Business Process Outsourcing Services

SERVICES DETAILED SPECIALTIES REMARKS

Inbound
-Telephone Answering

-Appointment Management

-Building Maintenance

-Emergency Call Center Services

-Technical support

-Disaster Response

-Dispatch

-Help Desk
CONTACT CENTER
-Direct Response

-Hotlines

-Loyalty Programs

-Order Processing

-Recall

-Virtual Receptionist

Outbound
-Appointment Setting
-Collection Reminders

-Lead Generation

- Technical support

- Market Research

- Mystery Shopping

- Payment Protection

- Event Registration

- Telesales

- Tele-marketing

- Loyalty Programs
 - Order Processing

- Welcome, Verification Calls

- Welcome calls

- develop technology-enabled
solutions including
-Software Solutions customized CRMs & industry
TECHNOLOGY -Infrastructure
specific applications
-Hardware Solutions
-host the complete contact
-Technology Advisory
center set up which includes
staff, infrastructure &
technology support.
-distribute industry leading
contact center products.
-optimizing the complete
telephony technology setup.

-To help you control the

heavy UGC (User Generated
Content)
-To help you moderate this
content by monitoring
different content types
(Images, Videos, Posts,
CONTENT MODERATION Comments, ..etc.)
-To make sure the content is
acceptable by your brand
and within your
guidelines/Policy, to
protects your Online
Platform from indecorous
contents that can affect the
reputation of your company.
Top 11 call center skills every agent needs
(soft skills + hard skills)
Let’s face it: being a call center agent is a tough job. And being a hiring manager tasked with finding people who have
call center skills is no walk in the park, either. A wrong decision made during the hiring process can have far-reaching
effects, and not the good kind.
That said, a call center manager who understands the qualities that an effective customer service agent must have—
from personal attributes to technical skills—stands a much better chance of hiring the right candidate.
In this guide we’ll examine what a call center supervisor should look for in a customer service representative, as well
as tips for how managers can help agents provide great customer service.

11 important call center skills of successful agents

•Technical skill
•Channel experience
•Aptitude with data
•Bilingualism
•Tenacity
•Flexibility
•Communication skills
•Process-oriented
•Problem-solving skills
•Empathy
•Consultation
When looking for the right candidates, you’ll want to consider both hard and soft skills (hint: both are very important).
1. Technical skill
Test candidates for their ability to search for and evaluate documentation, such as self-service articles and notes left
in customer records in call center software. Have they used a support tool before? Do they have well-developed
computer skills?
2. Channel experience
This might seem obvious, but previous phone support experience is vital. In previous support roles, how many calls
per shift did they typically resolve? Can they explain best practices and provide examples of how they have handled
challenging situations?
3. Aptitude with data
See if a candidate has a basic understanding of data analysis and can navigate and understand dashboards.
4. Bilingualism
Perhaps your business will be going to expand into a new region, or you already serve clientele that require support
in multiple languages. A bilingual or multilingual call center representative is a huge boon to a support team.
5. Tenacity
Does an applicant for a call center agent role show a willingness to tackle the unexpected? Is he or she resilient in
the face of adversity? Formulate an interview question that will help you determine whether a candidate is equipped
to handle new problems effectively.
6. Flexibility
Remember, what a customer needs from a customer service team might change over time.
As customer expectations continue to rise, will your call center agents be able to make the kind of adjustments that
will keep rates of customer satisfaction steady? Will that candidate be able to pick up knowledge quickly?
7. Good communication skills
Be sure new hires understand how to clearly communicate with customers. Like a doctor with a good “bedside
manner,” effective agents show patience and kindness, and they engage in active listening. They don’t assume the
customer has the same knowledge that they do.
What are key qualities of a call center agent?
When we talk about attributes, we mean the personal qualities that enable one person to excel at working the phones
while another struggles to provide a good customer experience.
These characteristics aren’t just necessary for the contact center’s short-term needs, though. It’s also important to
think about whether the candidate has the personal attributes that will make them a solid long-term employee, and
eventually, a leader.
Here are some things to look for during the interview process:
8. Process-oriented
You want creative agents, but it’s also vital that those representatives don’t cut corners or the chain of command. For
example, will a candidate be the kind of agent who can be counted on to document solutions to common (or
uncommon) problems in your help center articles?
9. Problem-solving personality
The right candidates want to go beyond the easy answers or a decision-making grid. They look at unusual problems
as an exciting challenge. Look for job seekers who possess strong critical thinking skills.
10. Genuine empathy
Stock phrases just won’t cut it with customers. They’ll be able to hear whether or not an agent actually cares. For
many customers, the moment when they call customer support is one in which they’re already frustrated or angry.
This is one of the most important call center agent skills.
11. Consultation
Will they be proactive and recognize opportunities to help customers avoid future issues? This can mean everything
from passing along a bit of helpful, unprompted advice to pointing customers to help center articles.

Learn more

What are soft skills in a call center?

Soft skills, also known as the people skills, include empathy, good communication, and flexibility. Unlike technical
skills, soft skills are more difficult to teach.
“Hire the smile, train the skills,” Jonathan Brummel, Director, Enterprise Support, Zendesk. “I can train technical
customer service skills all day long. But how do you handle a livid customer? What are you going to do when you
have to get another team to understand a customer’s problem? Those skills take longer to train. They take intent,
openness, and heart. If you don’t have the people skills, you can be right all day long, but the customer isn’t going to
hear you.”
“Hire the smile, train the skills.”Jonathan Brummel, Director, Enterprise Support, Zendesk
What should be in a call center resume?
All of the skills listed above are great to highlight in a call center resume. Here is an example from our friends
at Resume Genius.
What makes a great call center?
So you’ve hired agents with the personal attributes and skills required to be effective call center employees. Here’s
how you can help them elevate their game:
Emphasize time to value
Call center agents must focus on offering substantive replies and encourage collaboration with customers.
Customers want to know that agents are diligently working to resolve the issue.
Get a deep knowledge of what your customers want from you
The top priority for 60 percent of surveyed customers is to have their issues resolved
quickly.
For example, as the Zendesk 2020 Customer Experience Trends report shows, the top priority for 60 percent of
surveyed customers is to have their issues resolved quickly. Those customers expect friendly service, they don’t want
to repeat themselves, and they absolutely hate being put on hold for long periods of time.
Keep your team informed and properly resourced
Provide agents with the most information as possible so they have resources readily at hand. Representatives who
have been through extensive call center training can spend more time focusing on interactions.
And as call volumes rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, companies are reporting on average a 10 percent increase
in phone calls. The ones that have been most successful in handling higher rates of inbound calls have increased
staffing by 16 percent while leaning into self-service options.
Think about customer lifetime value
Call center agents need to keep in mind that the customer journey really matters. About half of customers say they
would switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. In the case of more than one bad experience, that
number increases to 80 percent.

Grow your agents’ call center skills

Knowing which customer service skills make for a strong call center agent is one thing—but it’s crucial that hiring
managers also think about their role in helping prospects grow into the role. Aircall has a few extra tips on customer
service skills.
Schedule a coaching session (including simulation training) with agents, and use data to identify areas that need
improvement.
By making informed decisions during a call center interview, managers can set up employees to achieve the kind of
agent performance customers demand.
31 call center metrics and KPIs to enhance the
customer experience
As customers increasingly turn to digital support channels—like social media, live chat, and email—you might expect
the number of phone calls to decrease. But according to the Zendesk Customer Experience (CX) Trends Report,
phone volume increased by 24 percent over the past year.
Efficient inbound call centers are the backbone of excellent phone support. To ensure teams are maximizing
productivity and efficiency, managers use call center metrics. Not sure what call center metrics are and how can you
use them to enhance the overall customer experience? Read on.
We’ve broken down the 31 most important call center metrics to track so you can evaluate agent performance, find
ways to improve your numbers, and make your customer service better.
Customer experience metrics:
1. CSAT scores
2. QA scores
3. Net Promoter Score® (NPS®)
4. Customer Effort Score (CES)
5. First contact resolution (FCR)
Agent performance metrics:
6. Active waiting calls
7. Agent effort score
8. Average speed of answer
9. Average talk time
10. Wrap-up time
11. Missed and declined calls
12. Total resolution time
13. Transfer rate
14. Agent utilization rate
15. Adherence to schedule
16. Calls answered per hour
17. Average handle time (AHT)
18. Call availability
19. Types of calls handled
Call inception metrics:
20. Average first response time
21. Average hold time
22. Call abandonment rate
23. Service level rate
Call center operations metrics
24. Calls handled
25. Cost per call (CPC)
26. Call arrival rate
27. Peak-hour traffic
28. Average age of query
29. Callback messaging
30. Repeat call rate
31. Percentage of calls blocked
What are call center metrics?
Call center metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the success and efficiency of a call center.
Managers can use call center metrics to track agent productivity and the quality of support customers receive. From
there, teams can identify concrete ways to meet call center goals and showcase wins to higher-ups.

Customer experience metrics

A support agent may feel like they had a good phone call with a customer, but you can’t fully gauge the experience
from their opinion alone. Sending customer surveys regularly can help you better understand and assess the quality
of your customer support.
1. CSAT scores
Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores indicate how satisfied customers are with the support they received.
Calculate the CSAT using customer satisfaction surveys. You can frame questions in different ways, such as:
•Were you satisfied with ___? (Yes/No)
•On a scale of 1–10, how satisfied are you with ___?
•How would you rate your satisfaction with ___? (Unsatisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Very Satisfied)
To find your CSAT score, divide all positive responses (e.g., “somewhat satisfied” and “very satisfied”) by the total
responses received. Then, multiply that result by 100.

Managers who view CSAT ratings in tandem with QA scores can identify areas of improvement in their call center
operations. Sarah Reed, former call center leader and now senior director of events at Zendesk, says combining both
call center metrics can help you “clearly correlate your agent expectations to the needs of the customer.”
How to improve your CSAT score
Numerical ratings have their limits. An 8 out of 10 is a good rating, but what holds the customer back from answering
with a 9 or 10? Consider leaving an optional text box in the CSAT survey so customers can explain their answers.
If you’re not receiving the anticipated number of CSAT survey responses, try reminding the recipients that the
surveys are anonymous. This can make customers feel more comfortable taking the survey. You could also
incentivize them with a 10-percent discount on their next purchase if they respond within a certain time frame.
2. QA scores
Quality assurance (QA) scores measure the quality of an agent’s interactions against a QA scorecard. This metric is
valuable because it can help you understand the root cause of poor customer experiences or reasons
behind customer churn.
To determine QA scores, the call center manager listens to an agent’s conversation with a customer and fills out a
scorecard to grade different aspects of the interaction. The final score is a percentage of the total points an agent
earns.
After collecting QA scores, managers review the customer interactions to see if agents met internal support
standards. For example, did the agents use proper grammar? Did they speak to customers in the right tone of voice?
How fast did they solve customer issues?
“QA is like a meta-metric,” says Isaac Lee, demand generation manager at MaestroQA. “The health of each metric
you choose to track shows up in your QA scorecard. When one of them falters, you immediately know where and
how to fix it because a QA analyst has identified that area of opportunity and flagged it.”
How to improve your QA scores
To raise QA scores, consider giving your agents improvement goals. For instance, if an agent has an average score
of 6 for their customer service, see if they can increase their score to an 8 after 30 days. When they reach their goal,
acknowledge their achievement by giving them a gift or reward. Make one-on-one coaching a priority for agents who
are struggling.
3. Net Promoter Score® (NPS)
The Net Promoter Score® (NPS) measures customer loyalty. This metric is about long-term satisfaction and is
calculated via a survey, which you should send quarterly or bi-quarterly.
An NPS survey asks a single question: “How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?”
and provides a rating scale of 0–10. It’s also important to leave a comment box where customers can elaborate on
the score they chose.
Customer responses are categorized into three groups:
•Promoters are customers who respond with a 9 or 10 rating. They are considered loyal customers who are likely to
buy again and provide referrals.
•Passives are customers who leave a rating of 7 or 8. The customers are satisfied with your brand but could be
swayed by competitors.
•Detractors are customers who answer 6 or below. These are unhappy customers at risk of spreading negative
reviews of your product or service.
Use this formula to calculate your NPS®:

