MAP Communications answers the most frequently asked questions about call centers. Find the answers to your questions here!
Curious about call centers, their role in business, or the services they provide? You’ve come to the right place! We’re happy to answer all of your most burning questions about call centers. After more than 30 years in the call center industry, we like to think of ourselves as experts! Here, you’ll find a collection of frequently asked questions about call centers along with answers to those questions.
What is a Call Center?
Call centers are centralized hubs where a large volume of calls are handled by trained agents, often referred to as virtual receptionists or agents. These agents are equipped with the tools and technology necessary to efficiently handle customer inquiries, resolve issues, and provide support across various channels such as phone calls, emails, live chat, and social media.
If you’ve dialed a business in the last 30 years, odds are good you’ve reached a call center at some point. They’ve become ubiquitous among businesses large and small — and for good reason. But just what is a call center and how do they work?
Call center operations can do wonders to support businesses across industries. Whether you’re a busy realtor in need of help with appointment scheduling or a tech company hoping to add tier-one support for callers, call center services from MAP Communications can transform your customer experience offerings.
What Do Call Centers Do?
Call centers provide a channel for communication via telephone. Some call centers are located within an organization and are considered “in-house.” However, many call centers actually handle phone calls on the behalf of many different businesses as third party companies. Sometimes call centers specialize in outbound or inbound calls, while others will perform both.
How Do Call Centers Operate
So how do call centers work, exactly? It’s a question asked by many of our new clients. When you decide to partner with MAP, we’ll chat with you about your goals and expectations. We’ll work with you to develop customized call scripts that reflect your policies and procedures. In many cases, callers will have no idea they’re speaking with a third party instead of your in-house team.
When calls come in, our highly trained agents handle them with professionalism and expertise. Our team is ready to address customer inquiries, resolve issues, and provide assistance as needed. We aim to represent your brand effectively while maintaining the highest standards of customer service and satisfaction.
What Services Are Provided by Call Centers
Our call center operations can be tailored to your unique preferences and priorities. Some of the most popular services we offer include:
Appointment Scheduling
We’re happy to assist in managing appointments and scheduling services for customers. Agents coordinate appointment bookings, confirmations, and cancellations, ensuring efficient scheduling and minimizing appointment no-shows. We integrate with scheduling tools like Calendly and Google Calendar for truly seamless integration into your business.
Order Processing
Allow us to place customer orders, process payments, and coordinate shipping or delivery logistics. Our agents ensure accurate order entry, address customer inquiries related to orders, and provide order status updates as needed.
Technical Support
If your callers need support for products or services, MAP can help. Our trained agents offer guidance and troubleshooting assistance to help customers resolve technical issues, troubleshoot software or hardware problems, and navigate complex technical procedures.
Sales and Lead Generation
Our call center agents can chat with potential customers to promote products or services and qualify leads for further follow-up by sales teams. Call centers also support inbound sales inquiries, processing orders, and upselling or cross-selling additional products or services.
What are the Benefits of Using Call Centers
The benefits of call centers are endless. You’ll see serious cost savings through streamlined operations and scalable services. By outsourcing customer service tasks, you’ll have more to focus on core activities while ensuring round-the-clock availability and improved rates of customer satisfaction.
Our advanced technology and trained agents allow us to deliver efficient and professional support. This inevitably leads to increased efficiency and customer loyalty. We can also provide valuable insights through data analytics, empowering you to make informed decisions and optimize your service strategies for long-term success.
What is an Outbound Call?
Outbound calls occur when a business or organization initiates a call with a customer or client. For instance, a cable company might dial up a customer who is late on their monthly bill to request payment. Telemarketing is also a common type of outbound calling. These are examples of an outbound calls since the call center is taking the initiative to reach out to the consumer.
What is an Inbound Call?
Inbound calls happen when a customer, client, or other individual calls into an organization. For instance, these are examples of inbound calls – if you call a customer service department for help, dial a phone number to place an order after seeing an offer on TV, or make a call to a business to schedule an appointment. These are considered inbound calls, because the phone rings in the call center to initiate the conversation. Basically, an inbound call is when a company receives a phone call from a customer.
What is an Inbound Call Center?
Inbound call centers answer phones, but don’t typically dial them. Rather than dialing customers themselves, agents answer calls as they are placed by consumers. Telemarketing does not occur at an inbound call center. Common types of calls at an inbound call center include customer support, order taking, IT support, and answering questions for callers. MAP Communications is an example of an inbound call center.
What is the Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Call Center Services?
The key difference between outbound and inbound call center services is who is initiating the call. An inbound call center handles calls made by consumers. In an outbound call center, agents are the ones dialing the consumers. Types of inbound call center services include traditional telephone answering services, appointment scheduling, customer service, order taking, technical support, and hotline services. Types of outbound call center services include telemarketing, surveys, and reminders.
