Tag: Call Centre

Choosing the Right Outsourced Call Centre for Your Startup
Does your business need help to offer cost-effective customer support? If yes, working with an outsourced call center is an ideal solution. Call centers offer a wide range of services that help optimize your company’s operations. Some of these services include technical support, help desk support, telemarketing, and human resources, to name a few.

But to enjoy the perks of outsourcing customer support, you need to choose the right call center. Remember, customer support is a delicate matter best handled by a professional. Look no further if you need help figuring out where to start in your hunt for the right call center provider. Below is a look at the tips to consider when looking for the right call center provider.

1. Specific Needs

You need to first know your needs before hiring a call center provider, such as Oracle Customer Management Solutions. Remember, no two companies are the same, so the reasons for hiring an outsourced call center differ. For example, smaller businesses have different needs than bigger companies.

So knowing your needs is crucial. Below are some of the common reasons businesses outsource their customer support:
- Having online chat representatives
- Providing 24-hour service
- Answering emails
- Scheduling appointments
- Offering outbound or inbound services
Once you narrow down your needs, choosing the outsourced call center to hire will be easier. And while call centers seem the same, you must remember that they provide different services. A good example is that some call centers only handle incoming calls from your clients. In contrast, others only operate via phone, online chat live, or email, while others provide outbound services such as cold calling.

The outsourced call center you choose also needs to satisfy the needs of your business. For example, a call center with 500 employees is a great fit if you run a mid-size to big company. In contrast, an outsourced call center that’s only hired 50 agents is more than enough if you operate a startup. A call center with a workforce that matches the size of your company can help ensure smooth operations and effective customer service delivery. By outsourcing to a specialized call center team that can handle a high volume of calls and inquiries more efficiently, your business can reduce expenses on customer support while ensuring your customers receive personalized attention.

2. Experience

Excellent customer service is vital for your brand’s continued success. For this reason, the call center service provider you choose needs to have personable and qualified agents. There are several ways you can gauge the expertise and experience of a call center, including the following:
- Examine the call center’s training, hiring, and attrition processes.
- Check whether the call center runs trials to see how well the agents can deal with different situations.
A call center that observes such practices will land the industry’s best agents. These qualified customer service agents know how to handle your customers’ needs best. Doing so helps enhance the customer experience, further enhancing your brand’s image. It then translates to greater revenue for your company.

3. Security Provisions

Cybercrimes are ever more rampant today. So when searching for a call center, choose one with appropriate measures to secure their networks and computer systems. By doing this, you can be sure that your startup and customer data remain safe. A few things to check out to gauge the call center’s data security preparedness include the following:
- Check if they have a system redundancy and disaster recovery plan.
- Find out if the call center has any certifications showing proof of compliance with the regulatory security standards.
- Examine the call center systems to see that they’re maintained and updated.
- See if the outsourced call center offers redundant computing and network communication services. Check this out for both the exterior and interior resources.
- Find out whether the call center provider tests the internal network against penetration tests.
- Ask if the company has experienced a security data breach before and how they handled it.
- Find out where the client data gets stored.
Understanding these security measures will help you with the success of your business, depending on whether your customers are happy. You can best guarantee this with the right call center provider that addresses your clients’ issues in real time.

4. Cost

Generating profit is one of the core goals of any business. Therefore, you need to consider cost when looking for a call center. You can start by taking the time to contact different call centers and get quotations on how much they charge for their services. Because you want to get the most out of your money, there are a few questions you need to ask to land the ideal call center, including the following:
- What’s the call volume they can handle?
- How do they select customer service providers?
- Do they provide their services 24 hours a day or during specific periods during the day?
- Do they charge an additional fee for CRM integration?
- Are they available 365 days a year?
- What are the average hold and waiting times for customers?
- Which languages do customer service agents speak?
The answer to these questions will guide you in choosing the ideal call center. Doing so gives you a better chance of getting a call center that offers outstanding services for a reasonable price. That said, it’s good not to go for the cheapest call center you find. Otherwise, you might lose customers, causing greater harm to your business.

5. Scalability

You want to partner with an outsourced call center that offers continued support even while you’re expanding. Thus, the call center you choose should be able to offer this to you. A few things to find out from the call center when it comes to scalability are the following:
- Can they scale up and down with you when necessary?
- How fast can they affect staffing plans and procedural updates to meet your growing business needs?
- Can they handle calls from other countries?
Answering such questions will help you determine if a particular call center is the right pick.

Conclusion

The success of your business depends on whether your customers are happy. You can best guarantee this with the right call center provider that addresses your clients’ issues in real time.

But deciding on the most suitable call center provider can be a hard decision to make. This guide outlines useful tips to help you in the decision-making process. After that, you can offer improved customer service, which clients expect to win their loyalty.

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Top Outbound Call Center Software

In today’s business landscape, where competition is intense, companies invest heavily in Competitive Intelligence to gain an edge over their rivals. To succeed, businesses need to leverage every aspect of their operations, including communication. Achieving a seamless communication network requires effort, but it is a crucial factor in determining a company’s success.

