Did you know that human interaction will still be required in 1 out of 3 customer service interactions? It’s vital to not only have a call center but to choose a virtual one, especially when the benefits are revealed to your business.
In this article, you’ll learn why virtual call centers are so big today and the benefits of them. Read on to discover why you’ll want to make the switch to save money and time.
What Is a Virtual Call Center?
Remote. A virtual call center offers employees the option to work from home and provide customer service to your client at any time. Instead of being stuck in an office, your agents will use voice over internet protocol(VoIP) software to connect with your clients remotely.
One benefit of this is the agent can easily transfer the call if necessary and escalate it to the next higher-up agent.
VoIP. A voice over internet protocol is a voice-over transmitter that lets employees make calls online quickly and easily. If you decide to go with an international call center, you can have them manage higher call volumes and be available for odd hours. You can easily find answering service of high-quality today.
Flexibility. This setup is attractive to many potential employees since they don’t have to worry about commuting, a certain dress code, and can have more flexibility in their hours.
Data back up. You can also have the data backup feature so all important information in the company is secured safely in the cloud.
1. Reduced Costs
When you need to operate an in-office call center, you need to worry about buying all this high-tech equipment and pay for the overhead of lighting and managing the office. Then you have to worry about technology solutions becoming dated and having to replace them every few years.
It’s easy to see why an at-home agent costs only 2/3’s of an in-office agent since you don’t have to worry about any of that.
2. Increased Security
A virtual call center software allows you to have increased security so your data is safe within a cloud data backup. This helps you reduce costs because then you don’t have to hire experts to maintain your system and review it.
3. Higher Job Satisfaction
When you allow your workers the opportunity to work from home, it allows single parents, those who have limited mobility, or workers looking to supplement their income flexibility.
Whether they’re looking to work full-time or part-time they can choose what works best with their responsibilities. They’re also more likely to arrive at work on time since they don’t have to worry about a commute. With this greater flexibility, you’ll worry less about higher turnover rates and having to train new employees.
4. Improved Customer Service
Customers will appreciate a better customer-focused experience that will save them time. You can use virtual call center software that has features such as caller tracking and an auto-dialer. These will help your agents better assist customers and be quicker while doing so.
5. No Geographical Limits
When you have an in-office call center, you’re limited to only candidates within the geographical region. If you decide on going with a virtual call center, you can hire high-quality agents from around the world so you can be sure to pick the top candidates.
Also, if you’re really looking for multilingual agents in your area, it might be more beneficial to find agents in other areas who speak the languages fluently that you’re looking for.
6. Less Stress
When your employees are less stressed that will boost their productivity. Working from home they can make their home office as relaxing as possible instead of being in a tiny cubicle dreaming of being in the comfort of their home.
Physical call centers can also be loud and distracting, and some customers don’t like hearing the chatter in the background. When your employees don’t have to worry about commuting, they’ll be less stressed overall than having to deal with being stuck in traffic or worry about being late for work.
They’ll also save on gas prices and the cost of public transportation, which leads to less stress when they have less to worry about.
7. Scalability
Different times of the year you might need only 20 agents or 200. When you go with a virtual call center they can easily meet your expectations without you having to worry about finding seasonal employees in your area.
8. Prepared for Emergencies
When you have a call center in one location, if the power goes out then there’s no one helping your customers. With virtual call centers, your agents can be around the country or world, so if one loses power, there are plenty of other agents to help your customers.
9. Easy Implementation
Instead of having to worry about managing an in-office call center, you can focus more on the needs of your business. If you decide to partner with a virtual call center, you can then gain access to those who can help train and support your existing and future staff.
10. Technologically Prepared
You can easily scale up operations since with going virtual you’ll be technologically prepared. When remote, your agent will work in an infrastructure that was built from the ground up for real-time video calls and internet phones. This lets you be ready for any future challenges such as needing to scale up.
Next Steps
It can seem like a big step in deciding whether to go with an in-office or virtual call center, but the rewards and benefits of having it virtual top the in-office experience. Would you like to learn about everything from lifestyle to technology? Check out our other articles.