How to improve your NPS®

Focus on customers’ explanation of why they gave you a certain rating. This helps reveal why promoters are loyal to
your company, what’s preventing passives from becoming promoters, and why your detractors are having a bad
customer experience. This information also shows you what to fix—or continue doing—to boost your customer
experience across the board.
Net Promoter and NPS are registered U.S. trademarks, and Net Promoter Score and Net Promoter System are
service marks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.
4. Customer Effort Score (CES)
As Reed puts it, “Customer Effort Score indicates how hard it is for a customer to get their needs achieved—be it
because of process, product, or tools.” For call centers, CES reveals how much effort customers put in to reach a
support agent to get their issues resolved.
Research suggests that customer effort has a direct impact on customer loyalty. Gartner’s Customer Value
Advantage report found that only 37 percent of consumers remain loyal to a brand after a “high-effort resolution,”
whereas 61 percent stay loyal after a “low-effort resolution.”
Only 37% of consumers remain loyal to a brand after a “high-effort resolution,” whereas
61% stay loyal after a “low-effort resolution.”
To determine CES, begin by conducting a survey to ask customers about the ease of their interaction. The response
choices should range from “very easy” to “very difficult.” It’s also a good idea to include space for optional comments.
The optimal time to send a CES survey is after a purchase, subscription sign-up, or customer service interaction.
Once you have the survey results, add up the ratings and divide the sum by the total number of responses.
A high CES may point to a problem with your team’s communication processes or tools. Customers might have to
jump through hoops and listen to endless voice prompts before reaching an agent.
How to improve your Customer Effort Score
To lower your CES, make it easier for customers to connect with agents by offering contact options beyond the
phone, such as live chat, email, and messaging. Providing self-service resources—including an FAQ page,
knowledge base, and chatbots—empowers customers to solve basic issues on their own and also reduces the effort
they must expend.
Additionally, you and your support team can work together to answer questions like:
•What processes or obstacles get in the way of reaching resolutions quickly?
•What resources, workflows, or skills help enable faster resolutions?
•Do agents have the tools and training they need to effectively find solutions?
5. First contact resolution (FCR)
First contact resolution (FCR) is the number or percentage of tickets an agent resolves on their first attempt. This
could mean they solve a problem with one phone call, a single email response, or a live chat conversation. Tracking
FCR allows you to understand how well your customer support team is meeting customer expectations.
Though self-service channels—like chatbots and knowledge bases—help customers solve problems or find answers
independently, sometimes they need to speak with an agent for more complex issues. In these cases, customers
want their inquiries handled quickly and efficiently.
How to improve your FCR
You can make your team’s FCR better in a few different ways:
•Train your team on how to resolve customer issues more effectively.
•Practice scenarios with role-playing exercises.
•Encourage customers to use self-service options.

Agent performance metrics

To evaluate a call center agent, you don’t just want to answer the question, “Are they doing a good or bad job?”
Agents face various issues and deal with different types of customers, so it’s better to adopt a more holistic approach.
Evaluate how much effort agents put in and how they resolve customer issues by monitoring certain agent
performance metrics.
6. Active waiting calls
This metric offers insight into how well teams handle call volume by measuring the number of calls being actively
handled by agents vs. calls on hold. Customers want fast, efficient service—our CX Trends Report found that 60
percent of customers have higher standards now than in previous years. Keeping customers on hold creates a poor
customer experience that they could always associate with your brand.

How to improve your active waiting calls score

Common solutions to improving your active waiting calls score include:
•Efficiency training
•Smarter workflows
•Call monitoring
•Hiring more agents
7. Agent effort score
Agent effort score (AES) is a call center KPI that reveals how easy it is for agents to provide support for their
customers.
According to Reed, AES pinpoints where agents meet challenges that hinder them from delivering top-notch support
experiences. It’s the only call center metric that gives insight into agent performance from the agent’s perspective.
To calculate AES, send a survey to agents that asks them to rank how easy it is for them to support customers. Then,
add up those scores and divide the sum by the number of respondents.
How to improve your agent effort score
Speak with agents to understand which tasks or processes are the most time-intensive for them. Then, take action
based on their responses and the trends you’re seeing.
For example, agents might not be able to track customer information because they don’t have access to those
details. In such a case, investing in customer service software can set your team up for success. With a centralized
workspace and customer data at their fingertips, agents will have the context they need to provide high-quality
support and personalized experiences.
8. Average speed of answer
Average speed of answer (ASA) identifies how long it takes a rep to answer inbound calls, beginning from the point
callers enter the queue.
To calculate ASA, divide the total amount of time customers spend waiting on hold by the total number of calls
answered.

According to research by Call Centre Helper, the call center industry standard is to answer 80 percent of calls in 20
seconds or less. A high ASA might indicate that agents lack the training or knowledge needed to answer calls
promptly. It can also suggest that your call center is understaffed. If average talk time is low but ASA is high, the call
center may not have a sufficient number of agents needed to answer the volume of calls coming in.
How to improve your average speed of answer
If agents are struggling to meet this call center KPI, consider the following solutions:
•Hire more agents. Though expensive, expanding your team will allow you to handle more customer inquiries in a
shorter amount of time.
•If hiring more agents isn’t possible, enhance the agent onboarding process or provide ongoing call center training
programs.
•Perform an audit of your IVR (interactive voice response) system. You might learn that you need to increase its call
threshold.
Customers who experience long wait times often become frustrated and impatient, so it’s crucial to monitor ASA
consistently.
9. Average talk time
Talk time refers to the time elapsed between an agent answering the phone and hanging up. Although sometimes
confused with average handle time, talk time is different in that it doesn’t account for hold time or time spent following
up after a call ends.
To calculate average talk time, divide the total amount of time spent talking to a customer on the phone (in minutes
and seconds) by the total number of calls handled.

Average talk time helps managers gauge their team’s ability to handle different types of customer service scenarios.
For example, say a manager is analyzing the performance of an individual support agent whose average talk time is
five minutes or less. But this month, the agent had a few calls that were more than 10 minutes. By reviewing the
recordings of those lengthier calls, the manager can learn which issues the agent might be struggling with. Or, they
may discover a bigger problem, such as an underlying issue with the product or service.
Keep in mind that a high talk time isn’t always a bad thing. Take retail and lifestyle brand Magnolia, for instance.
Approximately half of the calls are from fans who contact the company simply to talk or share stories. Drawn in by
Magnolia’s relatable founders and TV stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines, these callers feel a strong connection to the
brand and want to chat for extended periods of time.
The lesson: Call center KPIs should always account for the unique qualities of the business.
How to improve your average talk time
Knowledge base resources and targeted training can help agents handle customer support calls in a reasonable time
frame. Agents can study call scripts, too, and develop their ability to think under pressure by role-playing with their
manager or another support rep.
10. Wrap-up time
When an agent ends a call with a customer, it doesn’t mean their job is done. They still have to carry out some tasks
to ensure that the customer is fully satisfied or that the problem is completely resolved. These activities may include:
•Documenting the outcomes of the conversation
•Assigning tasks to other departments
•Escalating complaints
•Sending resources to customers
•Sending follow-up emails
Wrap-up time is the amount of time it takes an agent to finish these activities after a call. To calculate this metric,
subtract the total hold time and total talk time from the total amount of handle time. Then, divide that result by the
total number of customer calls.

A high wrap-up time suggests that agents are unavailable to take incoming calls, which negatively impacts
performance metrics.
How to improve your wrap-up time
Reduce wrap-up time by automating post-call activities (such as logging customer information) with a CRM system.
You can also create FAQ pages and other resources that agents can quickly send to customers after a call.
11. Missed and declined calls
When an agent misses or declines a phone call, the customer is sent back to the queue. A large number of missed
and declined calls naturally leads to low customer satisfaction scores.
Many call center software tools, including Zendesk, will automatically track missed and declined calls for the overall
team and for individual support agents.
How to improve your missed and declined calls
The two primary reasons for a high number of missed and declined calls are understaffing and inefficient call center
software.
If spikes in missed and declined calls occur during specific shifts or hours of the day, there might not be enough
agents available during high-volume call times. Hire more agents and/or create an online community forum where
customers can get information and support from other users.
If staffing isn’t the root cause, it’s possible that your system isn’t equipped to handle the volume, leading to a high
number of declined calls. Consider upgrading to the next membership tier or switching to another provider.
12. Total resolution time
Total resolution time measures the average length of time it takes for support agents to resolve a customer issue.
According to Reed, this metric shows whether agents are “efficiently responding to customers with correct answers.”
To calculate the total resolution time, divide the total time of all resolved interactions by the total number of tickets
solved.
When faced with a high total resolution time, investigate what may be slowing agents down. Are they having a series
of back-and-forth conversations? If that’s the case, agents might not have enough customer details, or there might be
problems with your product or service.
How to improve your total resolution time
If your agents are scrambling to find the customer information they need to solve problems quickly, consider investing
in contact center as a service (CCaaS) software. This tool will pull customer interactions from various channels and
present them in a unified view for agents, saving them time and effort.
High resolution times might also result from defective products or services. A customer may be calling because they
can’t figure out how to use your product, but the reality is that the product was faulty when they received it. Design a
series of questions that can help the agent make this determination.
13. Transfer rate
Transfer rate is the percentage of inbound calls that agents end up transferring to another team member or
department.
To calculate this call center statistic, divide the total number of calls transferred to another department or agent by the
total number of calls handled. Then, multiply the result by 100.

How to improve your transfer rate

A high transfer rate could indicate that callers are reaching the wrong first-touch agent. In this case, the call center’s
internal routing system may be the problem. At the end of a call, encourage agents to ask the customer whether they
found the IVR system confusing or challenging to navigate. If so, reducing the transfer rate could be as simple as
reworking the IVR menu options to make the system more user-friendly.
But if the IVR is working properly and the transfer rate is still high, measure the average transfer rate across the
entire call center. Look for any outliers—like agents who routinely surpass the average percentage—to identify
employees in need of additional training or resources. You might learn that your agents simply aren’t fully aware of
each department’s function.
14. Agent utilization rate
Agent utilization rate is the average time a rep spends on customer calls during their designated work hours. The
purpose of this metric is to assess productivity and determine whether an agent is using their time well
To calculate this metric for a call center agent, multiply the average number of handled calls by the average handle
time, then divide that by the total work hours in a given period. Multiply that number by 100 to get the percentage.

Say an agent works an average of six hours during their eight-hour work day. Their agent utilization rate is 75
percent.
One caveat to this metric: To achieve a more accurate calculation, you can factor in variables like breaks, lunches,
training, and time off.
How to improve your agent utilization rate
You can improve this metric through refresher training to help customer support agents better understand customer
issues and how to solve them.
You should also consider investing in tools like a CRM, which can consolidate customer communication and
interactions from all channels into one unified view. Access to the full customer journey can provide agents with the
context they need to diagnose and resolve issues faster and more easily—so they can tackle the next one.
15. Adherence to schedule
Adherence to schedule is the percentage of time that employees are on the clock vs. their scheduled hours. This
metric is especially important for call centers with limited staff, where offline employees make a larger impact on the
workflow.
Say your support team consists of only 20 agents, and three of them come in 15 minutes late. For those 15 minutes,
15 percent of your team is offline. This could cause hold times to increase and frustrate customers. With 61 percent
of consumers saying they would switch to a competitor after just one bad experience, you can’t afford to provide a
negative customer experience that’s easily avoidable.
How to improve your adherence to schedule rate
Though most places expect employees to be on time and work their scheduled shifts, rewarding employees can
make them want to do more than what’s required. Offering incentives or rewards programs for punctuality can
motivate your workforce to report early and be ready to hit the ground running when their shift begins.
16. Calls answered per hour
This simple metric shows you how many calls each agent answers per hour. This number can waver, however,
depending on shift changes, seasonal call volumes, training, and more.

