In the business world, inbound and outbound calls are increasingly managed by a contact center, also known as a call center. Customer service teams at these centers use a range of strategies and call center software built specifically for the industry.
These centers manage customer interactions as well as serve a vital role in lead management. With call center services, enterprise businesses can efficiently answer consumer questions, schedule follow-up calls, troubleshoot product and service issues, and connect with leads.
Is your company looking for a telemarketing software solution? Our guide below shares information on the most popular contact center software. This guide is designed to help you make informed choices when it comes to selecting the contact center solution you need to grow your business.
The Role of the Call Center
The call center is the conduit between a company and its customers. Sometimes referred to as contact centers or customer service centers, call centers provide several essential roles. These include:
- Inbound services to answer incoming phone, email, and text messages
- Reaching out to new prospects and creating connections with existing customer outreach functions
- Automated call distribution services, offering efficiency and quick response times
- Web chat services
- Organizing telephone communication channels for any size of business operation
Call center management is facilitated by powerful software solutions. Whether you’re setting up a virtual call center or cloud phone system, are implementing SMS marketing initiatives, or streamlining your sales teams with telemarketing solutions, call center software is the beating heart of contact center operations.
Call Center Software Basics
Call center software takes many forms, and each software platform will have unique tools and features to boosts sales team performance while offering superior customer support.
Software may include functions like:
- Predictive dialer tools
- Interactive voice response tools
- Automatic call distribution
- Auto dialing
- Automated lead distribution for sales professionals
- Call tracking
- Call routing
- Call recording
Traditionally, call center software was installed and managed from a centralized location. Now, cloud call center software enables companies to set up virtual contact centers in areas where inbound and outbound capabilities are needed. A cloud based phone system provides robust support, improving the customer experience with every contact. In some cases, cloud-based software solutions may offer a free trial before signing a contract for service.
Customer Relationship Management: Key Features
Telemarketing software has advanced greatly in recent years. Today, many companies are extending their capabilities with a software solution known as customer relationship management (CRM). Seamless CRM integration in a cloud based call center or physical outsourced inside sales location provides even more tools for support teams.
As a form of lead management software, CRM puts data into one place and consolidates communication across all channels. CRM software solutions are designed to manage:
- Sales documents
- Sales quotes
- Purchases
- Tasks associated with each lead and client
- Data associated with daily, weekly, and monthly sales volumes
Because a CRM is focused on improving sales efficiency, it is often referred to as a “sales engagement platform.” Small and medium businesses that may struggle with the demands of customer calls and generating leads gain significant advantages when adopting this business software.
Call Center Software vs. Outsourced Inside Sales
It is no secret that technology has streamlined many tasks in the business world. Telemarketing software is no exception. With literally hundreds of choices for enterprise applications, each software platform offers its own unique tools and functionality, allowing the telemarketing industry to select the system that works best for their operations.
While software developments have improved efficiency and workflows, there is one aspect they cannot touch: the human element. The “human touch” is intangible, yet has the potential to unlock new opportunities for you and your business.
Outsourced inside sales professionals at SalesFish provide that human touch, offering a superior experience from the very first customer contact. Our team takes the time to learn your products and services inside and out, giving them the knowledge to answer questions, inform decision making processes, and spurring sales growth.
Outsourcing Inside Sales Services
Each call center solution described above represents a significant investment for any business. Smaller organizations may not need the power of these software platforms, but may still require help with inbound calls, outbound calls, and customer management. What’s the solution for these smaller firms?
The answer is outsourcing. Whether your outsourced inside sales provider uses a cloud based platform or outbound telemarketing software, these inside sales centers have the personnel, the experience, and the skill needed to supercharge your sales processes.
SalesFish is the leading provider of outsourced inside sales services. In addition to state-of-the art technologies and processes, our talented team of sales professionals applies real-world knowledge to sales. Visit our website to learn more about the wide range of customized services we provide to our enterprise clients.