No, the question is not rhetoric. Nor will we have the perfect answer. But, looking at the ‘oomph’ the call management systems are creating in the market today, we’d say that call management is here to stay. At least, till telepathy becomes a reality. Maybe, even after that!
Before we explain why we think it will rule the world, we will look at a brief explanation of call management.
Wikipedia says, “In telecommunications, call management is the process of designing and implementing rules and parameters governing the routing of inbound telephone calls through a network”.
Feel like a meteor hit your head? Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the process.
Suppose you are the owner of a business. You might want your customer’s calls routed to your office telephone in the morning and your home telephone/ voicemail in the evening. You might want to direct the incoming calls to different departments depending on what the caller requires (eg. prices, servicing, etc). Also, you might want to do the same to all the calls that your companies employees get/make.
You will need a specific system to monitor this, because one person cannot be everywhere!
This is where call center software plays a crucial role in efficient call management. It routes your calls to different devices based on factors such as location, time, etc. With the assistance of features like Call Queues, IVR Menus, Hunt Groups, and Recorded Announcements, call center software drives the impetus for exceptional customer support.
Let us take a quick look at what these features are:
1. Call queuing is the process of holding one call when another is being answered. This is done on a ‘First In, First Out’ basis, where the first call is directed to the agent in the corresponding department, and the next call is ‘queued’ till another agent becomes free. This system makes sure that customers are not lost in the process and that everyone’s needs are addressed appropriately.
2. IVR or Integrated Voice Response is the automated voice that you hear when you call DTH providers, for example, listing a menu that will direct you to sales, payment,etc IVR uses recorded announcements that save customers time, from having to spell out their enquiries.
3. Hunt Groups are groups of several phone lines along which phone calls are distributed from a single telephone number. So, when your customer calls the single toll-free number on your visiting card, call management systems direct it to different groups depending on the customer’s requirement.
Now that we’ve got the concept clear, here’s why we think, call management will rule the world.
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Unos: It’s incredibly easy. Imagine never having to say “Please wait on the line ma’am” when you’re trying to grope your sales manager by the shirt to get him to answer your customers queries. Now, with the click of the mouse, you can deviate the call to the agent in sales, while you sit back and read the newspaper. What’s more, with Virtual PBX, you don’t even have to handle the routing youself. The service provider, will take of your account on the internet and all the call routing, recording, response etc.
Deux: It is very cost-effective. Even if you answer 300 customer calls a month, you might have bagged 30 customers, who will give you profit in hundreds or thousands every month. Therefore paying a meagre monthly fee for peace of mind and efficient call management is definitely worth it.
Theen: The storage and security is top-notch. With Virtual accounts, all your call data is archived. This includes the time and content of recorded calls, the voicemails, their location, etc. Therefore, a backup is created, in addition, this is accessible only through a secure key. In other words, only authorised personnel are allowed.
Four: It provides a vast data reserve, which you can analyse to improve sales techniques in the future. Because the system also keeps track of all your employees calls and responses, you can supervise employee performance. Also keep tab on the number of customers who address a particular department, for example, you can see if your sales department is getting more calls, which means your product is stimulating a lot of interest in the market. Or if the service departments is accumulating grievances, which means you have to improve your product or service.
It is with call management that it is now possible to review how an organization functions across its various fields accurately and systematically.
Five: Did we tell you that it was incredibly simple? Maybe we did, but we’ll tell you again. It is lucrative. You don’t have to spend thousands on appointing receptionists or attenders who at a whim might leave your company or may spend time texting and socialising at the company’s cost. Call management guarantees punctual and diligent response to your customers, giving you peace of mind and a growing reputation.
Don’t trust what we’re saying? You can trust our customers!
“Your product is very useful for reaching out to a large number of people. Also appreciate your efforts for the current and planned IVR services for AAP.”
Arvind Kejriwal
Leader – Aam Admi Party
“MyOperator Toll-Free has increased our incoming calls tremendously. Now, our customers call our sales team for free and we easily follow up and keep track of the deals. All thanks to MyOperator Toll-Free.”
Sachin Singh
Media Coordinator – KV Developers
Find more of what India has to say about this here.
The writer of this article is currently a student of Psychology, has written online content for magazines and worked as a reporter for the print media.
