Inbound Calls

What is Inbound Calling & How to handle it?

In an inbound call, a customer initiates a call to a business’s contact center. The help desk generally handles these calls. In some cases, inbound calls can also be made by the employees. Call centers usually take inbound, and outbound calls for a business.

An example of inbound calling is a customer calling a business to inquire about the availability of a product or to request information about a service.

Call centers handling inbound calls work under specific metrics. They aim to offer call resolutions by providing the right time in the queue and less handling time. The call centers for managing inbound calls for a business often need to sign an SLA (inbound calling services-level agreement) to work towards one single goal; to satisfy a company’s customers by providing them with the right solutions to their queries.

Today, most inbound call centers communicate with customers through chats, emails, and phone calls. In this blog, we will talk about everything related to inbound calling for businesses. Read on! 

Pros of Inbound Calling Outsourcing

The advantages of Inbound call center outsourcing are as follows:

1. Widens reach of business

When you focus on a worldwide market for business development, you should be certain that your clients in various nations are getting all the solutions to the issues without experiencing any kind of problem. You must work all day long to deal with worldwide clients’ questions. 

Do you believe that 24/7 customer support operations can significantly increase investment money? You are correct in believing that running an in-house inbound call center can significantly impact profit margins because you must pay a large sum of money to bring in the necessary resources.

You ought to outsource call center services to give out all the solutions nonstop without settling for less with a financial plan. Thus, outsourcing call center services from a prestigious organization is a must to build your business with the goal that clients can reach you in their comfort. 

2. Managing heavy call volumes

Everyone encounters significant losses concerning cash, reputation, and so on when there is an unexpected rise in client volume from little to medium-level organizations.

Their incapability to take care of an enormous responsibility sets off client turnover issues. This happens because many clients could do without standing by to get a timely response from the organization’s end. They simply need an answer whenever they call.

At this point, outsourcing call center services appear to be the best option. Because they are always prepared to handle call fluctuations, reputable inbound call center service providers never face workload issues. Customer satisfaction and brand loyalty will likely increase when long waits are reduced.

3. Experience agents lead to no issues related to staffing

The advantages of outsourcing inbound call centers include eliminating hiring and training issues. The best and most knowledgeable call center outsourcing companies have the right people on their teams.

Some of them are even experts in their fields. Their communication skills are superior, but they can also better understand your client’s expectations.  

It takes a long time to staff, train, and manage call center agents and operations. However, consider outsourcing if you want to avoid the troubles associated with these issues.

4. Productivity is higher due to full staffing

Do you have an excessive number of daily calls? Do you have sufficient agents to handle the increased call volume? Do you have a problem with a lack of agents? Unable to hire experienced staff members or agents in short supply?

In reality, these issues are common in an in-house call center. 

Outsourced call center solutions are a fantastic way to boost productivity. Outsourcing ensures that your clients receive services from the appropriate number of agents. By outsourcing your call center services, you may not lose clients during the days and hours when the call volume is higher.

5. Lower costs

Controlling expenses is a significant element in running out the contact community effectively. There are certain expenses and variable overheads. A good investment is a necessity for beginning your call place.

While setting up the spot, framework, gear, and programming, an organization might endure zeroing in on its primary capacities. Additionally, certain expenses might emerge as per the prerequisite of time. 

Outsourcing your call center services lowers a significant portion of your company’s costs. The main functions are prioritized over the rest. There is no need to be concerned about price fluctuations because your service provider charges a set fee. 

6. No investment is required in the training of agents

The inbound call center is only used to handle customer inquiries. However, you must have skilled inbound call center agents to meet customer expectations. You must invest in call center agent training to accomplish this.

However, there is no guarantee that your trained agents will always meet your customers’ expectations due to a lack of resources. 

Investment costs rise as customer service operations improve, indirectly affecting the business’s bottom line. This can be very upsetting for business owners on a tight budget. In this case, call center outsourcing appears to be a way to avoid the investment required for call center agent training.