As a business, bringing in, the potency of outbound call center services becomes necessary. It is where business agents make outbound calls to potential customers. However, choosing the best service provider can be a confusing task. To simplify your search, we have compiled a list of the top 10 outbound call center software that can enhance your business’s performance.

RingCentral Contact Center
Five9
ZenDesk
Aircall
Vonage
Avaya
Zoho Desk
Hubspot
Cloudtalk
Dialpad

RingCentral Contact Center

Website	Ringcentral.com
Ranking	3.9 out of 5
Best For	All Businesses

RingCentral Contact Center – Best Outbound Call Center Software

RingCentral Contact Center is a cloud-based call center service that offers a wide range of features, including automatic call distribution, call recording, and real-time reporting. The service also offers integrations with popular business applications such as Salesforce and Zendesk. Apart from it, you may get auto-dialer, agent scripts, etc. Before you consider it for your business, here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

Automatic call recording for training purposes
Real-time data analysis available
Video meetings
CRM integrations
Advanced call handling features like barge, whisper, etc.

Cons:

Customer support has been questionable
Call quality suffers from noise
Call blocks and drops have been reported

Pricing:

Contact the sales team for a quotation. Taking plans for a higher number of users will come with a discount.

Five9

Website	Five9.com
Ranking	4 out of 5
Best For	Small to Medium Businesses

Five9 offers excellent easy-to-communicate solutions to businesses through its outbound call services. Some of the features of their outbound calling solutions include ACD, agent scripting, dialer preview, call monitoring, multichannel, queue callback, chat, speech recognition, etc. Here are the pros and cons to consider before going for Five9:

Pros:

On-screen caller data available
CRM integration
Their voice quality has been good
Use of Practical AI to enhance productivity
Intelligent routing

Cons:

No free trial involved
Call drop has been reported
Their price might not be affordable for some

Pricing:

Contact the sales team of Five9 for a quotation.

ZenDesk

Website	Zendesk.com
Ranking	4.3 out of 5
Best For	Medium to Large Businesses

Zendesk is one of the renowned names in the field of outbound calling. Using their services, you can easily make sales through phones, conduct research, provide phone support for your premium customers, or reach out to existing customers for renewals. Their outbound calling features include SSO, hot desk, IVR, call recording, click-to-call, omnichannel integration, mute and call forwarding, data analysis, etc. Here are the pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

No setup fee involved
Less customer waiting time
Simple and fast customer follow-up
Simple interface, good mobility, and ease of access
Reasonably priced
Provides numerous useful business features

Cons:

Can be a bit complex to learn
Phone lagging has been reported
Call transfer could be troublesome

Pricing:

Here are the pricing packages offered by Zendesk.

Plan	Price
Suite Team	$49 agent/month
Suite Growth	$79 agent/month
Suite Professional	$99 agent/month

Aircall

Website	Aircall.io
Ranking	4.3 out of 5
Best For	Medium to Large Businesses

Aircall is best for companies looking to enhance the sales team’s productivity. Their software provides smooth integration with CRMs and helpdesk, which can be a bit troublesome for many. Above it, you may get several useful features like IVR, conference calls, call notes, call automation, call monitoring, etc. Their calls, however, be limited to US and Canada. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

Free trial is available
Call clarity has been hailed by many
Provides an excellent mobile app
Integration with HubSpot
Public number for customers and contacts
Call routing and IVR
Upfront pricing

Cons:

There could be some setup fees
Dashboard could be a bit clunk
Their chrome extension is buggy
Customer service has been reported as poor

Pricing:

Plan	Price
Essential	$30 user/month
Professional	$50 user/month

Vonage

Website	Vonage.com
Ranking	4.3 out of 5
Best For	All Types of Businesses

Vonage has been an excellent outbound call service provider that offers powerful features to enhance customer experience. The best thing about Vonage is that it is customizable and you can scale your business according to your needs. Although integration is not a problem with Vonage, you might face troubles with Salesforce. Here are the relevant pros and cons:

Pros:

Provides excellent features like IVR, ACD, click-to-call, recordings, routing, etc.
Excellent phone app
Voice quality is great
Softphone and click-to-dial options work great
Useful add-ons available
Good admin console
User interface is excellent and easy for both admins and users

Cons:

A delay in audio has been reported by some
Occasional call drops and disconnections
Poor customer service
No free trial provided

Pricing:

Domestic Calling	International Calling
Make a call to a landline number $0.0043 per minute	Make a call $0.0138 per minute
Make a call to a mobile number $0.0043 per minute
Receive a call $0.0043 per minute	Receive a call $0.0048 per minute

Avaya

Website	Avaya.com
Ranking	4.1 out of 5
Best For	All Types of Businesses

Founded in the year 2020, Avaya has claimed its spot in the top cloud calling companies and is a global provider of business communications solutions. Their system allows businesses to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive voicemail, all through the cloud. This means that businesses can access their phone system from any location, as long as they have an internet connection. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

Provides call automation
Allows database sharing through the cloud
Good workforce management for big companies
Their data precision has been hailed by many
Affordable pricing

Cons:

