Call centers services of all types are evolving. With multi-channel customer service and cloud sourcing, tech support, customer service, and sales departments have had to adjust to new customer demands. Flexibility and adaptability are the keys to business growth. Even tech-based multi-national companies understand the need for specialization. That is why many tech MNCs are turning to tech support outsourcing as a way to deal with the call center evolution.
Phone Banks Are Obsolete
Gone are the days when a company could create a call center by finding a large open office space and establishing a phone bank. Now even buying computers and installing softphones isn’t enough to create an efficient and viable call center. While some experts say that the idea of a call center is passé, most specialists believe that call centers are in a period of evolution. Those companies that understand the direction call centers are taking and can get ahead of the curve are the ones that will survive.
New Customer Demands
One reason for the evolution of contact centers is the need to adapt to customer demands. Not everyone is happy calling a company and waiting on hold to speak with a live agent. Some people want customer self-service via online communities. Other consumers prefer online chat where the call center agent can access and resolve the service issue instantaneously. Still, others prefer social media or email as the method of communicating with companies.
And if a company doesn’t understand the needs of its market and meet those needs with multi-channel customer service then the organization will lose its competitive advantage. Consumers realize that if one company refuses to deliver another organization will be willing to satisfy their needs.
Development Of Cloud Services
The call center evolution also coincides with the evolution of the cloud and services that are offered via the Internet. Cloud service companies offer software solutions for multiple back-end processes, including tech support and call centers. With tech support outsourcing via the cloud, even small businesses are now able to offer their customers services that were only available with multi-national corporations.
Call Center Evolution Comes At A Cost
This is an exciting time for businesses as technology and customer demands offer different ways to meet the needs of their market. This call center evolution doesn’t come free, however. It requires investing in advanced technology and trained personnel who are capable of operating in the call center 2.0 environment.
It is one thing for an employee to be able to handle customer service over the phone. It is a different situation when one agent has to be able to effectively communicate via email, chat, and phone simultaneously. Not everyone is able to chat via Twitter with one client, take an incoming phone call after that, and then monitor email inboxes for possible customer issues after the phone call.
Employees aren’t the only ones who may not be equipped to handle the evolution of tech support and customer service departments. Many businesses have outdated equipment or CRM systems that aren’t able to handle multi-channel support. Even cloud sourcing may not be a viable solution if the company hasn’t invested in the new technology necessary to support cloud software processing.
Call Center Evolution For Tech Support
Even large businesses have come to understand that it is cost-effective to contract some of their call center processes. Tech support as a way to offer multi-channel customer service reduces the investment in technology and training for management and personnel. Cloudsourcing is a viable alternative to standard call centers because it offers the company more control and access to the company’s data and processes.
Cloudsourcing and tech support are also viable solutions for small businesses. The costs of working with a service company are less than the expenses for creating and maintaining an advanced call center. Add to that the ability to offer services a small business may not be able to afford if it were to purchase it on its own.
If your business is investigating alternatives to an in-house help desk, then your company may want to consider outsourcing IT help desk company. This way your organization can take advantage of the call center evolution without sacrificing the possibilities for business growth.
