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A Brief Guide to Outsourcing Your Call Handling Department
The call handling department is one of the most important departments in any company. Customer service plays a vital role in the modern corporate world. While there are plenty of ways to contact the customer service department of any company, most people just prefer getting in touch over the phone. The call handling department is generally responsible for attending to customer’s queries, resolving complaints, and making sure that every customer is satisfied with the company’s products or services.
Furthermore, the call handling department is also responsible for handling emergency situations. If your company is mentioned in the media or something serious happens, you might start receiving a larger volume of calls. It is important for you to cater to these calls and answer the questions of your customers if you really want to maintain a healthy reputation. Given the fact that competition is at an all-time high in the business world, the best way to differentiate your business from the many others in the same niche is to offer a better standard of customer service.
However, many small business owners have issues in setting up their own customer service departments. First of all, a considerable amount of capital is required in order to establish the department. You will need to free up office space and purchase more telephones and other calling equipment. You will also need to maintain a database of customers and potential clients so that you can get in touch with them and market your services.
Unfortunately, most small business owners just don’t have the money necessary to set up their own customer service divisions. Instead, many companies have begun to outsource their call handling and customer service divisions in order to save money. If you are interested in outsourcing your call handling and marketing department, here is a brief guide to help you out.
How Many Calls Do You Get Every Day?
The first thing that you need to check is the number of calls you receive every day. Ideally, you could provide customer support by just setting up a dedicated landline and having somebody nearby during business hours. Whenever a call is received, any of your employees can answer it and respond to the customer’s issue. If you only receive a few calls each day, you don’t necessarily need to outsource your call handling department.
However, as your business grows, you will start receiving more and more calls. If the number is busy, other callers would have to hold and wait for their turn. Nobody likes waiting on the phone for several minutes just to get a simple answer. Therefore, you may have to consider outsourcing the call handling department if you really want to offer professional grade services to your clients.
Before you contact any call handling company, it would be a wise idea to track the average number of calls you get daily. If you don’t get a lot of calls, paying the outsourcing company’s fee might be an unnecessary expenditure.
Media Emergencies
Does your company have to deal with the media a lot? Do your products and services receive media attention consistently? If that’s the case, you should seriously consider outsourcing your call handling department. When your company’s name is mentioned on social media or on TV, more and more people will find out about your business and its services.
As a result, you are likely to receive a lot of calls from media channels, agencies, and interested people. Knowing how to handle media emergencies is important if you want to maintain the company’s image. If your company has to regularly deal with media emergencies, you should outsource the call handling department. The company will take down the details of the message that you want to tell the media and other customers, and will just relay that message in every instance.
Pricing
Pricing is a very important concern before you sign a contract with any company. One of the biggest reasons why so many people prefer to outsource their call handling and customer support department and not set up an in-house department is because the former is a cheaper option.
Make sure to read the pricing options of your call handling provider before you sign the contract. Most companies generally provide an array of different options for their customers, and you can choose the package that best suits your needs. Some companies also offer ad-hoc support packages. In case your company’s employees are going on a holiday or a company retreat, you can just outsource the call handling department for a few days. The company will ask you for details about your business and any particular messages that you want to relay to the clients. Furthermore, they will also ask for emergency contact information in case a client wants to get in touch with you directly.
Pricing plays an important role. While some companies take payment on a monthly basis, others also offer annual payment plans. You need to carry out a cost-benefit analysis in order to get an idea about the money you will end up saving if you outsource the call handling division altogether. This will generally end up being the most financially beneficial option, since you won’t have to allocate office space, buy equipment, or add more employees to the company’s payroll.
For small businesses who want to offer quality customer support, outsourcing the call handling and support department is a fantastic opportunity. Not only will you be able to save a great deal of money in the long run, but your customers will also be quite happy with your quality of service. If you are unsure about whether to sign up for the company’s services or not, it is generally advised that you opt for a trial period for a couple of weeks in order to get an idea of what the company has to offer.
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