Cons of Inbound Calling Outsourcing

Every business must offer a seamless customer experience to garner lifelong trust from them. However, even while outsourcing inbound call experts or a call center, there are certain disadvantages that organizations should be aware of. We have listed a few of them below. 

1. Language and communication barrier 

The cost of outsourcing the contact center is the most important factor influencing the business owner’s decision. The business owner will ignore the area and region if the prices are reasonable. However, if you are outsourcing an inbound call center, using an off-shore service provider can be disastrous. 

Communication gaps and language restrictions are two factors that can cause your customers to hang up the phone. Typically, your client likes to speak with a live agent. Of course, with someone who can communicate well. 

2. Minimum control is a problem

Most businesses are pleased to have complete control over all functions and management. Whether the goal is to maintain control over quality, control, or evaluate the agent’s performance using KPIs, a business may have to compromise! You can gain more control over your business call center if outsourcing is the best solution. Discuss your call center outsourcing services.

3. Less customer satisfaction 

Customer satisfaction is the top priority for any responsible and established business. However, selecting the incorrect outsourcing call center can significantly decrease customer satisfaction. 

4. Lack of product information

Top management prefers to hire an agent who knows about the company during the recruiting process. This is done to ensure the best hiring practices and separate the best ones from the crowd.

Another common issue is when your company is represented by a group of people who may be unfamiliar with your company’s products and services. An agent cannot respond appropriately if a customer asks a question about the company’s origin or something else. 

Types of Inbound Calls

The types of inbound calls are as follows:

  • Customer service calls are calls from customers seeking assistance or information about a product or service. To address these calls effectively, it is essential to listen to the customer’s concerns or questions, provide accurate and helpful information, and try to resolve any issues they may be experiencing.
  • Sales inquiries are calls from potential customers looking to purchase a product or service. To manage these calls, it is essential to listen to the customer’s needs and preferences, provide information about the product or service, and try to close the sale.
  • Technical support calls: These are calls from customers experiencing issues with a product or service. To handle these calls, it is essential to listen to the customer’s problem, ask relevant questions to diagnose the issue, provide a solution or escalate the call to a technical specialist if necessary.
  • Billing and account management calls: These are calls from customers regarding their accounts or billing issues. To address these calls, it is essential to listen to the customer’s concerns, provide accurate information about their history or billing, and try to resolve any issues they may be experiencing.

How to Handle Inbound Calls? 

The following are some key standard procedures and parts of the conversation where call handlers should shine to earn their caller’s loyalty to a meeting with your company.

1. Maintain a positive tone & approach

The first thing any call handler should consider when answering the phone is the tone of their voice. People like people who like them, and if the phone is answered in a dull and negative tone, the caller will be turned off immediately.

It doesn’t make any difference if the call controller is drained, exhausted, occupied, or just feeling terrible — they should be “on” when they are picking up the telephone to address a possible client. If not, they might have proactively lost the call.

2. Give a personalized approach

Once the phone is answered confidently, it is critical to make the caller feel special, not like they are just another person dialing through. The call handler should ask for the caller’s name and their own. This part of the greeting and the rest of the call should feel genuine and natural – they should not sound as if they are ticking off boxes of questions to ask.

3. Maintain control

Although call handlers must ensure that each caller is treated with respect and kindness, it is still critical that the call handler maintains control of the conversation. The employees are responsible for leading this conversation, and at the end of the call, the phone handler must receive loyalty from the caller.

4. Overcome Challenges

Callers will likely object when it comes to the part of the discussion where the appointment should be set. This is yet another reason why maintaining control of the conversation is critical. 

By demonstrating your company’s value and explaining your appointment process, you can help overcome any objections before they arise. However, if the caller still expresses an objection, such as scheduling conflicts or a desire to call back, the call handler must also be prepared to address those.