Call recording quality is questionable
No self-service
Might be slow at times

Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Digital	$48 user/month
Voice	$83 user/month
All Media	$125 user/month

Zoho Desk

Website	Zoho.com/desk
Ranking	4.4 out of 5
Best For	All Types of Businesses

Zoho Desk is a customer service software that provides businesses with a wide range of services to help them manage their customer interactions and support operations. Some of the key services offered by Zoho Desk include ticketing, chat and email support, knowledge management, integration, automation, mobile app, reporting, analysis, etc. Here are the pros and cons if you want to consider Zoho Desk for outbound call center services:

Pros:

Features like call logging recording, holding, muting, etc.
Provides integration
Call queue management
Better team collaboration
Excellent dashboard that is easy to understand and use
Better ticket management

Cons:

Might create issues if workflow increases
Workflow sees interruption
Data privacy has been a concern here
No automation setup

How To Use Zoho Desk?

Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Team	Up to 10 users $100 /month, billed annually
Office	Up to 30 users $300 /month, billed annually
Corporate	Up to 100 users $1000 /month, billed annually

Hubspot

Website	Hubspot.com
Ranking	4.5 out of 5
Best For	Medium to Large Businesses

HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing, sales, and service platform that helps businesses grow and streamline their operations. HubSpot’s key services include marketing automation, service and support, reporting and analytics, integrations, conversation routing, etc. Here are the pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

Provides useful features like live chat, automation, video messaging, email health reporting, etc.
Good all-in-one software
Excellent UI
Centralized contact management is there
Data reliability
Good voice quality

Cons:

Might be a bit expensive
Annual contracts even if you cancel early
Poor customer support has been reported

Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Starter	$45/month
Professional	$360/month
Enterprise	$1200/month

Cloudtalk

Website	Cloudtalk.io
Ranking	4.2 out of 5
Best For	Medium to Large Businesses

In 2020, this company was awarded one of the best call center tools. Cloudtalk can provide you with numbers for more than 140+ countries if you have global customers. Apart from it, there are features like virtual phone numbers, auto-attendants, call recording, SMS, integrations, mobile app, etc., that make it an excellent company. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

Free trial is provided
Virtual phone numbers for over 140 countries
Call recording
Call tagging
Better integration with over 2500+ software
Comparatively cheaper than its competitors.

Cons:

No MMS available
1 to 1 video meeting is not allowed
Basic plan doesn’t have SMS
Limited audio conferencing

Pricing:

Outbound calling is included in the custom plan.

Dialpad

Website	Dialpad.com
Ranking	4.4 out of 5
Best For	Medium to Large Businesses

Dialpad is an outbound cloud calling company that provides businesses with a range of phone and communication services. They offer a variety of features such as call routing, call recording, and analytics to help businesses improve their customer interactions. Dialpad also offers a mobile app for employees to make and receive calls on the go, and integrations with popular productivity tools like Salesforce and G Suite.

Pros:

Offers AI scripts for common questions
Features like smart dialer, call history, sentiment analysis, in-queue call-back, etc.
Provides internal MVP communication
Clear sound quality

Cons:

Poor phone activation and deactivation
Desktop integration could be troublesome for a few
It might fail to filter spam calls
No free trial

Pricing:

Request a quotation from their website.

Conclusion

Outbound call centers are essential for businesses because they allow companies to proactively reach out to their customers and potential customers. This can be a powerful way to generate new leads, build relationships, and increase sales. Outbound call centers can also help businesses gather valuable information about their target market, which can be used to improve products and services. Before choosing an outbound call center company, you must always make a list of your requirements. If you need a free trial, you may go for Aircall or Cloudtalk; if you need a company with trust and experience, go for ZenDesk, Hubspot, RingCentral, or Avaya; if finance is your concern, get quotations from different companies and see which one suites you best.

FAQs

What is an Outbound Call Center?

Outbound call centers tend to make more calls than they receive. Their main focus is reaching out to customers, making sales, and publicizing the company.

What are the main features of an Outbound Call Center service?

The main features of an Outbound Call Center service include call routing, call recording, auto attendants, conversation routing, automatic call distribution, agent scripting, dialer preview, call monitoring, multichannel, queue callback, chat, speech recognition, and others.

Is there a free trial provided by any Outbound Call Center service?

Aircall and Cloudtalk are providers of Outbound Call Center Software that offer free trials for prospective clients to ensure a perfect fit for their business needs.

What are the top Outbound Call Center Services?

Below is the list of best Outbound Call Center Services:

RingCentral Contact Center
Five9
Zendesk
Aircall
Vonage
Avaya
Zoho Desk
Hubspot
Cloudtalk
Dialpad

February 19, 2023

International Call Centre Scam Businesses in India | How They Scam People?
The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry entered India in the 1980s when American Express set up its back-office operations in Gurgaon, now Gurugram. Since then, it has witnessed regular growth year on year.

The Indian Call Centre market, in 2017, was valued at a whopping USD 28.19 billion. There are various factors contributing to its exponential growth.

