This is why many folks consider a “dead phone line” as a curse—a no-no, especially in today’s constantly-connected world. Despite the advent of such tools as social media and chat, people still find it more convenient to call each other, wherever they may be. And nowhere is this “dead phone” conundrum more unacceptable than the ever-growing call center world.  Indeed, the telephone can be considered as the lifeblood of any call center support; it’s like the air that we breathe. Without it, the business may very well cease to exist.

Yet all is not lost once your phone line goes dead. First of all, don’t panic. Don’t re-enact that “Y2K-Bug-Means-the-world’s-come-to-an-end” Dilbert episode. Instead, keep calm and report the problem. While you’re at it, make sure that there are no disconnected wires, as sometimes, the problem can be as simple as an unplugged telephone cable.

Once you’ve reported the problem, and are informed that it may take a while to fix, put those contingency plans in place. Inform clients that something’s wrong with the system via your website, Facebook page, or the like. You may likewise want to keep a closer eye on your other portals like email, Twitter, and Chat to make sure that you’re still connected with your customers.

Remember, life—and your contact center—goes on, even if your phone decides to take a breather.

Customers who purchase a crappy product or experience lackluster service can be considered as folks who are in crisis. Your small business can act as their “support system” and see them through their woes. How?

Just like a good rehab program, this can be done by a step-by-step program.
The first step is to listen. Let them air out their complaints. A call center agent, for instance, can take down their concerns about the product or service. Apart from your customer service call center, you can likewise open other channels such as email, Live Chat, or even social media portals, making it easier to reach you.

Once you know their concern, look for ways to resolve the issue. And whatever happens, simply be there for them every step of the way. If the resolution cannot be done within a single call, for instance, see to it that you will follow up their issue within a reasonable time frame. This assures them that they’ve got someone on their side.

In the end, you’ll have a client with “renewed hope”. And they’ve got you to thank for it.

Each try yields frustration–if the line isn’t busy, you’re put on hold for what seems like a lifetime.  The sad news is that this goes on for days, and when you finally get through, the promo period has elapsed.

Your eat-all-you-can diner, however, doesn’t have to offer clients such an annoying “(dis)service”. You can probably start by making sure that your Reservations Call Center hotlines are always free. If you’re blessed with high caller volumes, it might be a good idea to get Call Overflow services to back up the Reservations line. Outsourced call centers can assign a few more people, provide additional hours or numbers to serve customers at any given time.

Moreover, you might want to open up other channels aside from the telephone—especially during peak seasons such as the holidays. Reserve-by-email or Live Chat bookings are likewise a good idea, especially in today’s tech-savvy world. Oh, and of course, Facebook on Reserve will definitely be a plus.

Whatever channel you open up, make sure to monitor incoming traffic. This ensures that every reservation and query is handled accordingly.

Just because those offers are limited, it doesn’t mean your reservations call center services should be.

Now that you’re in charge of your own business and your professional life, we are certain that you have likewise been told to “do your homework”. So what do you “study for” nowadays, you ask?

One of the things you should be checking out is your competition. No, you shouldn’t copy what they are doing, just as you were told not to copy from your seatmate. What you can do is see what the latest trends are, so you can keep abreast of the latest market landscape, or even stay ahead.

When looking to outsource, for instance, it would be wise to ask yourself if you’d need a customer contact center, and what particular services should you avail of.

Will you need purely voice-based inbound call center services, or will Live Chat be part of the mix? And how many telephone call center reps should you hire?

Only you can answer these questions. Before you do so, however, it’s best to “do your homework”. It can actually be the key to pass with flying colors.

As a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owner, you might want to check on your staff, such as those folks manning your customer service call center or technical support call center, to make sure that they’re still alive—and not weary zombies posing as customer care agents. While you’re at it, here are some tips to help boost their spirits.

One way to lift call center spirits is to break the monotony. While every employee and staff member has a defined job description, it wouldn’t hurt to “rotate” their roles once in a while. Open up a “management trainee” program that will expose them to the various aspects of the business. Moreover, give them a legitimate shot at promotions, which they can aspire for.

Speaking of management, why don’t you and your co-owners (if any) mingle with your staff on a regular basis? Spend meal time together, talk as buddies, and even have company outings. This will make them feel less alienated and make them feel that they’re partners in working for the good of the company.

With policies and practices like these, we’re sure that there will be less zombies in your inbound call center staff, as well as your entire organization. It’s a much-needed energy boost.

While your inner child tells you to go for the sporty coupe, your practical self is egging you to think twice.

If you’re a small business owner looking to outsource some important tasks, we’re pretty sure you’re feeling like that car shopper above. The growing call center industry now puts forth a smorgasbord of choices that range from order taking call center and answering services to the whole gamut of voice, e-mail and web chat services – that come with a price.

But wait, there’s more.

Before you go looking for some other type of customer service, consider the inbound call centers that don’t just offer you straight-up packages and nothing else. A customer care service worth considering is one that can “mix and match” their services vis-à-vis your needs. Moreover, you can “tailor fit” these services according to your budget.

Moreover, why not check their track record, particularly when it comes to their customer care reps’ manners and professionalism. What good are customized packages if your call center agents will ruin your image with your customers?

So choose wisely. Just like that new ride, your call center choice should be one that gives you many pleasant and fruitful years down the road.

The same goes for business. Your growing pizza chain, for instance, should be a little more mindful of your customers as they can easily say what’s on their mind. In fact, they can do this through quite a number of “feedback channels” that are at their disposal. So where should you be “listening”, you ask?

The best place to start is through your very own customer service call center. Apart from the one at your store, your call center hotline is another good place to gather feedback about your pizzas, retail products, clothing, or your restaurant.

Apart from giving out “feedback forms” and asking them how their meat lover’s thin crust special was, you might want to try setting up your own Facebook fan page. Here, you not only get some media mileage, you likewise get the “pulse” of the people based on what they’re posting on your wall. More importantly, you can instantly connect with your customers and know their feedback in real-time! In addition, you can read different blogs as they might say something about your cooking or your service as well.

So, what’s on your mind? Do you “like”?

After all kinds of distractions—food, another toy, a dollar bill, nothing seems to work. He won’t stop crying and it seems that the only thing that will appease him is that toy car.

Customer care call center reps usually find themselves in the same situation when dealing with irate clients. More often than not, they tend to view these customers as unreasonable two-year olds who won’t calm down after throwing a fit. Take heart, though, because you can deal with such clients, just as you would with your child.

The trick is to remain calm—at all costs. If the child (or in this case, the customer) feels your elevated excitement, they too won’t come down from their manic mood.

Keeping calm allows you to calm them down as well. Moreover, the situation can be resolved by trying to talk some sense into them. Try to look for ways to resolve the problem. Look for a way to reach their desired result or at least, offer them the next best thing—a free coupon, a huge discount, or the like.

In the end, Gabriel will be merrily playing with his Mini. Oh, and you’ll have a happy customer, too.

We’re pretty sure that as a business owner, whether of a large multinational corporation or a thriving Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), you want your operation to grow. Did you know, however, that it is your “needs” that can help you achieve such growth?

Take outsourcing as a tool for growth, as an example. It’s often been said that outsourcing part of your operation – hiring an inbound call center for help desk, inbound customer support or customer care – can help you reach the big time. How? Simple: Think about those needs.

Do you need a simple answering service to set appointments with your plumbing and water works suppliers? Hire a call center that offers an Answering Service. If you need more complex tasks like Claims Processing for your insurance and investment house, then go for a customer service call center that handles Order Taking services.

All this can easily be determined if you know what you want, as well as what you need. In fact, you don’t need to get philosophical about it.