All posts tagged: contact center

Dialpad Review (2024): An AI-Powered VoIP Solution

Dialpad Review (2024): An AI-Powered VoIP Solution

Published by Webster

Dialpad’s fast facts Starting price: $15 per user per month Key features: Unlimited calls and meetings. Multi-level auto attendant. Built-in call analytics. Real-time AI call transcriptions. HIPAA/BAA compliance. Dialpad is a feature-rich business communication platform with a clean dashboard and modern user-experience. The company invested heavily in AI and machine learning, long before they were the hottest contact center trends — and the payoff is that even the cheapest Dialpad products are infused with the latest AI capabilities. While the entry-level plan comes at an attractive price point, Dialpad’s contact center solutions are fairly average for the space in terms of price. Dialpad is best suited for contact centers and sales teams looking to automate and boost productivity. Small businesses looking for basic calling features will get a better value elsewhere. 1 RingCentral Office Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Medium (250-999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees) Medium, Enterprise, Large Features Hosted PBX, Managed PBX, Remote User Ability, and more Dialpad’s pricing Dialpad has four …

9 Cold Calling Tips That Close Deals Like Clockwork

9 Cold Calling Tips That Close Deals Like Clockwork

Published by Webster

I understand why some people are too afraid to make cold calls — it’s hard, grindy work, with lots of rejection. Fine. I agree. But those are also the reasons why people who are good at cold calling are so valuable. A successful cold call converts contact information into a lead, meeting, demo, sale, or a new business relationship. It is an incredibly powerful way to drive the growth of a business. These cold calling tips are practical, low-complexity tactics you can use to increase your odds of a positive outcome. That’s it. I’m not even going to try to convey the art of cold calling here, or somehow pass on the personality traits you must have in order to survive — you’ll figure it out, or you will find another role that comes more naturally than cold outreach. 1. Treat the gatekeeper as a stakeholder It takes some finesse to convince the person who answers the phone to forward your message up the ladder. Respecting these “gatekeepers” is a much better strategy than trying …

7 No-Fluff Cold Call Script Examples You Can Steal

7 No-Fluff Cold Call Script Examples You Can Steal

Published by Webster

You don’t want to waste peoples’ time, and you certainly don’t want to waste your own. With a cold call script, sticking to the fundamentals is a good idea, especially early on. Here are seven efficient and effective scripts you can use to get started. Plug in your company’s information, tweak the script so that it sounds natural for your reps, and then pick up the phone. 1. Cold call script for B2B sales Rep: Hi, this is [NAME] with [COMPANY], is [CONTACT] available? Contact: What do you want? Rep: Do you have two minutes to talk about how to improve your customer service with an upgraded CRM? Contact: Not really… Rep: No problem, I totally understand. Can I send you a quick email with a rundown of how our CRM increases first call resolution rates by 50% within the first month? This script is useful because it contains the core elements that any cold call needs to get off the ground — a transparent welcome, a quick statement of intent, and empathy throughout. The …

5 Call Queue Management Tips to Survive Peak Hour Traffic

5 Call Queue Management Tips to Survive Peak Hour Traffic

Published by Webster

Periods of heavier-than-usual call traffic are inevitable for any type of call center. If you can handle call queue management effectively, it presents an opportunity for your team to strengthen customer relationships and relish the achievement of a job well done. If not, peak calling hours can become stressful communication choke points that lead to high customer churn and rampant employee burnout. The tiniest tweaks in your approach can make all the difference — we’ve gathered the best examples below. 1. Implement a callback option Offering callers the option to receive a call back rather than waiting on hold is a win-win. It’s one less caller in the queue, immediately, and that caller is usually excited to get back to their life instead of waiting on hold. When the call-volume subsides, you can call them back, and it’s fine. I love the option of getting a call back, and it’s becoming so common that I am starting to get frustrated when companies don’t offer it. It’s such a better experience than having to half pay …

High Call Center Queuing Times? 5 Causes With Easy Fixes

High Call Center Queuing Times? 5 Causes With Easy Fixes

Published by Webster

Long hold times are one of the biggest sources of frustration for callers. Excessive call center queuing leads to abandoned calls, poor customer experience, and can even impact sales and loyalty. If your call center is plagued by high queue times, it’s crucial to identify and address the root causes. In this article, we’ll explore five common reasons behind lengthy queues and provide actionable fixes to help you reduce wait times and improve caller satisfaction. 1. Outdated phone menus Have you ever called a business only to be met with a maze of menu options that don’t quite fit what you’re looking for? It’s a common frustration for callers. As customer needs shift and products evolve, phone menus often lag behind, leading to a rise in callers pressing “0” to speak to an agent, thus adding to the queue. The fix? Identifying outdated menus and updating them based on current caller needs and customer feedback. And this is easier than you think. Detecting outdated menus becomes more efficient with call center AI tools providing real-time …

