Inbound Calls

Inbound vs. Outbound Calls: Which Is Right For Your Business?

The rise of live chat and social media services may give one the impression that customer calls are a thing of the past. However, statistics say otherwise.

61% of consumers still prefer to speak to agents over the phone for assistance. Similarly, 41% of the sales reps consider phones to be the most effective sales tool.

Clearly, phone calls still play a huge role in customer service, and a contact center is incomplete without a call service. But what kind of call is best for your business, outbound or inbound?

Before choosing between inbound vs. outbound calls, you must understand the purpose of each type of call and the business pain points they will help you solve.

Read on to discover the differences between inbound and outbound calls and how to leverage them to improve customer relations.

What are Inbound Calls?

Inbound calls are calls initiated by a customer or a prospect. The calls generally relate to customer service, tech support, or product inquiries.

Businesses usually have a team of inbound customer service representatives who help customers with their questions and issues.

Since inbound calls are mostly customer-service based, they provide an excellent opportunity to build relationships and upsell/cross-sell company products.

What are Outbound Calls?

Outbound calls, on the other hand, are initiated by the contact center representatives. They could be cold calls to customers and prospects, a response to support requests, or a marketing call for the company’s new product or service.

Companies either run outbound calls internally or outsource them to external call centers. The reps typically follow a script to make the conversation smooth and polished.

What is the Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Calls?

While inbound vs. outbound calling can be superficially distinguished based on who initiates the calls, the significant differences lie in their objectives and functions.

Here is a deeper understanding of the difference between inbound and outbound calls:

1. Inbound Call Vs. Outbound Call: Goals and Objectives

The primary purpose of inbound calls is to handle customer concerns. Customers ring representatives in with a variety of issues in a variety of moods. It is imperative that reps remain calm and polite in all circumstances to win customers’ trust.

By coaching agents to provide the best customer experience, companies can leverage inbound calls to nurture leads, build brand loyalty and increase customer retention.

On the other hand, outbound calls aim to build interest in potential buyers about the company’s product. They provide instant feedback and results, making them highly effective at generating leads and making sales.

As per statistics, businesses that do not make outbound calls will likely experience 42% less growth than those that do. However, one must tread this path carefully, as cold calls can quickly get intrusive and damage customer relationships.

2. Inbound Call Vs. Outbound Call: Roles

Since their objectives are different, inbound and outbound calls serve different roles in a company.

a. Roles of Inbound Calls

1. Technical Support

Whenever customers face technical issues with their products, such as a bug or system breakage, they can contact the company for support through inbound calls.

2. Inbound Sales

Inbound sales can occur when potential customers call to gain more information about your product or service, which they might have come across in online or offline advertisements.

3. Customer Service

Inbound calls also serve as a medium for companies to assist existing customers with issues regarding billing, returns, payment, product issues, etc.

b. Roles of Outbound Calls

1. Making Appointments

Companies make outbound calls to arrange meetings between prospects and sales representatives to discuss products and prices further.

2. Lead Generation

Businesses use outbound calls for telemarketing and getting prospects interested in their products and services.

Cold outreach helps reps identify opportunities, collect prospects’ information, qualify leads, and warm them up to your products or service.

3. Market Research

Outbound calls can also be made to collect customer feedback or conduct surveys to understand the customers and the market better.

Inbound Vs. Outbound Call: Which is Right for Your Business?

The decision to have an inbound or outbound call strategy (or a hybrid one) ultimately boils down to the specific needs of your business.

If your team is facing difficulty coping with the volume of technical support and customer service call, it’s time to invest in an inbound call strategy.

On the other hand, if you are having trouble generating or following your leads, an outbound call strategy is what you need.

For most businesses, a hybrid strategy works best. They use outbound calls to grow their business while ensuring enough inbound personnel to provide timely support to existing customers.

JustCall provides complete phone support with both outbound call centers for sales and inbound contact centers for round-the-clock support. Learn how JustCall can help you build stronger customer relations and accelerate your growth!

FAQs

What is the difference between inbound calls and outbound calls?

The customer initiates inbound calls, while the business initiates outbound calls. Apart from this cursory difference, they also differ in their objectives.

While the purpose of inbound calls is customer support, outbound calls help businesses reach a wider audience and generate more leads.

 

What are the functions of outbound calls vs. inbound calls?

Outbound calls mainly serve the function of lead generation, telemarketing, making appointments, and market research. On the other hand, inbound calls are there to provide technical support and customer service and generate inbound sales.

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.

How useful was this post?

0/5

-

( 0 votes)

Learn from our videos