It’s often the face of the company

A call center is simply a location, often an office, that is used by organizations and businesses to interact with customers and clients over the phone. These offices are staffed by teams of trained personnel that make and take these calls.  There are two main types of call center, though many modern call centers combine features of both:

1. Inbound call centers: These locations specialize in taking calls from customers. These locations usually provide customer care and tech support operations as well as respond to enquiries.
2. Outbound call centers: These locations specialize in making calls to clients, often performing what is referred to as “telemarketing”; a form of direct marketing in which a potential customer is contacted directly.

While this may come as a surprise to some, call centers are still extremely popular and growing as customers continue to prefer the instant gratification of talking to a representative on the phone, rather than via Email or through live chat. 

These call centers are not always operated by the business or organization that uses them. Instead, they are often run by specialized companies like Altaqnya that offer top of the line call center services to these organizations.

Call Center Staff

How should staff operate?

Call center staff are a group of motivated employees, trained to provide the highest quality customer experience over the phone. The staff member operates as part of a team. They must work together to make sure that the customer’s requirements are met.

A call center employee must have great communication skills. They must be able to listen to a customer and understand their issue without forcing them to repeat themselves. They must be able to speak clearly and articulate the solution in a way that the customer can understand. They should also be able to find a solution for the customer or connect them with the department or specialist that can help them.

Another important characteristic that the employee must possess, especially if they work in a tech support capacity, is the ability to defuse the customer’s frustration and anger, and not allow themselves to also grow frustrated.

Call center process

How the magic happens

1, Initiate Communication

The first step in every call center operation is to begin speaking to the customer. This comes either in the form of the customer contacting the call center directly, as is the case in most tech support centers, or by staff contacting the customer. This is most commonly done in call centers that specialize in telemarketing.

2. Handle the Issue 

The next step is to attempt to retrieve as much information from the customer about their issue as possible. This is where the representative’s communication skills have their chance to shine as they attempt to guide the customer through the process as clearly and non-abrasively as possible, trying their best to navigate the treacherous waters of human interaction.

3. Forward the Issue

If the representative is unable to resolve the issue. The next step is to end the call with the customer and forward the issue to the specialist or the department that can. This can cause friction with the customer as they may feel let down. The representative must try to clarify that the issue is simply being transferred, not dropped, and that the customer will be contacted again as soon as possible.

4. Following up

After the issue is passed on to the appropriate specialist/department, they attempt to resolve the issue and reinitiate communication with the customer, either over the phone or more commonly, via email.

How to create a great call center

Three essential qualities to get you on the path to success

1. Language skills

Whether the call center operates in english, arabic or any other language. The proficiency of staff in the chosen language is essential. With lack of language skills, misunderstanding will abound and frustrations will rise very quickly. This is a recipe for disaster.

2. Happy Employees

Repetivity is the bane of motivation. That’s why the most successful call centers are those that can provide a variety of challenging tasks for their employees. This aspect alongside a positive work environment can work wonders on the motivation, energy and creativity of employees. 

3. Utilize technology efficiently

The modern call center utilizes advanced technologies to provide the best services possible, whether it’s by utilizing cloud based solutions that integrate well with the customer’s systems, or by employing AI to analyze incoming data and interact with customers.

We here at Altaqnya believe that every call center needs, and can achieve a perfect balance between these qualities. That’s why our call centers are some of the best in the region. If you are in the market for a great customer experience, you’ve come to the right place. Call us today and speak to our team of experts to find the perfect call center solution for your business.

Contact us at Info@Altaqnya.com.ly to discover the ideal solution for you.