Every call matters! Whether your business has been around for a long time or it is just starting up, this is your truth. Each call brings a new opportunity for your business, and how you manage the interaction (and overflow) will define whether it’s a win or a loss.
A recent study conducted by HubSpot showed that “58% of callers want to discuss pricing, and 54% want to learn how a product or service works on the first call.”
Unfortunately, many businesses fail to manage their call volume effectively and do not utilize informative protocols. The result? A negative impact on both brand reputation and overall profitability. Whether you’re failing to manage customer calls due to staffing or increasing call volume (more emergency calls!), you need help juggling each moving part.
Contact centers manage your overflow! Now, you may be asking yourself, “how could this partnership work? Why would a contact center be the right solution?” and we’re here to help explain.
Contact centers have the experience and technology to manage your call overflow.
Imagine an emergency or essential business. Calls at your business surge during emergencies, natural disasters, and shutdowns. Missed or mishandled calls in these hours not only disappoint your callers but can result in grave dangers.
Imagine an online store during the holidays. Everyone is buying gifts, so you are going to have more questions and orders than in June. You don’t want to miss a single sale. This is a make or break season for your business.
Imagine your local grocery store immediately after a Hurricane. Are you open? If so, what are your hours? Do you have water for sale?
Overflow contact center services support customers when call volumes increase past your specified threshold. Once you’ve surpassed the total calls you can take, your team members cannot ensure every caller is being supported and avoiding long hold times! You forward your lines to the contact center.
Often, professionals utilize AI-Powered greetings and call trees to direct callers to the support they need. Not only do the automations guarantee quality records, efficient order management, simple on-call routing, and detailed internal message-taking, but also cloud-based reporting and messaging ensure business continuity.
Generally, lousy response time to customer needs will destroy the quality of customer service, reduce profitability, and damage your overall brand reputation. Utilize outbound services to offer solutions that notify your customers via SMS, email, and live-agent outbound calls.
Often providing 24×7 service, you will never miss calls, and agents are trained to manage call flow with the help time-tested protocols. With this, you can ensure full customer satisfaction, data security, and perfect message-taking while maintaining your business’ credibility.
The cost of partnering with a contact center.
Before you partner with a contact center to manage your call overflow, it is good to understand the pricing model and the estimated cost that you’ll need to invest to implement.
Usually, you can choose from four different pricing models: Monthly fee or subscription, Tiered Pricing, Pay Per Minute and Pay Per Call.
For the call volume between 500 to 5000 minutes, you can follow the standard market rate that lies between $0.88 to $0.98. If the call volume is below 500 minutes, the expected market rate is $0.99 to $1.25 only. For a specialized range of services where you need third-party software or additionally trained agents, starting at $1.25 cost per minute is the best pricing model.
Make sure to notify your sales representative at purchase that you will need a call volume management model based on your business’s specific needs during holidays, natural disasters, emergencies, etc.
Why your business needs a contact center partner for overflow.
Now that you understand the process of how a contact center can support your call overflow and how much it might cost your business, let’s review some of the wins you’ll experience through this partnership.
Whether your call volume increases because of an emergency or due to an increase in demand, here are eight benefits of partnering with a contact center to manage your call overflow:
- Increase sales opportunities and never miss a chance to support your customer.
- Guarantee business continuity.
- Offer uninterrupted 24x7x365 service.
- Improve your customer’s satisfaction and your business’ response times.
- Reduce abandonment rates for calls.
- Prevent longer than necessary hold times.
- Improve the overall quality of the call.
- Strengthen your brand and facilitate brand champions through positive experiences.
In today’s business world, there is no question that phone calls are considered the lifeblood of business. But sometimes, when things get out of control, you need support! Contact centers are here to partner with your business.
This blog was written by the Director of Business Development at Call Experts, Kip Deaton. Do you have questions about our services and solutions? Contact Kip here.
