Launching a call center isn’t something that has to be reserved for those with years of experience in the industry. While experience can certainly help you prepare for the launch of your new business, there are plenty of people who set up small contact center operations from their own home or a rented space with great success. Here, we’ll show you what it takes to prepare for launching a call center - and doing it right from the very beginning! First Steps - Determine Wh...

How many times have you seen a number pop up on your home phone or cellphone’s caller ID and seen that it was a long-distance number and decided not to answer it? If you’re like most people, you probably think, “I don’t know anyone from that area code,” and then disregard the call entirely. The call goes unanswered and you move on with your day. Now, let’s turn the narrative around. What happens when the number that appears has a local area code? Does this change...

Working in debt collection means contacting people who don’t want to be contacted. Whether people are actively avoiding their debts or have simply forgotten them, reminding them that they owe your company or one that you are partnering with money is bound to elicit a reaction. Too often, that reaction is a negative one. However, that doesn’t mean that debt collection efforts can’t be successful. In this industry, call quantity rules even over quality. This makes predic...

When it comes to call center customer satisfaction, there are many ways to improve your company’s approach. However, there are perhaps just as many - or perhaps even more - ways to sabotage your own success. Here, we’ll show you some of the things your contact center might be doing to let your customers down - and how you can fix them. Your Self-Service is Difficult to Use Nearly every modern call center has self-service options available to reduce caller wait time and...

When it comes to customer service, a personalized touch is something that consumers appreciate. However, an automated call center may struggle to provide this. Technology may seem counter-intuitive to human interaction and experiences, but it doesn’t have to be. How can you provide a believably human and personalized experience for your consumers when they call your automated call center? Here are some tips for making customer service more authentic and humanizing your cen...

For many parts of the world, November and December mean that winter is on the horizon. For those same regions, winter weather can mean anything from cold, biting wind and rain to mountains of snow. If your contact center is like most businesses, you wonder and worry about what this approaching inclement weather might bring in terms of employee absences. What will happen if the bulk of your employees can’t make it to work one day? It isn’t good for business - or even poss...

November is the heart of autumn and is often referred to as the season of plenty. The overflowing cornucopia that sits at American Thanksgiving tables is a fantastic visual representation of this. However, if you work in retail - or in the closely-related field of customer service - you know that this time of year is more like the season of plenty of customer service tickets! Handling all of that increased call traffic can be stressful - especially if your contact center isn...

Every year, the news is filled with winter weather tragedies. While serious issues like loss of life are not common as a result of snow and ice, the temporary closure of businesses is frequent. Major companies often see their facilities shut down in the wake of winter weather - and many people’s paychecks suffer a result. Modern call centers utilize technology that is meant to withstand the problems that might compromise traditional telephony, such as VoIP (voice over inte...

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As a call center owner or operator, you want your facility to have the best tools and technology to meet consumer needs. Working in an inbound call center typically means working customer service, so it’s only natural that you would want to provide your agents with everything they need to keep callers happy and satisfied with their experience. But is there something your center is lacking? If you aren’t currently implementing solid inbound call management services, consi...