The Two Key Elements of a Successful Inbound Call Center
Let’s be honest: There are a lot of elements that go into creating and running a successful inbound call center. But in our experience, we find that there are two that stand out over the rest: High-quality call center software and highly trained, effective agents. Here’s why you need both and just one isn’t going to cut it. The Case for High-Quality Software The biggest benefit of high-quality call center software is that it makes your agents’ jobs easier and smoother, and customers are going to feel that in their interactions with your agents. High-quality software will allow you [...]
The FCC Is Acting on the TRACED Act
When the TRACED (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence) Act passed in early 2020, the law set deadlines for phone companies and voice service providers to provide proof of the implementation of a STIR/SHAKEN protocol that would protect users from spam and robocallers. The first of those deadlines, in June of 2021, required the largest voice service providers to be using STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication standards in their networks. Since then, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been relatively quiet in enforcing the requirements set by the TRACED Act, though it has taken steps to shut down a [...]
Why A Proactive Customer Service Model Should Be Your Priority
Think about a traditional inbound call center that handles customer service inquiries from clients. Typically this involves agents waiting by the phones for customers to call with problems they need solving, questions they need answering, and issues they need resolving. Depending on the nature of the calls your call center is getting, you may find that this reactive customer service strategy, in which you are waiting for the customer to come to you with their problems, is working just fine. But almost 100% of the time, taking a proactive approach to customer service is going to increase customer satisfaction, [...]
Hot Topics in Compliance Marketing Texts
Using text messages for direct-to-consumer marketing is almost as ubiquitous as emails and potentially more frequently used than print, online or television advertising, depending on the business and the industry. But when it comes to marketing texts, especially in the context of a larger campaign that utilizes different modes of communication to reach customers, there are TCPA compliance rules you need to know. Here, we’re covering the big things you need to know to ensure you remain in compliance if you’re sending marketing text messages. A call is a text and a text is a call. In 2015, the [...]
How to Write an Effective Cold Call Script
These days, many people associate cold calling with telemarketing or scammers. They assume that the person has obtained or purchased their phone number from a lead generator and that there is a good chance they have no interest whatsoever in what the person on the phone is selling. However, this is not the only context in which cold calls are used. In fact, most people have likely received at least one cold call in the last few months that they found very helpful and relevant to their lives. Indeed, the industries that use cold calls most frequently today are [...]
4 Ways to Personalize Your Customers’ Experience
4 Ways to Personalize Your Customers’ Experience When a customer calls your inbound call center, you have literal seconds before they start to form judgements and opinions of your systems, your customer service, and your company. Indeed, the time from when the phone starts ringing to when the customer connects with an agent is perhaps just as crucial to maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction as the actual service that your agent provides. One way to ensure that this time is spent productively and to keep customers happy is by personalizing the call experience as much as possible. Here [...]
4 Ways CallShaper’s Telephone Answering Service Platform Outperforms the Competition
There are certain businesses who need to be accessible to their customers at all times. Even if the exact person or service a customer is trying to reach is not available 24/7, being able to speak to someone offers both peace of mind and a way for a customer to take one step towards accomplishing the goal they had when they contacted the business in the first place. For companies in this situation, having a telephone answering service is critical. And just like any call center, answering services need reliable, functional, and easy-to-use software to support their daily tasks. [...]
3 Keys to a Successful Remote Working Environment
By now, three years after the start of the pandemic that forced everyone to work from home, there are two things that are clear about remote work. One is that it is here to stay, at least in some capacity. And two is that there are ways to establish a remote working environment that encourage productivity, accountability, and employee satisfaction and other ways that lead to disappointing outcomes and unmet goals. Here, we’re discussing three of the clear keys to a successful remote working environment for call center agents. Clear and Effective Communication Communication is so critical in every [...]
How Call-Backs Can Increase Customer Satisfaction
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many steps we take to smooth out the process, from when a customer calls our call center to when they get on with an agent. It doesn’t matter that the IVR is easy to navigate and gets them on track to speak to the exact right person who can help with their problem. It doesn’t matter that we provide updates on wait time or the customer’s place in line, or that we have them enter basic information ahead of time so that they don’t have to go over it once they are speaking with [...]
4 Reasons to Keep Your Call Center In-House
4 Reasons to Keep Your Call Center In-House You’ve likely seen many lists out there going into all the benefits of outsourcing your call center and the reasons you might want to do so. And while many of these reasons, including cost saving, personnel flexibility, and easier-to-access 24/7 support, make sense for a lot of companies that consider a call center an integral part of their business, there are also a number of reasons you may want to keep your call center in-house. Here, we’re diving into the biggest ones. Total Control When you outsource your call center, you’re [...]
CallShaper Is Here to Help
At CallShaper, we pride ourselves on being available for our clients and making our software as easy to use as possible. A lot of that comes from the design of the platform itself, including the easy-to-edit scripts that can be adjusted in real time, the QA mechanisms that are constantly collecting data and analyzing it, and the multiple ways that agents and supervisors can interact and communicate with one another through the platform. But the other part of it is making ourselves available to clients who need more personalized or hands-on help with the software. After all, we’re doing everything [...]
Asking These Questions Will Help You Solve Customer Problems Faster
We’ve talked extensively about the importance of active listening on this blog. When customer service agents receive calls from customers, especially disgruntled or frustrated ones, listening closely to their complaints and their description of the situation is critical to building trust and rapport between the agent and the customer as well as reaching a resolution faster. But listening and empathizing can only take an agent so far. At some point in the call, the agent needs to take the ball and begin collecting more information and troubleshooting the customer’s problem. When this time comes, there are certain types of [...]
States Are Passing Laws Against Robocalls—And It’s a Good Thing
We’re only a little over halfway through 2023, but it has already been a big year for new legislation protecting consumers from robocalls. In the last few months, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and others have taken legal action to quell unwanted spam and telemarketing calls and texts in their states. Considering the fact that unwanted calls are still the top consumer complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, these steps are much needed. And while they are primarily being taken to protect consumers, they are also a good thing for businesses operating call centers. Here’s why. In [...]
4 Ways to Take Advantage of the Slow Season
Just as most businesses that operate call centers experience seasonal spikes and busy seasons, almost all will experience slow seasons as well. However, the slow season is not always a bad thing. While it’s true that there may be a dip in sales or revenue during this period, the slow season can actually be an incredible opportunity for you to strengthen the performance of your call center and increase profitability in the long term. Here are four ways to take full advantage of the slow season. Schedule Trainings Taking the time to provide comprehensive training to new hires is [...]
Meet Our Partners! Part 2
At CallShaper, our goal is to give our customers the best possible experience with our call center platform. Whether they are agents, supervisors, or managers, we want everyone to have access to the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and successfully. That’s why we’ve partnered with some businesses who help us do exactly that. Here, a brief introduction to a few of those awesome partners. The Blacklist Alliance The Blacklist Alliance protects every single one of our customers from scammers, predators and even federal and state regulators looking for ways to bring litigation against your call center. [...]