Friday, June 26, 2009
Benefits of Using an Answering Service in Tough Economic Times
Financially supporting an in-house answering service staff has become too cost prohibitive for some businesses. Even if a company can survive with an internal staff, outsourcing an answering center costs a fraction of what permanent employees do. Comparing variables such as call length, number of calls per hour, and staffing and administrative costs shows that the expenditure is considerably less using an outsourced answering service. There are also significant costs associated with permanent employees including hiring, training, and supervising.
Customers are the number one priority, and keeping them happy with responsiveness and professionalism will lead to customer retention and increased business. An answering center staff is highly trained to represent a company knowledgeably, and promote products and services expertly. The prompt response time and constant availability of operators increases customer approval by allowing more interaction with customers. An outsourced answering service staff should be taught to promote the desired company image through extensive instruction. The staff standards should be high with elevated expectations for education and training.
Time Communications, Inc. answering services have been in business since 1972 in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Timecommunications.biz offers a highly trained and skilled staff, and they have the most powerful communication systems available. Their high quality services and expectations paired with excellent communications with clients results in money saving and increased profits.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Live Chat - Making Your Web Site Talk
Let’s first examine why people leave your site without making a purchase. The bane of all ecommerce sites is the abandoned shopping cart, the incompleted transaction. Studies estimate that up to 75% of all shopping carts are abandoned before the sale is closed. All that effort and money, and you failed to close the sale.
Why the high number of abandoned shopping carts? The answer to that may lie in who is doing the shopping. For example, the "me" generation wants everything now, skimming over information; whereas older shoppers may take the time to read everything on the cart pages and expect to be assured that it's safe to do business with you. If your cart software is more than a couple of years old, chances are it's missing a lot of the features that are standard these days that shoppers expect. Like any online technology, carts have come a long way. For example, some shopping carts allow you to grab the email contact details of the customer early on in the checkout process, which then allows you to follow up with the person should he/she abandon the cart.
One of the easiest ways to increase your ecommerce profits is to add a feature that will allow real time interaction with your visitors and a real live person.
With a Live Chat feature your shoppers will be able to get questions answered before they get frustrated and leave your site. Live Chat is easy to place on your web site and with the assistance of a 24/7 call center you are never closed. Live Chat will help boost sales, helps to reassure your visitors and makes ecommerce more "human."
Another simple solution to the empty cart problem is to offer phone and ordering assistance. With an 800 telephone number connected to a 24/7 call center, assistance is always available.
This is particularly helpful with big ticket items. No matter how simple your cart is, some folks just won't get it. No matter what you do to show you're a legit business, some still won't trust you. Whether you offer Live Chat or an 800 telephone number to call, you will see an increase in sales as a result of offering these user-friendly services.
Monday, March 16, 2009
How To Hire Virtual Office Services
For the small home-based business or the newly established organization, professional virtual offices offer a convenient and cost-effective way to create a professional image for your company. And for the established small business, virtual offices can provide the extra services and the sophisticated atmosphere that it needs to increase its productivity and profitability. The purpose of a professional virtual office service is to provide a professional business environment for your organization or an exclusive address for personal use.
Finding a virtual office service alternative to standard office setup is a growing trend across many different kinds of businesses. Using a virtual office service allows individuals to work from home while conducting most of their businesses over internet or phone. Virtual office is used to cover a range of activities. You can tailor your own virtual office solution from a variety of services.Virtual office services are unique services that can enhance your business image with a fraction of cost of full-time office space.
Using a 24/7 Telephone Answering Service is a Smart Choice-Answering your business calls reliably and in a professional manner, shows that you care about your customers. A virtual office receptionist service allows you the option to have your calls answered in the company’s name. With virtual office services, you do not have to worry that you might be missing important messages because a real person always answers the telephone with the number of your company, handle your mails, faxes and relay your messages as per your instructions. Phone answering service allows you to work from anywhere, giving your small business a competitive edge.You have to pay a nominal fee and rent the services as and when needed basis.
A 24/7 answering service will provide a dedicated phone number and voice mail with call forwarding services. During normal office hours, all calls will be answered by a virtual attendant in your company’s name. The line will never be busy and will never go unanswered. Your emails can also be answered by the answering service, allowing you to work on your core business "making money".
In the midst of an economic recession, the advantages of professional virtual office are immeasurable. In today’s environment, the need for cost-cutting measures in physical office, transportation and hiring secretarial staff is inevitable. A virtual office perfectly suits the needs of individuals that work from home, companies that have no requirement for a full time office, those companies, which do not have the requisite budget for a physical office, medium to small-scale companies and new start up companies and they provide customized packages as per the needs of your company.In today’s ever-changing business climate, speed and flexibility are essential for success in any business and this is what virtual office packages are intended for.