These include government schemes to promote the industry, growth in English and other multiple language-speaking populations, skilled professional to provide support in a multitude of business operations, low cost of employment with a high-quality workforce, specialized call centre outsourcing services, latest technologies, high-end infrastructure, Availability of a younger workforce, and Readiness to work in shifts.

India’s biggest and most renowned call centre players are Infosys BPO, Tata Consultancy Services BPO, WNS Global Services, Wipro BPO, Aegis Limited and a few others.

International Call Centre Scam Businesses in India
How to Prevent Falling for International Call Centre Scams?

Top Spammers in India in 2021

International Call Centre Scam Businesses in India

Along with the good, also comes the bad. With the Call Centre industry shining bright, there is a black shadow that follows it too.

There have been various cases over the years that have garnered media attention for defrauding a vast majority of people for money.

“Call Centre Fraud in Bengaluru: 73 employees were paid in cash, ferried in ‘school buses’

It was just recently in July 2022, when the newspapers screamed this headline. The Bengaluru police, acting on an anonymous tip, raided an office in the Whitefield tech area posing to be a legitimate call centre.

They seized everything including the transcripts that were being used to target and defraud American citizens and compromise their bank accounts. They were operating three different setups to facilitate money routing. To escape suspicion and to keep operating, the company would pay its employees in cash rather than a direct bank deposit.

What was the Scam?

The technique for the gang was a three-layered stack-up. Callers, bankers and closers. The callers would reach out to potential targets via text messages or voice mails stating they were noticing strange and possibly fraudulent activity on their bank or eCommerce accounts.

Any attempts by the targets to cross-check these calls would be routed to the second facility, which was the bankers. The bankers, posing either as bank executives or eCommerce executives, would engage the target to determine if he or she would fall prey to the scam. This was followed by the closers who would take over and the final money transaction would occur.

“Fake Call Centre Scamming US Nationals Busted In Mumbai; 3 Arrested”

Just a couple of months ago, in May 2022, the city of Mumbai was in the news for one more call centre scam. The Mumbai police, acting on a complaint, raided a business park in the Thane area and arrested three people. They were running a call centre with the intention of defrauding US citizens.

What was the Scam?

The trio that allegedly ran a call centre, posed as representatives of a reputed pharmaceutical company. They would call US citizens via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and offer medicines, including Viagra, at concessional rates. Those who would fall to pray, would share their credit card details, make the payment and never receive any medicines. The trio has cheated many US citizens through this scam.

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20 Billion USD Call Centre Scam in Kolkata

20 Billion USD Call Centre Scam Exposed by YouTubers

“Kolkata epicentre of USD 20 billion call centre scam? Video by YouTube sleuths goes viral” – read the newspaper headlines in early May 2022.

In a reverse fate, US YouTuber, Mark Rober, recently exposed a USD 20 billion call centre scam based in Kolkata, India.

What was the scam?

In a 26 minutes video, Mark Rober documented and exposed four call centres – 3 in Kolkata and 1 in Gurugram that have been engaging in activities designed to fraud foreign citizens. He alleged that around 60 million people around the world have been swindled out of approximately USD 20 billion by these call centres.

He collaborated with two other YouTube creators, Jim Browning and Trilogy Media and through careful planning and infiltration, they gathered audio and video evidence. They went on to demonstrate how these call centres carefully choose their victims (usually over the age of 65) and initiate contact impersonating government officials, eCommerce executives or even digital antivirus companies. They manipulate their targets into transferring money either through threats or false sales.

Rober has shared footage from the premises, real-time videos of people getting scammed and the names of the people at the helm of such fraudulent set-ups. His video got the attention of many and soon garnered 11 million views raising concern among the people regarding cybersecurity. The last known was that the evidence has been shared with the Kolkata police who are looking into the matter.

“US authorities charge 6 Indian call centres, directors in the alleged scam”

In early February of 2022, this headline caught the attention of many. As many as six India-based companies and their directors conspired with E Sampark, a company that provides internet telephone services, to forward scam calls to American citizens.

All six companies, their directors and the director of E Sampark have been charged with conspiracy and fraud with charges filed against them in an Atlanta court.

What was the Scam?

Posing as government officials for pension schemes, these callers issued threats to people indicating that their PAN numbers were used in a crime. Sometimes, they would even pose as income tax officials, telling people they owed back taxes to the government.

Gullible individuals would then be directed to pay money to a network of individuals who then, laundered the funds overseas. In yet another attempt, callers would offer loans and make people send payments as fees to get their bank information.

U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine said in a statement, “Scam robocalls cause emotional and financial devastation to victims, particularly our vulnerable and elderly populations,”. “These India-based call centres allegedly scared their victims and stole their money, including some victims’ entire life savings.” He further added.

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How to Prevent Falling for International Call Centre Scams?