How to improve your calls answered per hour rate

Avoid overemphasizing this metric with your team. If your company pushes this metric, your agents will focus on the
number of calls they take rather than on the quality of service they’re providing to the customer. Instead, invest in
tools like an effective CRM that helps agents find information faster and work more efficiently.
17. Average handle time (AHT)
Average handle time (AHT) is the average amount of time an agent spends on a single call. Tracking this metric
allows you to determine average handle times for different types of calls and set standards for your team.
Reconciling this metric can be tricky—your agents should be finding a balance between speed and great customer
service. Agents who regularly exceed the AHT benchmarks may not be addressing all the customer’s needs, whereas
agents who have longer AHTs may not have the skills or tools to handle customer issues in a timely manner.

How to improve your average handle time rate

You can improve AHT by:
•Offering in-depth training courses
•Providing effective call center scripts to follow
•Routing calls to the right agents
•Directing customers to self-service options
18. Call availability
Call availability is a KPI that reveals the total time your agents are available to receive calls and how long they take to
resolve issues. This metric provides management with key data that shows whether agents are adhering to their
schedules.
If an agent’s call availability is low, the manager can look at their call records and see how they managed their time.
The metric also helps managers identify the call center’s peak hours so they can adjust agent schedules to meet
business needs.
19. Types of calls handled
Analyzing the types of calls that agents handle can help management understand trends and where they need to
better allocate resources.
Typical call types to track include:
•Orders placed
•Order tracking
•Questions and inquiries
•Customer support
•Claims or refunds
•Complaints
•Inbound call redirects
•Change requests

Read the free report

Call inception metrics
A customer’s perception of a brand begins before the agent even answers the phone. Track call inception metrics to
ensure you’re making a good impression on consumers during that critical period between them contacting and
speaking to customer support.
20. Average first response time
Average first response time (or average first reply time) measures how long it takes a support agent to respond to a
customer once a call triggers a ticket.
Calculate this metric by dividing the total of all first response times by the total number of calls. Make sure to exclude
calls that come in after business hours, though.

According to Reed, the average first response time shows whether “you are getting to customers quickly—and not
[sending] a canned generic response.” Providing speedy, helpful responses shows customers that you care about
them and prioritize their needs.
How to improve your average first response time
A high average first response time could suggest that there are too many calls for agents to handle. Consider
increasing the number of agents available during peak hours to provide faster support to callers.
An alternative option is to introduce a chatbot that presents pre-written answers to common questions. This can help
reduce the number of placed calls. If the chatbot fails to resolve the issue, it can connect the customer with a live
agent. Customer service software like Zendesk allows the customer to place a call directly from their web browser,
too.
21. Average hold time
Average hold time (AHT) is the average amount of time customers spend waiting on the phone before connecting
with a support agent.
Calculate average hold time by adding up all customer wait times and then dividing that number by the total number
of calls.
It’s best to keep your call center’s AHT to the bare minimum—customers hate waiting, so long hold times can spell
disaster for your brand image.
Donovan Steinberg, director of customer success at BombBomb, says: “The amount of time customers wait has a
direct impact on the support experience.”
How to improve your average hold time
If your agents are overwhelmed with work, beefing up your customer self-service options may help reduce the
number of calls you get. This move can ease agents’ workloads, enabling them to assist customers more quickly. Ask
your agents to identify frequently asked questions or common customer issues, and update your knowledge
base accordingly.
Look at individual agents’ average hold times, too. If one agent’s time is particularly lengthy, they may need additional
training. Hiring more agents can also move the needle in the right direction.
22. Call abandonment rate
Call abandonment rate is a call center KPI that reflects the total number of customers who hang up while waiting to
speak with an agent.
Calculate this metric by taking the difference between the number of calls received and the number of calls handled,
then divide that by the number of calls received. Multiply that number by 100 to get your percentage.

How to improve call abandonment rate

Give customers the option to request a callback. Customers keep their place in line without remaining on hold, and
an agent calls them when it’s their turn.
Some call center software also allows agents to automatically create tickets from abandoned calls (provided a
callback number is available). They can potentially salvage poor experiences by following up with customers who left
the queue.
23. Service level rate
Your call center should have a service level agreement (SLA)—a set of standards you use to manage expectations,
guide decisions, improve customer satisfaction, and more. Most companies have similar service level rate standards,
like:
•Answering 90 percent of calls within 20 seconds (or 4 rings)
•Responding to 80 percent of chats within 20 seconds
•Responding to 100 percent of emails within 8 hours
Ultimately, it’s up to each call center to set their own service level standards and call center metrics.
The service level call center formula is simply the total number of calls answered within the set threshold time limit
divided by the number of calls offered. Then, multiply that number by 100 to get your percentage.

How to improve your service level

There are countless ways to enhance the service level in your call center. Here are just a few:
•Optimize agent scheduling
•Emphasize schedule adherence
•Offer customer callbacks
•Provide omnichannel support
Call center operations metrics
Call center operations metrics help companies understand call center performance over time. Tracking these KPIs is
crucial for executives to identify peak times, spot trends, and forecast staffing needs. Leadership uses call center
operations metrics to help them manage day-to-day operations and reach team goals.
24. Calls handled
Calls handled refers to the calls answered over a designated time frame. This metric doesn’t typically include
abandoned or dropped calls. Most companies break this KPI down into two groups:
•Total number of calls handled by an agent
•Total number of calls handled by an IVR system
25. Cost per call (CPC)
Cost per call (CPC) is a metric that tracks the average cost of each call handled by a call center agent. This KPI is
important because it provides insight into the cost-effectiveness of your call center operations and drives resource
allocation. Management can then determine if resource allocations need to be adjusted.
Calculate CPC by taking the total cost of all calls and dividing that number by the total number of calls.

How to improve your cost per call

You can improve your cost per call in your call center in a few ways, including:
•Utilizing a remote work model
•Monitoring performance metrics and KPIs
•Improving training
•Using a cloud-based CRM
26. Call arrival rate
Companies can assess the total number of calls a call center receives within a certain period using the call arrival
rate metric. Depending on which trends your operations management team finds to be the most beneficial, they can
determine the preferred time frame for the metric—day, hour, or minute.

27. Peak-hour traffic

It’s critical for your business to identify when agents will experience the highest call volume so you can plan ahead.
The peak-hour traffic metric allows you to ensure you have enough agents on hand to meet your customers’ needs.
28. Average age of query
The average age of query measures the average length of time unresolved customer queries stay open. Issues that
agents resolve upon first contact aren’t included in this metric. Average age of query gives the call center valuable
insight into the length of time it takes agents to resolve difficult issues.

How to improve your average age of query

High numbers could mean that agents need better tools or training to address complicated queries. Consider CRM
software that can automatically route complex queries to the appropriate agents best suited to resolve them.
29. Callback messaging
Instead of making customers wait on hold, more companies are offering callback options. This allows customers to
keep their place in line without having to stay on the phone, falling asleep listening to repetitive hold music.
The callback option lets businesses track the amount of callback requests during a certain time block, so they can
determine how many customers picked that option. This metric not only allows management to plan staffing
requirements and improve overall agent efficiency, but it’s also convenient for the customer—leading to a better
customer experience.
30. Repeat call rate
Repeat call rate helps companies understand which issues weren’t resolved the first time around. Tracking repeat
calls and collecting customer feedback can reveal recurring issues, enabling management teams to find resolutions
and prevent the problems from happening again.
How to improve your repeat call rate
Identifying common recurring issues helps teams unearth holes in agent training. It also enables management to
incorporate solutions into self-service options so customers can help themselves rather than wait to speak with an
agent.
31. Percentage of calls blocked
The percentage of calls blocked refers to the number of incoming customer calls that receive a busy signal. If a
customer tries to connect and finds themselves facing a busy tone, their customer experience is already off to a
terrible start.
This metric should always be low. If a high amount of calls aren’t getting through, you should evaluate your phone
system to ensure it can handle the volume of incoming calls. You can look at call duration metrics to see if excessive
call lengths are contributing to busy tones.
How to improve your percentage of calls blocked score
You can invest in CRM software that offers automation options. Automated call volume features like auto-transfer and
IVR can help manage and properly route customer calls.

What is the most important KPI in a call center?

The most important call center metrics will vary from business to business—it all depends on what the company
values. However, any metric that helps improve customer satisfaction and the overall customer experience should be
at the top of the list.
Call center statistics point to first contact resolution as a key metric. It’s widely regarded as an essential KPI in a call
center. When executed correctly, FCR is a win for everyone: Customers and call center agents are happy. Tracking
first contact resolution is a great way to collect valuable feedback about how your company is doing.

Boost your customer experience with call center performance

metrics
The phone will probably stick around as a popular customer support channel, so improving call center performance
should be a priority for any business. Use the call center metrics examples outlined above to gain the big-picture
insights needed to transform your call center.
A robust CCaaS system can automatically track call center metrics for you, saving you precious time. Integrate the
platform with your existing customer service software to gather accurate analytics and insights to improve your
customer support, boost the customer experience, and increase customer retention.
nbound vs. outbound call centers: What’s the
I

difference?
An outbound call center, on the other hand, makes outgoing calls to shoppers. Sales teams typically run outbound
centers to cold call potential customers about their products. Companies also might make outbound calls to survey
shoppers and collect market research.
Where do these centers exist? Companies either run them internally at their offices or they outsource inbound and
outbound calling to external centers. To learn more about the trade-offs of insourcing or outsourcing these
calls, check out this resource.

Inbound call center services

Customer service is probably the most well-known function of an inbound call center. That said, inbound call centers
can do more than that, including generating revenue with cross-sells and upsells. Here’s a look at some
common inbound call center services:
•Product and/or tech support
Password changes, updating account information, responding to complaints … inbound call center agents
help customers solve a broad range of issues. For problems like advanced technical support, agents
may use a help desk tool—like Zendesk—to route customers to IT specialists.
•Payment and order processing
Though online ordering is incredibly popular, many shoppers still place orders over the phone. Inbound call
agents can help customers complete their purchases over calls. Likewise, shoppers may contact a company
to ask questions about their billing or resolve online payment issues.
•Upgrade and renewal inquiries
Subscription-based businesses such as subscription boxes or SaaS companies may receive calls from
customers who want to expand their current plan. In this case, inbound call agents should be trained to either
upgrade shoppers’ plans themselves or redirect the call to a sales agent who can process the plan
expansion.

