Does your Startup need a Call Center? How to Select one
Are you about to start up your new business? Do you know what you need to think about first?
Yes, customers!
Not only what and how are you serving, but also work upon the after service care of customers. For instance, once they have got your product or service, how will you maintain a long-term relationship with them!
Remember, every customer is an important and detrimental factor for any business that comes into existence. Simply because you are a startup and cannot afford high-end end solutions like those big companies in our competition, you cannot lose your customers considering that you can make up with the new customers in line.
Thus, customer service and support is an important aspect for the startups. And, this is where a call center comes into existence.
How can a call Center help your startup?
Call centers are more than just answering the customers. While you might not have them as their priority, we shall let you know that it is needed.
A startup can benefit a lot from accessing the services from the call centers.
- You can focus on building avant-garde services or products or brands and thus improve work efficiency, focus, and productivity.
- You can save a lot of time and money as you want to be resourceful when you are starting a startup.
- Have experienced people answer and tackle the customers efficiently by answering their questions and catering to their needs. This contributes to customer retention and loyalty.
Now, as a startup, you would want what’s best for the business. And, it is no different when it comes to choosing the call center for your business. Stepping out in search of the best call center for your business, you will be lured by the big names that outsource with thousands of agents working in numerous locations with the most advanced technologies.
But, you have to focus on your needs as a startup. Each business has its own peculiar needs, and so will you. Of course, you cannot go for something that involves a huge infrastructure and big investments as a startup.
Since call centers are a bridge between customers and the business, you have to choose the one that suits both your and the customers’ needs.
What to look for while choosing the call Center for your business?
Pricing model
First, since you are a startup, you should focus on the pricing model as per the deliverables you are offered by a certain company. Of course, outsourcing the call center solutions is the best approach, but it still involves a little cost. Therefore, you must define a budget for your call center solutions and different call centers offer different charges to clients.
Some have a monthly subscription whereas some charge on a minute basis. So, based upon your needs and customers, choose the pricing plan that suits your business and does not burn a hole in your pocket. Also, remember that having dedicated agents can be a little costly compared to the shared agents.
A large call center company can approach you with a fair-seeming charge but it can turn out a little costly in the long terms considering the additional component’s costs.
It is best to go for the small or medium-sized companies where you can get most of the services on a limited budget. They have flexible plans and can accommodate as per your business and not rigid like the large companies.
Personalized Service and Flexibility
Whether you want to be big fish in a small pond or a small one in the big one- the choice is yours. When you are associated with large companies, they will not give enough attention to your business as they have others to cater to.
As a startup, you need a call center that shares the same passion and vision with you as well as serves the customers efficiently. Since you’re a startup you ought to be in an experimental mode with your projects. So, you need a call center that is flexible with your changes and delivers the best results.
Expertise and Experience working with startups
Call center companies with a little experience with startups can understand what you face. They get your environment and the changes that you might come up with. Also, they can work together with you to come up with a solution that suits the needs of both parties.
Being a startup, it is difficult for you to hire individual people for a specific task. Thus, you need a call center where the people are flexible and willing to multi-task. You can ask them to allow you to screen the candidates before they are allotted to your project.
Agents with prior experience bring stability to the customer service and sales as they resolve the issues tactfully. Not only the customer resolution becomes quick but you also retain your customers and build long-term relations with them.
Reporting and Insights
You just do not want the agents to merely reply to your customers, right? As and when an agent handles a customer, a lot of data is collected and that needs to be managed and stored somewhere safe.
So, the next thing you should look for is the quality of reporting and insights the call center provides. Are you looking for shallow or deep insights on the conversations with the customers? How often do you want the reports to be shared by you?
If you need the insights and are really particular about it, mention them to your call center partner beforehand. Let them know whether you want the reports monthly, weekly, or daily.
Service Availability
Last but not the least, you must know how a call center handles its technical issues. Will that impact your customers or business? Are they well prepared with an alternative? Do they have proactive measures to not let their technical issues affect your business?
The best call center for you is on which you can depend and have an enduring disaster recovery strategy in place. This makes sure that your startup is up and running smoothly.
So, what’s the wait for? Hunt your best call center or look for a virtual contact center solution from the comfort of your home!