Size of the Fraud Detection and Prevention (FDP) Market Worldwide from 2016 to 2022

Where there are thriving call centre businesses, there are also scammers who prey on the elderly or the non-tech savvy. There are several steps that people can take to ensure that they don’t fall prey to such frauds. These include:
- Be wary of receiving unknown callers or unidentified numbers.
- Block unwanted calls and messages.
- Do not ever give out personal or financial information in response.
- Resist the pressure to act immediately to lure.
- Do not pay, especially to a request to pay in a specific way.
- Do not access unverified links.
Conclusion

India’s call centre industry is huge and growing exponentially. Liberal government laws are helping and fuelling the growth. But, along with the growth, the dark part of fraudulent practices also exists. With the help of the ever-evolving behemoth that is technology, fraudsters are continually coming up with innovative ways to scam and defraud people. What we can do is remain vigilant and have basic safeguards against such callers. Just remember – “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

FAQs

How do spammers get my cell phone number?

Our phone numbers are present in many places over the internet like social media accounts, websites, and more. Spammers use processes like web harvesting or web scraping to extract our phone numbers from the web.

Can someone hack my phone by calling me?

A hacker cannot directly hack your phone by calling you. However, they can get access to your personal details by pretending to be someone else which can ultimately enable them to hack your accounts online.

How does a call centre scam work?

Most commonly, the scammers of a call centre scam target vulnerable people like the elderly or the ones not acquainted with the technology. Scammers try to extract personal details from such people by pretending to be some official authority. In this way, they tend to stir fear and steal money from people.
August 22, 2022
How to Setup a Call Centre Business? | Steps to Follow
With the world economy shifting its focus to the service sector, call centres have become a very important and inevitable endeavour in the business world. As lucrative as it may sound, it is not an easy task to set up a call centre business. It requires a lot of planning, visualisation and promptness in executing these plans. This article will give a layout of how to go about starting a call centre business.

Steps to Follow for Setting up a Call Centre
How to Respond to a client’s “I’m Not Interested”?

Steps to Follow for Setting up a Call Centre

Setting up a call centre requires a great amount of research, planning, technology, and proper execution. The following are the basic steps one needs to follow when setting up a call centre business:

Size of Call Centre Market Worldwide in 2020 With a Forecast in 2027

Deciding the Type of Setup

There are different ways to go about setting up a business. Hence, it is of utmost importance to have a clear idea of the nitty-gritty of the business that is being established. In the case of call centre businesses, there are two types – On-site call centres and Virtual call centres. As the name rightly conveys, an on-site call centre functions from a physical office which is ideal for a big team with high compliance and strong security requirements. On the other hand, virtual call centres operate remotely with most of the client interaction happening through the internet. While this is less expensive, it is important to use the right tools to avoid its flip sides adversely affecting the business.

The right fit for a call centre business will depend on a lot of factors including the number of employees being hired, clients, their requirements, nature of the data handled, the kind of assistance that needs to be provided and so on. Based on the basic decision made, further variations of the call centre have to be finalised.

Identifying the Main Focus

Narrowing down the vision and goals of any business is important considering the number of details that are dependent on this decision. The nature of the service that is being provided and the industry on which the call centre will be focusing have to be decided beforehand. A call centre, depending on its focus may be the one that cold calls the clients with offers or might be focused on resolving customer issues.

The call centres that take up incoming calls and focus on customer complaint resolution are called inbound call centres. On the other hand, the call centres that are run by a sales team to sell their offers and products are called outbound call centres. So, the next step is to decide whether you want to focus on the inbound or outbound call centres.

Setting a Framework

Having a framework is necessary to streamline the business operations along the lines of its larger goals and visions before the business is set up. The framework should include a clear layout of how many people should be employed, the processes that have to be implemented, operations that have to be handled and the bifurcation of the costs involved amongst other things.

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Finding Location

This is the most important part of setting up a call centre business wherein there are a lot of legal and geographical aspects that need to be considered. Countries like India and the Philippines are largely prioritised for setting up call centre businesses due to their low wages, suitable corporate laws and low setup costs. However, offshoring call centre business to foreign countries only for the sake of financial benefits can be a risky affair, if one is not completely aware of the ways in which things work in different countries.

Handling the Paperwork

The hassle caused by the amount of documentation to set up a call centre can be tiring. It is important to steer clear of any issues that are associated with it. Before starting any business for that matter, it is essential to talk to a lawyer and stay in touch with the local government to ensure that the paperwork is updated and clear. If the call centre business is being offshored, extra paperwork is inevitable. Relevant professional help has to be taken so as to cater to the needs of foreign legal documentation and procedures.

Making a Budget

A call centre business calls for specific expenses catering to the focus and goals of the company which needs to be carefully managed. The business will have to spend on call centre equipment, websites, marketing, infrastructure, salaries etc. If the budget for each of these expenses is not laid down properly, it can lead to unnecessary spending. What constitutes the right budget will depend purely on the nature of the respective call centre business. Hence, deciding on a realistic budget is very important in the case of setting up a call centre business just as in the case of other businesses.

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Building a Strong Team

No matter how good the business idea is, the human resource that guides the idea into perfection is the crucial part of it. Hence, who and how you hire is a very important detail. Depending on the nature, size and requirements of the call centre business, there should be a precise layout on the number of employees to be hired. A virtual call centre has the additional advantage of being able to hire talents from any part of the world without housing and immigration becoming a problem.

