Building a better call center: Tools and technology for practical, customer-oriented telemarketing strategies

Telemarketing, Nov 1995 by Wingard, Carol

Although outbound telemarketing agents work at a predictable pace, in bound calling cycles fall to the whim of the consumer. Predicting those peaks and providing staff to respond accordingly can be an overwhelming and expensive task. Driven by the need to build profit and maximize valuable human resources, telemarketing operations can no longer afford to segregate completely inbound calling from outbound calling. The objective is based on a call center's capability to handle peak inbound calling and to use idle inbound calling agents during off-peak times for outbound calling activities.

The trick to blending inbound and outbound call centers into a cohesive unit stems from the system's call processing capabilities. Managers must be able to develop call flows that automatically select the appropriate agents to accept incoming calls or to conduct outbound calling based on defined call center statistics such as call load or time of day. Managers also must be able to handle any unexpected peaks or unplanned activities.

Automatic call distribution (ACD) is the heartbeat of inbound calling. ACD, which accepts inbound calls and processes them according to a defined call flow, must be flexible, programmable and expandable. Optional tools for inbound calling, such as audiotex libraries, fax-on-demand and interactive voice response (IVR), can screen routine requests for information, saving human resources for more complex requests or allowing more agents to focus on outbound operations.

Automation enables a company to provide instant responses to common questions or to take uncomplicated orders without tying up valuable call takers. Information is dispersed promptly, no caller lingers on hold and fewer calls are forwarded to agents. In turn, those agents are free to engage in outbound calling campaigns: such as customer-satisfaction follow-up calls or revenue-generating sales campaigns.

Before companies set out to build a better call center, supervisors, managers and other decision makers must have a firm understanding of what it takes to establish a viable blended call center. A customer-friendly call center built around an intelligent call center platform gives any company dependent on inbound/outbound telemarketing the tools for efficient automation.

Call Priorities

The most important function of sophisticated ACD in an integrated call center is defining call types for the agents. An ACD system lets managers redirect any call's route based on factors such as the call center's performance or customer information. Using ACD capabilities, calls can be concurrently queued into different groups. Through information gathered from the network, ACD forwards an inbound call to a predesignated agent group or automated function. In addition, ACD enables supervisors to sort agents according to specialization. During heavy traffic, ACD allows incoming calls to be diverted to outbound groups, while inbound call takers could move to outbound projects when the incoming call load is light.

For example, a customer support group could promote a sales campaign with outbound calls when there are no waiting inbound customer support calls. Similarly, if customer support calls are critical to the company's strategy, they might take precedence over the outbound telemarketing calls. By establishing call priorities for both inbound and outbound call types for agents in blended environments, the call center supervisor can determine which calls are most important to the call center's overall telemarketing strategy. Whether inbound, outbound or blended, a productive call center has the tools to conserve human resources by screening out unproductive outbound calls and channeling routine inbound calls to automated channels.

To blend incoming and outgoing calls effectively, agents must toggle effortlessly between the two functions. Through call flowcharts, call center managers designate agents for both inbound and outbound calls using factors such as call load or time of day.

Some of the better flowcharting systems allow outbound calls to be defined as merely another call type, with all the attributes and capabilities of an inbound call. This means outbound calls are given a priority ranking. Agents can receive the same type of information on outbound calls that is available on incoming calls, including a call description. Through a computer-telephony integration (CTI) link, agents can even access customer names and other pertinent information that will enable the agent to personalize the call.

Presenting both incoming and outgoing calls to the same agents opens the door for confusion. Therefore, calls should be identified to the agents visually on a multiline display phone and on the computer through screen synchronization, provided by the CTI link. A whisper announcement delivers call information audibly through headsets.

Managers must design call flows to anticipate different call traffic environments and define how specific calls will be handled. For most inbound call activities, managers seek to emphasize the call center's automation tools.