Virtual office packages are for those who want to create a professional office setting appearance, at the same time do not need a full time office. Various packages are available and depending upon your needs, you have to choose the service that will best fit your company. Whether you need to establish your corporate presence or a conference/meeting room on an hourly basis, virtual office packages offer a wide variety of services to manage your business flow.
Virtual offices are very flexible and cater for the needs of all size and types of business. Investing in an office infrastructure is not necessary for many small businesses.
In a virtual office, you work from your home as you always have, yet your business has a prestigious phone number. To the outside world, you are sitting in a downtown location.
The virtual office fits all types of business needs-whether you have a new home business or an on-the-go professional. Using the services of a virtual office on a ‘pay as you use’ basis, such as using a telephone answering service might be a cheaper option to consider. These packages are extremely flexible and ideal for any business.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
FOR NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESSES, THE BENEFITS OF
Certainly, the basic value of outsourcing has been well-documented. Depending on the industry, the benefits can range from dramatic cost savings to reduction of inventory, to the fact that it allows companies to focus on their core competencies. When it comes to some specialized tasks, the advantages of outsourcing are, frankly, not even open to question.
What is still up for debate, however, is whether to adopt an onshore or offshore approach. For purposes of this (or most any) discussion, “onshore” outsourcing refers to the use of an outsourcer located on the same continent as the customer company; “offshore,” logically, would be anywhere else – including halfway around the world. While each approach has distinct merits, it is instructive to examine specific outsourcing scenarios to determine which line of attack is optimal. For example, if you are a North American company seeking to outsource your customer service department or wish to make a major upgrade to your company’s accessibility by offering 24/7 service, the onshore strategy is a significantly better method. Let’s examine the rationale:
Practical Experience
Generally speaking, if you stay onshore in the North American market, you can
identify talent that has extensive expertise in your domain. For example, if you’re a catalog company, the United States can offer a wealth of experience in mailing and printing options which you can identify and effectively utilize. In fact, the availability of expertise in North America for virtually any hightech sector you can name – especially telecommunications and networking - is a fact of outsourcing life.
Location, Location, Location
One of the key reasons why onshore is frequently a better outsourcing option is
proximity. When a North American company begins working with an outsourcer only a few hundred or even a thousand miles away, hopping on a plane for an in-person meeting, generally speaking, convenient as well as affordable. Taking a trip to India,however, is neither convenient nor economical, which discourages the face-to-face interaction that, while not essential on a daily basis, can become critical if and when a project begins to veer off-course.
Without question, distance issues can be mitigated somewhat through the use of phones, e-mail, instant messaging, and even videoconferencing. However, it’s not the same as getting into a room together and being able to discuss a project in a real-time,personal manner.
Time is a close relative of distance. Consider: The two points furthest apart from each other – latitudinally – in North America are separated by just four time zones. Thus, it would be relatively simple to set up a conference call at a time that is well within business hours for both sides. On the other hand, try putting a call between New York and China. It is likely to mean that at least one of the parties will be forced to get up too early or go to bed too late. Further, when you’re thousands of miles and multiple time zones apart, it’s difficult to have those all-important creative juices flowing on a real-time basis.
Language Barriers
One of the most obvious quandaries of an offshore set-up is the language issue. A North American company dealing with a North American outsourcer can rest assured that both parties will communicate in English; the same cannot necessarily be guaranteed when dealing with a foreign outfit, creating an obstacle whose effect cannot be overstated. What’s more, even if the outsourcer’s key personnel do speak English, they may not be completely versed in some of the quirky phrases and local dialect that can make English much harder to comprehend.
Political/Financial Stability
One other hidden value of offshore outsourcing is the political stability in North America. A quick glance at any major newspaper or media outlet will highlight the nefarious actions taking place in many parts of the world – a terrorist attack here, a coup d’etat there. What’s more, many foreign countries are suffering through economic crises that make the current problems in the United States pale in comparison.
Total Project Cost
From a dollar perspective, the lure of offshore outsourcing can be particularly potent. Without a doubt, the labor cost is significantly lower in popular outsourcing destinations. However, there are hidden and not-so-hidden costs that must be taken into account. Language barriers, time zone differences, even the design culture not only create obstacles to timely, effective product development and delivery; they carry hard, actual costs. Language issues can require interpreter services and can result in product development miscues. Lack of proximity will lead to huge travel expenses when a face-to-face meeting is necessary.