Building a strong team is not just about hiring people, but also about having the right mix of talents and clarity in the nature of standards that the entire process of hiring needs to be kept in mind. The team-building process doesn’t end here, they have to be trained appropriately to carry out the specific tasks of the respective business. For this, relevant training and development programmes have to be organised every now and then to ensure better productivity.

Global Call Centre Share by Different Segments

Using the Right Tools

The correct usage of relevant tools is the smart way of doing business when it comes to running a call centre business. Some of the common tools that any call centre business needs to have are the Business Phone System as a basic phone system cannot handle the heavy traffic of phone calls that comes its way. Another important tool that would be handy is a CRM System (Customer Relationship Management System) which will help you store customer records and access them whenever necessary. A CRM will help the call centre handle a large amount of data and contacts in a single button.

A call centre business not only has to communicate with their clients but also with their team. In order to facilitate this communication, an Internal Communication System has to be established as well. Software like Zendesk, CloudTalk, and more are excellent options that are being used by virtual call centres these days.

Conclusion

Setting up a call centre business can be really profitable but it is not an easy task. It requires a lot of planning and financial discipline. As far as this business is concerned, outsourcing call centres to other countries is a common practice. In that case, utmost attention has to be given to the legal aspects of that particular country. Having a clear focus, hiring the right people and using the right tools can help the call centre business establish itself in the most successful manner.

FAQs

What types of companies have call centres?

The following business industries use call centres to improve their efficiency and promote customer satisfaction:
- Financial Services
- Healthcare Services
- Consulting Services
- Automobile Mechanics
- Utility Providers
What are the 3 types of call centres?

The 3 types of call centres are:
- Inbound call centres
- Outbound call centres
- Virtual call centres
What skills are needed for a call centre?

A call centre agent should have the following skills:
- Good verbal communication skills
- Good listening skills
- Patience
- Empathy
- Problem-solving skills
- Understanding of the products or services being offered
August 1, 2022
Cloudtalk Review: Remote Cloud-based Call Center Software
Human interaction is a crucial part of sales negotiations. Businesses that take their game seriously are known to have a good investment towards HR. The industries are almost certain to maintain a call center, so that customers talk to humans instead of hearing synthesized speech.

CloudTalk is a user-friendly cloud-based phone software for sales and support teams. It is widely used by startups, commercial entities, and businesses to enhance customer relations.

According to a study by MIT business professor James Oldroyd, 80% of sales require five follow-up calls. This is true because customer retention could be one of the most valuable resources a company can have. Having people on the line instead of automated phone calls, helps people make up their minds faster, build trust and feel comfortable with the transaction.

Features of Cloudtalk
Pricing of Cloudtalk
How well does Cloudtalk stack up?
FAQ

Features of Cloudtalk

Cloudtalk, as the name suggests, is a cloud-based call center software that you can access from anywhere. Since the whole platform runs on the web, you can track, monitor, and get notified wherever you are.

Cloudtalk is perfect for startups and small enterprises that want to build a growing customer network for a prolonged future. The platform comes with essential tools and other features that keep you on track with product updates.

Get started with cloudtalk now

Voice Features

Audio being a key factor in phone calls, Cloudtalk provides crystal clear and smooth voice calls and mailboxes. They support number porting as well as international numbers.

Customers are likely to call a local number as it costs less and is much more reliable. Hence having the ability to maintain international numbers for your business is pretty handy. Text messages/ SMS support exists as well to convey your marketing using traditional means.

As expected of a call center software it supports call recording, conference calls, call masking, and even toll-free numbers. If it costs you money, it should be worth it and the voice features are worth it for sure.

Call Tracking Features

Analytics matter and the more you know about calls the better. Cloudtalk makes sure that calls are always routed to the right agent based on custom criteria. Intelligent call tracking means reliable accuracy. Cloudtalk goes the extra route to make sure that the information you get is reliable and properly routed. Some of these features are:
- Call flow designer
- Automated Call Distribution (ACD)
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Skill-based routing
- Automatic caller ID
- Intelligent redirection
- VIP queuing
- Real-time monitoring
- Emotion analytics
VIP queues ensure that customers feel their preference when making calls

CallHippo Review | Pricing | Features | Chrome Extension

Read the complete review of CallHippo- a virtual phone service provider for business. Know about CallHippo Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons of CallHippo.

StartupTalkyAnnika Motamarri

Productivity and Organization Features

When dealing with 100+ customers a day, it’s important to stay organized. Timely follow-up calls and reminders keep your customers coming back to you. Cloudtalk lets you call anyone on your contact list instantly through the web at any time without any delay.

Being cloud-based, calls can be made from any device through the web dashboard as long as you’ve got a mic. Modern platforms have an edge in terms of automation. CloudTalk’s flagship feature Smart dialer, automatically compiles a list of numbers and lets you automatically call through them with a single click.

Maintaining phone calls without any interruptions is made easier with their warm transfer and smart mailbox features. Convenience is assured with the option to add numbers to a blacklist and has custom tags and notes on each number for better recognition.

