Hidden Call Center Features For Businesses of All Sizes
- Read Time: 3 Min
The agenda of today’s call center solutions is to empower businesses to deliver a great customer experience (CX). Now, customers want a lot more than a good product or service. Considering the small business and startups, they need to go the extra mile to sound professional to customers. Also, they have to compete with the big names in the industry.
Small businesses should provide more than a laptop, headset, and high-quality internet to their agents to build a better call center. They should explore and invest in high-leverage call center solutions, supporting agents, and creating long-lasting customer relationships. They need to integrate tools that can be set up without dependence on IT.
We know having a competitive edge plays a critical role in flourishing the business. We know call center solutions will enable you to analyze and improve your contact center performance. We know how significant it is now the must-have features of call centers are. So, keep reading the blog as it will provide you with the feature guide you are looking for.
First of All…
Learn How to Pick the Best Call Center Solution
SMEs should understand the crucial indicators of the software they are planning to use. For instance, you need to know:
- Types of customers (regional, national, or international)
- The workforce you have (remote or in-house)
- Features your business needs
- Understand the process that needs improvement
- Type of technology you need
Select a solution that supports sustainable growth, provides higher uptimes, and better security. Moreover, it should allow you to collaborate with your team remotely and assist customers from anywhere in the world.
We know SMEs planning to invest in outbound call center solutions want a high return on investment. Similarly, inbound call centers wish for high customer satisfaction and lower complaint rates. So, the features depend on what kind of investment you are looking for.
Now, Look for Must-Have Features SMEs will Need
Essential Features of Call Center Solution for SMEs
Business Phone Number
You should know that a business phone number is more than just a line of communication with your company. It is a potent brand tool that includes IVR, which helps callers direct themselves. The existence of a phone number shows a level of credibility that customers desire. There are different types of business numbers – toll-free, 10-digit, virtual numbers, etc.
Interactive Virtual Receptionist (IVR)
It is an automated phone menu that interacts with callers, supporting them to find assistance instantly. Callers navigate through various options given by voice commands or pressing keypads on their phones. IVR helps customers to resolve their queries without speaking to a live agent.
Real-time Analytics & Insights
Think of the call center solution that allows you to determine the outcome of your efforts. Moreover, it must guide you forward and identify inefficiencies in the process. You can take the necessary steps for improvement with real-time analytics and insights. You can track and measure call center metrics such as average wait time, first call resolution, call abandonment rate, etc.
Smart Call Routing
Smart call routing ensures all incoming calls are directed to the right agent/department based on predetermined rules and criteria. This can be time zone, agent availability, skill set, etc., for small call routing, and call center solutions to include Automatic Call Distribution (ACD). It improves call center productivity and optimizes customer experience by routing inbound calls to the right destination.
Agent Management/Monitoring
Monitoring and management go hand-in-hand in an organization. Similarly, agents are the backbone of call centers that need regular monitoring and management. Why? Because it helps in minimizing the frequency of downtimes, optimizing agent schedules, reducing long hold times, etc. SMEs can use features like barging, spy, whisper, and more for better management.
Auto Dialer/Proactive Campaigns
SMEs can automate their dialing process with an auto dialer feature in call centers. They can eradicate the pressure of manual dialing. An auto dialer automatically dials the phone number from the selected list of contacts for the agents. Agents can focus more on solving customer issues, leaving no room for error while dialing. Eventually, you are improving and optimizing agent performance.
SMS/Email API Integration
Increased call volume puts pressure on agents, especially in SMEs, where strength is comparatively low. Instead of hiring and training new people, SMEs can utilize SMS and email to reduce phone calls. Imagine the low operating budget with these integrations. Your agents don’t have to handle every request by phone, increasing each agent’s productivity. Managers and supervisors can customize the flows by deciding on tasks that don’t need one-on-one phone conversations.
Think Big with the Best Call Center Solutions
Modern call center phone systems are equipped with basic and advanced features like call forwarding, recording, CRM, analytics, etc. The technology supports the team to have meaningful interactions with the internal departments and customers. Day-to-day call details, performance, analytics, everything is available on one single screen. There’s always more to improve in both the call center and customer experience.
If you are ready to take your call center to the next-generation solution, check out DeepCall’s call center solutions.