One of the major purposes of many inbound call centers is customer care. Clients may call with technical issues, be updating their orders, or enquiring about new services. In this case, it’s obviously important to ensure that the agent handling the call have as much information as possible about the caller. The question becomes how do you get those details into your call center software and in front of agents?
Accessing External Data
The most expedient answer is often incorporating an external database connection or call a web service to populate information in the agent script. A good agent script builder should allow access to external data sources. Often we are relying on a third party for client information, and it can be simpler to access a web service, database or API to pull information live on an as-needed basis. In some cases this may be the only option available, especially if data may be updated outside the call center software, ie. by another call center or data service. This method does have some downsides, though. It requires the center to have a fast connection to the data provider. Any slowdown in that connection impacts the ability of agents to do their work. Also reporting may be impacted, as the call center data and provider data aren’t necessarily in sync without some work.
Keeping Data Internally
Keeping the data internally is the obvious alternative to accessing it externally. Having it available in a database directly connected to your call center software allows simpler integration and use of the data. It also avoids synchronization problems and potential issues with connectivity. If you are to take this approach, there are a few ways data can be loaded into the software:
- Preloading bulk contacts into a list
- Incremental imports of small groups or single leads
- Updates of existing contacts via API or administrative functions
- Contact creation/updates via script when client calls
Preloading Bulk Contacts Into a List
A good call center software suite must provide a method of importing contacts into lists which can be assigned to groups of inbound phone numbers, sometimes referred to as campaigns, or individual call queues. Each campaign may need to have a different set of contacts; ie. customer care may have access to a global list, while an individual product group may be limited to clients of that particular product.
In the Indosoft Q-Suite, templates and a contact loading admin screen allow for the bulk importation of contacts in CSV or Microsoft Excel formats. These are widely supported, making it simple to receive contacts from the source and upload them into the system.
Incremental Imports of Small Groups or Single Leads
Often contacts are inserted when a new client makes a purchase, or a prospect fills out fields in a web form. Using APIs, it’s quite straightforward to go from web prospect or purchase to inserting a contact into the call center ACD database. A third party can also easily upload small sets of leads via API without requiring full access to the software. This allows quick integration between sales, prospects, and your customer care team.
Contact Creation/Updates Via Script When Client Calls
This one is pretty obvious, but for some call centers this can be a primary source of contact information. If a clients first contact with your company is through your toll-free number, contact creation will happen when your agent collects their information. It’s important to have a good client interaction script to ensure that the correct data is properly collected. You should also make sure that your script prompts the agent for any updated information when a client calls in.
Updates of Existing Contacts Via API or Administrative Functions
The same methods you use to import contacts should also allow for updating of contacts. Good call center software will give the option of updating a lead if it exists, inserting it if it does not. In Q-Suite, this is available as a flag when creating your template. This gives you the flexibility to allow updates where needed, and prevent them in cases where the contact data must remain unchanged. Having the API available allows third party providers to update the leads without requiring your intervention.
Now You Can Decide
Ensuring your agents have contact information at their fingertips at the time of a client call is an important factor in a positive outcome for the client. It is therefore important to consider both the source of the contact information, any contractual obligations and restrictions, and infrastructure limitations to determine how this should be provided. You can then choose a call center ACD software that allows you to manage your data the way you choose to.