#1 Banish the bad press
Sales calls have a bad reputation and no business wants to be tarred with this label. Setting up an outbound contact centre has many pitfalls and getting it wrong can easily compromise your company’s integrity and reputation. In fact, regulation in the UK regarding businesses making high volume sales or marketing calls is getting tougher.
This means that it is important that any business complies with the Communications Act 2003, which declares that it is an offence to ‘persistently make use of a public electronic communications network for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.’ Failing to do so, could lend a business in deep water and with a hefty fine. Therefore, it is important that any business worth its salt considers the commercial aspects of compliance before opting for a call center solution. ICO, TPS, GDPR, MIFiD & PCI are just some of the compliance considerations which can impact your choice.
By putting the right measures in place when choosing a call centre software solution for your business, you can confidently negotiate through the minefield of bad press, and make every sales call count.
By opting for one of the latest cloud services, such as cloud based contact centre solutions, which have integrated tools such as predictive or progressive diallers, in-built call recording features, and answer machine detection, you will ensure that compliance does not become an issue for your business.
#2 Make your business boom
If your business is reliant on dealing with a large number of clients on a daily basis across a variety of communication channels, and it has to manage large volumes of inbound and outbound calls, then investing in a tailored call centre solution is what you need.
An effective call centre phone system can enable your business to attract and retain customers, to keep callers informed of existing and new services, to empower existing customers, to ensure agent productivity, to manage efficiencies and to streamline your business operations based on data collection.
A call centre has two main functions: to serve existing customers by servicing them, and to attract new prospective customers.
Call centres are also a very useful tool in gathering data from existing customers about their experience with your service, and their preferences. You can use this data to modify your business to make it more appealing to new customers and to keep ahead of your competition.
By staying compliant, and knowing that your call centre software is automatically maximised means that managers can focus on team building, quality assurance and business strategy.
#3 Choosing your call centre software is a big deal
Choosing the right call centre software solution is crucial for your business. You will want a good quality contact centre system with the necessary inbuilt features such as outbound call centre software, and inbound call centre software that can manage sales, transactions, customer complaints, queries, support calls, recording solutions to improve staff performance, customer relationship management applications, and data recording.
But as a business owner, you already have a lot to think about and you need a high volume call centre solution that offers a quick set up with minimal upfront cost, and flexibility in terms of service and agent numbers. You need a solution that provides guidance to users and makes it easy to ensure that compliance is automatically integrated.
As regulations change frequently, a cloud based call centre software solution offers the ideal balance because the online software is updated and rolled out regularly. Whilst updates to an on-premise contact centre software solution can take a lot longer, leaving your business vulnerable and exposed in the meantime. Data centres employ robust security measures, which means that your data is often safer in the cloud than on a server in your office.
#4 Cloud software versus On-Premise software
In a nutshell, the main difference between cloud sofware and on-premise software is where it resides. On-premise software is installed locally, on your business’ computers and servers, where cloud software is a subscription model, hosted on the host’s server and accessed via a web browser.
When choosing a call centre software solution to handle high call volumes for your business, there are a few things that you need to consider, such as accessibility, software ownership, software updates and support and running costs, to name a few.
Installation
When it comes to installation, on-premise software is time consuming, and it requires a lot more planning in hardware, licencing and set up. On the other hand, a cloud technology is easy to set up and you don’t need to worry about maintaining the hardware. The system is deployed over the internet in a matter of hours or days.
Cost
The operations and ownership costs of on-premise systems are high because this call centre software solution requires purchasing hardware, licencing and the necessary rack space to house the hardware. Whilst, cloud software solutions require none of this. There is a greatly reduced hardware cost and minimum set up cost. Instead you make regular payments, which makes it an operating expense (OpEx). By paying predictable monthly payments, you will cover software licences, upgrades, support and daily back-ups. The only necessary requirement is a reliable and robust fibre broadband or Leased Line internet connection.
Call Centre Management
An on-premise call centre software solution requires managing all the systems, keeping on top of licences and the system needs regular manual updates. A cloud-based system bypasses all of this. It requires little management, no hardware management at all and only minimal on-premise IT cost. Because cloud software is hosted for you, you don’t have to worry about the maintenance of the software and hardware. Compatibility and upgrades are also taken care of by the cloud service provider.
Flexibility
With an on-premise solution, agents are required to work primarily on the premises, and there is limited option for remote access. Whilst cloud software allows for simple, remote working. You can access your applications anytime and anywhere via a web browser from any device.
Scalability
Whilst it is possible to scale both contact centre software solutions, the on-premise option requires more hardware installation, which comes at a cost. However, cloud technology provides greater flexibility as you only pay for what you use and you can easily scale to meet your growing demand.
In a competitive market where businesses increasingly need to keep up with growing customer demands, choosing a call centre phone system that can ensure seamless customer experience is paramount. Whilst on-premise software technology has its own merits, and will suit some businesses, choosing a network based service, such as cloud technology, in which an external provider owns and operates all the call centre technology, and constantly monitors for regular updates, will takes the pressure off you.
