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Not all enterprises are outsourcing their phone operators to India, and a large market persists for technology solutions to make enterprise call centers and customer service operations run more efficiently. Channel partners are in a position to help their customers find a solution that works, and reap financial rewards in the process, by selling accompanying network services.
A prime consideration for any business operating on margin is the sheer cost of receiving a call for customer service. In addition to the charges for the phone service, companies rack up bills for the customer service representative (CSR) payroll and the physical environment in which they work. The hardware, software and back-end systems with which CSRs interact to provide customer service is another expense to consider.
The move to reduce operational and fixed expenditures in these cost centers has made outsourcing attractive to many corporations. However, outsourcing also requires a fair amount of investment in training and brings with it a set of considerations such as language barriers, a lack of product fluency, and the need for volume to achieve ROI. Not every business wishes to trade one set of concerns for another.
One option is to leverage the power of VoIP. Increasingly, IP contact centers are viable alternatives for companies hoping to take a less radical approach than outsourcing to reduce expenditures.
IP contact centers use VoIP technology to eliminate some of the expense of facilities. Companies can create a virtual call center that spans wide geographic areas and crosses multiple time zones. To save on real estate, agents can work from home, from branch offices or from a traditional call center. Toll charges for the calls are reduced or eliminated, and rather than maintain separate voice and data infrastructures, companies can converge them. The result? A unified network that can operate more efficiently, reducing staffing and training costs.
Hosted alternatives also exist. A rose by any other name you say? Not so. Outsourcing customer care is a far cry from making use of a hosted software solution to take the costs out of operations.
Remotely built, managed and delivered, companies can pay a monthly fee to give representatives the use of the phone, voice mail, e-mail, chat and the Internet without investing in the complex web of hardware and software traditionally required to build a contact center. The CSR merely turns on his or her computer, logs on, and receives access to a suite of services, delivered over a secure IP connection.
Another solution for making call centers more efficient is in management. Software platforms can be licensed and implemented for the purpose of creating a consolidated view of the customer. CSRs often have between five and 10 different applications and information views when dealing with a customer. Toggling back and forth between views, placing the customer on hold and not being fully informed about the account can lengthen call times and lessen customer satisfaction. Customer relationship management systems integrate with the CSRs systems to provide one view of the customer account dashboard-style that can streamline the number of screens at a CSRs disposal. That results in better service and shorter calls, which in turn reduces staffing and training costs.
Channel partners can win in the frenzy to reduce customer service expenses by providing a well-researched set of alternatives for their enterprise customers. Consulting fees, commissions on network services, margin on VoIP gear and software spiffs are just a few of the revenue opportunities the call center market can provide.
