Tag Archives: inbound customer support

Why Small And Medium Businesses Should Be Phone Savvy

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Of all the inventions of the 20th century, the telephone is arguably, one of the greats. This seemingly simple device has allowed people to keep in touch with family and friends without even leaving home. And with the help of science and technology, they can even talk to others from across the globe.

But alas, not all has gone well for Sir Alexander Graham Bell’s invention. While you’ve got close family ties and “newly established phone friends” on one side, the flip side reveals obscene phone callers or equally horrific, people who are legit but don’t know proper telephone etiquette.

Some people, for instance, tend to bring their “everyday conversation manners” to their business calls. A call center agent should avoid using expressions like “uh” when speaking to a caller.  You must likewise avoid finishing a sentence with a question; it shows you’re unsure of yourself or worse, your product/service.

Another thing to remember is that you’re engaged in a conversation. This involves listening to the other person, and thus, you must respond accordingly. It’s okay to get your message across. But you should also let the other person convey theirs as well.

Finally, keep it short and get straight to the point. Don’t beat around the bush, as this gives the impression that you don’t know what you’re doing.

Simply put, make the most of that tool on hand—the telephone – to handle your order taking services, help desk call center or inbound customer support. It can do wonders, like bring in clients. So make sir Alexander Graham Bell proud.

Philippines is no. 1 in call center services, industry execs say

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The Philippines remains the global leader in contact center services, thanks to its steady supply of English-speaking Filipino professionals with strong work ethic and unwavering government support.

According to the Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), the country is considered Number 1 in providing call center or “voice-based support” services. CCAP said the industry now commands over 350,000 professionals working in call centers, versus India, which presently has 330,000-strong workforce.

The annual contact center industry revenues are estimated to reach $5.7 billion for its 24/7 support to small and large businesses in the United States, Australia and Europe, compared to India’s $5.5 billion earnings. There are already 68 call centers that are active members of CCAP.

India, on the other hand, remains on top of the business process outsourcing space, earning a total of $70 billion in revenues, compared to the Philippines with only $9 billion. The BPO is wider in scope as it goes beyond voice-based call centers. This can be as varied as business back-office operations, which include finance, logistics and accounting; software development; gaming and animation; engineering design; and medical and legal transcription.

The Philippine outsourcing sector now has a total of 530,000 employees and contributes 6% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Data sources: Trading Markets, Bloomberg Business Week

The agent’s notes from the call center trenches – Part 1

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by Diane Cuaresma

Working in a call center is not all fun and games as people from other industries perceived it to be.

Here, we work extremely hard. One of the obstacles we deal with is fighting off the urge of falling into sleep during the wee hours of the morning.

I have been with the call center or BPO Industry for almost three years now. I am proud to say that I enjoy working here and I see my hard work paying off. I started as sales agent at a company based in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. It was my first foray in the contact centers after a stint in teaching. Obviously, the two industries are totally different from each other. Work in a call center is a far cry from what I was once accustomed – teaching and shaping minds. Now I still make instructions but on top of it, vigorously promote services to people around the world.

As they always say – “Nothing is inevitable but change” and the only thing we can do is to adapt and to surpass challenges.

My second title within the industry was call center representative. There are 2 types of roles assigned to a call center representative – the first one is sales or doing outbound calls, and the other one is customer service, the inbound call center support.

If I were asked to choose which function I strongly prefer, I go for inbound customer support. I love dealing with callers and answering their questions. I work as an order taker and have been promoted by title in just a short span of time.

Like other professions, call center work entails a high degree of discipline, focus and determination. It takes more than just saying, “Oh, I know that person” or namedropping famous people to fast track promotion. To prove yourself worthy of bigger challenges and responsibilities, you need to stand out from the rest with the right skill sets to boot.

In my next article, I will share some of the techniques I use to succeed at work in the call center.

The 5 “Always” of Customer Service

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There are guidelines, and there are “always” good guidelines to enhance your relationship with customers.

Admit it – Overall consumer behavior remains shrouded in mystery but you can, with pure diligence, unlock the secrets that can launch success stories. Call centers will stand witness to a myriad of situations that make their agents work harder to deliver the right kind of customer support. Some guidelines in the rule book cannot be missed. They have to be on – all the time.

Here are a few “always” that we can apply in our workplace.

ALWAYS

1.    Motivate your entire organization to think “Customer first”. It should be a lifestyle for your growing small business.

2.    Make and meet commitments. You cannot say, “Please expect our call in the coming days.” That is not commitment. This is commitment: “Please expect a call from us by 10:00am Tuesday.”

3.    Keep your cool when dealing with difficult customers. Sure, you wanted to banish them from the face of the earth but hard clients will tame with right and efficient handling.

4.    Delight customers every time they share their interests and issues. Customer satisfaction surveys and occasional promotions are good avenues for understanding their likes and dislikes.

5.    Integrate customer service focus within the organization. Departments across the enterprise can also have customer service mindsets. It is no longer the domain of your sales, marketing and customer service teams. Who says your accounting department cannot be customer focused?

An inbound call center represents any business. With the right attitude and training, it can effectively implement the abovementioned rules. After all, it receives different types of calls day in and day out – in some circumstances very exhilarating, and in some days disheartening. Yet this group has a critical role. Think of the many useful insights it can provide your business to accomplish more.