Call centers 'catch' customers
Around 170 companies manage some kind of Call or Contact Center structure to reach their customers.
Now, a phone call is becoming a direct channel through which companies reach directly and efficiently their customers. Daily complaints, consultations, opinions are receipted and even commercial transactions are performed under this new outline that is every year positioning more and more: the Call or Contact Center.
With the development of new solutions in the telecommunication area, companies are migrating towards this tendency with the installation of their own call center or contracting it through the outsourcing system, on which other company drives and manages it.
It is estimated that between Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca exists around 170 companies that count with some type of Contact Center structures with their own agents or through outer contracting.
Lorena Lascano, NGL’s Sales Manager, points out that the Call Center industry is growing since 2002. She also commented that invoicing of this sector can be estimated by $20 - $30 millions annually.
People that manage the Customer Service attention of other companies are focused in developing the Contact Center concept that goes beyond only receiving phone calls.
A Contact Center measure several patterns that can help a firm to determine the efficiency of the customer service, problems or requirements that regularly are claimed by clients, among others. Generally, all receipted calls are recorded.
“Having all the receipt calls evaluated with a system you can clearly determine the necessities customers have, and which opportunities you can take advantage from to improve your service” manifest Veronica Prieto, manager of Siemens Enterprise Communications Call Center.
But these Contact Centers not only receive phone calls of Customer Service. Some companies also see this channel as an opportunity to develop other business areas as telemarketing, collections, satisfaction surveys, loyalty or retention campaigns and market analysis.
Ernesto Fernandez, American Call Center’s President, believes that 80%of Contact Center calls represent the received calls and the 20% left represent calls that are made to inform campaigns, spreading promotions and other activities.
Generally, agents that receive calls are contracted according to a profile of each campaign or activity to be developed. A Call Center, depending on its size, can manage from 8 through 1000 agents (this is the case of large companies that bring the service to others).
IN NUMBERS:- $2 - $3 per hour earns an agent from a call center.
- 45.000 Dólares. In the initial investment needed to start the call center business.
*In May 6th, 2008 the Ecuadorian Government abolished the method of recruitment per hour for what the indicated information is ancient and not refers to the current reality.
** Published by El Universo, October 3rd, 2007.