In a world of chatbots and email, you might guess that shoppers today rarely call businesses. The opposite is true;
according to The Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020, the phone is still the most common tool
customers use to resolve issues with a company.
That’s true even for millennials and Gen Z. An analysis of 45,000 companies shows that more than 50% of their
millennial and Gen Z customers call businesses. It makes sense for companies to increase their capacity for handling
incoming and outgoing calls. In other words, they should consider investing in inbound and outbound call centers.
Not sure how inbound and outbound call centers differ? We’re here to help. In this post, we’ll cover the key
differences between each type of call center, along with the different types of inbound and outbound calls your team
can make to reach customers.
Inbound vs. outbound call centers
An inbound call center receives incoming calls from customers. Support teams typically monitor inbound centers
since the calls tend to come from existing customers with issues or questions.
Outbound call center services
At outbound call centers, sales reps primarily make calls to reach and attract prospective customers.
Companies also use outbound call centers to conduct market research. Agents can call shoppers who match
their target customer to learn more about their needs and interests.
•Appointment setting
Just like a sales development rep (SDR) would book meetings for an account executive (AE), outbound
agents do the same for your salespeople.
•Lead generation
Outbound call center agents can help salespeople generate and qualify leads. Cold outreach is used to
identify opportunities, and collecting information over the phone can help identify if those leads are qualified
to purchase (i.e., is it the right timing, and does the lead have the budget?).
•Telemarketing
Despite its reputation, telemarketing has shown solid growth over the last five years. When you think about it,
telemarketers are like door-to-door salespeople. But instead of going house-to-house, telemarketers pitch
their products phone-number-by-phone-number. They’re a valuable resource in that they help spread
awareness of and pitch products to potential customers in a wider pool of locations and demographics.
•Telesales
While telemarketers are tasked with engaging with potential customers in any way possible (generating
brand awareness, leads or scheduling appointments), telesales is focused solely on closing deals over the
phone. Sometimes referred to as inside sales, telesales agents pursue promising leads in the hopes of
improving conversions and increasing revenue.
•Market research
Market research is conducted by outbound call center agents to develop a better understanding of their
customers and their competition. For example, market researchers might conduct phone surveys to
determine their target audience’s top pain points, what products they’re currently using as a solution, and
what they wish those solutions did better. With the results of market research, engineers can improve their
product design, marketers can improve their messaging, and reps can develop more effective sales pitches.
Both inbound and outbound call centers create opportunities for your company to offer a wide range of customer
services and benefits. What type of call center software or services you decide to implement will depend on your
overall goals, employee bandwidth, and budget.
A hybrid calling center for your inbound and outbound needs
After reading this guide, you may wonder, “What if my company could use both inbound and outbound call centers?”
Luckily, you don’t have to choose one or the other. Instead, you can create a hybrid call center.
In a hybrid center, agents are responsible for both receiving calls and reaching out to shoppers. This centralization of
communication creates a seamless, consistent customer experience. Your organization can easily change and
improve call guidelines because all the communication is coming from one channel.
To run a call center—hybrid or not—you need the right software. Zendesk can help support you at every stage of your
call center development.
What is call center workforce management? (+
Best WFM software)
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, then you know that working on Friday night is not the same as working on
Tuesday afternoon.
The same logic can be applied to your call center. If you don’t have enough agents scheduled during a peak time,
your team may not be able to answer calls quickly—that’s frustrating to your customers. In fact, customers expect a
faster response by phone than any other channel.
Workforce management (WFM) data can help you forecast your staffing needs. Read on to learn about call
center workforce management, and why it’s worth it.
Call center workforce management definition
Workforce management refers to the strategies and technologies companies use to optimize employee
productivity.
In a call center, workforce management is a set of processes that ensure the right number of agents with the right call
center skills are scheduled at the right time. This is even more important post-pandemic, as more CX teams are
embracing remote and distributed staffing strategies for the long-term.
Call center WFM software, such as Tymeshift and Assembled, integrate with your support software to provide a data-
drive approach to forecasting and scheduling.
Orgs that use workforce management strategies often see reduced employee churn, improved customer
satisfaction, and reduced operational costs.

How workforce management works

A solid call center WFM solution should help your business ensure a consistent service level and meet service level
agreements (SLAs). The goal is finding insights and streamlining contact center operations in three areas:
• Predict agent workload
Looking at your historical data helps you forecast agent workload. Are there certain times of year (or times of day)
when you see spikes or dips in customer calls? Forecasting helps you identify these trends. You’ll also need to
consider upcoming marketing campaigns – if there’s a major promotion in the works, you may need to staff up your
call center to handle customer questions.
• Respond to issues as they unfold in real time
Building schedules to forecasts is one thing – but when call centers have an unexpected spike in volume, a workforce
management tool can help you react quickly. This sometimes happens with unplanned outages, product recalls,
severe weather, or press coverage. Being able to quickly identify and work to resolve these issues is key.
• Build schedules based on customer demand
In a call center, schedules are driven by your customers. They expect to get a hold of customer service any time of
day across the channels of their choice. That means you need to schedule your agents at the right times and the right
numbers. A workforce management system gives you access to real time data that helps your team understand if
customer demand is exceeding agent capacity.

3 benefits of workforce management for call centers

1. Customers can rely on fast service when they need it
When customers contact your business, they expect good service no matter who answers the call. They
want to be helped quickly, and if they have to wait it creates a poor customer experience. In fact, the most
frustrating aspect of a bad customer service experience is long hold or wait times. On the flip side, the top
aspect of a good customer experience is being able to resolve an issue quickly, followed closely by having
support available 24/7 in real time. Call centers can directly influence this by ensuring the right staffing levels
at peak times.
Employees can manage their workload without becoming burned out
Employees are usually happier when they’re not overworked or stressed out. A workforce management
solution can make an impact on this, too. By making sure there’s a good mix of experienced staff in with the
more junior contact center agents, you can help them feel more supported on the job. Employee productivity
is linked to lower attrition rates too, which saves you on hiring and training costs.
1. Teams can develop smarter strategies backed by historical data
In today’s remote work environment, it’s even more important to have a full picture of agent schedules since
you can’t just look out at the call center floor. When agent scheduling is managed efficiently, your business
can make sure your budget isn’t wasted on overstaffing. The WFM software lets call center managers make
adjustments to agent schedules to meet kpis and service levels throughout the day, no matter where they
are.

WFM software: Why it’s worth it

Some may be skeptical of workforce management software, feeling like Big Brother is watching them, but these tools
can have a big impact when they are used intentionally.
As Elissa Reggiardo of Tymeshift said on the Sit Down Startups podcast, these tools can democratize data for your
entire support team. WFM solutions help predict and prepare for customer demand, so you can take the guesswork
out of your customer service staffing strategy. This is good for everyone–including agents.
Check out the full episode to learn more about workforce management:

From a technical standpoint, these are some of the key benefits of workforce management software:
•Automatic tracking for time spent on tickets, chats, and calls. This means less paperwork for your agents so they
can spend more time with customers.
•Quickly create complex intraday schedules and see staffing across all channels – this lets you schedule tickets,
chats, calls, breaks and plan shifts easily.
•Approvals: managers can approve shift trades, time off requests through the app
•WFM reporting: get details on agent productivity and efficiency, ticket status, service level, how much time agents
spend on support activities
•Forecasting: use your data to forecast your future contact volumes and head count up to a year in advance.
Streamline your call center with a WFM solution
With a solid workforce management strategy in place, you can optimize your most valuable asset: your staff. You
need WFM data to understand what’s happening on your customer service team and when. Data-driven scheduling
allows you to meet customers’ needs while also giving your agents breaks when they need them.
5 key benefits of contact center as a service
(CCaaS) software
We get it. Running a contact center is hard.
Between the endless inbound calls and technical hiccups, managing a contact center tests your patience
and persistence. The good news is you can make things easier on yourself with a contact center
software solution: CCaaS.
Contact center as a service (CCaaS) software is spiking in popularity alongside WFH agent
technology due to the pandemic. The global CCaaS market is expected to hit $10.8 billion by 2028,
representing a compound annual growth rate of 15.7 percent from 2021.
The global CCaaS market is expected to hit $10.8 billion by 2028, representing a compound
annual growth rate of 15.7% from 2021.
Bring your contact center up to speed with CCaaS so you can delight both your agents and your
customers in 2022 and beyond.
What is CCaaS?
Contact center as a service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based software solution that makes it possible to create a
virtual contact center.
To know the real story behind CCaaS, we have to rewind the clock all the way back to 1995—right
around the time TLC dropped “Waterfalls.” That was the year CosmoCom (which has since been
purchased by Enghouse Interactive) became the first company to introduce and patent IP-based contact
center technology. It wasn’t the same CCaaS we know and love today, but it set the scene for what was
to come later.
By the early 2000s, the modern CCaaS was born. Tech companies saw the limits of onsite contact
center software that you could only access through certain computers. They turned that outdated way of
working on its head with contact center as a service software, which only requires an Internet
connection.
Fast forward to today, and CCaaS has become a trusted alternative to traditional call center solutions
that focus only on phone systems, call routing, and call recording.
A call center handles voice communication only, while CCaaS manages all communications from
multiple channels in the cloud. Despite these differences, CCaaS professionals often use “contact
center” and “call center” interchangeably. When we refer to contact centers, we’re referring to centers
that use a CCaaS solution.

What is the difference between CCaaS and on-premise

contact centers?
Location is the main difference between CCaaS platforms and on-premise contact centers. On-premise
solutions refer to contact center software and hardware that are tied to one physical place. CCaaS, on
the other hand, is location-agnostic because it lives in the cloud. It can be accessed from anywhere.
What are the benefits of CCaaS?
The advantages of CCaaS go beyond the cloud. It also improves agent efficiency, creates engaging
customer experiences, and cuts costs.
1. Cost savings
As a cloud solution, CCaaS eliminates many of the extra costs tied to traditional contact center systems
—hardware, inflated IT departments, and facility rental and maintenance costs.
CCaaS solution pricing is also based on usage, which results in cost savings. Small businesses can
adopt a pay-as-you-go model for their low-volume use, while larger companies can opt for more
traditional monthly pricing plans.
CCaaS pay-as-you-go models and scalability go hand-in-hand. If your business is growing and you
need to add CCaaS features, you can typically do so with a few clicks. In Zendesk Suite, for example,
you can turn features on and off depending on your business needs.
You no longer have to shop for a new server or extra software licenses. You can be up and running in
one day.
2. Secure data storage
CCaaS is cloud-based, which means your data doesn’t live in one location. Multiple backup locations
exist, so if one data center fails, another will pick up the slack. If the data centers vary by time zone,
you have the added confidence that someone is monitoring their status at all times.

3. Omnichannel communication
Phone calls might still be a popular communication method for customers, but the Zendesk Customer Experience
Trends Report 2022 shows that preferences are changing. Many consumers want the ability to contact companies via
social media, online chat, messaging apps, and email—not just the phone.
CCaaS software makes omnichannel communication a breeze:
•Real-time dashboards can help agents see what channels customers are using.
•Agents can seamlessly transfer conversations from one channel to another—without losing customer context.
•You can run reports to measure performance across all channels.
Offering omnichannel communication with CCaaS isn’t only convenient for customers—it’s also beneficial for your
agents. They’ll be able to field queries more effectively through the customer’s preferred contact method, so they’re
always in stride with customer conversations on each channel.
All Zendesk Suite plans offer a unified agent workspace where your team can view and manage conversations
across all channels. Agents can live chat with customers, respond to Facebook messages, and send emails—all in a
single place. A new product, Zendesk Voice, even embeds a call button in your customer’s mobile app or browser, so
they can conveniently call to resolve an issue.
CCaaS can also automate certain communications across channels, freeing up your agents to focus on more
complex support issues. For instance, chatbots can answer common customer questions with a standardized
response. If that response doesn’t solve the problem, the customer can request help from a human agent.
4. Quick access to product and order history
Let’s be honest: Contact center agents often have it tough. Not only are they trying to provide a great customer
experience, but they’re also scrambling to find customer information in real-time. It’s not an easy task. Customers can
become impatient and, in some unfortunate cases, downright aggressive.
CCaaS software can help save the day.
A CCaaS solution can instantly locate a customer’s product and order history—it’s a win-win. Customers don’t have
to rehash previous conversations with your team, and agents can resolve the issue more quickly.
5. Insightful reports and analytics
If you work in a traditional contact center, you might have to spend several hours each week moving data from one
platform to another for analysis. Those are hours you could be spending resolving customer issues.
CCaaS software gives you access to automatic reporting and analytics, helping you track key contact center metrics,
such as uptime, downtime, and missed or declined calls.
These insights can improve workforce management and operational performance across your contact center. If you
notice a big spike in missed calls, for example, you may need more agents working during peak hours. Meanwhile,
recurring customer issues could mean that you need to create more self-service articles about those problems.
Enterprise-level CCaaS offers real-time reporting to help you adjust your contact center processes.
Customers are always seeking faster, more personalized solutions to their problems. Your CCaaS reporting can
enable you to make the continuous improvements necessary to meet those expectations.

