DOs

DON’Ts

About the author:

Tracy Gao is a sophomore at Stanford University studying International Relations and a content writer for the Talkdesk call center blog. Talkdesk provides call center software for SMBs at an affordable price.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” - Steve Jobs

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” - Robert H Schuller

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” - Bill Gates

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” - Dale Carnegie

“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” - Bill Gates

“High expectations are the key to everything.” - Sam Walton

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.” - Thomas J. Watson

“Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.” - Robert T. Kiyosaki

“When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you you’re nuts.” - Larry Ellison

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” - Benjamin Franklin

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” - Steve Jobs

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” - Walt Disney

“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” - Henry Ford

“Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic.” - Dale Carnegie

Computer-Telephony Integration (CTI)

It is absolutely essential that the power dialer you select has CTI. With CTI, when a contact is on the line, the software will automatically retrieve relevant information about the person and display it in the agent’s interface. CTI makes the outbound dialing process more efficient, streamlined and effective and your agents will always know exactly who they are speaking with.

Business Tools Integrations

When you integrate your power dialer with your other business tools like Salesforce, SugarCRM, Highrise, etc., the results are incredible. Your agents can easily upload contact lists directly from your CRM, can see comprehensive information about the contact from these business tools as the call comes in and can easily keep track of phone conversations, support requests, sales receipts, etc. all in one interface.

Automatic Caller Information Screen Pop

Power dialers with screen pop will automatically display comprehensive information about the caller as the call is being connected. If it is the first time the caller has contacted your company, basic information about the caller will be displayed in the screen of the agent who is receiving the call. Most power dialers will display the caller’s name and phone number. Power dialers with integrations with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Data.com will also display the caller’s company, position within the company, email, address, phone number and information from their social media accounts. If the caller has contacted your company before and you have integrated your power dialer with your CRM and other business tools, the power dialer will also display the caller’s call logs, call recordings, voicemails, live chat transcripts, Salesforce cases, Zendesk tickets, notes, events, tasks, support requests, etc. This feature will dramatically increase professionalism, organization and opportunities to sell and upsell.

Built-In CRM

When your power dialer has a built-in CRM, it is incredibly simple to keep track of contacts, call lists and campaigns. Your agents will be able to see comprehensive information about each contact like their previous interactions with your company, call logs, call recordings, voicemails, support requests, purchases, etc. Having your power dialer integrated with a built-in CRM will increase organization and collaboration amongst team members.

Custom Tags

Power dialers with a built-in CRM will often allow you to assign custom tags to each contact, list and campaign. These tags will allow your agents to easily search for, sort and create lists of VIP customers, high-value prospects, customers interested in a specific product, etc. Basically anything that is relevant to your company, you can create a tag for it. They will also be able to identify the customers by their tags when they call. Custom tags are a simple, but powerful tool that will change the way your agents identify and interact with customers and prospects.

Click-to-Call Feature

Some power dialers with a built-in CRM allow your agents to call any number from anywhere within the CRM with the click of a button. Your agents can click-to-call numbers compiled on a list, from within the contact’s profile, from missed call lists, from voicemail lists etc. When your agents would like to manually dial a contact, using this feature will save them time and reduce dialing errors.

Simple Contact Import

Power dialers allow you to easily import and export lists of leads to call. Typically, as long as the list is in CSV format, the power dialer software will be able to start calling from the list as soon as it is uploaded. With most power dialers, you can label the lists to keep track of the contacts on the list and to differentiate the contacts from each list. Power dialers that integrate with business tools (e.g. Salesforce, Zendesk, SugarCRM, etc.) allow you to upload contacts and create lists from these business tools with one-click.

Customizable Outbound Caller ID

Power dialers that allow you to customize your outbound caller ID will increase your connection rates as well as the probability that contacts will return your call. When you can match your caller ID to the area code of the contact you are calling, they will be more likely to answer and if they miss your call, to return your call. Some power dialers will automatically match the number to display as your outbound caller ID to the recipient and others allow you to select the number to display from a drop down menu (some allow you to do both).

Comprehensive Real-Time and Historical Reporting

Power dialers with reporting capabilities allow you to track the progress of your campaigns, agents, departments and company. You can look at inbound and outbound metrics separately and review call logs, number of missed calls and voicemails received. Reporting makes it easy to keep track of performance and make data-driven decisions.