How To Use Call Center Outsourcing and Protect Your Brand

How To Use Call Center Outsourcing and Protect Your Brand

Published by Webster

Shifting to call center outsourcing is a big decision because it represents a major change in how your business engages with its customers. Agents from a different business will become your brand’s new first touch point — it can be scary giving up that level of control, but it’s worth it if you need the extra help. In this article, you’ll get a roadmap to help you navigate the complexities of outsourcing call center activities to a third party without sacrificing your brand. How to assess call center outsourcing options The first choice you’ll need to make is whether to go with a U.S.-based call center or an offshore call center. If your priority is cultural alignment and native English communication, a U.S.-based call center will help ensure your customer service experience is coherent and closely connected to your brand identity. If cost savings and service availability are your main priorities, an offshore call center is your best bet. Located in countries like the Philippines or India, offshore call centers are more affordable and offer …

7 Causes of Call Center Burnout Any Employer Can Address

7 Causes of Call Center Burnout Any Employer Can Address

Published by Webster

Call center burnout is a real phenomenon that affects your most dedicated employees. The harder someone is willing to work, the greater the chances they eventually burn out. The mediocre-to-average employee? You don’t really have to worry about them burning out — they’re never going to work hard enough to be in danger. That’s the issue. Call center burnout affects the people who show up every day and give it their all. These are the people you don’t want to lose. They are hard and expensive to replace. The good news? Burnout isn’t inevitable. Addressing its root causes can strengthen your call center teams and dramatically reduce turnover. Let’s explore seven key causes of call center burnout and learn how to ensure your best agents thrive. 1. Not enough employee training Lack of training is the real root cause of so many other stressors because it sets agents up for failure. When agents aren’t prepared to handle customer issues, they’re more likely to: Feel overwhelmed by complex situations they can’t resolve. Experience frustration from giving …

8 Simple Call Center Best Practices That Require alt=

8 Simple Call Center Best Practices That Require $0 Spend

Published by Webster

If you have ever worked in a call center, then you know following best practices is really hard. For many teams, especially those with high turnover, just getting through the day is difficult enough. So I’m not blogging from an ivory tower acting like it’s easy to maintain call center best practices — it’s not — it requires dedicated managers and constant training. But it is really important. If you lose sight of the fundamentals, every day is going to be that much harder. I’ve identified eight critical call center best practices. It won’t take you long to read, it won’t cost you a dollar to implement, and you will start seeing gains immediately. 1. Recognize great call center employees There is nothing touchy-feely about this. One of the chief reasons that people leave their job is lack of recognition. Turnover costs money. Therefore you can save your company money by recognizing employees who are doing a good job. One of the most insane call center statistics is the average turnover rate — it’s about …

How to Detect Call Avoidance Without Micromanaging

How to Detect Call Avoidance Without Micromanaging

Published by Webster

When call center reps avoid taking calls, it creates problems across your entire operation.  Customers get stuck on lengthy hold times, the call queue gets longer, and other reps have to step in and shoulder a heavier workload to keep pace. With call avoidance, the bad reps take a break, while the good ones get burned out. And the reps know what’s going on — they might not tell their manager, but they know who is working hard and who is slacking off. If the serial call avoider doesn’t face any consequences, their colleagues start avoiding calls, too. I know this is hard. I know this is uncomfortable. No adult wants to have to babysit another adult and make sure they stay on task. Unfortunately, call avoidance is really common. And if you don’t address it quickly, the behavior will spread. Call avoidance has become an art form Some reps work so hard at avoiding calls that it’s a shame they can’t redirect all that creative energy into doing their actual job. I’m not being …

An Outbound Dialer Will Help You Win the Numbers Game

An Outbound Dialer Will Help You Win the Numbers Game

Published by Webster

An outbound dialer is software that automates and manages outgoing phone calls. It dials from a list of phone numbers and connects an agent if and when someone picks up. By automating the dialing process, they’re able to reduce repetitive manual tasks. This is a big deal when call center agents are making hundreds of calls a day. Implemented well, dialers can boost employee productivity and reduce burnout at the same time. Outbound dialers: Benefits and tradeoffs These are powerful tools, but you can’t just set an agent up with an outbound dialer and expect anything good to happen. There is backend work involved in deploying an outbound dialer effectively and serious legal penalties for misusing one. Before we get too in the weeds, here’s a 10,000 foot view of the benefits and tradeoffs of using an outbound dialer. Benefits: Tradeoffs: Increased number of calls per hour — without hiring more agents. Less agent busywork — more talk time. Call security is handled by the vendor — agents can work from anywhere safely. There are …