How to choose the right CCaaS software for your business

The benefits of CCaaS solutions are clear, but how do you know which CCaaS provider is best for your team? Here’s
how to decide.

Know your customers

It can be tempting to judge a CCaaS platform by only how many communication channels it supports. While
omnichannel flexibility is important, the main question should be: How well does this solution handle my primary
customer support channel?
Say the majority of your customers prefer calling you, and your team is adept at handling those interactions. You’d
want to make sure your CCaaS software has a robust cloud-based voice app like Zendesk Voice.
If the provider doesn’t offer helpful features for your customers’ favorite channel, keep looking.

Be wary of cost fluctuations

Many CCaaS solutions charge by the number of agents using the system. If you experience a surge in customer
inquiries and hire more agents at certain times of the year, be sure to factor that into your CCaaS budget.

Check your CCaaS integrations

Ensure your chosen CCaaS integrates with your CRM and other critical business applications. Say you use Magento
for ecommerce and Slack for internal communication. If you want agents to see Magento orders when issues arise
and to resolve support tickets in Slack, your CCaaS must be able to integrate with those tools.

Assess the support options

If your messaging channel stops working at 2 am on Black Friday, you want your CCaaS provider to be available to
help. While most large providers offer 24/7 support, it’s always a good idea to check and ask for details. For example,
is phone support available at 2 am or only chat? Is there an additional charge for it?
The same questions can apply to onboarding support as well. Do you get a dedicated customer success manager, or
are you limited to pre-recorded videos and training manuals?

Understand the learning curve

A CCaaS solution might dazzle you with its features and 24/7 support, but is it easy to set up and use? The longer it
takes you and your team to master the platform, the longer it will take for you to see success. The quality and cost of
onboarding are worth considering here.
Use CCaaS to build a reliable, efficient contact center
It’s not getting any easier to acquire and retain customers. Businesses must constantly adapt to ever-increasing
customer demands for speed and convenience. CCaaS software not only makes it feasible for companies to
meet those expectations but also allows agents to access the solutions from anywhere—with simplicity and
security.
Keep your contact center ahead of the curve with contact center as a service software. The tool can benefit your
team and delight your hard-earned customers.

What’s a BPO call center and what does it do?

Not every company has the staff, tools, and skills required to meet their customers’ expectations of call
center service. For some requests, customers expect a response in 15 minutes or less. For a bootstrap startup or
SMB, meeting this expectation may not always be possible.
That’s where a business process outsourcing (BPO) call center comes in.
Definition: BPO call center
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the act of outsourcing some aspect of your business’s operations to a third-
party vendor or service provider. A BPO call center is a team of outsourced agents who handle incoming and
outgoing customer calls for other businesses.
BPO call centers handle more than simply calls. Watch the video below where center professional Rea Ninja explains
how the BPO call center industry works.

If your business doesn’t have the bandwidth to adequately handle all your inbound and outbound calls, you may want
to consider outsourcing. Read on to learn how a BPO call center can step in and provide excellent support.

BPO call center: Pros and cons

To some, the idea of outsourcing inbound call services may seem like a risky move. After all, outside agents simply
aren’t as knowledgable as salaried employees when it comes to your company and its products.
But quickly getting up to speed is what BPO call center agents are trained to do. They’re experts at adapting to
another company’s processes and help desk tools to quickly reference the resources needed to assist customers
with support questions. Plus, most BPOs use their own advanced call center technology, which enables their agents
to execute on a company’s existing processes with higher efficiency and ROI.
Let’s take a look at some specific types of inbound calls and how BPO call centers are equipped to handle them.

Inbound BPO call center services

With an inbound call center, staff respond to customer calls and messages as they come in. Here are a few examples
of tasks that can be handled by a BPO call center.
Support questions
Businesses that sell complex products or plans tend to receive a higher-than-average number of customer support
inquiries. Health care companies, for example, might receive hundreds of calls a day from customers who have
questions about their benefits.
Big corporations that serve a large volume of customers often rely on entire teams of agents dedicated solely to
managing these types of inbound support calls. This work is often outsourced to BPO call centers because the cost
of labor is less.
Plus, larger companies with regulated plans and services almost always have clearly documented knowledge-base
resources they can easily share with BPO call center agents. These resources make it easy for BPO agents to get up
and running in no time at all.
•Order processing
Some customers still prefer to place their orders by phone. But processing these purchases can be time-consuming
—entering customer information in your CRM, taking payment information, sending orders to fulfillment, and so on.
Hire a BPO call center to handle this entire process—from order placement to delivery—to give your team more time
for high-level business processes, such as marketing and product development. These centers are especially helpful
for processing international orders during time zones outside of your business’s normal working hours and for
handling overflow during high-volume days, hours, or holidays.
By outsourcing your over-the-phone orders, you can keep the money flowing in 24/7 without having to pay employees
overtime or take resources away from other core business functions.
•Dispatch
Dispatch agents handle incoming calls from customers requesting a business’s service. A cab company, for example,
will receive dispatch calls from clients requesting to book a car. The agent receiving the dispatch call will then notify a
driver to fulfill the service.
Rather than hire full-time, salaried employees, some companies will outsource their dispatch call enter services so
that they can pay for agents on an as-needed basis. A courier company that delivers only between 10 a.m. and 2
p.m. on weekdays, for example, might find it more cost-effective to outsource dispatch services rather than hire
salaried employees.
With this system, you also don’t have to worry about paying an employee on a slow day when there are few dispatch
calls. And, as a plus, BPO call centers can help cover odd hours to ensure that no service requests are missed.

Outbound BPO call center services

While an inbound call center agent’s job is to answer the phone, outbound call center agents are the ones making the
calls. Outbound call center services are often outsourced because of how time-consuming and tedious they can be.
For example, a business might call thousands of people before they get enough responses to complete a market
research survey.
When you partner with a BPO call center, you can dedicate their agents to managing these tedious tasks so that your
team can focus on building relationships with customers and improving your products and services.
Telemarketing
While telemarketing has historically gotten a bad rap, many companies consider it a highly effective and cost-efficient
strategy for generating new leads. Unfortunately, telemarketing can yield a low ROI if your agents aren’t experienced
in the art of the cold call.
That’s where the experience, tools, and expertise of BPO call centers come into play. Their agents are hired for their
ability to captivate and persuade the people they cold call. They’re trained to think quickly on their feet, to charm
consumers, and to present your company’s mission statement in a way that resonates with the person on the other
line. The right BPO agents can help you increase the ROI of your telemarketing efforts.
•Telesales
Telesales focuses primarily on closing deals over the phone. Telesales differs from telemarketing, in that cold calls
are typically made to prospects who have already been identified as promising leads.
These calls are an important aspect of driving revenue, but businesses may not have the capacity to promptly
connect with potential customers. Say you have 2,000 leads in your pipeline but only 12 reps on your team. You
could spend weeks cold calling and still not connect with the right opportunities. With the help of a BPO call center,
you can both reach and follow up with all the leads in your pipeline in less time, which can help your company
generate more sales quickly.
Small companies also will outsource telesales because BPO call centers have greater access to sales technology. By
hiring a BPO team that already has a CRM in place, companies can reap the benefits of the tool without needing to
add to their existing tech stack. This saves overhead costs and eliminates the need to spend time and resources
onboarding a new tool.
•Market research
Businesses often conduct over-the-phone surveys to learn more about their customer base. The data gained from
market research can reveal a number of valuable insights: what resonates with shoppers, their top pain points, and
so on.
Market research calls tend to follow a set call center script, so you can easily outsource them to a BPO center. Just
instruct BPO agents on how to greet customers and close the call, and provide them with a list of questions to ask.
By outsourcing these calls, your team will be able to cost-effectively gain insights for upcoming campaigns and
product releases.
Use a BPO call center to deliver excellent customer service
Your ability to deliver a positive customer service experience can make or break your business. The fact of the matter
is, not every business has the resources or bandwidth to keep wait times short, resolve tickets quickly, or provide the
IT expertise customers expect.
In those cases, the most reliable way to deliver that kind of service is to outsource it to the experts. With a BPO call
center, you can ensure that your customers receive high-quality support without having to take time and resources
away from other core functions, like product development and marketing.

6 call center training tips for building an

exceptional team of agents
More often than not, shoppers’ impressions of companies are based on interactions with support agents. After all,
customers rarely interact directly with businesses outside of support calls—especially if the company is online-based.
Your agents need the proper training and tools to handle those calls in a way that makes the customer feel heard and
appreciated. Below are six call center training tips to ensure your agents can deliver a positive, helpful customer
experience.

1. Teach proper call center etiquette

When you work in the same industry for a long time, certain aspects of the job become second nature. And as
managers, we sometimes forget that second-nature skills like proper phone etiquette aren’t inherent to everyone. The
good news is that soft skills can be taught to every trainee at a contact center. This is where a training program—one
thatʼs built on solid, thoughtful training material—comes in.
Never take for granted the importance of educating agents on how to treat customers in a respectful, friendly manner
over the phone. As a call center agent, small nuances can have a big impact on the customer support experience.
For example:
• Communicating wait times.
If your agents must put a customer on hold, make sure they know the importance of communicating expected wait
times. If a customer has no idea when the agent will return, they might begin feeling antsy and frustrated or even
hang up.

•
Letting customers know the call may be recorded for training
purposes.
Customers often have no problem with the recording, but would prefer to be aware of it happening.

• Pausing call recordings while taking credit card information.

This is a common safety precaution most agents take. Letting your customers know how you’re keeping their
information secure will put them at ease and help establish trust.
When you train your agents in proper call center etiquette, you give them the tools they need to make every customer
feel valued, respected, and safe. And thatʼs the bedrock that good customer service is built on.

2. Provide technical onboarding

Make sure your agents are 100 percent confident and adept at using your call center software and technology.
Otherwise, a technical snag might lead to unnecessary hold times.
As part of your company’s customer service training, itʼs essential to help agents become familiar with your tools by
providing clear guidance on:
Answering calls using your call center software.
New hires may have only used phones to handle customer calls in the past.
Transferring calls between departments.
Teach agents how to use hold and transfer functions to properly route customer calls to other agents and
departments.
 Muting and unmuting the speaker while talking to customers.
Agents commonly use this function when they ask another teammate for help with a customer’s question. Mute can
be a good alternative to hold, as it allows an agent to quietly complete a task while still being able to hear the
customer on the other end.
Adding other people to the call via your call center software.
An agent might need to loop their manager into a call if they need help with a ticket, for example, or if the customer
specifically asks to speak to a manager.
Call center software is a valuable tool for organizing and managing customer calls. But without the proper technical
training, these tools can become a burden to your agents. Proper technical onboarding will ensure your tools help,
rather than hinder, your agents’ ability to deliver a positive customer experience.

