Call Answering or Call Center Services? Solve the Dilemma

Line of call centre employees working on computers

Call answering services are not the same as what you get from a call center. Well, there are similarities in these two service industry segments. But, it is the uniqueness in each that separates them from functioning the same way. First off, most call centers will have call agents on-site. That is not the case in call answering service providers. Here, call agents can choose to be on- or off-site. That gives the call answering service provider the flexibility of working with call agents from different geographical locations and languages.

With such an arrangement, you get a broad scope of call answering services to address the needs of your clients irrespective of their language and location.

Matters cost and training

Phone call answering agents being able to offer the services remotely reduces the cost of the service, thus saving you on the associated fees of outsourcing these services. Working with a call answering service provider will also save you the cost of employing in-house call agents. You can spend the extra money on the budget for call answering to hire more agents during the peak seasons from your products or services. That will ensure the call answering agents address every complaint timely and satisfactorily during these peak times.

Moreover, such an arrangement gives you the liberty to reduce or increase the number of call answering agents depending on the need for the service. With a call center, you would have to, instead, keep working with the same number of agents even during the low season, which is not a cost-effective arrangement.

Matters training

The diversification in phone call answering services gives you the liberty to vet and choose call agents that you deem are best to represent your products or services. Since most of these call agents have a solid background in customer service, they have a close mastery of the skills that call answering service industry requires. With that, you will have less of training to do, unlike in call centers where the employees need training into the dos and don’ts of that call center.

For call answering agents, all that you will require doing is informing the agents on the products and services that your business deals with. You also can have an opening and closing spiel that the agents can follow when answering the calls.

Conclusion: Calls at any time

Manager assisting young female customer service agent while employees working in call center

Most call answering service providers have many freelance agents from different time zones. That comes as a plus for such a model unlike in call centers where most have a rigid work schedule which, in most cases, excludes night hours. But, you well know that some of your customers could have issues with using your products or service even late at night. So, with call answering call agents being available to work around the clock, you will ensure you address your customers’ queries whenever they call. This prompt response to your product and service issues further improves customer experience, which, in return, raises your business reputation.

It is time you outsourced from a call answering service provider, and save your company the trouble and cost of setting up a call center.

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