Top Ten Ways to Make the Most of Call Center Services

The heart of any customer-focused enterprise is the call center. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business telephone systems offer advanced features to help your business reach out and connect with customers. VoIP call center services take advantage of the converged voice-data network to streamline customer acquisition and support. The result--efficient support staff and a loyal customer base.

Ten VoIP Call Center Features

The following VoIP features can help your business realize the full potential of today’s IP call center services.

1. Call Forwarding. Call center services can direct calls to an agent’s preferred IP communications device. Call forwarding is a critical productivity resource because it allows callers to reach agents whether they are in the call center, on the road, or at home.
2. Interactive Voice Response Scripts. Interactive voice response boosts efficiency by allowing callers to interact verbally with the routing software, indicating key identifying information or the reason for their call.
3. Automated Call Distribution (ACD). A call center essential, ACD services route each incoming call to the most appropriate available agent. You can set the rules for call routing. VoIP systems can use caller ID or interactive voice response to determine the best agent to respond to a particular call.
4. CRM Integration. Leverage the full power of customer relationship management (CRM) software by integrating the business telephone system with customer data.
5. Performance Monitoring and Reporting. An integrated voice-data phone system supports detailed call center performance monitoring. Data reports can be used to to improve caller wait times, call resolution rates, and more.
6. Presence Management. Call center agents rely on presence management services to identify available agents or technology experts to help address a customer concern. The presence interface indicates who is available and how best to reach them, helping resolve issues on the first call.
7. Unified Communications (UC). The ability to move seamlessly among multiple communications devices--the business phone system, IM, email, conference, and videochat--can be a huge asset in effective communication. Call center agents can use UC technology to resolve a complaint, explain a solution, sell a product, and more.
8. Visual Presentation Tools. A picture is worth a thousand words. Help your call center agents communicate and collaborate more effectively by incorporating visual presentation tools into the call center service. Video, live whiteboarding, and screen sharing are some of the resources that agents use to demonstrate products and technical solutions.
9. Web Conferencing. Web conferencing features enable agents and sales representatives to reach out to customers in groups or create a public forum for any interested participant. You can bring a product to life or stage a tutorial to explain product features.
10. Customer Self-service Portal. Empowering customers to help themselves is a powerful strategy for offering efficient support without taxing the call center service staff.

VoIP phone systems have expanded the scope of call center services, making it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes to deliver enterprise-class customer support. Make these ten features part of your call center service and you can count on a happy customer.

Sources

Packet 8 (PDF)

Tmcnet.com

Voip-news.com (PDF)

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