Answering Service Blog | American Inbound

Using SMS to Prevent Crime

Jennifer — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:27:15 +0000

Answering services often use SMS to get emergency messages to service technicians and doctors. Now, police departments have found a new use for this technological convenience. Following in Boston’s and Cincinnati’s footsteps, Louisville is encouraging people, young people in particular, to text message anonymously the police about crimes. Among the crimes that have already been reported to the police sergeant are school vandalism and illegal dumping in the forest.

For more on this new use of SMS texting, click here.

How much are operators paid in the United States?

Jennifer — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:20:25 +0000

Dear Fellow Operator,
The other day I was investigating how much answering service employers typically pay their dutiful operators. What I found was quite surprising! According to the United States Department of Labor, operators in the 10th percentile make $7.97 on average. Those in the 90th percentile make a whopping $16.40 an hour! What does an operator make on average? $11.28. Want a high paying operator job? I’d recommend moving to Washington D.C., Hawaii, Alaska, New York, and Connecticut–they have the highest paid operators in the country!
<3Jennifer

For more statistics on operator pay as well as the ones listed above, see the United States Department of Labor Statistics website.

The Price of Contact

Jennifer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:31:34 +0000

A recent study, the Trends in Global Contact Center Outsourcing Pricing and Attrition Report, has found that the cost of providing call centers varies nationally. Among the most expensive places to run a call center (and, in turn, hire a call center) are France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Among the cheapest-Columbia, India, and the Phillipines. The United States stands somewhere in the middle.

To read the blogpost about the report, Click here!

Aloha from El Paso…May I take your McOrder?

Jennifer — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:29:59 +0000

Although many different types of businesses can benefit from using inbound call centers, I was very surprised when I came across an article on the El Paso Times website. According to the article, even McDonald’s is using call centers…and not for what you might think! In order to improve order accuracy, 31 out of 50 McDonald’s in Hawaii use a call center to take drive through orders. One of the most difficult parts for the call center is understanding native Hawaians’ pidgin language. This just goes to show that the role of call centers is ever-evolving!

To read the full article, click here!

Hiring a New Operator: The Importance of Verbal Communication Skills

Jennifer — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:38:00 +0000

By testing the verbal communication skills of prospective employees, you can save your company time and money. As Banks & Dean (a company that offers solutions for hiring in call centers) points out, many call center hirers are unaware that verbal communication skills can be tested ahead of time. Additionally they say that a new system, Interactive Voice Technology (IVR), allows employers to test phone and communication skills before hiring.

For a wonderful guide to hiring in call centers from Banks&Dean, CLICK HERE.

Answering from Home: A Growing Trend

Jennifer — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:46:45 +0000

Having trouble staffing your call center? It may be adventageous to your answering service to hire operators who work from home. Not only can you find more people willing to do the job (many people would love to work from home), but also you will be able to cut down on absences. During busy times, a shift manager can call a remote operator and ask if they can go into rotation and take calls.

Afraid that operators who work from home will not do their job properly because they’re unsupervised? Don’t worry. Virtual supervision is available. With call recording technology, every call an operator takes can be recorded and heard by call center management.

Click Here to read an article about at home call center operators

Training a Call Center Shift Manager

Jennifer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:00:52 +0000

If you’re in need of a new shift manager but are not sure whether an operator is cut out for the job, try promoting a senior operator to “second in command” says Donna Fluss of DMG consulting. How do you know whether an operator is ready to take on such responsibilities? Look for a senior operator who:

has good knowledge of your call center’s procedures
is responsible and punctual
is self-motivated worker with good habits
has excellent customer service skills and the ability to deal with angry or upset callers

The “second in command” position is a good way to test whether these skills are present in your senior operator before you take the big plunge!

More information on training call center managers

Cell Phones: The Tracking Collar of Man

Jennifer — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:35:05 +0000

Scientists in Europe and the United States have found a new way to track humans comparable to the way they track animals and their movements in the wild! By looking at which towers carry an individual’s cell phone calls, scientists are able to look at the traveling habits of homo sapiens. Not surprisingly, we are a fairly boring species. The research suggests that most humans do not often roam far from home. We go to work, to the same stores, and back home again a majority of the time.

To read more about the European research, Click Here.

To read more about Boston scientists’ research, Click Here.

Increasing Small Business Productivity

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:19:46 +0000

Small business owners are often multitaskers. In addition to doing what they’re good at (let’s say…repairing air conditioners and furnaces or painting houses), they have to deal with other matters such as book keeping and office cleaning as well as customer service! If you’re a small business owner, one way to increase productivity and reduce the stress of screening and answering calls is to hire an inbound call center (aka answering service).

At American Inbound, we are here 24 hours a day 7 days a week and trained in customer service. Some types of calls we receive (in addition to the types of calls you would expect) are hangups, telemarketers and recordings, or people just asking for an office address or fax number. Rather than answering all of these calls yourself or hiring a full time secretary or two, consider hiring an answering service to screen your calls and take messages from your customers. With an answering service, you’ll never miss a call from a customers. It will save you money, set you free do what you’re good at, and grow your business!

For more information on increasing small business productivity CLICK HERE:

Hold Time on the Rise

Jennifer — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:42:11 +0000

A recent article at callcentrehelper.com cites a study conducted by Dimension Data. The recent study has found that customers calling an agent now wait on hold longer than they did ten years ago. The reason according to the article: human operators are being replaced by machines or the internet for simpler tasks. On the other hand, companies who have more complex customer service needs elect to use live, human operators. These more complex customer service calls take longer on average.

The study revealed that the average hold time is 39 seconds. After 45 seconds of holding, people normally end their call. That’s why its important to choose a call center that has a low hold time.

Direct link to “Ten years on, and still not listening”