Call centers have been used for decades to provide customer service, support, telemarketing and many other services for businesses. Today, one of the most popular ways businesses use call centers is to provide technical support and customer service. We primarily focus on technical support, however there are also virtual receptionist based services like Conversational.com. Companies like this prefer the term call answering service or virtual receptionist.
A call center is a centralized office with the ability to handle a large call volume, usually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Inbound call centers are used for customer service and support, while outbound call centers are used for telemarketing.
An Example of How an Online Company Uses a Call Center
One of the best examples of how online an online company uses a call center is found in the hosting industry. Let’s pretend that we have an entrepreneur, we will call him Bob, and he wants to start his own company.
Bob has worked at an advertising and marketing executive, climbing the corporate ladder and one day, he decides he’s had enough. He starts researching the hosting industry and decides he is going to leave his job, spend all his saving (if necessary) and open his own hosting company.
Bob has never worked in the hosting industry, but he’s confident he can become a success because he understands how to create a great website with incredible search engine optimization and he knows how to market products and services.
As Bob is doing his research, he realized he will need to provide great support for his clients or he will fail. At this point, Bob starts looking at the cost of creating his company and figures out that creating his own inbound call center to provide support will be very expensive.
In order to provide competitive support, Bob needs to outsource his support to a call center with hosting experts ready to help his clients. He starts looking at the cost of outsourcing his support to an inbound call center and realizes this will be far less expensive than creating and staffing his own call center.
Bob decides that outsourcing his hosting support will not only provide a more cost-effective solution, but it will also provide experts to handle his support and save him time. Bob’s hosting company is created and his customers love his services because they receive a great product, at a great price and incredible technical support 24/7.
The Benefits of Call Center Support for Your Company
If you’re company is like Bob’s company and you require technical support from a call center, you need to understand the benefits of outsourcing this task. Employing the help of a company specializing in call center support will provide many benefits including:
- Saves You Money – The cost of creating and staffing a 24/7 call center is massive. Most businesses cannot handle this added expense.
- Saves You Time – Imagine providing telephone support on your own or even with a small staff. You’d spend most of your day answering calls and you wouldn’t have any time to grow your business.
- Provides Expertise – Call centers often hire specific experts in specific industries to make sure you receive the best possible support for your clients.
- Better Reputation – If you don’t provide great support, especially in the hosting industry, you may quickly gain a reputation for poor customer service and support. An expert call center can protect your company and help build your reputation.
These benefits are necessary for many online companies and using a call center with experts in the industry can ensure you experience each one of these benefits.
Finding the Best Call Center for Your Needs
The best way to find a great call center for your needs is to compare a few of the leading choices. Whether you plan to use an inbound call center for customer service and support, or you need an outbound call center for telemarketing, it’s a good idea to compare the cost, reputation and features of a few top choices.
One of the major differences you may find as you do your comparison is where the support actually comes from. Many call centers provide centers in foreign countries, such as India or the Philippines. This may not be the best choice for your needs because the language barrier may drive the quality of the call center down.
If you’re looking for the best technical support for your hosting company and you want to use a call center based in North America, Server Sitters is the right option for you. We provide 100% North American support over the phone, via online chat and through email. It’s even fully branded for your specific company. Contact us today and find out more about how we can help you grow your hosting company.