Get started with cloudtalk now

Integration Features

The API extends accessibility since most of the collected data can be used externally through integrations. The platform already supports integrations with popular CRMs and services like Hubspot, Shopify, and Pipedrive.

If you’re building your own custom platform then getting the data you need will probably require a few hours. Having an SQL exporter Cloudtalk saves you the trouble of doing so yourself. Intelligent automation is also part of the extensive API capabilities, allowing you to modify the service to your needs.

Various integrations and services that work well with Cloudtalk

Keeping your collected data safe is part of the responsibility. The CloudTalk team follows recommendations established by security standards ISO 27001/27002, PCI/DSS, and the OWASP security project. CloudTalk is GDPR compliant. All customer data is partitioned to ensure that it cannot be accessed by other clients or unauthorized persons.

The platform allows you for unlimited calls and simultaneous calls at no extra cost. The web dashboard is responsive on all devices giving you the freedom to manage and monitor your calls wherever you may be. Features like real-time monitoring and multi-language support make the platform stand out from its competitors.

Juphy: Review, Features and Pricing

Juphy allows its users to manage their customer engagement and support services on all social media platforms from a single inbox.

StartupTalkyDev Kumar Padhy

Pricing of Cloudtalk

The pricing plans are fairly decent with the option to choose between monthly and yearly billing.

The Starter plan priced at $20/month, provides you with standard features such as call tracking, tracking, and recording.

The Essential plan at $25/month per user allows the use of most of the platform’s features. You’ll have access to the full API along with custom automation features.

Last but certainly not the least is the Expert plan at $40/month grants you all the features of the platform. They offer a custom plan as well for businesses that require more support and security. Detailed information on the plans are as seen here:

Cloudtalk pricing and plans

How well does Cloudtalk stack up?

Cloudtalk is amongst many other call center softwares that offer great customer support and similar features. RingCentral is another popular platform chosen by businesses for its friendly support and ease of use. Priced just a bit over Cloudtalk, RingCentral supports video calls as well.

Having a platform that does both calls and video sounds great on paper but as a call center software, its biggest drawback is the lack of unlimited calls with the starter plan.

It’s safe to say that Cloudtalk has a competitive edge with the features it offers at just $25 a month, which are cheaper than what most platforms offer.

Cloudtalk is the fastest growing service for realistic reasons, namely its functionality

Get started with cloudtalk now

Conclusion

Handling phone calls is a process where you have the potential for making new customers. Telemarketing is still relevant as human behavior mostly remains the same according to research. Cloudtalk is an affordable and easy way to track calls and can help serve businesses, by keeping an eye on customers as part of their CRM.

FAQ

What is Cloudtalk?

CloudTalk is a user-friendly cloud-based phone software for sales and support teams.

What is the pricing of Cloudtalk?

The Starter plan priced at $20/month The Essential plan at $25/month and the expert plan is priced at $40/month.
August 27, 2021
CallHippo Virtual Phone System – A Review
Are you looking for a new phone service provider for your group or industry? Sorting through the many accessible suppliers to find one that can assist your company is a challenging feat.

When shopping for a new supplier, usability, and support are all significant considerations. Is the business profitable? Do they provide features and services that are relevant to increasing profits? Are you able to readily contact them for information and assistance? Here we’ll look at CallHippo’s features, pricing, review and more

What is CallHippo?
CallHippo – Features
CallHippo – Pricing
CallHippo – Pros and Cons

What is CallHippo?

Well, the VoIP company CallHippo is a newcomer to the market. CallHippo, which was founded in 2016, allows you to purchase local assistance numbers in more than 50 countries. You’ll be able to set up a call center in minutes thanks to the simple sign-up procedure and system interface.

CallHippo ensures that it can satisfy small startups, huge corporations, and everything in between by charging just for the service and delivering very competitive prices. Furthermore, if you’re a budding entrepreneur, you might want to test CallHippo’s free plan, which only charges you for calls.

CallHippo Setting

Try CallHippo Now!

CallHippo – Features

CallHippo is a VoIP service with all of the features you’d expect. Even while it doesn’t support faxing and only allows for three-person conferences, it’s still a great way to upgrade your business’s call handling at a low cost.

Unlike other competitors in the business, CallHippo tries to have everything included in its plans rather than charging more for additional capabilities. This implies that some functionality will be unavailable in the lower-cost packages, but the most essential functions will be available in the free plan.

Aside from the standard call-handling functionality, CallHippo goes above and beyond with several additional functions. One of these is the multi-level IVR, which makes it simple to set up and administer a system that will take your clients through multiple departments and ensure that they receive the assistance they want from the first person they speak with.

A powerful tool, especially if you have international consumers, is GlobalConnect, which allows users to quickly determine the time zone of any country. You may also rely on barge call and intelligent call distribution, among other things. Even better, all of the capabilities are accessible via the user-friendly web platform or mobile app.

Features of the CallHipoo are:

Managing Calls

It’s hard to take your company to the next level without a comprehensive set of call-handling tools. CallHippo is aware of this and has ensured that it has integrated all of the necessary features for a company.

