There’s a decent possibility you or someone you know works or has worked at a call center. That’s partly because the definition of a call center has changed, and with it, so have advanced call center features, including ones you may not realize are already part of your IP phone system!
What Is a Call Center?
The traditional image of a call center is a large room with tightly packed cubicles full of busy workers making and receiving calls. A few years ago, NBC had some fun with the setting in their sitcom Outsourced, loosely inspired by the film of the same name.
We often look upon these callers with scorn as we associate them with telemarketers interrupting our dinner (or, these days, going straight to voicemail when we don’t recognize the number). But there are many types of call centers that serve multiple purposes, and you’ve likely called a few yourself when you needed a service.
Today, call centers can be virtual and distributed across multiple locations with IP phones remotely connected to the VOIP system or the cloud. And with so much available online, sometimes call centers are smaller than we imagine. In fact, your business may even have a call center.
Does Your Business Have a Call Center?
While you may or may not have dozens or hundreds of people in your office making and answering calls for sales or customer service, chances are, especially if you have a service team, that you have a call center of sorts. And if you have more than one employee, your business can make practical use of advanced call center features.
Do you have a group of people in your office who answer service calls? By some definitions, that’s a call center. The same goes for a sales department that handles inbound calls, assuming that department has more than one salesperson.
What Are Advanced Call Center Features?
Call centers need all of the same features that other business users need, but they also have specialized needs that necessitate advanced call center features. Here are some of the most popular call center features, many of which may already be part of your phone system.
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Fairness is critical When you have many people making or receiving calls. For sales, it means making a living. And for service, it means not putting all the work on one person. Automatic call distribution addresses these issues with programized call distribution patterns that address the specific needs of each business. ACD also helps to ensure customers have lower wait times. Here are the most popular ways to distribute calls:
Round Robin – The system evenly distributes calls between department members.
Least Busy – This sends calls to the users who have spent the longest time off the phone.
Skill-Based—The system sends calls to the people with the skills to handle a specific call. For example, in a service department for a company that handles businesses and individuals, a call from a business number may automatically be routed to someone who handles the business accounts.
Priority Routing—Do you have one customer who covers the majority of your revenue? That would be an example of someone you might prioritize in the cue.
Other Factors – Sometimes calls are based on geography, or calls from a specific number are sent to the person who handles that account. ACD is often flexible enough to accommodate unusual needs.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
Most of us have experience with an IVR system as callers. These are the voice prompts that ask you why you’re calling. IVR helps route calls differently than ACD.
Call Analytics and Reporting
Call Analytics and Reporting are statistics that let managers know who is spending the most time on the phone, the average length of call per client, and much more. They’re a great way to understand your employees’ effectiveness, and they are granular enough that I could write a whole blog (or several) about them.
Call Queue Features
It’s easier to wait if you know how long you’re waiting and if you’re distracted. That’s why systems tell you where you are in the queue and the estimated wait time. Other call queue features include call-back options that hold your place in the line.
Call Centers for a Decentralized Workforce
One of the nice things about the modern world for businesses is that the internet has allowed employees to work from home and employers to save on space by letting them. With that comes the concept of a virtual call center. Just like the more traditional call centers, decentralized call centers can utilize advanced call center features to get the most out of their VOIP telephone system.
Utilizing Advanced Call Center Features without a Call Center
You don’t need a traditional call center to utilize advanced call center features, and many of the systems RCI provides have them built in. If any of these features are valuable to you, call your friendly RCI customer relations rep or technician, and we’ll help you understand your system’s features and how to best utilize them.
And if you have an older system, advanced call center features are another great reason to upgrade!
