An inbound call center is responsible for receiving incoming customer calls and providing assistance, support, or information to the customer.
Inbound call centers are normally associated with a business or other organization and, 99% of the time, the calls they receive will be about that entity’s products or services.
The agents that make up the inbound call center are aiming to deliver answers in a timely, efficient manner, and keep the customer satisfied while doing so.
Okay, that’s the crux of it. If you’re just here for the simple definition, feel free to clock out.
For the rest of you, keep reading, because we’re going to explore the purpose of an inbound call center, reasons why businesses need them, and the difference between inbound and outbound call centers. Let’s keep going.
Before we move on, let’s clarify that definition.
An inbound call center handles incoming calls, typically from existing customers seeking support regarding the products or services a company provides.
It can be in-house or outsourced, but its basic function of handling incoming customer calls remains the same.
Here’s how a typical inbound call goes:
Okay, as anyone who has ever worked in a call center knows, it doesn’t always go so smoothly, but that’s basically your ideal inbound call.
Of course, the ideal call doesn’t happen all that often and customer satisfaction is never guaranteed. More on bad customer service here.
It’s important to note the word ‘call’ is something of a misnomer. While we still use the term call center, what most organizations use these days is actually a contact center. This is a more accurate term, as a phone call is no longer the only channel of communication for customer support. A call center may actually handle:
No matter the channel, the aim remains the same. An inbound call center wants to address the customer issue as quickly and pleasantly as possible, using a combination of technology and high-quality service provided by human agents.
Now, let’s look at some examples of the types of calls an inbound contact center would typically handle.
An inbound customer service call could be about pretty much anything, so it’s important that agents are adaptable and ready to handle any query that comes their way.
As a customer, whether I’m checking the status of my delivery or seeking the meaning of life, I want answers.
Nonetheless, some inquiries are more common than others, so we’ve narrowed it down to the 10 most frequent calls you might face if you’re an inbound call center agent.
Let’s start with the simplest possible answer here:
Inbound call centers handle incoming calls. Outbound call centers handle outgoing calls.
Makes sense, right? Well, yes, but there is a little more to it. Let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of inbound call centers vs. outbound call centers so we can clearly highlight the key differences.
We’ve briefly touched on it in the table above (in the ‘relevant technology’ section) and now we’re going to look closer at the most common technologies and solutions that inbound contact centers use to achieve goals like:
Customers want answers and they want them now.
With interactive voice response (IVR) and intelligent call routing, inbound call centers are ensuring that a customer reaches the person most capable of solving their problem, as quickly as possible.
An IVR is often the first point-of-contact when you’re making a customer service inquiry. You’re probably familiar with them already (“Press 1 to check your balance, press 2 to top up your account, press 3 to speak to a customer support specialist” and so forth).
Basically, you’re given a menu of options, so you can either self-serve for simple inquiries like checking your balance, or connect with a customer service rep to get the help you need.
The advent of artificial intelligence in the call center has also expanded the capabilities of intelligent call routing systems. Based on their IVR selection, or sometimes existing customer info in the CRM database, they will be routed to the best-suited agent or department based on factors like:
For inbound call centers, it’s not just about solving the problem and saying goodbye, you’re aiming to score high on customer satisfaction (CSAT) too. To maintain high service standards and keep customers happy, most contact centers have a quality assurance program in place.
Typical functions that a QA solution will support include:
Inbound contact centers are all about keeping the customer happy, and a customer relationship management (CRM) tool is essential to this. CRMs give agents instant access to key info about the customer’s preferences, previous interactions, and overall history with the company.
Modern CRMs are integrated alongside your communication infrastructure so they can automatically log new information and build up a detailed customer profile. The agent can then refer back to this profile at any point.
In an inbound environment, this is especially useful for personalizing the customer experience. You can make note of customer details like their location, their dog’s name, or a hobby they might have, and then refer to one of these details in future.
To run an inbound call center, you need the right people in the right place at the right time.
Okay, that’s a bit vague.
What I mean is, you need a sufficient number of agents working at any given time to satisfy the volume of incoming customer calls—and this is what workforce management is all about.
WFM software is a big industry, with a ton of solutions out there to support key functions like:
An inbound call center can benefit businesses of any size, whether it’s in-house or outsourced. Outsourcing can be particularly useful for handling large interaction volumes when you don’t have an adequately sized in-house support team.
Whichever way you choose to go, you’ll see many of the same positive outcomes. So let’s have a look at them.
Well, this one might seem obvious, but it’s worth stating for the record. If you’re getting a ton of incoming support calls, you want to be able to handle them in an efficient manner.
You definitely don’t want customers waiting on hold for an eternity or, worse yet, not getting a solution for their problem. A well-run inbound contact center will enhance the productivity and efficiency of your customer support function.
At its core, an inbound call center is about solving customer problems, and solving them with a smile (even over the phone). If it does this, it keeps your customers happy, increasing retention and keeping them loyal to your brand. This, obviously, is pretty good for business. In fact, existing customers spend 67% more than new customers, so it’s worth investing in your contact center to keep them around.
If you’re doing it right, your inbound call center can act as a powerful driver of brand image and reputation. Think about it, if your customers end the call thinking, “Wow, that rep was so helpful—and friendly too!”, then word will spread. This positivity can draw in new customers through word-of-mouth referrals, glowing reviews online, or even a few comments on social media.
Nobody wants to hear complaints or bump into questions they can’t answer, but these difficult situations can serve as incredible learning opportunities.
Every time a customer reaches out, they’re actually teaching you something about your business. All those little interactions build up a detailed picture of what’s working and what isn’t and, using something like a QA platform, you can dig into this interaction data to identify trends and patterns.
Let’s recap.
Inbound call centers receive incoming customer calls and provide support and information about a company’s products or services. They’re problem-solving centers, delivering the right answers in an efficient manner, while striving to keep customers happy.
They’re essential for cultivating loyalty, managing interactions, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
However, an inbound call center can only deliver these positive outcomes if you keep it running like a lean, mean friendly customer-serving machine.
As we’ve discussed, a QA platform helps to ensure high-quality service and drive efficient operations. Scorebuddy leverages AI auto-scoring, evaluator assistance, and 100% interaction analysis to ensure your inbound contact center always performs at its peak.
Request a personalized demo today and see Scorebuddy in action.
