As long as people use phones, brands will need to reach them through that channel. The traditional telephone support services may seem old-fashioned but are still one of the most sought after channels of customer support. After a face-to-face interaction, customer support agents on the phone provide the closest “human” touch to the customer experience.
In this blog, we’ll go over the main differences between the two types of call centers and how to identify the right fit for you.
What is an Inbound Call Center?
When a customer calls you with their queries and issues through designated phone numbers or interactive voice response (IVR) phone systems, they reach the Call Center. Inbound callers are usually seeking customer services like technical support, Product queries, or help to place an order. According to Google, 61% of mobile searches end in a call. As this type of support agents interact with customers on a daily basis, acting as the face of the brand, they need to possess strong communication skills and product and company knowledge.
To gauge the success of Inbound Call Centers, some of the KPIs are Average Wait-Time, Average Talk-Time, Call Volume Statistics (Missed Calls, Abandoned Calls, Total Incoming Phone Calls), Service Level Agreement Breaches (SLA).
Here are some highlights of the types of inbound call center services:
Customer Service and Support
An organization looking to succeed in today’s competitive market cannot do without this. Inbound call center agents pride themselves on providing unparalleled customer support to existing and potential customers through incoming calls. They are the primary touchpoint for any type of queries regarding prices, policies, product. They are often the first line of action with regard to customer feedback and complaints enduring optimum customer satisfaction.
Technical Support
Inbound call center agents may also provide remote tech support when customers face technical issues such as software/hardware troubleshooting. You’d often find multiple tiers in this kind of support center with higher tier resolving more complex issues.
Inbound Sales
Often calling to get assistance on what products to buy, customers’ calls can with the right strategy turn warm leads into customers. An inbound agent may provide a seamless buying experience to consumers assisting them with choosing the right product, placing an order, and even providing them with a timeline of the delivery.
What is an Outbound Call Center?
On the contrary, Outbound call centers consist of agents the making outgoing calls to a target audience to generate qualified leads or provide upsell services to existing customers. Oftentimes they also survey shoppers and collect market research. Apart from strong communication, as an outbound calling entails being resilient. It is essential that an agent is not deterred by rejection. In an outbound contact, a good conversion rate for a campaign can range between 2-10%. This means that 90-98% of respondents are going to say no to the proposal. They educate the client on how your solution fits their needs and in the end win the sale.
Some of the most used KPIs in an Outbound call center include Conversion Rate, Call Per Agent, First Call Close.
The following are some types of Outbound Call Center Services:
Lead Generation
An outbound call center agent’s job is to reach out to a targeted segment of consumers who might be interested in their product or service. The role of the agent is to help consumers find value in the product they’re selling and to be professionally persuasive to turn leads into warm leads through cold calls.
This also means, to reach out and follow up to existing customers to provide them with a service or product that complements their current state. One of the key factors that differentiate a great outbound customer representative is that they are customer-centric, aiming to educate the customer rather than reading a robotic or rehearsed script.
Conduct Market Research
A telemarketing agent in this role is responsible for reaching out to consumers to conduct surveys and market research as per their segment such as demographic, age, etc. They aim to objectives of the survey and collect data and recordings. Outbound market research is a proven and effective way to know a company’s consumers better and determine how a product or service is doing within the market.
Inbound Vs. Outbound
Inherently, neither type of call center is better than the other. In fact, both techniques can be powerful tools for the growth of a company. Because of the hyper-competitive market, the majority of the organizations look for blended support in call center solutions. More often than note, this means a larger contact center is divided into two smaller segments – one with customer service teams working on building customer loyalty while the other undertaking sales activity.
A lot of successful companies also invest in good call center software such as a Helpdesk or CRM to provide a more seamless call resolution or sales experience. To know more about how a Helpdesk can help you elevate your customer engagement game, check out our resource page.