The cost of overall project management is another variable that must be accounted for. Far less management is usually required on the part of the customer who utilizes onshore resources. This naturally has to do with time, distance, geography, design culture, and other dynamics cited earlier. But it is even more closely correlated to the experience factor than anything else. Because the offshore team is often more inexperienced in the specific development or market area that the customer is seeking,tighter project management and oversight will be required, putting the client company in the position of “hand holding” the offshore talent to ensure that everything flows smoothly.
Conclusion
With an experienced staff, close proximity, negligible time difference, and real-time interaction, the discussion of onshore vs. offshore should be an open and shut case.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
How much are you paying to have your easy questions answered?
The first step is to identify the most commonly asked questions and to find a solution to answer them. This might include having the product on our floor so our customer service representatives can actually give hands-on instruction, or might involve walking your caller through a decision tree.
The second step is to implement that solution into our system. In most instances, we will meet with the client and map out a decision tree. We also identify how the customers want their calls escalated. Options include, fax, e-mailing, and call patching to name a few.
The third is training. We know training is critical. Some of our clients visit our facility to conduct training. Others choose to use webinars. It can be as simple, or extensive, as needed or comfortable with.
The fourth is monitoring. Time Communications monitors all activity and records phone calls. There is a supervisor for every eight employees who regularly listens and evaluates phone calls based on a set criteria of excellence.
Questions? Give us a call. We would be happy to talk to you further about how we can help.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Value of a Customer Service Support Representative
The Customer Service Support Representative is a vital link between your customers and your business. They are an extension and ambassador of your company. The value of their role is foremost the most important communication you can have with your customers.
Skills of a Valued Customer Service Support Representative
A Customer Service Support Representative has specific training and expertise in many areas. Their skills are listed but not limited to:
- How to assess customer business needs and exceed customer expectations
- Critical thinking skills to resolve incidents quickly and consistently
- Active listening skills and effective communication strategies
- How to identify and defuse challenging customer behavior
- An awareness of the core processes and best practices used in service and support
Training of a Valued Customer Service Support Representative
The Customer Service Support Representative may be the first and only communication that your customer has with your business. It is essential that they have the tools, knowledge and training to be successful. The Customer Service Support Representative may work in a variety of areas, in diverse ways with the principle object of helping customers. Their success will be your successes.
Rewards of a Valued Customer Service Support Representative
Make sure each Customer Service Support Representative knows their value. It is important to provide them with an environment in which to thrive and grow. Continued education and training builds confidence and that will shine through to your customers. They say you can actually hear a smile through the telephone. Incentives and rewards for accomplishments and milestones go a very long way.
The first impression that a Customer Service Support Representative makes on your customer is one that will last. The importance of learned skills, comprehensive training, and rewards makes the difference on your business. Know the value of a good Customer Service Support Representative.
Linda Dunkelberger is a freelance writer and editor working for Time Communications (www.TimeCommunications.biz). The article "The Value of a Customer Service Support Representative" highlights the advantages and value of having a skilled Customer Service Support Representative handling your business. Time Communications is a call center providing quality telecommunications services to large and small businesses since 1972.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Outsourcing in a Turndown Economy
Companies of all sizes are experiencing shifts in their normal operations that in most cases means that there is a shortage of dollars flowing into the company. Less income in most situations will result in people losing their jobs.
Does this mean the end to wonderful customer service that a company was providing prior to the current business downswing? Not necessarily. There are alternatives to sacrificing great customer service when the economy turns sour and companies are faced with difficult operating decisions.
One of the most efficient and effective ways to maintain great customer service and reduce the expense of corporate overhead and the cost of maintaining equipment is to build a relationship with a call center that has a history of partnering with companies that outsource their customer service.
Today’s call centers are much more than friendly people that help others. They can provide agents that are as well-versed in your company philosophy as your own staff. They offer around-the-clock service which is something 99% of most companies don’t offer.
Talk about standing out in a crowd. How about marketing 24/7 service with live caring people to help you.
No one enjoys the situation of “press one for this and two for that”, the backlash to voicemail is growing by the day. Everyone hates it, yet it takes a simple commitment to end it and return to having live friendly people representing your company in a way that makes callers notice the difference in the way they are treated when calling your company.
Working with a call center also gives you the opportunity to gain important marketing information. Most company’s telephone systems are inadequate when it comes to tracking call history. A call center with its advanced telephony system can create reports that will pinpoint information that will help shape your marketing decisions.
Today’s call center will provide so much more than just a friendly voice. Marketing data, cost savings, increased level of customer satisfaction, and the ability to service your callers 24/7 are just a few of the benefits you will experience when partnering with a call center.