How Can A Small Business Benefit From A Call Center?
Most small business owners struggle daily with budgets that do not allow them to provide the services needed, to consistently secure customers. According to Chron, small businesses struggle with:
- Employee Turnover.
- Financing.
- Time Management.
- Marketing Costs.
- Access To New Technology.
These struggles can prevent a business from establishing a foothold in the market, keeping them from achieving stability and growth. Small businesses, in particular, do not have the financial resources available to them, to employ large workforces or compete with the aggressive, and highly specific marketing strategies of large companies.
According to Grant Cardone - Execution, Management, Business Planning, Culture and all those beautiful things I mentioned in the previous articles are not main problems. Money is the number one problem in any business. Any business was created around the concept that it needs to make money and provides a good living for people.
A Plausible Solution
In this small article, Hubspot highlights six business challenges every small business struggles with and the solutions to them. While we can find different ways to solve the challenges small business go through, I will focus on call centers. With high employee turnover, the inability to pay comparable to larger businesses and, struggling to maintain a hold in the market, one of the benefits of using a call center is that it can greatly increase stability.
Call centers offer trained staff, to answer customer calls, cold call new customers and provide basic support. By contracting with a call center, a small business can gain a large, knowledgeable staff trained to engage potential customers and help maintain current clients.
In addition, a call center reduces costs associated with staffing a segment of call center agents (as the external service provider handles their own agents). Employee Turnover risks significantly reduce because good call centers offer benefits your company might not be able to at the moment. It also reduces infrastructure and overhead costs as external service providers utilize their own call center software, servers, and telephony. Finally, it turns a significant fixed cost into a variable cost: skilled labor is there when you need it, and not costing you a pretty penny when you don’t. Taken together, these can add up to huge savings and significantly improve your bottom line.
Two types of Call Centers
Bizfluent defines two types of call centers, and the services you can expect to encounter as:
Outbound Call Centers
Representatives make calls to potential customers. These calls can be used to acquire new customers or gain important market information. The calls can be in reference to:
- Selling Items
- Collecting Bills
- Taking Surveys
- Other Customer Contact Related Jobs
Inbound Call Centers
Customers call trained representatives. These representatives can be highly knowledgeable in customer solutions or specialize in handling customer complaints. Businesses can use these calls for:
- Placing Orders
- Taking Complaints
- Offering IT help
- Answering other service-related questions
Call centers prevent businesses from employing untrained representatives, who provide direct services to customers, that often do not generate revenue, but that can hurt your revenue if your clients have a negative customer experience.
These are just general examples of the benefits you can find in inbound and outbound call centers. Yet, the list of the benefits of using a call center is huge, when it comes to industry specifics, and if you know how to choose the perfect outsourcing solution for your business.
What to Look for in a Call Center
When choosing a call center, it is best you first understand your needs. Start by defining the service you want to be provided, the hours you need the service, and what your budget is. Once you have this information, you are ready to begin the search.
A good place to start is Google or a consumer database. These will provide you with lists of call centers who offer the services you need. It is highly recommendable you call three firms and ask for quotes on the same services. This will allow you to find the perfect fit for your needs, while not exceeding your budget.
Getting multiple bids allow you to learn of other services offered and provide you with a plan to grow.
Conclusion
Operating a successful business means maintaining a lean budget, investing in employees and maintaining enough liquid cash to successfully maintain operations.
Looking for ways to outsource services that will result in a higher quality of services and in savings will allow your business to grow with the changing market. The benefits of using a call center can be huge for your company, no matter what industry it is.
What most people find hard to do, is where to start. Let us help you with that.
Contact Call Center Optimization Group today. A quick discovery call with one of our senior consultants will enable your company to maintain a lean budget.