Customer service is essential to a company’s success; it is the first and most crucial point of contact for customers looking for assistance and answers. As a result, every organization should have a call centre, which will contribute to developing your brand image and forming brand loyalty among customers.
Having a call centre and well-trained reps lets your customers know that you care about their well-being which brings customer satisfaction. Let’s look into call centre types, the skills required for the role, and their salary range.
What is Call Centre?
A call centre is a coordinated unit that responds to incoming and outgoing calls from existing and potential customers. Call centres can be found inside an organization or outsourced to another business that takes calls.
Several call centers tend to prioritize customer satisfaction by providing thorough service. In contrast, others could want to boost lead generation, bring in new clients, or speed up order and payment processing.
They are a group of customer care representatives who assist in answering phone calls from customers who have inquiries about a business’s products or services. Furthermore, for call centres to foster relationships and deliver positive client experiences, they must provide a high level of service to customers.
How Do Call Centers Work?
The call centre interaction starts when a customer calls through a connected app or product or directly to the call centre. The customer first interacts with the interactive voice response (IVR) system. The interactive voice response (IVR) prompts them with options and instructs them to select using their voice or their phone’s touch-tone pad.
Once the customer is routed to the right agent or department, the rep acknowledges who the customer is before resolving their issue. Call centre software is available to help provide customer context, so the agent knows who’s calling and has relevant information that may help them solve the problem faster.
Then, the customer service representative addresses the request or issue. The customer service representative can further record the interaction and follow up with the customer if they cannot solve a problem in one call. Also, if they resolve the issue during the first call, the support agent should follow up with a customer satisfaction survey.
Through call centres, your company can collect customer feedback and evaluate the effectiveness of its customer service staff and the quality of its goods, services, or interactions. Representatives must adhere to call centre protocol and speak to customers in a way that makes them feel important.
What Are the 4 Types of Call Centres?
Businesses can use several types of call centres to handle their customer service and support needs, including the following:
#1. Inbound Call Centre
An inbound call centre responds to incoming calls from current clients looking for assistance or information. They are frequently used for customer service and support, and an interactive voice response system is used to direct customers to the right agent to handle their inquiries.
Inbound call centres are one of the types of centres used by banks, manufacturers, and technology firms. In this call centre, representatives typically deal with services like payments, renewals, technical support, and customer questions and issues.
#2. Outbound Call Centre
An outbound call centre is where agents contact prospective and existing customers. This call centre provides outgoing sales and marketing efforts to facilitate a company’s growth strategy.
Outbound call centre services include telemarketing, sales cold calls, customer follow-ups and surveys, upselling efforts, appointment setting, lead generation, billing and collection reminders, general market research, and more. Some essential outbound services can be better facilitated with additional communications tools like email marketing and social/app messaging.
#3. Automated Call Centre
Many call centres use automation features, artificial intelligence, and voice technology to handle some or all inbound services. This type of call center is very time-efficient, allowing agents to focus on other tasks and leave the rest to the computer-based systems.
An automated call centre is one of the types of call centres whose services include online scheduling, appointment reminders, email management, holiday greetings, automatic SMS messages, and a dealer or franchise locator.
An example of an automated call centre is an IVR contact center, where callers interact with the self-serve menu using dial entries or speech recognition features.
#4. Virtual Call Centre
A virtual call centre is a remote-based business that uses cloud operations. These call centres offer employees the flexibility to work from any location, reducing management costs.
Customer service representatives typically access cloud messaging, email, and calls through call centre software rather than landlines. The company uses cloud call center technology to distribute its agents nationwide to answer calls.
What Skills Does a Call Centre Agent Need?
The top 5 skills a call centre agent should have include:
- Knowledge Retention: An agent’s mission is to provide the highest quality support to customers. To accomplish this, they need to be able to learn and memorize a good amount of information about your company.
- Communication Skills: Call centre agents must have good communication skills. They should also be able to explain products and services to customers and resolve customer issues professionally.
- Organization: Organization is another vital skill that calls centre agents should have, as they must be able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, all while attending to the customer’s needs.
- Adaptability: A call centre agent must be adaptable because they interact with customers with different personalities and handle dozens of daily calls in a busy call centre.
- Calmness: A good call center agent isn’t easily flustered. A number of frustrated customers call daily. A good agent will remain calm when someone yells or is chatty over the phone.
- Speed: Without compromising the quality of the service, call centre agents should be to work fast. Handling customer issues with speed improves customer satisfaction.
What Is a Call Centre Also Known As?