3. Implement a shadowing program

Sometimes the most effective way to train an agent is by example. With a shadowing program, new hires can be
paired with seasoned call center agents to experience first-hand how the pros handle a typical customer call. This
kind of training session can be a great way to help center agents acquire the skill needed to address customer
issues.
This call center training tip can be implemented in a few ways. One method is to invite new hires to listen in on live
customer calls. New hires can observe in real-time how expert agents adapt to different customers and situations.
Shadowing programs also allow agents to demonstrate how they utilize call center tools and software to improve the
quality and efficiency of their support.
A less involved way to implement a shadowing program is to have new hires listen to past call records that exemplify
a positive customer service experience. With recordings, you can choose calls that demonstrate how to handle
particular situations and problems. This allows you to target your call center training to help agents address any key
weaknesses they might have.

4. Provide knowledge management tools

Make it easy for your agents to find answers to the product questions they don’t know when they’re on calls. Internal
knowledge management tools like Zendesk’s help center software help agents quickly search for—and find—
answers to common support questions.
Think of it as a comprehensive, searchable database of guides and how-tos that agents can access digitally. Rather
than ask another team member for help answering a customer inquiry, agents can simply look up the answer
themselves by searching for it in their knowledge management database.
And with a knowledge management tool like Zendesk Guide, agents can add additional resources to the database on
the fly. This gives seasoned agents the ability to create quick how-to articles in a knowledge base that they can share
with new hires struggling with specific tasks or processes. Also, if your team is distributed instead of being located in
a physical contact center, having a knowledge base can help each remote agent benefit from the wisdom of
experienced agents.
Knowledge management tools are also helpful for support team members to connect with other areas of the
company. For example, product managers may use the tool to share the latest product releases and updates with
support agents so they’re ready to answer customers’ questions about new offerings.
By providing educational resources to support agents, you make it possible for them to build their knowledge and
offer informed, helpful service to customers.

5. Set clear objectives

Without goals to work toward, employees can end up feeling stuck in their job with no place to go. Set clear
objectives with ample training options, and center agents will likely feel more motivated to grow in their role. Those
objectives should be paired with frequent coaching, which can spur employee engagement and boost agent
performance.
Not sure which objectives to set? Common customer support goals revolve around the following metrics:
•Average wait time. Remember, customers expect their calls to be picked up in five minutes or less.
•Resolution time. This refers to how long it takes an agent to solve an open ticket.
•Calls missed. New hires may struggle at first to navigate a busy inbound call center. Setting attainable objectives
for total missed calls motivates your agents to improve their multitasking and organizational skills.
Whatever objectives you decide to set, make sure they’re attainable and measurable. For example, a goal of 0
missed calls per week is not realistic for a brand new call center agent. Unattainable objectives set new hires up for
failure, which can quickly lead to decreased employee happiness and churn.

6. Give feedback
Agents won’t know if they’re on track to meet their goals unless you provide input. To offer constructive feedback, you
need to understand where your agents are struggling and how they could improve. Observing calls is a great way to
build these insights. Review call recordings to assess agents’ etiquette and identify strengths and weaknesses. Some
call center managers create Q&A scorecards to formally evaluate agents’ calls.
Once you’ve shared areas of improvement with agents, help them grow by sharing relevant articles and educational
resources to sharpen those skills. These types of resources help turn feedback into actionable advice and allow
agents to hone their knowledge outside of the office.

Drive customer loyalty with these 6 call center training tips

When it comes to customer service, every detail counts—and support calls are no exception. Use the call center
training tips above to teach agents the nuances of running a helpful, friendly phone conversation with customers.
You’ll help agents build the call center skills and tools they need to make every support interaction positive — and
ultimately increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
 How to start a call center (without breaking the bank)
That’s a big part of why call centers still play such an integral role in building a great customer experience.
Consumers still expect call center agents to be knowledgeable, helpful, and patient on the phone. Your call center
needs to maintain a high level of customer service at all times to nurture customer relationships.
But building your own call center is a big project that requires careful planning, and it’s easy to get tripped up along
the way.
Here’s a step-by-step plan that’ll help you confidently create the best call center for your company.

How to start a call center

Wondering how to open a call center? Follow these steps:
Setting up a call center: a checklist
1.Determine the goal(s)
2.Decide on a budget
3.Identify your call center type
4.Build your team
5.Train your employees
6.Find the right software and tools
7.Invest in culture
1. Determine the main goal(s) of your call center
Before you dig into the real meat of running a call center, start by asking yourself why you need one.
Once you’ve clearly defined the main goal(s) of your call center, consider what you’ll need to run a successful call
center business.
Your main goal(s) will depend on your specific business needs:
•If you run a small business or startup, maybe the main goal is to increase lead generation and get new customers or
streamline payment and order processing
•If you’re responsible for a larger business, perhaps your main goal is customer satisfaction and offering better
overall support
Once your main goal(s) is set, you need to use call center metrics that can serve as key performance indicators
(KPIs) to measure the success of your call center services.
Common call center metrics
• Abandoned in queue: Total number of customers that hang up while waiting to speak to an agent.
• Average handle time (AHT): Average length of contact for a customer on a call.
• Average talk time: Number of minutes and seconds between an agent answering the phone and hanging up.
• Average speed of answer (ASA): Time it takes a customer to reach an agent once they’ve been routed to the right
department and placed in the queue.
• Declined call: An unanswered call that was actively refused by an agent.
• Missed call: An unanswered call that was not picked up by an agent in time.
• Transfer rate: Percentage of inbound calls that agents transfer to other team members or departments.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the goals of your call center will likely differ from those of a contact center.
•Contact centers use multiple channels (email, social media, live chat, etc.)
•Call centers focus exclusively on offering service via traditional telephone lines
A call center has to work more efficiently since everything is happening in real-time, and there’s not always time to
mull over an answer. In fact, expectations are higher for phone support than any other channel — roughly 50% of
customers expect a response in less than five minutes.

2. Decide on a budget for your call center

Before you choose what type of call center is best in line with your type of business, you need to come up with a
budget.
Figure out how much money you’re realistically able to spend on starting a call center. This can help you determine
details about how your call center will operate, such as:
•Number of employees
•Size and location of facilities
•Type of technology and tools
When deciding on a budget for your call center, you need to start by compiling your monthly income sources, fixed
costs, and variable expenses to get a better idea of how much money you can spend.
You may find that building an on-site call center isn’t feasible financially, and that will help you decide on a strong
remote workforce option.

3. Identify your call center type

Determining the main goal(s) of your call center will help you decide which type of call center will best fit your
business plan.
There are a few different types of call centers to consider, each with unique benefits, depending on your needs.
Inbound vs. outbound
Are you cold calling potential customers with telesales offers? Or are you more focused on resolving customer
issues?
The answers to these questions will help guide you towards setting up an inbound or outbound call center for your
business.
Inbound call centers receive incoming calls and are generally run by customer support teams. These teams help
customers solve issues they’re having with your product or service.
This type of call center is generally ideal for:
•Product and/or tech support
•Payment and order processing
•Upgrade and renewal inquiries
Outbound call centers make outgoing calls to people. They’re generally run by sales teams that want to sell a
product or service or compile market data that is in-line with larger business ideas.
This type of call center is generally ideal for:
•Appointment setting
•Lead generation
•Telemarketing
•Telesales
•Market research
There’s also the option of utilizing a hybrid call center that provides both inbound and outbound calling. Some
companies prefer a hybrid model, so they can create a consistent customer experience from one call center.
On-site vs. virtual
Does your call center require an in-house staff with a big office space, or are you looking for a remote, cost-effective
solution?
Both options are now possible for business owners, and they each have their own unique benefits.
On-site call centers are physical facilities where employees make or receive customer calls. The entire team and all
of the equipment are in one location.
Some of the benefits of an on-site call center include:
•Fast, in-person communication among employees and managers. Everyone is in the same building, so it’s easy
to contact one another and resolve any employee- or customer-related issues.
•Technology updates and training are easier to do in real-time. You have more ability to explain the nuances of
different technologies clearly and in person.
•No Internet connection needed to carry out phone calls. There’s no fear that a call will get dropped due to a shaky
Internet connection.
Virtual call centers are cloud-based with no physical facilities. Team members work remotely and can be anywhere
in the world as long as they have a stable Internet connection.
Some of the benefits of a virtual call center include:
•Having access to the most qualified candidates from around the world. The best candidates don’t always come
from your own country. It can be valuable to look at international candidates with better experience.
•Having employees in different time zones for flexible call center hours. Your customers can rest easy knowing
they don’t have to sneak out at lunch to make a support call; they can make the call whenever they have time.
•Saving money on facilities and investing more in call center software and employee salaries. By keeping your
facility and office supplies to a minimum, you can keep your team happy by offering things like company laptops and
better pay.
Again, there is the option of using a hybrid call center that has both on-site and virtual components. This can also be
a good option to offer employees—the flexibility to work from a remote location as well as an office space, depending
on employee preference.

4. Build your call center team

Now that you know the type of call center you want to build, it’s time to put together a team that can help you make it
a success.
Hire the best people for your call center
Finding the most qualified candidates to work for your call center is easier said than done. You need to start by
having a very clear understanding of your needs.
Create a list of the traits your ideal support rep should have:
•Do they need to be able to work flexible hours?
•How much prior experience should they have?
•Should they be good at small talk or go straight to business?
Answering these types of questions will help you get a better grasp of the types of candidates you’ll want to bring in
for interviews.
You should also be very clear about your must-haves vs. your nice-to-haves in a call center resume. Many recruiters
struggle to find good candidates when they add too many must-have requirements. If there are things you think may
be valuable, list them as nice-to-haves and take stock of the things you can train your employees to do after they’re
hired.

5. Train your employees

Make sure your employees are fully equipped to fulfill their roles by providing agent training as part of your call center
setup.
To do this, you can train people at an offsite location such as another call center, online, or on-site.
Train agents on any headsets and phone systems that your company uses. In a virtual call center, agents should
receive support in setting up their remote workspace and be up-to-speed on all the necessary tools and software your
company uses. Guide them with any call center training tips you can offer.
Make sure agents are also trained on proper call center etiquette, and consider creating a call center script to help
newer employees and to keep brand messaging consistent.
6. Consider a BPO call center solution
Business process outsourcing (BPO) refers to outsourcing some of your company’s operations to an outside vendor
or service provider. In the context of a call center, BPO means outsourcing inbound and outbound services to agents
who don’t actually work for your company.
This is an ideal solution for companies with limited bandwidth that need immediate support. If call volume is beyond
what your staff is able to support, it may be worthwhile to consider a BPO call center solution. You’ll be able to get the
high number of calls under control without having to hire and train new employees.
Inbound BPO call center services include:
•Handling support questions
•Order processing
•Dispatch
Outbound BPO call center services include:
•Telemarketing
•Telesales
•Market research
BPO call center solutions are ideal if you’re in a staffing jam and don’t have the ability to hire and train a batch of new
people. Generally speaking, these are call center agents who already have industry experience and
excellent customer service skills.

Supplement your call center with these digital resources

At a minimum, our in-house and digital call center agents will need high-speed Internet. There are also other tools
and software you may need for your call center.
Here are some digital resources you can introduce to strengthen your call center without breaking the bank.
VoIP
Business Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make calls through a data network
versus an analog phone line.

The beauty of using VoIP software is that it reduces the overhead tied to traditional phone lines. That translates to a
lower cost of equipment for your call center.
VoIP software like Zendesk Voice gives your team more flexibility to take calls whenever and wherever they want. All
they need is a stable Internet connection, and your company is only charged for minutes used.
Knowledge base
The one thing customers and employees always have in common is questions. They want or need to get further
information on a particular issue or topic to make sure they fully understand it.
Knowledge bases function as a library of information for your customers and employees. They’re empowered to
resolve their own issues, so support reps have more time to solve complex tickets.
Examples of knowledge base resources include:
•Education, academies, and training programs
•FAQ content
•Forums
•How-to articles and tutorials
•Webinars
Zendesk’s help center software and knowledge base software help you build these resources for your customers and
employees with ease.

