Call Center Operations

Call Center Services at Executive Boutique

March 13, 2019 • EB Call Center • Call Center Operations

No matter the industry, it’s the goal of every company to expand its business operations through customer retention and acquiring new clientele. To keep the people you serve happy, you have to be available to address questions, concerns, and resolve a number of issues that range from IT to billing. This is where a call center comes in; fortunately, this is also one of the aspects of daily business operations you can outsource.

How Does a Third-Party Call Center Work?

Third-party call center services operate just like an in-house customer service team. They operate remotely, take phone calls, and chat with customers online to quickly resolve issues. They tackle the same duties as an in-house call center. They can resolve most issues without having to transfer the call to a member of your team:

Billing/invoicing
Product delivery status
Technical issues
Service upgrade/downgrade
Canceling or renewing a plan
Switching payment method

Data shows that 78% of companies that outsource to third-party agencies are satisfied with the arrangement. 42% of companies in North America also outsource to some extent, as do 35% of companies in Europe and the Middle East.

Why Outsource Call Center Duties?

Saving money is one of the key benefits of third-party outsourcing, as your company saves the cost of assembling a full-time internal staff. For the agency that you outsource to, customer support is its specialty. The men and women that take phone calls and online chat on your behalf are trained in customer interaction and are dedicated to their satisfaction.

Call Center Services in the Philippines

More companies are outsourcing overseas to countries like the Philippines, where Executive Boutique operates. Outsourcing costs are far more affordable and scalable. Our third-party call center team can be on call 24/7 and can expand to larger numbers during high volume periods. If launching a new product, for example, you can increase the number of call takers in anticipation of increased customer queries. Scale back down once the demand recedes.

Regardless of your industry and location of operation, give Executive Boutique a call today to discuss our call center services in the Philippines. We provide highly trained men and women with years of experience in guest service.

Additional resources:

Microsourcing, Ultimate List of Outsourcing Statistics, https://www.microsourcing.com/blog/the-ultimate-list-of-outsourcing-statistics.asp
Outsourcing Insight, Current Trends in Outsourcing, https://www.outsourcinginsight.com/outsourcing-trends/

4 Office Organization Tips

March 11, 2019 • EB Call Center • Call Center Operations

Your office environment directly affects your productivity and how you work. If your workspace is cluttered with documents, coffee cups, and other items that don’t need to be there, you’re likely to feel distracted and anxious when it’s time to work. The worst part is that sometimes if the clutter is bad enough, it’s difficult to figure out where to start cleaning it up. Here are some tips on how to get your office space back into the productive hub it’s supposed to be:

Purge

Start the process by identifying items that can obviously go in the garbage. This includes napkins, old takeout containers, and empty to-go coffee cups. Grab a brand-new garbage bag and walk around your office identifying these items and immediately tossing them. The mess will look more manageable after this step.

Create a space for miscellaneous objects

Every office struggles with a flow of random objects entering its space. There are three main types of these items: things you need to keep (umbrella, travel mug, coat), trash, and important documents. Make sure your garbage can is not overflowing so that incoming refuse doesn’t end up in your workspace. For the objects you need to keep, identify spaces where they can stay. For example, your coat can stay on the back of your chair or hanging on the door. Your travel mug can have space on your desk when it’s full, but when it’s empty it stays on a table near the door so that you don’t forget to wash it.

Get two document trays

Do you have a lot of paperwork that you need to deal with on a regular basis? If you do, you need an organization system for them so that they don’t overflow your workspace. To help with this, buy two document trays from your local office supply store. Place them on your desk and label one for new documents you haven’t looked at yet and another one for old documents that you’ve reviewed and need to deal with later.

Go as digital as possible

Adding onto the issue of overflowing documents, try to digitize your work flow as much as you can (unless you’re someone who needs to hold the documents in their hands). Scan relevant documents into your computer so that you can store them there and access them without digging through filing folders.

Office organization can be tricky since it’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Once we get into the zone of working, we often lose sight of smaller things like maintaining a clean workspace. While that’s understandable, cleaning and organizing your space daily will save you time and energy in the long run.