Internally, brainstorm phrases and talk tracks for some of the most common objections that call handlers encounter with callers at your company.

5. Focus on customer experience

Put yourself in the position of your caller. Make them feel at ease and engage in a discussion about their needs. Learn a little bit about them to gain insight into their purchasing habits. Serve as an advisor, an unbiased guide to help them through the complex process of making a purchase.

As a result, the customer will feel more at ease and trust, increasing the likelihood of purchasing something from you.

6. Ensure that a sufficient number of agents are available

In case one agent is unavailable, then the company should have a sufficient number of agents in the team so that no customer feels left out and every customer’s issues are addressed. 

7. Focus on KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the basic (key) marks of progress toward a planned outcome. KPIs concentrate on key and functional improvement, make a logical reason for direction and assist with considering what makes the most significant difference.

How to Build an Inbound Calling Strategy?

For building an inbound calling strategy, one should follow the below points:

  • Define your target audience: Identify the types of customers or clients you want to attract and tailor your inbound calling strategy to their needs and preferences.
  • Establish clear goals and objectives: Determine what you want to achieve through your inbound calling efforts, such as improving customer satisfaction or increasing sales.
  • Develop a script or guideline: Create a script or guideline for handling inbound calls that outlines the steps to follow and the information to provide. This can help ensure that all calls are handled consistently and efficiently.

4 Tips to Strengthen Your Inbound Call Strategy

Now, when you finally decide to strengthen your business’s inbound calling strategy, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. Here are a few tips that can help you. 

1. Talk to the customers who need attention the most

This is tough to comprehend at first; however, it is essential to interact directly with the right customers because every phone call will cost the business money. Hence, your focus should be on ensuring that the salespeople on the call center are talking to the right customers for your business.

So, it’s better not to showcase your phone number on your website’s homepage as it can result in overwhelming calls from callers who might not even be interested in your offer. Rather, try putting your phone number on the product’s page.

2. Provide choices for self-assistance

If you can offer your customers (callers) the option of self-service, it will help them to solve their issues without the help of an agent. For instance, issues like knowing the status of their shipments or their purchase can be done without the help of a call center agent.

3. Only promise what you can offer

Once you are sure that you are only receiving the right calls from your valuable customers, you need to ensure that someone from the calling team is qualified enough to answer those calls and offer the right solutions. Make sure the calls are not going unanswered or reaching the voice messages.

Hence, promise what you can offer, and do not go overboard while preaching your solutions. Be real; this will help you keep your company feeling genuine in front of your customers.

4. Combine CRM with your phone system

Allowing your salespeople access to CRM data while assisting customers on the call is one way to improve overall performance. Agents should be able to use CRM data whenever they receive a call.

Computer Telephony Integration can be used to integrate your phone system to your PC, offering agents access to client data and letting them know who is contacting you before they pick up the phone.

This saves the salespeople a lot of time as they can access information on the products that the customers previously purchased. And it will be easier for the operator to update customer details, which will improve the overall interaction.

Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Calling

Inbound calling and outbound calling are both important for businesses. Here are a few differences between the two – 

Inbound Calling

Outbound Calling

More concerned with technical support, inbound sales and customer service.

More concerned with sales. It is further classified into cold and warm callings.

These calls address and resolve customer concerns and issues.

The calls seek to pique people’s interest in the company, its products, and its services.

Support teams take care of the calls from existing customers.

Sales teams run the outbound calls to call potential buyers and customers.

Difference Between Inbound & Outbound BPO

Inbound and outbound call centers are essentially diametrically opposed. Here are some differences between both – 

Inbound BPO

Outbound BPO

Designated call centers to receive calls from existing customers.

Designated call centers to make sales calls.

These bring up customers’ concerns to build loyalty and retain them.

These call centers aim at luring new customers by making them aware of a business’s potential.

These calls are made to returning customers and ensure their queries and concerns are solved on time. 

These calls are often made for market research to understand customers’ interests and choices.