There are plenty of call centers that are a hybrid, conducting both inbound and outbound call center services. However, many call center businesses choose to be an outbound or an inbound call center and focus on that specialty.
What Type of Business is a Call Center?
Call center businesses are primarily categorized as business-to-business or B2B companies. They also fit into the telecommunications industry. Another type of industry call centers fall under is the business process outsourcing, or BPO category.
What Services are Provided by Call Centers?
When it comes to call center services, the sky’s the limit. Call center workers can capture and qualify leads, take orders, collect information from callers, and assist with customer service inquiries, among many other things. Some call centers are even available 24 hours a day to provide callers with round-the-clock support. Bilingual call center service options are also available in some call centers. For example, MAP Communications provides call center services in English, Spanish, and French.
Customer-facing call center services are only the beginning. Some companies use call centers to provide hotlines for their own employees to call for a number of different reasons.
Why Do Companies Use Call Centers?
Companies use call centers, because they provide services that are vital to businesses. Organizations outsource to call center businesses, because it is cheaper than building out their own facilities, buying equipment, and hiring employees to be call center agents. It also allows businesses to focus on their core competencies without having to invest the time and energy in a business function that is not their specialty. In short, companies use call centers to save time and money so they can focus on what they do best.
Businesses frequently turn to call centers for help with customer support. Call centers help companies manage existing customers and assist with acquiring new ones. 24-hour call centers ensure there is always a friendly, helpful voice on the end of the line to assist with questions and concerns. Outsourcing call center aspects of business allows companies of all sizes across different industries to focus more on their daily operations while maintaining high standards for phone interactions with consumers.
What Types of Companies Use Call Centers?
Pretty much every type of company imaginable uses call centers. From the biggest businesses and Fortune 500 companies of the world down to small businesses and solopreneurs, all sizes of businesses use call centers too. Companies of all sizes and industries rely on call center services to accomplish their goals. And virtually every industry uses call centers to support their clients and employees.
Here are some examples: Large companies like banks, airlines, and well-known retailers often have their own in-house call center. Organizations of all sizes are known to outsource their phone calls to a call center. Small businesses eager for administrative support can benefit from call center services when there’s no room in the budget for hiring additional staff. Medical facilities like hospitals and doctors’ offices often rely on such call centers to help support patients. Universities and colleges sometimes partner with a call center to field their calls, answer basic questions, and route callers to the right departments. Almost any business you can think of can benefit from call center services.
Why are Call Centers Important?
Call centers are important, because they are a link between people and businesses. Not only do call centers help people who call businesses by providing good customer experiences, but call centers also help companies accomplish their goals to be successful.
How Much Do Call Center Services Cost?
The cost of call center services can vary widely. The two main factors in determining how much call center services cost are the average duration of calls and the volume of calls. Generally, the more calls you receive, the cheaper the rate becomes. It is most common for call centers to charge by the minute. Call center pricing often falls between $0.80 and $1.20 per minute of agent time.
What’s the Difference Between a Call Center and an Answering Service?
The terms are often used interchangeably, but they do have their differences. All answering services are call center services, but not all call center services are answering services. To clarify, phone answering services are one of the many types of services provided by call centers. All answering service companies are staffed by call centers agents or receptionists. Some call centers only provide answering services. Others don’t provide answering services at all, because they focus on a different call center service specialty.
Administrative Challenges, Call Center Solutions
Running a business means putting out new fires daily. With MAP call center operations at your disposal, many of the most common kinds of administrative challenges become a thing of the past. Feeling overwhelmed by a constantly ringing telephone? By diverting calls to MAP, you gain the peace of mind to tackle other projects. Want to take time off without neglecting your customers? MAP has your back with 24/7 call-handling services. Struggling to communicate with Spanish-speaking clientele? Our bilingual agents are happy to help bridge the language barrier.
No matter what administrative hurdles you’re up against, MAP can help find a solution. Don’t take our word for it, though – see our testimonials page for insight into why our customers love our call center services.
Try Our Call Center Services for Free
Call center services can truly revolutionize the way you do business. Gain free time, save money on staffing costs, and treat your callers to a customer experience they won’t soon forget. With our professional agents handling customer inquiries promptly and professionally, you can rest assured that your customers are in good hands. By outsourcing your call center needs to us, you can focus on what matters most – growing your business and achieving your goals.
If you’re curious about our call center operations but aren’t sure you want to commit to a partnership with MAP right away, consider signing up for our seven day free trial. For one week, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of our call center services with zero obligation to continue using them once the trial is up. No credit card is needed to sign up, and there are no contracts to worry about upfront. With so much to gain, why not give MAP a try?
To learn more about answering services, read about our call answering services, or check out the most frequently asked questions about answering services.
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