3 Questions to Ask Your Philippines-based Call Center

February 26, 2019 • EB Call Center • Call Center Operations

Shot of a young woman working in a call center

For businesses in search of cost effective customer service solutions, outsourcing your incoming inquiries to a call center based in the Philippines can be an outstanding option. Executive Boutique specializes in providing organizations of all sizes with the tools they need to stay in constant contact with their clientele at a much lower cost, allowing you to get the absolute most from your investment in scaling your operations to meet consumer demands.

How Much Does Call Center Outsourcing Cost?

Many of our clients are surprised to discover just how economical our services can be. Our rates are linked directly to the level of specialization your incoming calls require, and so you only pay for the solutions your specific business needs. Factors that determine the overall cost of our call center outsourcing include the number of agents you need, the technical knowledge required of each agent on our team, and the nature of the services we will provide.

Executive Boutique focuses on delivering an upfront rate schedule that covers all related labor costs, equipment usage, and other expenses. Unlike with many other companies in our space, our business structure allows us to eliminate any startup fees and other hidden costs. Interested executives should contact our customer support team for a no-obligation quote that addresses your exact needs.

Will My Customers Be Able to Tell the Difference?

Executive Boutique does everything possible to ensure your clientele experiences a comparable quality of service as with a domestic call center. We have selected the Philippines as a base of operations because schools and universities are taught in English with American pronunciation and word usage. Every customer service agent under our employ has been extensively screened for the best available verbal and written communication skills, as well as minimal spoken accent.

In addition to having the best possible talent pool to select from within the third-largest English speaking nation in the world, we also take great care to bring you the most suitable workforce for your needs. Not only do we have sample voices that our clients can listen to on our website prior to committing to our services, we can also schedule a time for you to speak directly to some of our agents as well as individually interviewing them to determine their suitability.

How Does Call Center Outsourcing Work?

Executive Boutique uses a state of the art VoIP telephone system specifically designed to provide excellent call quality as well as high transmission rates (less than 200ms) so there is no discernible delay with the typical phone call, and our lines are open 24/7. The experience is almost indistinguishable from conventional telephone lines, and you can always arrange for a live demonstration before you commit to a contract with us.

As part of our focus on providing a seamless service that is virtually equivalent to a domestic call center, your agents can be assigned area codes and telephone caller ID from any location you choose. This means your customers, clients, and prospects should not find any difference between our international call center and domestic customer service solutions, giving them a reliable option at a much lower cost to your business.

Executive Boutique’s meticulous approach to call center outsourcing is designed as more than an economical alternative, but a fully integrated extension of your staff. Talk to us today about what our services can offer your organization.

Call Center vs. Contact Center– What’s the Difference?

December 6, 2018 • EB Call Center • Business Process Outsourcing, Call Center Operations, Tech Support

When you hear the words call center and contact center, what comes to mind?

You would probably think it’s the same – but it is not.

When you hear or think of these words, you would most likely conjure up images of people wearing headsets sitting in front of a computer, wearing animated or penchant facial expressions, either answering or making calls.

These terms get thrown around a lot that we think they are interchangeable. It is true that

they are related, and they share similarities, but each one cannot be more different than the

other.

The difference between the two lies mainly in the methods of communication involved as well as the overall customer experience. To better understand these two terms let’s start by defining each one.

What is a Call Center?

A call center is a centralized office or a facility, that is equipped to handle large amounts of customer requests communicated through the telephone, usually for an organization. Communication and interaction with the customer are primarily done by phone.

They are further classified into two types, namely, an inbound call center and an outbound call center.

An inbound call center receives incoming calls, usually from customers needing additional information or general queries, product support or feedback.

Outbound call centers, on the other hand, are operated more for the sole purpose of telemarketing, market research, getting a solicitation for a charitable or political donation. In general, callouts are done in outbound call centers.

The earliest form of call centers can be traced back to the 1960s with the usage of a PABX system. Soon after, when call center operations were set up to provide customer support for airlines and financial institutions, the technology used at call centers evolved.

Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system and IVR or Interactive Voice Response were introduced. ACD enable call routing to agents who are available and with a specific skill set while the IVR allows computers to interact with customers through voice or by input on the phone keypad.

What is a Contact Center?

A contact center is very similar to a call center – inbound and outbound calls are also being handled. However, requests or customer interaction is not only through the telephone, but also through different digital communication channels such as email, chat support, SMS, etc.