Knowledge base for Slack

Internal help desk
Internal help desks are digital hubs that help your employees get all the support they need to do their jobs. Support
reps help not just customers, but employees, too.

To make this internal communication easier, you can use a help desk software to:
•Answer questions
•Address incidents
•Service requests
Zendesk’s internal help desk serves as a one-stop shop for employees to get all the help they need whenever a
challenging scenario pops up.
5. Maintain a supportive call center culture
Working at a successful call center can feel overwhelming for everyone involved with so many calls taking place over
the course of a single day.
That’s why strong leadership and management are so important when it comes to how your call center functions.
To make your team feel supported:
•Maintain a calm demeanor when handling issues with employees
•Reach out to them on a regular basis to see if they’re facing any challenges you can help with
These go a long way toward keeping call center agents feeling happy and supported when faced with a flood of calls
on a busy day.
Once you have all your call center pieces in place, make sure your call center is a supportive place to work. That
way, you can retain your best employees and continue to bring on new ones who will help add to its success over
time.

Start a call center today

Even in the age of emails, texts, and DMs, sometimes talking to a real human solves the problem fastest. Ready to
start setting up a call center? Zendesk’s integrated voice solution syncs with all other channels, and lets agents see
all customer information right away.
What is IVR? The ultimate guide
The customer service industry is continually evolving. It seems like every day, there’s a new communication platform
your agents should use to stay relevant to your customers and ensure customer satisfaction. Yet there is one thing
that remains constant: Consumers still prefer to use the phone over any other customer support channel. (Yes, even
Millennials would rather pick up the phone than trawl the Internet for answers.)
But when call volume is high, it can lead to stressed-out agents—not to mention longer wait and resolution times,
which can quickly turn any happy customer into a frustrated one. That’s where interactive voice response (IVR)
phone systems come in. IVR enables you to offer exceptional over-the-phone customer support in a way that’s both
time-efficient and cost-effective.
Read on to learn what IVR is, how it works, and why it creates better customer experiences.

What is IVR?
IVR definition: IVR is an automated phone system that answers incoming calls, gathers information from callers, and
directs them to the right agent or self-serve option.
Your IVR system is your company’s first point of contact with customers who pick up the phone and call your support
team. It’s in charge of collecting information from customers and getting them to the right place so they can resolve
their issue as quickly as possible.

IVR manages inbound calls by obtaining information from a customer—such as their account number or the type of
problem they’re having—and using it to route their call to the appropriate agent.
IVR systems get that information by prompting callers to select an option using their phone’s touch-tone keypad.
You’ve likely experienced this yourself when calling a business and hearing an automated menu (“For billing, press 1;
for our business hours, press 2…”).
That’s an IVR menu. Some IVRs use advanced voice recognition technology so callers can say their problem into the
phone’s speaker instead of selecting numbers on their keypad.
IVRs can also direct callers to prerecorded answers for common questions such as, “What time do you open today?”
Instead of waiting to talk to an agent, customers can quickly find the information they’re looking for from an
automated IVR system, allowing agents to focus on more pressing or complex customer issues.
Given this functionality, IVR technology is a cost-effective solution for support teams—you can resolve more issues
without needing to make additional hires. Your IVR phone system may also increase customer satisfaction by
providing immediate answers to basic, frequently asked questions and freeing up more agents to handle the more
urgent, complicated matters.
5 customer support benefits of an IVR system
Customers have increasingly high standards for support. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends
Report, 65 percent of consumers expect customer service to be faster than it was five years ago.
That’s why IVR phone systems can be a game-changer. They help customers resolve their issues swiftly without
needing to be transferred between departments. IVRs can even provide 24/7 support for common problems and
prioritize callers based on their customer status.
1. Faster resolution time
For our Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report, we asked consumers: “Which are the most important aspects
of a good customer service experience?” Not surprisingly, a resounding majority said, “I can resolve my issue
quickly.”
IVRs boost issue-resolution speed. They’re like Siri or Alexa, but for buyers. Your customers call in, they tell the
system what they want, and voilà—they get the information they need quickly from the best source available.
If you’re experiencing an exceptionally high call volume, you can set up your IVR system to split calls into different
groups or categories and assign different agents to each group. Through this division of labor, IVRs reduce hold
times and increase issue-resolution speed.
You can also use your IVR to set up prerecorded responses to FAQs (such as, “What are your business hours?” and
“What’s your business address?”). Customers can get answers to simple questions quickly without ever needing to
speak to an agent.
You can even use an IVR phone system to schedule a call back if your customer needs to speak to an agent and no
one is available immediately. Customers are usually relieved to know that their questions will be answered even if
they decide not to wait on hold.
IVRs don’t just save time for customers. By deflecting and fielding simple questions, these systems also give agents
more time to solve complex or pressing issues. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
1. Higher first-contact resolution
Customers want their questions answered quickly without having to jump through too many hoops—68 percent of
customers say they get annoyed when their call is transferred between departments. IVR helps avoid that scenario
by routing calls to the appropriate agent right off the bat. This can also improve the first-contact resolution (FCR) rate,
or the number of queries that were satisfactorily answered the first time.
Sixty-eight percent of customers say they get annoyed when their call is transferred between
departments.
Say, for example, a customer has questions about a recent invoice they received. All they have to do is press the
correct number on their keypad when prompted by the IVR system (e.g., “Press 1 for questions about your bill”).
To maintain a high FCR rate, adjust your IVR phone system to fit customers’ changing needs. Maybe you’ve released
a new product, and customers are calling to learn more about it. With IVR, you can improve FCR by routing those
callers to the agents who know the new product the best.
IVRs automatically route callers to the appropriate agent based on the customer’s issue. Say, for example, a
customer has questions about a recent invoice they received. All they have to do is press the right number on their
keypad when prompted by the IVR (e.g., “Press 1 for questions about your bill”).
To maintain a high FCR rate, adjust your IVR system to fit customers’ changing needs. Maybe you’ve released a new
product, and customers are calling to learn more about it. With IVR, you can improve FCR by directing those callers
to the agents who know the product best.

Read now
1. 24/7 support
Round-the-clock support is a key aspect of a good customer service experience. But not every business has the
employee bandwidth to provide 24/7 service.
Remember those prerecorded responses to FAQs? Yep, that’s your answer to 24/7 support.
Here’s an example: Last weekend, your Internet went down. Unfortunately, you live in one of those towns that has
only one local Internet provider, and—you guessed it—they’re closed on the weekends. Annoyed and impatient, you
called their customer service number anyway. You were immediately directed to a prerecorded message that
explained exactly why the Internet was out (a downed pole in your neighborhood). The message even gave a
timeline for when the company expected repairs to be completed.
The goal is to leave the customer feeling as if they always have recourse. Even if you don’t have support agents
working 24 hours a day, your customer wants to know that you take their needs seriously, and an IVR can help you
make that clear.
Say a customer needs to cancel their credit card after experiencing a security breach. A 24-hour call center that uses
an IVR phone system can let them do that even if there’s no one currently working. Your customer doesn’t have to
wait until Monday to cancel their card when they know someone has accessed it without their permission. Knowing
that they can count on your business any day at any time reduces the customer’s stress and increases brand loyalty.
With IVR, 24/7 service is possible, no matter how big or small your company is.
1. Call prioritization
Imagine that two customers call your support number at the same time. Customer #1 pays for your lowest-tier
subscription, valued at $20 a month. Customer #2 pays for your VIP package, valued at $250 a month. Which one
would you help first?

Customer service representatives need a system for prioritizing calls based on potential impact. After all, 58 percent
of consumers stop buying from a company after a single bad customer service interaction. You simply can’t afford to
make high-value customers wait.
With an IVR system, you can assign priorities to specific phone numbers. When a VIP customer calls support, they’ll
instantly be placed at the top of the queue and assigned to the most capable agent.
You can also use call history to determine how quickly you should route a call to an agent. Suppose a customer has
already called five times that day needing urgent support. In that case, it’s wise to direct them to an agent as quickly
as possible to avoid frustration and improve the overall experience. But if the customer has called once and indicates
they’re looking for an answer to a routine question, you can use an automated response for their query.
With an IVR phone system, you can set up intelligent routing based on criteria that meet your company’s and
customer’s needs. This makes your valuable customers feel valued and cared for, increasing their satisfaction.
1. Omnichannel customer service
IVR can help support an omnichannel customer experience strategy, too. When businesses take an omnichannel
approach to CX, they consolidate information from a variety of support channels—including the phone, live chat, and
email—and use it to inform the way they interact with the customer. This enables support teams to reference the
customer data they need when they need it, regardless of the channel they’re using.
For example, imagine a customer calls your support team regarding an issue with their online order. Your IVR phone
system captures the customer’s details and the reason for their call, and then routes them to a knowledge
base article about tracking, exchanging, and canceling orders. But the article doesn’t help the customer resolve their
issue, so they’re connected to a live agent via chat. The agent who assists them receives all the relevant context
captured by your IVR—meaning the customer doesn’t have to repeat themselves—and can offer a solution more
quickly.
The ability to move interactions seamlessly from one channel to another is what an omnichannel customer service
experience is all about. A customer may choose to reach out via phone, but they might be given the option to receive
their response in an email or a messaging app, and context won’t be lost along the way.
An omnichannel customer strategy allows agents to provide a faster and more personalized experience, leading to
happier customers. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report, companies that provided
omnichannel support had faster response times and higher customer satisfaction scores.

IVR and personalized customer support

While an IVR phone system has many benefits, there can be pitfalls as well. If the questions aren’t specific enough,
there are too many questions, or the technology you use has poor voice-recognition capabilities, your customers
could get frustrated.
That’s why an interactive voice response system that offers some level of customer self-service and personalization
is so important. High-quality voice-recognition technology is also key.
Our phones aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so for an easy and cost-effective way to respond to more inbound
calls, consider implementing an IVR system.
4 call center script examples (+ tips and best
practices)
Support agents possess different levels of knowledge and emotional intelligence—which can come with risk when
dealing with customers. If a new agent is unfamiliar with your company or doesn’t know how to handle a particular
situation, they could unintentionally share incorrect information or fail to resolve a customer’s issue during a support
conversation.
Call center scripts can help your team stay on track and provide effective (and company-approved) responses to the
people who matter most: your customers.

What is a call center script?

A call center script, or customer service script, is a document that clearly lays out what a contact center agent is
supposed to say in response to a specific scenario. A script guides agents through customer calls, helping to reduce
errors and increase efficiency.
It’s important to note that call center scripts aren’t intended to sound robotic. They’re carefully and thoughtfully
written, and agents often adapt them to fit their own customer service voice and sound more conversational.