A call centre is also known as a customer service centre or customer support centre. It is where organizations handle inbound or outbound calls to handle issues related to a company’s products and services.
What Are the 3 Cs in the Call Center?
The 3 Cs in the call center context refer to three essential qualities that customer service representatives should possess to deliver excellent customer service. These qualities are Caring, cooperation, and Communication
#1. Communication
Communication is a crucial aspect of customer service. It helps customer service representatives understand customers’ needs, provide accurate information, and resolve issues efficiently
#2. Caring
Caring means empathizing with customers, understanding their needs, and demonstrating genuine concern for their issues. Being patient with them and not seeing their issues swiftly resolved
#3. Co-Operation
This involves working well with other team members, sharing knowledge, and collaborating effectively to solve customer issues. A cooperative customer service representative is a team player who supports colleagues and contributes positively to team performance.
Training in these three areas is essential for customer service representatives to improve their skills and deliver outstanding customer experiences.
What Are the 2 Types of Call Centres?
There are two main types of call centres; An inbound call centre, and an outbound call centre.
- Inbound Call Centre: An inbound call centre focuses on incoming calls rather than contacting clients. Their services include answering questions, providing tech and customer support, handling inbound sales, processing orders, managing loyalty programs, and dispatching.
- Outbound Call Centre: Outbound call centers specialize in taking the initiative and contacting customers. This type of call center has multiple use cases, including telemarketing, phone surveys, lead building, market research, customer onboarding, and more. Like an inbound call centre, outbound call centers use various tools to streamline their processes.
What Should I Put on my CV for Call Center?
If you are applying for the role of a call center agent, there are some things you should add to your CV to make it stand out from other applicants. They include:
- Your contact details
- Your education/qualifications
- Core call center skills you have
- Your work experience or career history
- Service and products you worked with
Examples of Call Skills to Add to Your CV
- Active listening
- Friendliness
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Creativity
- Organization
- Problem-solving
- Computer skills
- Multitasking
- Product knowledge
- Negotiation skills
- Database/CRM skills
- Social media knowledge
What Are the 10 Most Common Interview Questions and Answers in Call Center?
You will likely be asked these questions when you go for a call center interview, and the best answers to them are
#1. Tell Me About Yourself
When an interviewer asks you about yourself, you should briefly describe your career history and why you applied for the call center position. If you have no experience, discuss your education and how it qualifies you for the role
#2. Why Do You Want to Work for Us?
Research the company before going for the interview. When asked why you want to work for the company, you can answer that you relate to their core values and goals.
#3. Why Did You Leave Your Previous Job?
The answer should show that you had a good reason for leaving. You should also remain positive and discuss what you learned in the last role.
#4. Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Employers typically ask this question to gather insight into how well the job fits your overall career goals and if you’re sincerely interested in the role. So, answer in such a way that shows that your long-term goals fit the job description
#5. Do You Have any Experience in a Call Centre?
When you are asked about your experience in an interview, including complete information on any call center and work you have previously done, even if it was temporary. Also, if you have no experience, mention it.
#6. How Do You Feel About Meeting Goals and Targets?
The best response is that you appreciate the challenge of being the first team member to achieve the established goals and that goals and targets help you stay focused.
#7. How Would You Handle a Customer Question You Didn’t Know the Answer to?
Explain your strategy for handling unexpected questions, such as by asking for help from a supervisor or coworker or using available resources to find the answer.
#8. What Are the Most Important Skills for a Call Center Representative?
You are being asked thsi question to know what you think the role requires, hence, mention empathy, active listening, speaking, problem-solving, and time management skills.
#9. According to You, What is the Best Part of Working in a Call Center?
Answer that you have a passion for helping and that helping people daily and making a difference in their lives is the best part of working in a call center.
#10. How Would You Handle a Difficult Customer?
This is a question you have to be careful about; employers ask this question to know if you are patient and empathetic. Answer that you will report to the manager or senior colleagues and also learn from the situation to avoid similar ones in the future.
What is the Best Answer to What Makes You Qualified to Work in a Call Center?
Mention that you know how the industry works and that you have the necessary skills for the role. Also, mention skills like active listening, staying calm under pressure and focusing on customer service even in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
Call Centre Salary Range
The salary range of call centre representatives varies depending on various factors, such as location, experience, and industry. According to salary.com, the average call centre agent salary in the United States is $36,771, with a salary range typically falling between $34,546 and $40,880.
- What is Outbound Marketing Strategy? Examples & Tools
- CALL CENTER SOLUTIONS: 19+ Cloud-Based Solutions for any Business (+ Reviews)
References