In addition to ACD and IVR technology, they also make use of cloud services and VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol. This platform allows customers to reach out using their communication channel of choice.

It is essentially a one-stop shop of customer care necessities. It has a call center, messaging center (for SMS), e-mail department, live chat department – all under one roof.

A contact center, is also, frequently used by organizations as the home base of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). It is where most of the customer interaction takes place which allows capturing, storing, tracking, and gathering of customer data is made possible.

Conclusion

Both a call center or a contact center provides the essential functions of customer service or act as extension support of your company. Your customer may not be able to distinguish the difference between the two and may mix up the usage of both terms but what’s important is that your company is able to deliver on your customer’s expectations to guarantee satisfaction and maintain loyalty.

Executive Boutique provides customer support, business process outsourcing, and technical support services from our state-of-the-art facility in Cebu City, Philippines. Our servicing platform supports most communication channels such as voice, email, and live chat.

Why choose to be tied down to a long-term service commitment when we can work with you on a project basis? We also allow you the flexibility of modifying our services rendered to adapt to your business need.

Interested to know more? Contact us today!

How to Choose the Contact Center that’s Perfect for You

November 14, 2018 • Jimmy Rodela • Call Center Operations

Using the right set of tools and programs play a crucial role to the success of contact centers.

Not only do the right tools enable BPOs to scale their operations while keeping their process seamless, but it also impacts how they service their clients’ customers.

With the contact center industry’s steady growth, various software solutions have been created and developed to aid its operations.

Here are some of the standard programs used by the best contact centers:

1. Telephony

This is often the main component and the heartbeat of operations of contact centers. It is the telecommunications technology that enables two or more people to get connected.

2. ACD or Automatic Call Distributor

If the telephony is the heart, then the ACD is the backbone of operations. This software allows incoming calls to be routed to the agent who is best able to assist with the caller’s concern.

ACD also keeps track of data such as call volume, calls received, call wait time and duration.

It also enables call monitoring, call conferencing, and call barging.

3. IVR or Interactive Voice Response

Also known as the voice response unit, the IVR, which is an automated system, allows interaction with a caller, gets information and then filters the call and routes the caller to the appropriate agent or department. It accepts both voice telephone input, and touch-tone keypad selection and response can come as a callback, fax, email or other contact methods.

4. Cloud Routing

Commonly referred to as skills-based routing. Cloud routing means having the control to route call traffic. It ensures callers are directed to the right and appropriate agent quickly.

Outsourcing to the Philippines

The Philippines is fondly known as the Call Center Capital of the World. Our language skills, affinity to the Western culture, and competitive costs are among the factors keeping us as the number one choice.

But with the total number of contact centers in operation in the Philippines, how do you determine the best partner for your company? Here’s a list of qualities to look at before making your choice :

1. They are a personal fit to your business needs.

Start by defining what your business needs are. What is your core function? What communication channels do you use when interacting with your customers? Do you email, chat, call? How many agents do you need to support your operations? Will you need it 24 hours?

Understand your business needs first before deciding which contact center is the best fit for your organization.

2. They use state-of-the-art hardware and advanced software solutions.

With new technology always on the rise and continually evolving, it is crucial to ensure the company you choose is keeping up with the latest, especially when it comes to security.

With cyber crime, an ever-present threat, choose a contact center that has the latest security measures to keep your data safe and secure.

3. They are a well-established company with a solid reputation.

The contact center you choose is your company extension. How they operate and deal with your customers reflect on you and your company. Before making your decision, consider their track record and what other companies that have served them, have to say about them.

4. They have comprehensive training programs and support in place

Training programs guarantee development and improvement. Well-trained employees are efficient and productive employees – they cement the company’s success. Contact centers that have strong training programs in place also mean that they can adapt to your business.

What’s Next?

When considering outsourcing IT support, look no further than, Executive Boutique. We are HIPAA and PCI Compliant and the trusted outsourcing partner to clients in the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, Europe, and Australia.

Whether you are a small or medium-sized company looking for the best support for your operations at competitive pricing, we are here for you!

