Busted Call Center Myths

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Nancy O'Connor

The answering service and call center industry helps hundreds of thousands of companies grow and succeed each year.  A study done by The Global Call Center Network states that 86% of call centers serve their domestic country only.  This statistic proves one of the biggest call center myths, that all call center representatives are located offshore to be inaccurate.  As the call center industry continues to bring jobs back to the US, we’d like to also point out a few other facts that are commonly overlooked.

Below are a few busted myths about the call center industry:

Myth #1: Bad Customer Service

BUSTED! Answering services and call centers are in business to provide customer service.  Through simple due diligence while selecting a vendor, you should easily be able to weed out which ones don’t make customer service a top priority.  A credible service provider will operate with the main objective of delivering an exceptional customer experience.  Many companies offer a quality assurance program to ensure higher service levels.

Myth #2: Language Barrier

BUSTED! Contrary to common belief, not all call centers are located offshore.  There are thousands of call centers that are strictly US-based with English speaking representatives.  Most offer Spanish support as well to accommodate the growing Spanish speaking population in the United States.

Myth #3: Lack of Knowledge About Your Business or Industry

BUSTED! Outsourcing your calls to call center doesn’t limit your service to your callers.  Call center representatives go through intense training sessions to become an extension of every business they partner with.  In most cases you can customize your account, call routing, scripting, and system integration for a seamless customer experience.

Myth #4: Too Expensive

BUSTED! Investing in a call center can actually save you money and help increase your revenue.  Many call centers employ a cost model wherein customers only pay for the time they use, whereas hiring a receptionist or FTE is an unavoidable 40 hours of labor per week plus benefits regardless of call flow.

Answering service and call centers can provide you with great customer service support at a reasonable price.  If you are looking to gain an advantage over your competitors, or expand your service for 24/7/365 availability download this white paper, ‘The questions you should ask before choosing your call center,’ to learn more.

Posted in Answering Service, Business Practices, Customer Service | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Customer Feedback Fuels Charitable Donation to SPCA

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Nancy O'Connor

Pictured from left to right: From PA SPCA, Jerry Buckley, CEO. From Appletree Answers, Stephanie Maurer, Director of Marketing, Brenda DeRocili, Operations Manager of Wilmington, and Nancy O’Connor, Marketing Coordinator and Analyst.

Here at Appletree Answers we continue to use Net Promoter surveys every quarter to ask our customers for their feedback.  We find this as an effective way to gauge our success in providing our customers with WOW experiences.  In December, we totaled 1351 responses.

The Appletree marketing team possesses a strong love for animals and has decided to make the fourth quarter donation to the Pennsylvania SPCA.  Appletree Answers donated $1 for every response received, resulting in $1351 for the SPCA.

The Pennsylvania SPCA provides many resources for animals with their shelter, veterinary clinic, surgery center, adoption center, spay and neuter clinic, grooming and of course some TLC.  The adoption center is open 365 days a year to provide the animals a greater chance to find a loving home.

We are proud to support this generous organization that saves the lives of so many animals. For more info on the Pennsylvania SPCA, visit pspca.org.

Posted in Answering Service, Appletree Culture, Customer Service, Uncategorized, marketing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Make Your One Shot a Slam Dunk

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Nancy O'Connor

You have one shot to make a first impression.  Competitors are only a tap, mouse click, or phone call away.

If you are a business that relies on a live person to handle your inbound leads to sell your products and services, it is perception and that first call experience that contributes to your success.

Developing and implementing a well thought out and impactful call scripting process can provide significant improvements to how your company is perceived by both prospects and customers.  Pre-outlined questions can increase the quality and efficiency in your call experience.  In a world where 30 seconds is considered slow, a call script offers straight to the point information and solutions.

Here are a few suggested techniques to incorporate into the development of your script:

1. Tone – Answering the phone with a smile and positive attitude translates through your voice to the caller’s mindset.  Your callers will find it refreshing to hear someone who is excited to help them.

2. Efficiency – It is much easier for a call agent to quickly select a name or service from a drop down menu than spend time typing. This also reduces room for error in spelling.

3. Acknowledge – End the script with a strong action phrase to let the caller know exactly what the next step is and when they will receive a call back. An action-oriented script will give the caller confidence that you are acknowledging their needs and are working to provide a resolution.

4. Prioritize – There are times you won’t get through an entire script with the caller. In these circumstances, the key is to gather the important information, such as name and phone number in the beginning of the script.

5. Consistency – After-hours and weekend call agents should provide the same high quality call experience as if it was the middle of a weekday. Maintain a consistent message and process around scripting no matter what hour or day it is.

Effective call scripts can be used for both in-house and outsourced representatives.  Do you have a successful call script in place?  What techniques do you find most useful?

Posted in Answering Service, Business Practices, Customer Service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Severe Weather Preparation to Save Lost Revenue

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Nancy O'Connor

As a business leader or owner, natural disasters need to be considered in your emergency or back-up plans. The way Mother Nature has been acting in recent years, extreme weather events can strike practically anywhere and at any time. Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or a simple thunderstorm businesses need an emergency plan in place to efficiently handle telecommunication outages which can hinder the ability to service existing or new customers.

Answering service and call centers provide 24/7 live answering services to businesses of all sizes. An experienced answering service should have emergency and back-up plans in place to help businesses like yours run seamlessly during extreme weather conditions. Implementing an outsourced back-up plan has the potential to save your business thousands or even millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Examples of emergency preparedness steps and how an answering service functions as a safety net:

1. Mass phone, cell phone and Internet outages: Through prior call scripting exchanges, a call center can seamlessly service your customers during outages.
2. Test generators regularly
3. Set up call routing to other locations: Services with multiple locations are able to route calls in situations where telecommunications services become interrupted.
4. Proactive in anticipating increased call volume: Answering services and call centers can handle call overflow or triage calls in high volume situations. They are able to field inbound calls and place outbound calls to customers.

There’s no way to stop Mother Nature, but you can do your best to prepare. Partnering with a multiple location answering service provides local service, backed with nationwide support. Don’t try to weather the storm yourself, partner with a 24/7 live answering service to keep your business afloat.

Posted in Answering Service, Customer Service | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Appletree Answers Donates $1,289 to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Sarah Wilson

Appletree Answers recently donated $1,289 to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network as a result of our second quarter net promoter responses. For those of you who are not familiar with our net promoter customer surveys, you can read more about these efforts from our past blog here.  Every quarter, our team chooses one non-profit organization to which we will donate $1 towards for every net promoter response we receive from our customers.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is near and dear to the heart of one of our employees at our Appletree Answers Wilmington, Delaware office. The mission of the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation is to provide unwavering support for all those afflicted with or affected by pancreatic cancer.

We’re proud to support this generous organization that improves the lives of so many. For more info on the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, visit http://www.pancan.org/

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment