What is Call Center?
So what is call center services and how call center works? Call Centers are companies that have a series of people who are dedicated to answering calls or making calls or even both tasks, the end of these calls can be for various purposes such as customer service departments to customers, attention to claims, assistance, and technical support, departments that carry out surveys, telemarketing companies, etc.
The people who make calls or receive calls are the Call Center Agents.
For these companies, in particular, it is very important to know data on the quality and quantity of calls made or answered, the reason is very simple, the main business of these companies is focused on making and receiving calls, thus controlling the Information that refers to calls is vital to value the business and profit of these companies.
In this information, data on calls and agents, number of calls received, number of calls made, duration of calls, average times, response times, availability of agents, etc. are evaluated. With all these data it is possible to know if the work is being carried out well or not and what are the critical points if there are any.
A focus of calls is an area where agents or executives of the call center, specially trained, make calls (outgoing or outbound) and receive calls (incoming calls or inbound) from clients (external or internal), business partners, associated companies or others.
A Contact Center is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of calls and requests through the telephone, which can be made through additional channels to the telephone, such as fax, e-mail, chat, text messages and multimedia messages among others.
Call Center Outsourcing
They are operated by a service provider company that is responsible for managing and providing support and assistance to the consumer according to the products, services or information needed. Calls are also made based on implementing the sale and collections of the company.
Also called Contact Centers, they are generally operated through a large workspace arranged for contact center agents or executives, provided with workstations that include computers, telephones, and headsets with microphones (headsets) connected to switches. Telephone and one or more workstations belonging to the supervisors of the sector.
The Call Center can be independently operated or can be interconnected with other centers, generally connected to a computerized corporation.
The implementation of new and better voice and information portals that are linked to the development of new technologies is increasing, favoring the integration of all consumer communication channels; by implementing CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) technology
Most of the most recognized and important companies use the Contact Centers to interact with their clients, whether they are public service companies, catalog order signatures, customer service and various operational supports in relation to software and hardware companies. Many businesses use the Contact Centers even for the development of their internal functions through them, including help desks and sales support.
Another complementary definition is the following: A Call Center or Call Center for incoming calls (INBOUND) or outgoing calls (OUTBOUND) is a tool for communication and relationship with Clients that uses the TELEPHONE as a basic means of communication managed by “HUMAN PEOPLE” together with the necessary and available human, physical and technological resources, based on determined and adequate work methodologies and processes, to meet the needs and provide service to each “ONLY CUSTOMER” in order to attract and retain them with the organization and allow its viability.
Mathematical theory applied to Call Centers
A basic Inbound Call Center can be viewed from an operational point of view as a “queuing network”. The simplest Call Center consists of a single type of static clients and servers that can be viewed as a “simple call chain”.
Queuing theory (number of incoming calls) is a part of mathematics in which models have been developed. These models are used to provide better assistance in planning the workforce and managing it; for example, helping to determine the number of agents or call center executives required to achieve a certain level of customer service.
Queuing models also provide a qualitative view identifying the circumstances under which the economy of scale prevails, given that a single Contact Center turns out to be more effective in receiving calls than several smaller ones.
Mathematical theory predominates in operations through operational research that considers a variety of relevant optimization problems. For example, to determine in what hours it is necessary to incorporate more personnel and to analyze the impatience of the client while waiting to be attended by the agent.
ERLANG is used for sizing of quantities of lines and quantities of call center executives, quantities of work positions, computers, screens, network points, etc. At the global industry level.
All modern methods of traffic network optimization are rooted in the work done by Agner K. Erlang, a Danish scientist, who worked at the Copenhagen Telephone Company in 1908. He found solutions to the key problems of telephone network design: How many lines are necessary for given traffic? What is the trade-off between a number of lines that allows answering all calls and a minimum cost with a loss of calls?
In 1946, the International Consultative Committee on Telephones and Telegraphs, in honor of Agner Erlang, adopted ERLANG as the basic unit of telephone traffic.
Inbound Call Center Services
The objectives of a specialized center for incoming calls can be multiple:
- Green information number established after any event (air disaster, for example): this allows the information to be disseminated little by little and reassuring, giving a positive image of the situation (help is there). Thus, it is spoken not only of a call center but also of “contact center”.
- After-sales service: hotlines, very often to manage problems encountered by FAI clients, are operated by call centers.
- Appointment (for example for medical cabinets) or orders, in particular for mail-order sales.
- Customer Service: the resolution of queries, delivery of information, attention to requirements.
- Help Desk or Help Desk: Service that enables specialized support to be delivered by telephone through a specialized call center executive with technical knowledge on a specific subject.
Outbound Call Center Services
Centers specialized in outgoing calls can:
- Carry out polls: the collection of information is easy, immediately distribute and process it.
- Advertising surface for a brand, or even prospecting or distance selling: there is the substitution of pedlars and retail (door to door).
- Telesales: Sales activity through a specialized sales executive with powers to sell remotely.
- Tele-survey: Telephone survey activity through a tale-survey executive capable of providing a quick survey of information from a client.
- Meeting schedule: Activity that allows you to schedule meetings or appointments with clients to offer a product or service that due to its complexity cannot be sold by phone and requires a personal interview.
The use of call centers is dominated by large companies that require permanent contact with their customers. In general, companies in the mass market area such as financial companies, banks, basic services, and telecommunications.
The call center industry is growing because of the need for companies to stay competitive, customer service, and the benefits of technology.