systems call consumers by accessing a lead-list, dial the number, and automatically connect an agent to the call. These lead-lists are either purchased from a third party and provide enough information for the predictive dialer to decide if that lead should be attempted, has it been attempted in the past, was an answering machine detected, and so on. Auto dialers ate just that, they automatically dialer the number provided by a lead list. Predictive dialers can call two or more numbers and connect agents to any number that answers. Auto dialers are generally cheaper that good predictive dialers and make the most sense for a first or third party attempting to contact a list of consumers. Predictive dialers are most beneficial when an operation makes numerous cold calls; for example a call center that is selling merchandise or a politician’s staff.
Functions such as administration, branched scripts, logins, and non-voice routing are generally provided by a server. Voice is routed differently, depending on the type of system in use. In a PoTS setup, the server has numerous cards which are connected to the agents’ phones with standard telephone cord. This is an older method than newer systems, but such systems still exist and can be purchased for a steep discount over the original price. The more modern systems route voice through a voice router or system. The voice is connected to the agent by means of a workstation PC. This workstation is connected to a fast network and allows the agent to access all functions of the software through the computer. This allows the software to better control the interface. Such a system can present information to the agent’s screen related to the type of call as well as information about the consumer called.
Branched scripts are scripts that allow an agent to progress through a series of question and answers. The script will guide the agent by presenting the exact information and solutions possible. An agent using a well designed script can provide technical support for a product without having any knowledge of that product. Branched scripts cal also be tied to what are called campaigns. Campaigns are a way for a single agent to provide service in a variety of areas. For example, a call center’s agents can have an inbound script that provides technical support for a certain product. If the inbound traffic dies down, the predictive dialer can switch over some agents to outbound to contact possible customers and attempt to sell a product. A single inbound call center can also use campaigns to provide services for multiple customer types. A call center can posses several contracts to provide services for multiple operations. For example, a call center can provide technical support for the products of three different companies, booking functions for a hotel chain who has expanded operations out to a third party during peak times, and serve as a point of contact for an election staff.
