An optimal customer experience determines the success of your organization and your products or services. Excellent customer service is of course indispensable in this regard. In the past, this was usually managed by a call center where agents handled telephone requests. Meanwhile, more and more call centers are transforming into contact centers. The objective is still to deliver the best possible customer experience, but what is the difference? And what does that mean for your organization?

What is a call center?

A call center is a department or organization that specializes in handling telephone traffic. This concerns inbound and outbound telephone traffic. Characteristic of a call center are the large number of call center employees, the strict division of tasks, the central control and the high efficiency.

How do call centers work?

A call center can be cloud-based, or one can opt for an on-premises solution. In the latter case, all software and hardware is on the physical premises and agents are always working on-site. Cloud-based call centers are hosted in the cloud by a third-party call center software provider. This provider sets up and maintains the software and provides technical support to agents as needed. Cloud-based call centers allow agents to work remotely with only a functioning Internet connection.

Incoming and outgoing

Call centers that handle incoming calls deal with a variety of customer inquiries. These may be technical support or product information or questions about billing, delivery or scheduling appointments. In this case, agents are focused on responding to requests as quickly as possible to maximize productivity and customer satisfaction. Call centers that handle outbound calls do so because of sales, marketing, survey or collection purposes.

Four advantages of a modern call center

1. Managing high call volumes

Call center agents work through one channel and can concentrate on handling as many calls as possible through that one channel. Since all agents are trained to work through that channel, they can provide the same quality. If call volume increases during peak hours, more agents can easily be added. Cloud-based call centers are particularly scalable because agents working remotely can also be deployed very simply.

2. Provide faster and more efficient service

Technology such as a modern IVR can quickly and efficiently transfer callers to the best qualified agent available. An IVR can also be used for self-service, such as checking an account balance or delivery status. Callback capabilities eliminate the need for a customer to wait in line.

3. Reduce costs

Call centers are generally cheaper to maintain than contact centers. Cloud-based call centers offer more cost advantages than on-premise call centers because agents can be added quickly without the need for additional hardware.

4. Track progress of agents

Real-time dashboards and reports provide insight into agent performance, allowing companies to continuously improve their call center practices.

How does our Hermes 360 solution contribute?

With our Hermes environment, even with the challenges of ever-changing laws and regulations, you can create a very successful campaign for clients. For example, this solution is equipped with a powerful, predictive outbound dialer and smart reporting capabilities.

What is a contact center?

Contact centers have the same goals as call centers, but unlike call centers, they manage multiple communication channels to provide customers with an omnichannel experience. In addition to phone, contact centers can deploy text messaging, social media, email, live and video chat, which are unified in a single contact center software platform.

How do contact centers work?

Contact center agents can handle both inbound and outbound contacts. Media blending, for example, allows an agent to manage an incoming chat from one customer and then send a text message or e-mail to another. For outbound contacts, a contact center can choose to prioritize different channels for different purposes. Order confirmations and delivery status notifications can be sent by e-mail, while technical support can be provided via chat or phone. Contact center solutions are typically integrated with a CRM system to provide a complete picture of the customer. Agents can access and update customer information such as interaction history and previous purchases in the CRM. Contact centers can also be cloud-based, allowing for easy flexibility and scalability as a company’s needs change. Agents can work remotely with access to all features of the contact center solution.

Four benefits of a modern contact center

1. 360-degree customer view

When contact centers are integrated with a CRM, agents can understand the full customer context. This allows them to easily manage customer requests without asking customers to repeat information. They can also use this customer knowledge to make relevant up-selling, cross-selling and service offers. Personalized service is valued by all customers.

2. Meeting customer preferences.

Omnichannel contact centers can accommodate customers through their preferred channel. At a modern contact center, customers have a seamless experience when switching from one channel to another because agents can always access their history in the CRM system and resume the conversation where it left off.

3. Faster, proactive service and better customer experiences.

Real-time KPI dashboards and activity reports provide valuable insights that can improve agent efficiency and thus customer experience. For example, companies can better understand common reasons for service requests and proactively resolve issues. They can also track customer behavior, such as website navigation, so they can proactively contact them through channels such as live chat. Advanced ticket routing and task automation also save agents time and help them provide faster solutions to customers.

4. Integrate AI for stronger self-service

AI-powered chatbots can be used to help customers with simple requests. They can also manage the first steps of a request and transfer the customer to an agent if necessary.

How does our Hermes 360ossing contribute?

Our Hermes360 solution provides not only agility and flexibility, but – as the name suggests – a 360-degree view of all contacts. This allows you to use modern IVR technology for incoming communications – via any channel. Phone, email or chat? Everything comes in centrally and is routed to the right employee. If you need to respond quickly to your customers’ needs, you can make real-time adjustments without having to restart the software. Reversing queues, transferring calls to external call centers? No problem! Thanks to predictive data analysis, you can better design your campaigns in advance.

Choosing not necessary

With a good solution, there is no need to choose between a call center and a contact center. Our Hermes360 solution is an application that can do both types of centers. Separately or combined. It’s an intuitive, omnichannel and AI-ready cloud contact center solution that helps you deliver exceptional customer service, helps increase agent productivity and maximizes the effectiveness of your outbound call campaigns.

Curious?

About twenty years ago, we started supporting call centers. By now, most call centers have evolved into contact centers. We have included all the knowledge, skill and experience of the past two decades, which ensures that our solutions are not only smart and stable, but also provide the optimal customer experience. Want to know more? Then contact us without obligation. We will gladly work with you to find the ultimate solution for your organization. Want to get acquainted first? Stay informed by signing up for our newsletter.