Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A call center is a centralized department or office where people work to handle phone calls. Call centers are located all over the world. Some may have only a few people working in them while others may have hundreds of call center agents. The people who talk on the phones in call centers are often referred to as agents. They are trained to perform different business tasks associated with phone calls and interacting with people they talk to on the phone.

The call center agents will answer the phone, emails or messages in the name of your company.  Moreover, most clients will never know that you have hired an outside partner. Call Centers offer a great way to minimize fixed costs, increase sales production, and maximize your flexibility & scalability.

Pretty much every type of company imaginable uses call centers. From the biggest businesses and Fortune 500 companies of the world down to small businesses and solopreneurs, all sizes of businesses use call centers too. Companies of all sizes and industries rely on call center services to accomplish their goals. And virtually every industry uses call centers to support their clients and employees.

Here are some examples: large companies like banks, airlines, and well-known retailers often have their own in-house call center. Organizations of all sizes are known to outsource their phone calls to a call center. Small businesses eager for administrative support can benefit from call center services when there’s no room in the budget for hiring additional staff. Medical facilities like hospitals and doctors’ offices often rely on such call centers to help support patients. Universities and colleges sometimes partner with a call center to field their calls, answer basic questions, and route callers to the right departments. Almost any business you can think of can benefit from call center services.

Call centers provide a channel for communication via telephone. Some call centers are located within an organization and are considered “in-house.” However, many call centers actually handle phone calls on the behalf of many different businesses as third-party companies. Sometimes call centers specialize in outbound or inbound calls, while others will perform both.

Inbound calls happen when a customer, client, or other individual calls into an organization. For instance, these are examples of inbound calls – if you call a customer service department for help, dial a phone number to place an order after seeing an offer on TV, or make a call to a business to schedule an appointment. These are considered inbound calls, because the phone rings in the call center to initiate the conversation. Basically, an inbound call is when a company receives a phone call from a customer.

Outbound calls occur when a business or organization initiates a call with a customer or client. For instance, a cable company might dial up a customer who is late on their monthly bill to request payment. Telemarketing is also a common type of outbound calling. These are examples of an outbound calls since the call center is taking the initiative to reach out to the consumer.

Inbound call centers answer phones, but don’t typically dial them. Rather than dialing customers themselves, agents answer calls as they are placed by consumers. Telemarketing does not occur at an inbound call center. Common types of calls at an inbound call center include customer support, order taking, IT support, and answering questions for callers. MAP Communications is an example of an inbound call center.

The outbound section of the customer service department revolves around the agent contacting the client/ customer on behalf of the company. This is usually for the purposes of sales where that client would fall into the targeted audience. Furthermore, the agent could be contacting the agent for a follow-up on a specific matter if he has the customer’s data available in front of him/her and taking the customer’s feedback.