Qualities of the Best Call Centers in the Philippines

November 12, 2018 • EB Call Center • Call Center Operations

Listen to our agents Top-notch customer service is pivotal for any business to succeed. Today’s customer demands not only superior service across a variety of channels, but instant access to the information and answers they need. Organizations that are unable to provide this level of service, be it after-hours support or dealing with billing inquiries, will invariably lose customers and future sales.

Businesses across a broad range of industries have much to gain by outsourcing their call overflow to the Philippines, where there’s a highly educated workforce and labor costs are significantly lower. Thanks to its expansive technological infrastructure and diverse talent pool, the Philippines is now the world’s call center capital.

The top 10 call centers in the Philippines do much more than schedule appointments or field customer complaints. A leading inbound call center has agents who obtain valuable feedback, strengthen brand awareness and provide a seamless, positive experience that fosters customer loyalty.

Features of the best call centers in the Philippines

One of the Philippines’ biggest assets is its young and upwardly mobile population, the majority of whom hold university degrees. English is a first language for most Filipinos, which is spoken with a neutral accent, much like that in the United States.

Some of the best call centers in the Philippines share similar qualities and performance metrics. Companies seeking to improve customer management with an outsourcing partner should look for the following characteristics.

Flexibility

The top call centers understand the importance of flexibility. They work with you to develop a solution that is compatible with your current and anticipated needs, your budget and your brand. They are fully equipped to support a broad range of industries, including hospitality, retail, E-commerce, finances, healthcare, insurance and others.

Diverse Expertise

Call centers that invest in their employees, hiring those with college educations and training across specialized fields, provide access to a diverse talent pool.

Advanced Technological Infrastructure

A cutting-edge telecom infrastructure with redundant Internet lines, IVR technology and a hybrid VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone systems that can be customized according to client needs.

Superior Quality Assurance Practices

Monitoring for professionalism, listening skills, process adherence and attitude are integral for inbound call quality assurance. The best call centers perform routine internal evaluations for agent performance and also employ QA monitoring software.

Performance Metrics

Want to know how effectively call center agents use their time, how quickly calls are resolved, or the average response and handling times? The most successful call centers work with clients to develop specific key performance indicators (KPI), which provide rich insight into the productivity and success of a campaign.

EB Call Center Philippines – a Leading Outsourcing Partner

Executive Boutique is proud to offer results-driven solutions to dozens of companies worldwide. Take your customer service and profits to the next level by partnering with a reputable inbound call center in the Philippines. Reach out to our Cebu IT offices to learn more about our customer support services or to request a free quote.

4 Traits of an Effective Leader

August 27, 2018 • Daelyn Fortney • Call Center Operations

There’s certainly no “one-size-fits-all” managing approach. However, it has been shown that when managers are focused on being effective leaders, their good habits are picked up by their employees. In addition to focusing on their own advancement and authority, good leaders should focus on providing genuine and positive experiences for their peers and team members. Here are six traits that help form influential and effective leaders:

Effective Communication

The ability to communicate clearly and tactfully is a vital leadership skill. It involves more than listening attentively and providing responses; it also includes asking smart questions, sharing important information, clearing up misunderstandings, and being clear and direct about your expectations. By being a good communicator, your team will have a better understanding of their role.

Empowerment

Truly great leaders understand that in order for people to do their best, they must feel a sense of pride in their work and believe that what they’re doing is meaningful. It is a good idea to communicate clear expectations (such as goals and deadlines) to your team, and then leave them with the authority to decide how that work gets done.

Vision

It’s important to have a look into your company’s future and create goals that make sense for that trajectory. Good leaders are optimistic, confident, and they look to inspire growth. Being a visionary means managing change in conjunction with a balance between growth and stability. It also means understanding that things are always changing, and that what has worked in the past may not work now.

Accountability

Successful bosses know how to use their authority and power appropriately so as to not overpower or overwhelm their employees. They hold themselves accountable for their own mistakes and expect others to do the same. They understand the importance of supporting individuality while still following the rules and policies that are put in place.

Motivation
The best leaders push their team forward with enthusiasm and passion. If you invest time in your people and determine their needs, priorities, and strengths, they will feel valuable and you will better understand how to motivate them. Make sure to show them that their work is making a difference, and continue to encourage the development of their skills with reasonable (but meaningful) goals.

