Inbound vs Outbound Call Center
When it comes to call centre types, there are two types: inbound and outbound. Both use advanced software to enhance operational efficiency, thus increasing the productivity of your call centre agents.
Many solutions are capable of providing for both types, but it is imperative to understand the difference between the two.
Then you will even know which solution is best suited for your business requirements.
Inbound call centre services and solutions
This is the kind of call centre that only receives and handles phone calls from current customers and does not actively make calls.
Inbound call centre agents react to the concerns of customers and find effective ways to resolve them accordingly. Callers to inbound call centres seek technical support and product or service assistance.
The idea behind designing inbound centres is to keep agents busy, reduce the number of call drops and call waiting times, and cut down on wait times.
They have certain metrics to measure:
- Resolution of the first call
- Average answering speed, handling time, and call transfer rate
- Discarded call rate
- A score of a satisfied customer
Diverse types of services offered by an inbound call center!
Providing service to customers
It is the primary objective of inbound calls to provide customer service. Agents are equipped to handle all customer inquiries, including service issues, questions related to prices, any updates in accounts, complaints, etc.
Technical support
Representatives of inbound call centres also provide technical support to customers. For example, troubleshooting and resolving tech-related issues or configuring any equipment or software, etc.
Receiving orders from customers
It is another duty of inbound call centers. It also involves assisting customers in placing orders and receiving them on time. This service helps enhance overall business sales.
Solutions for an outbound call center!
Their main concern is to make calls to existing customers for cross-selling, up-selling, updating, or reaching out to potential clients with cold calls.
They most likely focus on sales. Agents of outbound call centres also make calls to offer hands-on customer service, conduct satisfaction surveys and market research, collect debts, or book appointments.
Calls are usually made either manually or automatically via different types of dialers to increase their productivity. Outbound call metrics are:
- Conversion rate and calls per agent
- Hit rate and first call close with average call length
- Average hold time and tenancy rate
- Abandoned call ratio and call quality
Diverse types of services offered by an outbound call center!
Lead generation
Outbound call centres use software solutions to collect information to increase customer interest in a company’s products or services. Most of the calls made are predominantly focused on telemarketing.
Customer surveys and the arrangement of appointments
Agents of outbound call centres also conduct market research and customer surveys. These surveys are used by companies and organizations to discover customers’ reactions.
Moreover, both B2B and B2C businesses use outbound calls to schedule appointments with prospective clients.
Collection of debt
For debt collection, agents have to call individuals that owe money to a business. There are specialised call centres for debt collection with trained staff.
As a result, the agents will have adequate knowledge about the type of debt and the debtor’s profile as well.
Conclusion
You could certainly benefit from the assistance of an inbound call centre if you are struggling to keep up with the volume of tech support and customer service calls.
An outbound call centre can be the ideal option for your company if your team is struggling to follow up on a large list of leads.
In either case, you can find calling centre services useful if your company is expanding and your staff is overworked.
Finding the correct call centre may make all the difference in the world, whether you need a skilled customer care team or some sales superstars who can spread the word about your wonderful product or service.
