Modern businesses have come to realize that the key to a healthy profit margin is not just cutting expenses. It also involves finding new sources of revenue. A customer service or technical support department has contact with far more customers than marketing staff, so the most effective call center solutions include ways to turn those contacts into revenue opportunities.

The Old Way

Traditional call center solutions were built around the idea of the operation as a burden on the budget. Customer service and technical support departments were seen as expense sinks and the best way to run them was to minimize costs. Call center analytics were used to find the best way to shove customers through the system, often without thinking about how clients would react to the treatment.

Unfortunately this often led to short-sighted decisions such as cutting staff and forcing customers to use automation solutions whether they wanted to or not. Customers objected and a common complaint was that it was impossible to talk to a human being anymore. This new philosophy looked good on paper, but ultimately led to unhappy consumers and lost business.

A New Philosophy

At some point, smart managers realized that every incident of customer contact was a promotional opportunity. Building relationships with callers rather than treating them as problems or annoyances mean a better company image, happier clients and more sales.

Today's call center solutions put the service back into customer service. They work to solve the customer's problem quickly, but without making the caller feel rushed or unimportant. They include automated solutions for those who want them, but also offer the option of personal contact for those customers whose problems can't be handled by phone menus and online applications, or who just feel more comfortable talking to a person than a computer. In addition to direct benefits improving customer satisfaction, these changes allow agents to talk to customers about additional services or plan upgrades, thus increasing company revenue.

Managing The New Operation

Despite the change in philosophy, one aspect of call center solutions remains the same. It is important to keep operating costs low by manage agents efficiently. Matching staffing levels with call traffic is an important element to managing department expenses, employee morale and customer satisfaction.

The latest generation of call center software uses analytics to evaluate and predict traffic patterns so managers can staff accordingly, and agents can change their behavior in response to fluctuating queues. Customers are happier because they spend less time and hold and get the human interaction they want. Agents love the system since they talk to fewer angry callers and feel less pressure to force callers off the line.

Call center solutions are comprehensive plans that include technology and cost cutting measures, but never lose site of the goal of serving customers and improving company profits.