Everything You Need To Know About An Outbound Call Center
Many of you may still remember at least one instance of the persuasive call from an agent who would influence your buying decision sitting miles across. I still remember the day, when a call center agent nudged me into enrolling in an executive learning program. Sitting afar at an outbound call center, he listed out the merits and pointed out intangible gains that would last a lifetime. Truly, the power of the human touch and well-placed arguments can drive the customer through the sales funnel. In the age of digital channels and AI (artificial intelligence) bots, outbound call center software may be perceived as an excess. However, in the long run, outbound call centers translate into a valuable asset to drive sales and customer experience. Let us understand its nuances and use.What Is An Outbound Call Center?
For most, a call center is just a setup for centralizing the customer service phone calling system. Normally, the distinction between outbound and inbound is overlooked and some also use it interchangeably. However, as an industry professional you should have clarity. An outbound call center refers to a facility usually set up for making outgoing phone calls by a business for sales, marketing, customer service, or general information. An outbound call center can be put to versatile use, depending upon the organization. Public bodies and government offices also utilize outbound call centers for disseminating information and awareness initiatives, among others. A case in point is the widespread use of call centers for Covid-19-related information by government bodies worldwide.Calculating Gains From Outbound Call Center
A simple principle deployed by any business is weighing the benefits versus costs. Before buying outbound call center software too, you should evaluate your gains carefully and make a wise decision. Traditionally, an outbound call center is perceived as a vehicle for communication by service providers like banks or insurance, not product companies. However, today’s customer-centric focus has seen it shift from a nice-to-have list to a must-have for FMCG, e-commerce, and other industries shy of employing customer service for outbound calls.Read Also: Omnichannel Contact Center: A Beginner’s Guide to Scale Up
Let’s take a quick look at a few benefits of an outbound call center.Automation With Auto Dialers
Outbound call center software features many advanced dialers nowadays that cut the time taken to dial each lead while automating the whole process. It is an efficient way to get the word out for a large volume of callers in the list. The auto dialers such as Predictive, Progressive, and Preview dialers completely change the calling process. Let us take a quick look at them.Predictive dialer
It is an automated dialing system for outbound calls. A predictive dialer dials each number from the contact list, eliminating the need for manual calling. It does this intelligently by detecting voicemails, unanswered calls, busy phone tones, disconnected or invalid numbers, and more. The agent is only notified when the phone is answered at the other end.Preview dialer
Your sales and marketing teams are always juggling to fit in a maximum number of calls in a day and pick out leads. It is almost impossible to remember the details of each and every prospect before the call. A preview dialer can save you from misinformation and incomplete customer data by pulling out the relevant information before making the call. It will assist you in driving meaningful conversations and churning out qualified leads faster. Agents too feel empowered, which improves operational efficiency leading to zero downtime.Progressive dialer
This dialer is apt to focus on the premium customers and not get distracted by the clock. A progressive dialer only connects to the next customer once the call gets over, mitigating call abandonments.One-Click Announcements With IVR
Often the change in rules and regulations affects millions of customers in one go. You are required to meet compliance norms by informing each customer individually of any impact. Sometimes, customer awareness efforts comprise mass marketing, such as advertising campaigns to push app and website use and custom IVR (Integrated Voice Response) messages that guide customers on a particular aspect of product installation. In such cases, IVR (Integrated Voice Response) in outbound call center systems can save you time and effort. You can relay customized automated voice messages to a large customer base in just a few clicks.Access Real-Time Reports
Ever wondered if the time and effort spent on calling customers are yielding any results? Or how did the agents fare on calling? With real-time reports, you can plan ahead and manage customer interactions better. One study found that the average difference in sales conversion rate between the top and bottom quartile performers was 230% in a particular industry operating.How To Maximize Returns From Outbound Call Center: Use Case
Mostly only a handful of potential outbound contacts on the contact list are actioned by companies. A Deloitte study found that a bank in the UK could potentially increase its revenue by 60 million pounds (based on a 5yr NPV) by giving a customer experience boost through outbound calls. The study found that calling the most profitable leads first with the highest predicted response could help the bank unlock the untapped revenue potential. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Outbound calling complemented with efforts such as digital and social channels can yield significantly higher results. It is one of the most effective outbound call center tips that you should remember. A set of reports to monitor and measure calling activity by Gartner to understand agent utilization and productivity can aid you in devising the right plan, have a look.- Adherence
- Occupancy
- Calls received
- Calls handled
- Average handle time (seconds)
- Average wait time (seconds)
- After call Average time (seconds)
- Auxiliary codes
- Calls transferred
- Outbound calls
