5 Most Important Call Center Agent Skills
Whether you are running an inbound or an outbound call center, your agents need to learn and cultivate certain skills to ensure successful interactions with customers. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to sell a product, troubleshoot a problem or update a client account—without the right skills, customers will be left feeling uncertain, frustrated, or unhappy with their experience. Here are five of the most important skills call center agents need. Active Listening Everybody knows that call center agents are working from a script. By now, customers can tell if an agent is reading a pre-written message and/or following [...]
Why CallShaper is the Key to Maximizing Your Ad Spend
While there are certainly times when we wish it wasn’t the case, budgets rule all in business. The money you spend on something needs to directly translate into returns and profits or it may be deemed not worth the same investment in the future. This is truer when it comes to advertising budgets than almost anywhere else. If you can’t draw a direct line from the money you are spending on advertisements to the sales that are being made as a result, you run the risk of a shrinking ad budget. When we talk about call centers and ad [...]
4 Strategies to Enhance Virtual Training for Call Centers
With more call center agents working from home—whether part-time or full-time—virtual training needs to be as thorough, engaging, and effective as traditional, in-person sessions. Quality virtual training not only ensures top-notch customer service but also significantly reduces agent turnover. Here are four strategies to improve your virtual training and set your agents up for success. 1. Start with Technology Training Not everyone is fully comfortable with videoconferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, even though remote work has become more common. Before diving into your core training, consider offering a brief tutorial on the specific platforms and tools agents [...]
Why Contact Center Metrics Have Changed to Center the Customer
Metrics have always been an incredibly important part of every contact center. Without them, there is no way to conduct quality assurance or evaluate the performance of your agents. But in recent years, the key metrics used to measure and judge the success and effectiveness of a call center have changed. Here, we’re outlining how and why. In the past, efficiency was the name of the game for call centers. The faster they could answer calls and the faster they could wrap them up, the better. The metrics used to measure efficiency included things like Average Handle Time, Hold [...]
Strengthening Customer Relationships for Long-Term Success
Every thriving business experiences periods of rapid growth where keeping up with customer demand becomes a challenge. During these busy times, the primary focus is often on perfecting the product and delivering it to customers as efficiently as possible. However, these phases are usually followed by slower periods where new customer sales may decline. It's during these quieter times that it's essential to nurture relationships with your existing customers. Retaining the customers you already have is crucial for maintaining steady revenue and weathering slower sales periods. Here are a few key strategies to help your customer service and success [...]
Understanding the Differences: Call Centers vs. Answering Services
While most people have interacted with call centers in a variety of industries, the term is often associated primarily with telemarketing. On the other hand, answering services are more widely recognized and experienced by the general public. But are they the same thing? Let’s take a closer look at how these two services differ. At their core, answering services can be considered a type of call center, but not every call center is an answering service. The primary distinction lies in the scope of responsibilities. Answering services focus on a more limited range of tasks compared to traditional call [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance: Marketing vs. Informational Messaging
The TCPA and the rules and regulations within are, essentially, all designed to protect people from receiving calls and text messages from companies to whom they have not given consent to contact them. There are nuances, of course, about the different ways that consent can be given and the different types of messages that can be received, as well as some stipulations that we won’t get into here. But one of the key components of the TCPA that governs whether or not litigation can be brought against companies for unlawful calls or messaging is that said calls and messages [...]
3 Effective Strategies for Routing Inbound Calls
An interactive voice responder (IVR) can be a game-changer for your inbound call center, enabling you to guide callers to solutions quickly and efficiently. To maximize this tool's potential, it's essential to fine-tune the IVR options to align with your callers' needs and the outcomes they seek. While ongoing analysis of call data is the best way to optimize your IVR, there are several straightforward call routing strategies that can set you on the right path. Here are three effective approaches. Fixed Order Call Routing When you're unsure about the nature of incoming calls, if all inquiries are likely [...]
Understanding CallShaper’s Three Key Applications
One of CallShaper’s standout features is its ability to support nearly every aspect of your business from within the software. Whether it's running campaigns, evaluating employee performance, monitoring calls, integrating sales, or more, CallShaper has you covered. However, the tools and features each team member needs will vary depending on their role. That’s why CallShaper offers three distinct applications, tailored to different job functions: Agent Application Designed for maximum efficiency, CallShaper’s agent application requires minimal training and is accessible from anywhere with a strong internet connection—whether in the office or working remotely. Agents can access only the essential tools [...]
4 Training Challenges Call Centers Face
The quality of the training you provide for your agents can be the thing that determines the success of your call center. Agents who have not received enough training or have received low-quality training are more likely to grow frustrated in their roles, submit subpar performances, and even quit. But taking the time and putting in the effort to provide the best training possible will directly support your agents’ success. However, providing top-notch training is easier said than done. The reason: Call center managers, supervisors, and trainers are facing many challenges that could hinder their ability to provide that [...]
AI in Telephone Answering Services
Telephone answering services have evolved in two key ways in recent years. The first, which we covered in a previous blog, is that agents who work for third-party telephone answering services are capable of and are doing much more than taking down messages and passing them along. Thanks to cloud-based technology and the access it provides, TAS agents can schedule appointments, process orders, and even provide some customer support. The second way is the introduction of artificial intelligence in telephone answering services, which has evolved to the point that customers can have an entire conversation with an AI agent. [...]
Who Would Benefit from Using a Telephone Answering Service?
In today's fast-paced business environment, customer service and efficient communication are crucial for success. Telephone answering services can play a significant role in enhancing both, providing benefits to various industries and business sizes. Here’s a look at who stands to gain the most from using a telephone answering service. Small Businesses and Startups For small businesses and startups, every call is a potential opportunity. However, limited resources and staff often make it challenging to handle all incoming calls efficiently. A telephone answering service can help by: Ensuring Availability: Never miss a call, ensuring that every potential customer inquiry is [...]
Enhancing Call Center Efficiency with CallShaper’s Dialer Options
In the fast-paced world of call centers, the right tools can make all the difference. CallShaper offers a suite of Outbound dialing options designed to boost productivity, streamline operations, and improve overall efficiency. Here’s a look at our Click to Call, Manual Dialer, Preview Dialer, Progressive Dialer, and Predictive Dialer options. Click to Call: Simplify Outreach CallShaper’s Click to Call feature allows agents to initiate a call with a single click, eliminating manual dialing. This option: Increases Call Volume: More calls per hour. Reduces Errors: Ensures correct contacts every time. Improves Workflow: Seamlessly integrates with CRM systems. Manual Dialer: [...]
Why More Medical Offices Are Using Answering Services to Schedule Appointments
Every medical office and facility, from private practices with specific specialties to surgeons in hospitals, relies on appointments. Even though the process sounds simple—patient makes appointment, patient goes to appointment and receives care—it’s often much more complex than that. People are busy and often need reminders before their appointment and follow ups afterwards. Sometimes something comes up and they can’t make it to their appointment. Likewise, healthcare providers are busy too and occasionally need to reschedule appointments for personal reasons. There is also often more to scheduling an appointment than choosing a date and time, especially in healthcare. Patients [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance: DNC Registry Record Keeping
One of the most important aspects of compliance for outbound call centers in order to protect themselves against litigation is to ensure they are not calling anyone whose phone number is in the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. While this sounds simple enough, the FTC recently released a new set of rules detailing how you must keep records of your company’s accessing the DNC Registry in order to stay compliant with the regulations surrounding it. Here, we’re breaking down the new requirements and what you have to record to make sure you’re protected. In short, each time you [...]