How Many Calls Should an Inbound Agent Take?

The number of calls an inbound agent should take will depend on various factors, including the nature of the calls, the complexity of the issues being addressed, and the agent’s skills and experience. In general, inbound agents need to handle a high volume of calls promptly and efficiently while also providing high-quality customer service.

Companies can take a few approaches to determine the appropriate number of calls for an inbound agent. One method is to use performance metrics, such as the average handle time (AHT) or the number of calls per hour, to gauge the workload of inbound agents and adjust staffing levels accordingly.

Another approach is to use customer satisfaction scores or other feedback mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of inbound agents and adjust workload accordingly.

Ultimately, it is essential to balance maximizing productivity and ensuring that inbound agents have the time and resources they need to provide high-quality customer service.

How to Effectively Use Inbound Call Scripts?

Inbound call scripts are pre-written guidelines that outline the steps to follow and the information to provide when handling incoming calls. They can help ensure that all calls are handled consistently and efficiently, and for giving inbound agents the knowledge and resources, they need to resolve customer inquiries or issues.

To effectively use inbound call scripts, it is essential to follow a few best practices:

  1. Keep the script concise and focused: Avoid including too much information or unnecessary details. Instead, focus on the most important points and provide relevant information to the customer’s needs or concerns.
  2. Make the script flexible: While having a structure in place, it is also essential to allow for flexibility and adaptability. Encourage inbound agents to deviate from the script when necessary, such as when a customer’s needs or preferences require it.
  3. Regularly update and revise the script: As customer needs and preferences change, it is essential to periodically review and update the inbound call script to ensure it remains relevant and practical.
  4. Provide training and support: Ensure that inbound agents are trained to use the script effectively and provide them with the resources and support they need to handle calls effectively.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed every minute detail about inbound calling and how it helps the organization grow. If your company has specific capabilities, going beyond them may not be a good idea.

Also, with JustCall, you can make your business calls hassle-free and effective. It is past time to comprehend the significance of business call centers and whether outsourcing is wise.

Contact centers deal with various client administration issues, from minor to major. However, as previously stated, there are advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing or keeping it in-house. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of Outsourcing Inbound Calling?

The following are the advantages of outsourcing inbound calling:

  • Expands Business Reach
  • Manage Large Call Volumes
  • No staffing issues
  • Higher Productivity
  • Cost-effective
  • No Training is required
What are the drawbacks of Outsourcing Inbound Calling?

The following are the disadvantages of outsourcing inbound calling-.

  • Language Barriers
  • Less Customer Care
  • Less Control
  • Diminishing Customer Satisfaction
  • Lack of knowledge about products
What are the key points to remember while handling Inbound Calls?What are the key points to remember while handling Inbound Calls?

Following are the key points to remember while handling Inbound calls-

  • Have a positive tone
  • Give Personalization
  • Keep Control
  •  Develop Call Scripts
  • Make Sure an Adequate Number of Agents is Available
  • Focus on customer experience
  • Focus on the KPIs
What are the tips and strategies to strengthen the Inbound call strategy?

Following are the tips and strategies for strengthening the inbound call strategy-

  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
  • Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
  • Virtual Agents
  • Business Tools Integrations
  • Expand Communication Channels
  • Skills-based Routing
What are the main differences between inbound vs outbound call centers?

Customers or potential customers initiate contact with a company or organization through inbound calling. Inbound call center agents provide responsive customer service, which means they respond when someone calls. On the other hand, Sales and marketing teams are the primary initiators of incoming calls. Outbound services are primarily used for telemarketing, market research, lead generation, and appointment setting.

Taran, as the Support Manager at JustCall, spearheads efforts to enhance customer satisfaction by strategically collaborating with client-facing teams. He upholds rigorous standards, ensuring JustCall's support services consistently excel. Passionate about superior customer experiences, Taran champions a company-wide dedication to a customer-first mindset.

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