Being an effective leader can be a challenging job, but it can also be very rewarding. If you’re looking to evolve your leadership skills, make sure to incorporate these five traits into your skill set. You & your team will be better off for it!

6 Ways IVR Systems Enhance Customer Service

February 8, 2018 • Jimmy Rodela • Call Center Operations, Customer Service

Improving customer service remains a top priority in most call centers, and it’s just as well considering the major impact customer loyalty can have on a company’s bottom line.

That said, IVR systems have become even more integral in ensuring that customers are happy with the brand or service they have signed up for.

In fact, IVR (interactive voice response) systems account for 27 percent of total call experience, according to a report conducted by the firm JD Power & Associates in 2016.

Thanks to the emergence of cloud automation, IVR systems have become even more common as call centers rise to the challenge of keeping up with ever-evolving customer expectations.

Here are the top ways IVR systems enhances customer service call centers in the Philippines.

1. Improved call routing

Using voice prompts, IVR systems can identify and gather customer information efficiently. This information is then processed by the system, proceeding to route callers to the department that is most qualified to address and handle their issues.

By using an optimized and efficient list of menus, an IVR system ensures that customers don’t have to go through the hassle of being transferred from one department to another.

2. Personalized service

By identifying the caller ID of customers, IVR systems can be customized to provide a more personalized service.

An IVR system can be programmed to greet customers on their birthday, offer loyalty programs and personalized incentives to qualified customers.

Through personalized service, call centers can instill loyalty among clients, thus improving customer retention.

3. Reduce hold times and queues

An IVR system is an automated solution that can resolve and address multiple issues more efficiently than agents, resulting in reduced hold times.

And since some callers prefer to use the self-service option that IVR provides, the state of queues in the call center is more easily regulated and managed.

4. Empowers customers

IVR systems offer self-service options that empower customers who prefer to help themselves, thus improving overall customer experience.

This, in turn, gives customers a sense of autonomy in how they communicate with the brand and in how they manage their account.

Self-service options also provide customers with effortless engagement, giving them another good reason to stay loyal to your brand.

5. IVR systems don’t experience fatigue

While IVR systems don’t have the human element required to make genuine connections with customers, they do have an advantage over their human counterparts: they don’t get tired.

Agents are only human, making them susceptible to mistakes when they are feeling fatigued. IVR systems, on the other hand, don’t have that disadvantage. Since IVRs are automated, the quality of service they provide are always consistent, at least barring technical difficulties.

6. Improve first contact resolution

By routing callers to agents who are most qualified to address their issue, IVR systems can significantly shore up a call center’s first contact resolution.

The important of first contact resolution as a metric for call center performance can’t be emphasized enough.

In fact, a study by SQM group reports that a 1% increase in FCR also translates to a 1% increase in customer satisfaction.

Final Word:

As a business owner, it’s important to bear in mind that customer experience is always the most important metric in running a successful call center business.

There are many things you can do to keep customers satisfied with your service, and utilizing a sophisticated and intuitive IVR system should keep you on the right track.

The Top Five Benefits of CRM Systems to Customer Experience

February 6, 2018 • Jimmy Rodela • Business Process Outsourcing, Call Center Operations, Customer Support

Customers value excellent customer service when interacting with brands. It is known.

In fact, according to a Walker study, 86% of customers will be willing to pay more for great customer experience by the year 2020.

To the surprise of no one, technology always finds a way to keep up. Enter the CRM system, a tool that companies use to effectively and efficiently manage customer (both potential and existing) information.

Thanks to dedicated CRM systems, companies can now track and manage customer information, correspondences, conversations, and billing information, among many others.

As a result, call centers can deliver excellent customer experience with more regularity and efficiency.

Care to know how? Here are the top five benefits of CRM systems to the customer experience.

1. Faster resolutions

So a customer calls in, and the next thing you know that customer’s information pops up on the screen. Now that’s the convenience.

When that happens, it’s even possible for a call center agent to take an educated guess on why the customer is calling (agent should listen to the customer first, however)

Thanks to the case management functionality that comes with most CRM systems, agents can quickly provide relevant answers to customer queries and offer quick resolutions.

2. Fosters continuity

The point of delivering great customer service is that it builds relationships with clients. Clients want that too.