How to use call center scripts

As with any tool, call center scripts are most effective when used correctly. You can use call scripts as a way to
empower your reps and allow them to act as advisors to your customers.
In theater, a script is usually something you memorize and recite word for word. But customer support calls aren’t
Shakespeare plays. If you’re hiring awesome customer service reps, then focus on giving them the tools they need to
succeed and trust them to create a great customer experience.
Prioritize agent training—and make call center scripts a part of it
Call center scripts can be a useful part of training new customer service representatives, but they shouldn’t be used
as a replacement for it. Scripts should provide helpful suggestions for what agents should say when faced with a
certain problem. Supplement that information with soft skills training on how to effectively interact with customers on
the phone and via live chat.
Train your agents to treat scripts as something they can consult for guidance but not something they should read
word for word. Over time, they’ll find it easier to know what to say with just a quick glance or skim and can do so in a
way that feels more natural and human.
Turn your call center scripts into knowledge resources that are easy for reps to
access
A script doesn’t just have to be a list of lines to say. If that’s what you have now, repurpose your call center scripts—
for formats and channels that make the most important information more accessible to your customer service
representatives.
Use scripting to build out your internal knowledge base, and make it searchable so agents can find answers quickly.
You can also break down a script into macros and tag and categorize answers. This allows call center agents to pull
up information at a moment’s notice.
Your agents shouldn’t have to read 500 words to get the solutions they need, all while the customer waits on hold.
You can use customer service software to ensure all your resources are well organized and formatted, so it’s easy for
reps to surface the right information.
Emphasize the importance of delivering great customer experiences
Using call center scripts can get tricky when customer support agents think they should prioritize following the script
over providing the best customer experience. Be sure your agent training and internal processes for your call
center make it very clear that’s not the case.
Make sure your call center scripts are accurate
The point of scripting is to improve accuracy. If your agents are getting bad or incomplete information from scripts,
they’re hurting more than they’re helping.
Use call center software to study your previous customer service interactions when creating call center scripts. This
data will help you identify the main issues customers experience, common follow-up questions and concerns, and
responses that yield high customer satisfaction scores. Leverage that information to create data-backed resources
that enable your reps to deliver a top-notch experience.
Personalize your call center scripts
According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2022, 90 percent of consumers will spend more with
companies that personalize the customer service they offer them. Support agents can personalize experiences by
using CRM software to keep all customer data readily available. This allows them to view everything from a
customer’s contact details to a customer’s purchase history, so they can tailor each interaction accordingly.
Agents can immediately establish customer rapport by saying the caller’s name, for example. They can also make
relevant suggestions and save customers from repeating themselves, resulting in a better support experience.
Train agents to maintain two-way communication
One of the problems with scripts is that you risk talking at the customer rather than talking with them. The difference
has a lot to do with whether or not you’re taking time to truly listen to the customer versus trying to jump in with an
answer. Agents should be trained to pause regularly and check in with the customer to make sure they’re
understanding the issue correctly.
This also prevents agents from droning on past the point where a question has been answered. Shorter responses
with frequent pauses give customers the chance to let you know when the problem is solved, so the interaction can
end and everyone can get back to their day.

How to write a good call center script

Here are some quick call center script best practices:
•Break down responses into macros so agents can pull up a response at a moment’s notice.
•Focus on organization and formatting so agents can surface the right information quickly.
•Include an introduction, guidelines on how to respond to the scenario, and instructions on how to end the
conversation so agents can seamlessly navigate interactions from start to end.
•Describe the type of language and tone to use (and not use) so agents can deliver consistent, on-brand
experiences.
•Allow room for personalization so agents can establish rapport and provide a positive customer service experience.

Learn more

Call center script templates for your team

Call center scripts can be agents’ best resource, especially when they’re faced with a variety of customer service
scenarios. From the initial introduction to pricing questions to dealing with angry customers, scripts can help keep
agents on track and focused on the customer’s issue.
Call center script for introducing yourself on a call
The introduction will set the tone for the call. You want to be mindful of the customer’s time, so keep your intro brief
yet friendly and upbeat. If it’s an existing customer, you’ll likely already have their information in your CRM, so you
can greet them by name right off the bat. But if it’s a new customer, make sure to ask for their name upfront. And if
applicable, be transparent about any call recordings being made.
Example “introduction” scripts:
• “Hello, thank you for calling [COMPANY NAME] customer support. My name is [AGENT NAME]. How may I help you
today, [CUSTOMER NAME]?”
• “Good [MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING]! My name is [AGENT NAME] with [COMPANY]’s customer support
department. How may I assist you today, [CUSTOMER NAME]?”
• “Hi, [CUSTOMER NAME]! Thank you for calling [COMPANY] customer service. I’m [AGENT NAME], and I’ll be
taking care of you today. I’d like to inform you that this call may be recorded for quality assurance or training
purposes. How may I help you this [MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING]?”
• “Hello! Thanks for calling [COMPANY]’s customer service. My name is [AGENT NAME]. Who do I have the pleasure
of speaking with today?” Customer answers with their name. “Great, thank you, [CUSTOMER NAME]. How may I
assist you today?”
Call center script for politely putting a customer on hold
When agents need to put a customer on hold, they must be clear about why they’re doing it and how long they think it
will take for them to return. After an agent asks to place a customer on hold, it’s crucial the agent waits for a response
instead of just pressing the hold button. Agents should be polite—and transparent—when they know a customer is
asking for something your company cannot provide. When an agent is unable to meet the customer’s needs, they
should do their best to direct them to someone in your company who can.
Example “on hold” scripts:
• “[CUSTOMER NAME], are you able to hold for just a moment while I check on [ISSUE] for you?”
• “I’m confident I’ll be able to help you with that, [CUSTOMER NAME]. Is it okay if I put you on hold for about three
minutes while I look into [ISSUE] for you?”
• “I’m not positive we’re able to do that, [CUSTOMER NAME]. Would you mind holding for about two minutes while I
find out?”
• “Unfortunately, [CUSTOMER NAME], I’m unable to do that for you on my end. I can connect you with [EMPLOYEE
NAME] in [DEPARTMENT], and they should be able to take care of [ISSUE] for you. Could you hold for a moment
while I check to see if [EMPLOYEE’S PRONOUN] is available?”
Call center script for upselling customers
When an agent delivers a personalized, empathetic support experience, there’s a greater chance the customer will
want to buy additional products or services from your company. It’s important that agents approach potential upsell
opportunities from the perspective of making a customer’s life easier—not just to make a sale.
Agents should also use their best judgment to determine if the customer is interested in upgrading their products or
services. A poorly timed sales pitch could deter them from purchasing from your company in the future. Most
importantly for agents—don’t be pushy. Sometimes you just have to take no for an answer.
Example “upselling” scripts:
• “I’m glad I could help you find what you needed today! Many customers who buy [PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME] also
enjoy [DIFFERENT PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME]. Is this something you may be interested in?”
• “Thank you for your business, [CUSTOMER NAME]. Before we end our call today, I wanted to let you know that
many of our customers who use [PRODUCT/SERVICE CUSTOMER PURCHASED] also buy [DIFFERENT
PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME]. Would you be interested in hearing more about it?”
• “It was my pleasure to help you today, [CUSTOMER NAME]. I wanted to let you know that we typically recommend
[DIFFERENT PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME] when users buy [PRODUCT/SERVICE CUSTOMER PURCHASED]. It’s
a great complementary [PRODUCT/SERVICE]. Are you interested in learning more about it today?”
• “Thank you, [CUSTOMER NAME]. We appreciate your business! Now that you’re set up with [PRODUCT/SERVICE
CUSTOMER PURCHASED], we highly recommend checking out [DIFFERENT PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME]. May I
send you some information about it?”
Call center script for angry customers
When angry or frustrated customers call your support team, your agents need to be prepared with a keen ear and
understanding attitude. They should always acknowledge the customer’s emotions and spend more time listening
than talking. Agents also need to be cautious of their language when dealing with angry customers—they could
unintentionally offend and upset the customer further if they’re not careful.
A few phrases to avoid when dealing with angry customers:
• “I don’t know.”
• “I can’t help you.”
• “Calm down.”
• “That’s not my responsibility.”
• “I’m putting you on hold.”
• “You’re wrong.”
• “We’ve never had this issue before.”
• “I’m going to have to end this call.”
• “What do you want us to do?”
• “You shouldn’t have done that.”
When a customer is angry—whether justified or not—the best thing you can do is communicate understanding and
sympathy. Start with a sincere apology, then immediately offer to resolve the issue.
Example “angry customer” scripts:
• “My apologies, [CUSTOMER NAME]. I know that must be frustrating. Let’s go over exactly what happened so I can
fix this for you.”
• “I’m very sorry to hear about your experience, [CUSTOMER NAME]. I know we can get this taken care of. Now, let
me see if I understand you correctly before we move forward.” Agent recalls customer experience.
• “I completely understand your frustration, [CUSTOMER NAME], and I will do everything I can to resolve this for you
as quickly as possible.”
• “I appreciate you bringing this issue to my attention, [CUSTOMER NAME]. I apologize for the inconvenience and will
get this resolved for you immediately.”

Advantages and disadvantages of call center scripts

Call center scripts can be incredibly helpful for agents when written and used properly. Companies use call center
scripts in the hopes of realizing a few key benefits:
•Support agents can quickly find and provide the right answer during a customer interaction, boosting resolution time
and productivity.
•Each customer service representative provides the same answer to a problem, creating a consistent customer
experience.
•Agents can’t go rogue on difficult calls and say something inaccurate or, worse, inappropriate.
If you tell customer service reps the exact words to say, surely you don’t have to worry about them ever getting a call
wrong, right?
Well, it’s more complicated than that.
Things to avoid with call center scripts
While call center scripts certainly have their advantages, they can also present issues that lead to a bad customer
experience and a bad reputation for your call center. You want to ensure you avoid the following pitfalls.
Agent scripting that sounds robotic
We live in the age of self-service. Our 2022 CX Trends Report shows that 89 percent of consumers want to find
answers to their questions online without having to contact anyone. So, by the time customers pick up the phone,
they want a human’s help—fast. If what they get is someone reading the same answer they could have found online,
they won’t be happy. Customers can tell when a support agent isn’t using their own words. So, ensure your agents
speak to callers like human beings.
Scripts that don’t solve the customer’s problem
A call center script is meant to make sure every agent provides the right solution. But sometimes, issues are too
complicated to be completely covered by a script. Few things are as frustrating as talking to someone who’s
convinced they’ve solved your problem but who’s actually gotten it wrong. When agents tackle complicated issues,
they need to be able to adapt their scripts to align with the customer’s pain point—even if that means knowing when
to do away with the script altogether.

Call center script FAQs

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about call center scripts.
 Do all call centers use scripts?
Not every call center uses scripts when dealing with customer issues. Some call centers have scripts available, but
agents “play it by ear” to determine if they need to use them. Call centers that do use scripts to guide agents do so to
help produce fast, consistent responses to customer questions. Call centers that don’t use scripts run the risk of
different agents providing customers with inconsistent information.

How do you open a call center script?

The first step should always be to pull up the relevant customer information, such as a customer’s last interaction or
account type. If a customer has to repeat themselves or wait on hold while an agent looks up the details, they’re not
going to remember the experience as a positive one. Our CX Trends Report shows that 92 percent of consumers will
spend more with companies that ensure they won’t need to repeat themselves.
Agents should take time at the beginning of each conversation to review all the available details about a customer’s
account and history with the company. This saves the customer time and gives you the information needed to find the
best solution.
What should a good call center script include?
Good call center scripts include more than just the actual words you use within them. A solid call center script serves
as a resource for all contact center agents. All agents must make sure they:
• Introduce themselves
• Ask how they’re able to help the customer
• Know what to do if they need to put the customer on hold
• Are aware of the tone of voice and words that work with customers (and those that don’t)
• Understand how to handle a difficult customer situation or crisis
• Close the conversation effectively
An effective “close” can be as simple as thanking the customer for calling and wishing them a nice day. Have your
agents feel it out to determine the best way to end their calls.

Use your call center scripts wisely

Call center scripts serve a purpose, but they can become detrimental to the customer experience if your agents are
overly reliant on them. By treating them more like a helpful guide to meet call center metrics, ensuring they’re
accurate, and making them readily accessible to your team, you can turn scripts into a tool that enables your agents
to provide better, faster support.