I once heard a burgeoning entrepreneur compare the market for small business owners to the recording industry. “Imagine Taylor Swift,” he said; “she can crank out mega-hit after mega-hit because she’s got a team of people working together to help create her image, and her sound. They figure out all of the logistics and the marketing for her career.” Put simply, she has access to myriad resources that the average Joe does not.
“Now imagine me,” he continued. “I’m a talented singer, maybe even just as talented as Taylor Swift.” This point was debatable, but I humored him for the sake of his story. “Even if I pull together all of the resources to make a great song or album – I get the money, the band members, the studio time – even if I do all that, how do I get my foot in the door?”
While I still have a hard time picturing my lumbering, balding friend on-stage with Taylor Swift, there’s a lot of truth in what he said: small business owners are like independent musicians. Even with all the talent in the world, if they aren’t able to leverage the resources available to them, they don’t stand a chance competing with their big-business counterparts. So what’s the solution?
An absolutely critical element in taking your company to the next level is the small business call center. Nowadays, these providers do so much more than forward phone calls. Utilizing their services can often make the difference your business needs to break into the big-leagues. Here are three reasons why:
Constant brand representation 24/7.
Around-the-clock call centers are able to respond to messages, provide customer service and IT support, and answer inquiries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Due to the rotating cycle of call center agents, these companies can ensure that a live voice is there to respond to your customers whenever they need assistance.
The reliability of your brand will increase when clients see that you are always available. More importantly, working with a call center will save you time and energy, allowing you to devote more attention to only the most pressing issues facing your small business.
Small business call center outsourcing results in increased outgoing sales.
Picture this. An agent at the call center has just effortlessly helped a customer integrate one of your new products into their home; wouldn’t it be great if they could use this opportunity to market some of your new inventory? Well, now they can.
Call centers can help support and contribute to the work of your in-house team. By partnering with your sales department, these companies will help you to target more customers each day. With 24/7 live voice representation, call centers guarantee that customers are speaking to a real person, as opposed to an automated messaging service. Thanks to this personal touch, your sales are sure to increase.
Professional scheduling and customer service.
What’s more, call centers can manage the logistics of your small business. A group of highly trained, courteous representatives will tailor their services to meet the needs of your company. They can seamlessly adopt scheduling software and add new events directly to your calendar from messages that they receive. They can be quickly taught how to operate your business’ ordering software and begin processing incoming sales straightaway.
Most importantly, however, these individuals are sure to respond to any customer service situation with the utmost level of professionalism and respect. Whether calls come in during traditional business hours, or at two in the morning from a customer with an “urgent” request that “couldn’t wait,” call center agents will secure your company’s reputation and consistently impress your clients, any time of day.
To sum it all up, outsourcing some of the day-to-day affairs of your company is a surefire way to help your small business grow. By taking advantage of the live messaging service that call centers provide, you are taking an important step towards helping your business compete on a national and international playing field. If you want your business to rapidly transform from indie band to rock star status, start using a call center today.