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10 Scenarios Why Switched On Businesses Choose
An Outsourced Call Centre
Like you, we speak to many businesses each year – each with their unique passions and values. We asked Geoff Kirby, GoResponse’s Sales Director what common patterns he’s recognised that motivate companies to consider using an outsourced call centre.
1 - I’m a sole trader and I often miss calls when in meetings or away from the office
Many people in this situation find they cannot answer their mobile phone while they are in the middle of a job or in a meeting with a customer. Indeed sometimes they are out of range of the mobile network.
Over 60% of callers will not leave a voicemail message and will probably try the next advert in the phone book. Small to medium sized outsourced call centres will often have an “easy entry”, low cost package for small volume requirements.
2 - We’re a start up company and I have no idea how many calls our business will generate
A call centre is the flexible answer as you only pay for the calls that are taken by the call centre operators. This allows you to grow to a critical mass where employing your own staff makes economic sense.
Choose a call centre that does not tie you down to a long term contract so that you can keep your options open. A good call centre will keep your custom through the quality of its work, not long term legal contracts.
3 - I run a small (and very professional) business; but I’d like to appear bigger
For companies that are losing out on pitches for larger work because they’re perceived as being “too small” the solution is often found in a call centre with flexible arrangements. Having a “receptionist” to speak to before being put through conveys the image of a larger company.
Alternatively, taking advantage of an “IVR” (or menu system) means that clients will perceive that you have invested in a quality telephone system. The choice here will depend on your culture and whether the human voice is essential as the first point of contact.
4- I have an e-commerce web site and I know that we have a high rate of basket “abandonment”
A common problem. The average “cart abandonment” is around 65% (i.e. more than half of the visitors from your site will choose products but fail to complete the purchase transaction).
Publishing a telephone number on your site adds instant credibility and assures your customers that you’re there when they need you to be. Make sure you choose a call centre that will look for the cross selling or up selling opportunities and really understand your products or services.
5 - We have operations or people in several different locations. Investing in a private switchboard and staff is horrendously expensive
Call centres with the right technology can offer a complete virtual switchboard remotely. Low set up cost and a nil space requirement allow you to keep your organisation in touch without a huge investment in equipment, systems and expensive office space.
6 - Our web site and advertising makes us a 24 hour trader, but we do not want to resource our office 24 hours a day
Many people browse the internet in their leisure time, at evenings and weekends when most offices are closed. A call centre can act as a cost effective extension of your office, making you a true 24 hour business.
Even if you have your own call centre, an outsourcer can optimise the efficiency of your in house facility by taking the peak and out of hours overflows.
7 - Our business is international and we need an office presence when our overseas clients are open
Manufacturing in Europe, distribution in Asia and the Americas, how do you cope with the communication demands of your business? A call centre can bridge the time gaps between the continents and add consistency to your clients’ experience of your company.
8 - Our business advertises in weekend supplements or on radio and TV and we get swamped by media responses in the short term after an advert.
Short term peaks of activity are impossible to deal with for most companies. A call centre evens out the peaks by combining the needs of several hundred different businesses and has the resource to maximise the response from your advertising.
A good call centre will have systems for ensuring the accuracy of data captured from media response and should be able to integrate with your systems helping you follow up leads as efficiently (and quickly) as possible. Forward-thinking call centres will also provide “real-time” access to how campaigns are progressing 24 hours a day, so your clients can feel in control.
9 - We promote events and need call handling that can respond to fast changing environments.
You can guarantee that this is one scenario that will produce the unexpected. Venue changes, content changes and pre event publicity will cause unexpected surges in call demand. The ticketing sales themselves grow exponentially as you approach the event date.
Only a fully resourced call centre can cope with this unpredictable demand which increasingly uses multiple media for customer contact. A progressive call centre will work with you to recommend different approaches to maximising the customer experience and also look after post-sale customer service issues if problems arise.
10 - We handle emergency call outs from our clients, but it is uneconomic to man our phones 24 hours a day for the few calls we get
This is a very specialised area with few call centres able to cope with the demands that emergency calls demand. It may be mission critical IT support, health and safety issues for facilities management or even potentially business critical handling of accidents or disasters.
Making sure that there is a robust system, with detailed management of information escalation, demands advanced systems and detailed training of operators who will handle the situations on your behalf. For details of our 24 hour Emergency Escalation Service please click here..
Geoff Kirby
Sales Director
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