How to Correct Agents’ Missteps
The hope of all call center managers is that when agents put on the headset they are totally prepared to answer any questions and solve any problems that customers throw their way. However, even the most well-trained and diligent call center agents are going to slip up every now and then, providing an incorrect answer to a question or mixing up the order of the next steps that the customer needs to take. And if handled incorrectly, this can create a chain reaction that results in customer dissatisfaction at best and losing their business entirely at worst. That’s why [...]
FCC’s New Rules on Revoking Consent and Do-Not-Call Requests
On February 15, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced new rules that significantly impact how consumers can revoke their prior express consent (PEC) to receive calls and texts under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), as well as the period in which telemarketers must honor a consumer's Do-Not-Call (DNC) request. Prior express consent (PEC) is required for marketing calls and texts to cellular numbers and numbers listed on the National DNC Registry, unless an exemption applies. The FCC's new rules clarify that consumers have the right to revoke PEC for autodialed or prerecorded calls and autodialed texts in [...]
4 Ways Analytics Can Make Your Call Center More Efficient
Here at CallShaper, we’re all about efficiency in 2024. Fortunately, many of the tools included in our cloud-based call center platform were built to maximize efficiency in the first place. One such swath of tools: Our quality assurance and analytics mechanisms, which offer real-time insights into agent performance and customer data. Here are four ways that taking advantage of these analytics tools can help make your call center more efficient. You’ll Notice Trends Faster First, let’s talk about the customers. While there will be customers calling your inbound call center with very specific, personal issues, there will be [...]
4 Call Center Trends to Look Out For in 2024
The call center industry is always evolving and changing. Especially with the new technologies introduced in recent years, the focus is on improving efficiency, customer experience and agent satisfaction. To that end, here are four trends in call centers that we are keeping an eye on in 2024. Increased Use of AI AI was certainly a hot topic in 2023 and we don’t expect that to change in 2024. In fact, we expect call centers to continue to explore how using AI can both improve the customer experience and make agents’ jobs easier. Many businesses are already using [...]
Why Your Telephone Answering Service Should be Cloud-Based
If you’re wondering why your small business is not growing at the speed it should be, or why your marketing efforts aren’t paying off, or simply why you don’t feel as organized as you should be, the answer may be that you don’t have a telephone answering service. A telephone answering service, or TAS, is a system in which you have friendly, professional people answering phone calls, taking messages, and offering telephone support to customers when you are unable or unavailable to do so. Having a reliable TAS could be the difference between winning and losing new customers, the [...]
How New Technology Can Increase the Value of Your Business
Sure, there are plenty of people who grumble and complain when their smartphone or their computer undergoes an update and there are new features that they need to learn or apps and commands that now live in a different place. But after a few days, the grumbling always stops. Why? Those same people realize that, in the majority of cases, those changes were made for a reason. And most often, that reason is that it improves their experience of the product in some way. This is why, in a nutshell, utilizing new technology is so important in every industry, [...]
Why Older Technology Slows Down Call Centers
If we’re being honest, some days it feels impossible to keep up with all the latest technology. It often seems like just when we’re starting to get comfortable with a product, app, or software, a newer version comes out that claims to be better, faster, and more efficient. That’s when the common internal debate commences: I want to be better, faster, and more efficient, but do I really need this new technology? Is it worth the cost, the time, and the learning curve? When it comes to the technology used in call centers, the answer is yes, it is [...]
How Cloud-Based Software Streamlines Onboarding
By the time you hire a new agent or sign on a new customer, a lot of work has already happened. In the case of the hiring process, you’ve spent time reviewing the agent’s application, interviewing them, and perhaps putting them through some tests to determine how they will perform in your call center. In the case of a new customer, you may have spent some time detailing and extolling the benefits of your product and why it is superior to your competitors’ or done some negotiating with the customer to guarantee they are getting exactly what they are looking [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance: TCPA Exemptions
Like any law, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is filled with exemptions. In general, the exemptions in the TCPA apply to two distinct situations: Exemptions to when callers need express consent and exemptions to when callers can use an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS). Here, we’re providing a top-level overview of these exemptions. Instances in Which Express Consent is Not Needed Purely information text messages, such as delivery and service notifications Calls from healthcare providers to landlines only that deliver a healthcare-related message Calls from utilities that are non-marketing messages and provide information about emergencies, circumstances where services [...]
4 Keys to Top-Notch Call Center Management
An effective and successful call center starts at the top. If not managed correctly, things start to crumble quickly. But if you manage your call center with a steady hand, prioritizing efficiency and agent experience, your customers will feel the positive effects and be more satisfied as a result. Here are four of the biggest keys to top-notch call center management. Prioritize Thorough Onboarding Agent turnover and absenteeism are big problems in the call center industry and both start with the onboarding process. If agents are not given a thoroughly comprehensive onboarding that leaves them feeling comfortable and confident [...]
Why the Right Technology is Important for Getting New Clients
There are many factors that go into finding and signing on new clients. Using the correct marketing and advertising methods that your ideal client will respond to. Putting those advertisements in places where your ideal clients will find them. Selling products and services that stand out from the pack and offer something that your clients won’t be able to find anywhere else. Offering those products and services at a competitive and justifiable price. The list goes on. But there are also behind the scenes factors that play a big role. How easy and intuitive your processes are, for both customers [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance: The National Do Not Call Registry
One of the most important elements of the Federal Trade Commission’s rules and regulations surrounding call center compliance is the National Do Not Call Registry. Here, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the National DNC Registry and how to use it to keep your call center in compliance at all times. The National Do Not Call Registry is a database of phone numbers maintained by the FTC that companies who make outbound phone calls or send text messages regarding sales or marketing cannot call or text. There are over 200 million phone numbers on the National DNC [...]
How Changing Customer Expectations are impacting call centers
Do you remember the days when it was normal and expected for a package ordered online to take 5 to 7 days to arrive? Or when leaving a message for a company and waiting for a response for 24 to 48 hours was not a cause for concern and rather an accepted waiting period? Fortunately for customers, and often unfortunately for many companies, these days are now in the rearview mirror. The fact that you can find almost anything you need or want online, from products to information, and that those things can be accessed almost instantly in many [...]
Why You Shouldn’t Overlook After-Call Work
Why You Shouldn’t Overlook After-Call Work The number one goal of your inbound call center is likely to improve customer experience and increase customer satisfaction as much as possible. And in your efforts to do this, you may be putting a lot of your focus on ways to improve agent interactions with customers. But it’s critical that you don’t put so much focus on the calls themselves that you forget about what happens after the call is completed. Indeed, making sure your agents complete the necessary after-call work before they move on to the next customer will go [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance: Avoiding TCPA Lawsuits
Hot Topics in Compliance: Avoiding TCPA Lawsuits When it comes to compliance, every company has two primary goals: Make sure they’re doing right by the customer and avoid any possible litigation. Fortunately, doing one typically means you are also achieving the other, as remaining in compliance with regulations—especially those set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)—will help you avoid lawsuits and prevent your team from ruffling customers’ feathers. Here, we’re focusing on three of the best practices that will help you avoid TCPA violations and thus steer clear of lawsuits. Document Everything The easiest way to [...]