When a customer calls, you can respond via the browser platform, Chrome extension, mobile app, or, if the call forward option is enabled, your cell phone. Calls can be made to ring to everyone on a team, go through a predetermined order of users, or go round-robin. This ensures that everyone receives the same amount of calls.

There are a variety of alternatives available to you when on call. You can conduct both warm and cold transfers, or you may add another person to the call and make it a three-person conference call.

Supervisors can also access the conference bridge anytime they wish to add someone to the meeting. This function is useful for onboarding new agents, assisting in crises, and eliminating endless call transfers.

You don’t have to be concerned if someone calls while no one is at work. For each number, CallHippo provides limitless and customizable voicemail inboxes. The voicemails are subsequently sent to the subscribers’ email addresses, where they may be retrieved immediately.

Control Of The Phone System

The dashboard on CallHippo is simple and easy to use. Everything is managed without leaving the system, from call logs to adding new numbers.

The dashboard provides you with a quick snapshot of the company’s performance. The overall number of calls, as well as their types, best performance, and live activity, can all be seen right away.

Apart from the ability to add new numbers, the numbers page also allows you to customize the number you already have. You may use this section to enable/disable call recordings, add welcome greetings and voicemail, and establish your business’s operating hours, among other things.

Incorporations

Anything CallHippo lacks, you’ll very certainly be able to add using the many integrations it offers. You may add 10 different third-party services to CallHippo in total.

When a call is connected, CallHippo automatically shows the customers’ Pipedrive contact history and information. CallHippo also works with Freshdesk and Freshworks, allowing you to call anyone on the Freshdesk panel right away.

Services like Zoho CRM Plus, Hubspot, Zendesk, Intercom, Groove, and Zapier provide comparable assistance. Last but not least, Slack allows you to make individual and group calls.

Numbers To Dial

When it comes to phone numbers, CallHippo is highly accommodating. It is possible to set up a local number in more than 58 countries throughout the world, albeit each has its unique pricing. A local phone number in the United States, on the other hand, costs $8 per month. It is also feasible to obtain a toll-free number in addition to a local number.

CallHippo does not confine you to the United States alone, and toll-free numbers for other countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are just a few of the numerous options. The cost varies depending on whatever nation you choose, but in the United States, it costs $9 per month.

CallHippo Dashboard

Mobile Phones

Because it is not viable to access CallHippo’s website from a mobile browser, users must instead download and utilize the Android or iOS app. Fortunately, the smartphone app is well-designed and provides a sufficient quantity of data.

The dial pad is the first thing you’ll see when you open the programme. The current hour for the nation you wish to contact is displayed below, ensuring that you always reach out to your consumers at the appropriate moment.

Try CallHippo Now!

CallHippo – Pricing

CallHippo Pricing

CallHippo’s pricing is transparent, in contrast to other corporate stakeholders. First, there’s a free plan, which is ideal for small businesses because it already has a lot of useful features including a free softphone, forward-to-device, and interaction with third-party services.

CallHippo then offers a Bronze plan, which unlocks features such as call recording, country blocking, and more. Silver, on the other hand, adds call transfer and call queuing to the mix, as well as a free standard number, 800 free minutes for incoming calls, and a $2 credit for each user.

You’ll want to sign up for the Platinum plan if you want to go all out. You’ll get custom integration, premium support, 3-way calling, bespoke reports, $5 credit and 1,500 free minutes of inbound calls, as well as everything included in the silver system.

In addition to the free plan, the lowest amount that can be gotten for CallHippo is $8 a month, for each user. Given that the Silver plans cost only $15 per user each month (with annual fees) and include free, standard numbers, it is apparent why CallHippo is the most popular Silver package. Last but not least, the annual billing cycle for Platinum is $35 per month per user.

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CallHippo – Pros and Cons

Pros
- It is straightforward and sturdy once you learn to use it.
- It is simple to operate.
- Customer support is excellent
Cons
- The ios app of CallHippo lacks some features.
- Integration with Zoho is not simple.
Try CallHippo Now!

Conclusion

Without a doubt, CallHippo is a VoIP service to keep in mind. It includes all of the standard functions that any company requires, as well as some advanced capabilities like multi-level IVR. Of course, being able to integrate numerous third-party services is always a plus, especially when it comes to CRM platforms like Pipedrive.

Furthermore, CallHippo considers both small and large businesses, ensuring that there is a plan that suits everyone. If you’re a new entrepreneur, it’s better to start with the free plan, but if you work for a large corporation, contacting the sales staff for the best deal is the way to go.

The Silver plan, which costs as little as $15 per month per user and includes a free standard phone line for each additional user, is ideal for businesses in the middle.

FAQs

What is CallHippo?

CallHippo is a new VoIP software that provides a next-generation business phone system.

How much does CallHippo cost?

The Bronze Plan of CallHippo starts from $16/month, the Silver Plan from $24/month and the premium Platinum Plan from $40/month.

What is the use of CallHippo?

CallHippo allows you to purchase local assistance numbers in more than 50 countries and help you set up a call center in minutes.
June 19, 2021