And for a relationship to prosper, there needs to be a strong sense of continuity in every customer interaction.

It’s roughly equivalent to calling your friend and asking her if she loved the gift you gave her for Christmas and giving her the lowdown on the latest gossip concerning the next-door neighbor.

Because of CRM systems, customers don’t have to repeat themselves over and over again every time they’re doing a follow-up call on a recurring issue.

The best thing about it is that customers will always feel that agents understand their needs and are likely to respond in kind.

3. Self-service integration

IVRs are notorious for stretching the limit of customers’ patience.

Thankfully, many CRM companies are now offering an integrated IVR and CRM solution, providing customers a seamless self-service experience.

With a CRM system in place, an IVR can identify each caller and then proceed to provide custom menu options that are relevant to that particular customer.

4. Find ways to serve customers better

CRM systems provide companies with measurable data that can help them come up with a myriad of actionable insights.

These insights offer opportunities that enable brands to serve customers better.

By offering a comprehensive picture of key performance metrics as they apply to customers, CRM systems make it easier for call centers to deliver customer-centric service on a consistent basis.

5. Better internal communication

Having a good CRM system in place enables companies to have a more efficient internal communication.

Seamless communication between different departments in regards to customer information allows for faster resolution and opens new windows of opportunities to serve customers better.

Conclusion

There are no two ways about it: investing in CRM systems is one of the smartest business decisions you’ll ever make.

Put your customers at the heart of your business, and your company is bound to reel in the profits. As is the case with any meaningful relationship, it’s an arrangement where both parties win.

Four Steps You Can Make To Reduce Customer Churn

February 1, 2018 • Jimmy Rodela • Business Process Outsourcing, Call Center Operations, Customer Support

Do you want your business’s bottom line to get a big boost? Easy. Make a concerted effort to reduce customer churn.

Customers are the lifeblood of your business. And if you want to keep your business alive, you have to take the necessary steps to foster loyalty in your customer base.

In fact, according to Bain & Company, it is six to seven times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t exert some effort into recruiting new customers. If you have sound customer retention strategies in place, every new customer you recruit can potentially offer a lifetime value that will significantly impact your ROI in the long run.

Here are four steps you can make in order to reduce customer attrition.

1. Provide support round the clock

With the rise of multichannel services and social media platforms in the last several years, more and more customers are expecting businesses to be available round the clock.

Simply put, availability issues can have a lasting impact on how customers perceive a business or service.

If, for instance, a customer experiences connectivity issues on his broadband connection at 4 in the morning, being able to provide technical support right then and there not only makes a big impression, it sends the message that you care about your customers.

2. Make use of call notes

If a customer makes a follow-up call over a similar issue only to end up being asked to repeat himself again, chances are he’s going to entertain the notion of switching to another service.

Why? For starters, customers don’t want to feel like they’re being treated like cogs in a machine. They want continuity, and they’ll appreciate the service more if the context of every call reflects that continuity.

By integrating CRM with phone systems, your call center can keep track of customer logs and conversation details.

This approach keeps customers engaged, which will, in turn, instill loyalty in your brand.

3. Offer proactive support

If you want to inspire loyalty among your customer base, you’d do well to take a proactive approach in customer support.

What this means is that you have to identify and resolve customer issues even before they occur or become apparent.

If you’re worried about being a “bother” to customers by being proactive, it’s high time that you put your worries to rest.

To bring home the point, a study made by inContact discovered that 87% of customers are happy about being contacted proactively by companies concerning customer service issues.

4. Reduce customer waiting time

Customers don’t like being made to wait on the phone.

A study made by Arise in 2017 discovered that two-thirds of customers are willing to wait two minutes or less while 13% said that “no wait time is available.”

Considering how current technology has diminished our attention spans in the last decade, this isn’t at all surprising.

Tried-and-tested solutions that can reduce customer waiting time include addressing bottlenecks on a regular basis, creating self-service opportunities, and optimizing the contact center’s system and processes.

Conclusion:

Reducing customer churn goes beyond providing exceptional service and superior products, it also involves engaging your customers in a way that nurtures the business relationship.

To do this, you have to make a constant effort to keep track of your customers’ needs and then taking the necessary steps to address them through your products and services.