5 min read
Business owners usually keep call centers out of their marketing plan. Without knowing, they’re throwing a tremendous opportunity to nurture their customers and leads into a trash can.
Why? Fair question!
Reasons vary from business to business, but fear of their price is the primary concern. Thinking about it, you’re going to hire a whole call center! That must be super expensive, right? The answer is a big “no” since call centers usually charge per minute, which is affordable for most small businesses. (And for medium and large businesses, too, of course!)
Another common reason is that business owners don’t know what call center type to hire.
Types of call centers can get confusing, especially if you’re not familiar with what each type does. There are eight principal types of call centers, and each type has a unique set of characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.
So, nailing this part will ease choosing an accurate call center for your business. Therefore, the infographic below contains the 8 call center types every business owner should know about. Plus 5 fascinating facts and their pros and cons that you should consider.
Definition of a call center
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of call center types, let’s first have a brief look at what a call center is.
“A call center is an office or a department consisting of specialized customer service representatives. Their job is to answer customer inquiries and solve those customers’ issues. Call center customer service representatives are also called call center agents. It’s called a “call center” because it handles inbound and outbound telephone calls.”
JGRobo Marketing, Inc
However, call centers don’t manage calls only. They can handle customers interactions in a multitude of channels such as email, social media, SMS, and way more. Check our article about how call centers can transform your business with their numerous benefits.
Also, keep in mind that both of the terms “call center” and “contact center” are interchangeable. Except for multichannel and omnichannel contact centers — they’re always referred to as “contact centers.”
Types of call centers infographic (plus their pros & cons)
Recap
Knowing call center types is a major concern for any business owner who wants the luxury of top-tier customer service. And choosing from a large array of call centers can become overwhelming.
Here’s a brief overview of call center types:
- Inbound call centers
- Outbound call centers
- Blended call centers
- Virtual call centers
- In-house call centers
- Outsourced call centers
- Multichannel contact centers
- Omnichannel contact centers
By now, you should have a solid understanding of each type — what it can do and what it cannot.
Don’t forget that a call center gives you a golden opportunity to transform your business performance from the bottom up. How? Simply by letting your business operate around the clock, 24/7, all days of the year. Also, they will maximize your lead and data validation efforts.
The best part, though, is that you don’t even have to pick up the phone, reply to an email, or respond on social media. Oh, another marvelous part is that it’s available for almost all industries! No matter what your business is, a call center can help you leverage supreme customer service/experience for your customers.
With that being said, you’ll be known as the business that doesn’t sleep!
Sources
1- 58% of customers agree that customer service is a crucial factor that affects their brands choice. → Microsoft Global Customer Service
2- 61% of consumers stopped transacting with a business after a poor service experience. → Microsoft Global Customer Service
3- Between one-third and one-half of sales go to whichever vendor responds first → HubSpot
4- 70% of global consumers favor brands that contact them with proactive customer service. → Microsoft Global Customer Service
5- 73% of businesses mentioned the improvement of customer service as a growth factor in 2017 → Deloitte global survey
