Call Handling and Out of Hours Answering Services

Are You Getting Good Service From Your Call Centre?

One of the great things about AdMeter is that we have lots of clients that use call recording.

The reason they use it is because it can tell them things they cannot get any other way...for example, if their calls are being handled in the right way...or the wrong way...by call handling services.

When you're a business and you are getting calls out of hours you might be tempted or already using one of the many call answering services available. You have probably briefed them on what  types of call they'll get, how to grade calls, what you want them to do with the call, and how you'll pay them..either per call answered, fixed fee per month or maybe even a commission based system.

What you probably have not done is requested that each call is recorded and graded and that you get each recorded call as a file you can listen to. This is an absolute must. And let me tellyou why.

Good Call Centres - Bad Call Centres

There are good call centres and there are bad call centres

and some in between. But unless you have call recordings you will never, really truly know how your calls are being handled.

And there's nothing worse in my mind than paying a lot of money for your phone to be answered in response to your expensive a dvertising...only for the person answering the phone to totally decimate your image, your reputation and any chance you have of earning a penny from a new prospect (or even worse, an existing client).

Bad Days At The Office

You've got no control over who answers your phone at your call centre. Some days it can be someone who is aligned to your image and expertise. Some days it can be someone dozy, who sounds like they are smoking a fag between sentences and who obviously has not got a clue what your business is about. Believe me...this does happen. I know on at least one occasion when a call recording has enabled the client to terminate his contract and revert to an out of hours answer message.

Lost Profits

When you have a number from AdMeter with call recording you are in control of the situation. You'll know if your call handling is done well or poorly. Without this information it could be months before you realise the damage that is being done. You could be out of business by this time at worst, or at best, suffer losses and damage to your hard-earned reputation.

The Solution

When you are going to consider a call centre, ensure that you use your own phone number from AdMeter with call recording. You then have a safeguard over the quality of the call and the way it is handled. With call recording and call grading it is possible for you to turn a good call centre service in to an even better one. Don't assume your call centre service will work to make themselves better - it's your business we're talking about - no-one else cares the same way as you do.

Call Answering from AdMeter

If you use your own answer machine instead of a call service you can do a number of things with AdMeter. Firstly you can have missed call alerts set up to come to you by SMS text so you can call someone back if you want to immediately. You can also have these alerts sent yo you by emai.

Secondly, you can automate a text to go to their phone saying you will call them back as soon as you can the next day. They'll be amazed at this, especially if you carefully word the text to make is sound human.

Thirdly, as AdMeter can record calls for you, you can ask people to leave a message with the contact details, listen to the message to know what they want, email them or text them with the right info before calling them back and use the call you make as a follow up/conversion call.

If you are currently using a call centre we'll provide you with a free set up of call recording in the next 7 days so you can hear if you're getting a good service.

Just mention CALL CENTRE HEALTH CHECK when you phone or email us.

graham.pollard@admeter.co.uk