Call Monitoring and Recording

Managers that utilize power dialers with call monitoring capabilities can listen to live calls, coach their agents and jump in on the call to help out a customer. Call recording allows for managers and team members to listen to calls at any time. Call monitoring and recording are amazing for assessing call quality, enhancing training and increasing collaboration between team members.

1. Flawless routing of calls

With an ACD, calls are routed based on an algorithm. It takes into account the following information: the phone number the caller dialed, the caller’s information, the caller’s area code, IVR configurations, agent availability, agent skills and business rules. When calls are routed based on this comprehensive data, there are fewer errors, dropped calls and transfers to the wrong agent. Thus, an ACD will increase the efficiency and the professionalism of your team.

2. Faster response to calls

With ACDs, calls are answered immediately and are transferred to the most appropriate agent. Waiting queues are optimized and customers are allowed the option to be called back during high call volume periods. In addition, VIP customers will be identified and immediately routed to agents who are assigned to receive their calls. This expedites response time, the call handling process and as a result, increases customer satisfaction.

3. Increased efficiency

With ACDs, calls are routed to the most appropriate agent or department. This ensures that customers always reach the right agent, minimizes call transfers and increases the specialization of agents. ACDs also allow for business tools integrations as well as the capability for dispersed companies to work from one system. This allows for teams to always be on the same page. ACDs also allows for call monitoring, call conferencing and whisper coaching. These enhance managerial practices, agent performance and team cohesion. Taken together, ACDs increase team collaboration and efficiency.

An example of call center software that utilizes ACD and has business tools integrations.

4. Streamlined business processes

ACDs will significantly streamline any company’s business processes. ACDs integrate with CRM, Salesforce, Helpdesks, social media, and Live Chat so your agents will have a more comprehensive understanding of your customer’s needs. Your agents can keep track of all customer interactions in one interface and will never have to open and update multiple business tools with customer information. Additionally, with ACD and integrations, your entire team will have access to up-to-date customer information, can engage in call conferencing and can seamlessly transfer calls to different agents or departments. Your team will be more efficient and effective with streamlined processes, courtesy of an ACD.

5. Increased agent productivity

An ACD will dramatically increase agent competence, efficiency and productivity. When agents are only routed calls that they are trained to handle, they will become more proficient at handling that call type, will handle them faster and have more confidence. They will also waste less time trying to figure out issues that are beyond their training or expertise. In addition, with ACD and integrations, agents will have access to comprehensive information about the caller, before they take the call. They will never have to open multiple databases and business tools searching for the customer information that they need. An ACD therefore increases agent productivity and efficiency.

6. Optimized resources

Efficient routing of calls optimizes agent productivity and minimizes down time. Agents can spend more time doing what they do best and less time trying to figure out problems that are outside of their domain. ACDs collect usage data that feed real-time and historical reporting. With this information, managers can more effectively assess KPIs in order to optimize workflow and resources. ACDs also allow for geographically dispersed companies to be more integrated and work together as one team. With an ACD, managers can easily monitor calls, no matter where their agents are working. Therefore, ACDs can optimize resources in any company.

An example of call center software that utilizes ACD and allows for call monitoring.

How it Works

When your agents receive an incoming call from a contact that is not in your database, our Enhanced Caller ID feature will look up the caller’s information from a national database and sources of public data like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and Data.com.

The caller’s information such as their name, picture, business, address, email, phone number and information from Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter will automatically be displayed in your agent’s browser, as the contact calls your company.

As the new caller calls, Talkdesk will automatically create a new contact for the caller and their information will compiled into their profile. Talkdesk will also automatically update any integrated CRM, Helpdesk or database with this information.

When your team receives an incoming call from a contact that has called your company before, Talkdesk will automatically retrieve information about the customer from your CRM, call logs, integrated databases and business tools like Salesforce, SugarCRM, Zendesk, Desk.com, Olark and others.

Benefits

Here are some of the many benefits of using Enhanced Caller ID:

• Never go into a call blind
  Your sales and support team will always know exactly who is calling. They will know if the caller is the CEO, tech guy, sales engineer or VP of Marketing and adjust their approach accordingly. With relevant information about the caller, they can customize their sales pitch, expedite the support process, spend more time with high-value prospects and enhance their professional relationship with each caller. They will also be more confident and effective.
• Increase efficiency
  When a new contact calls your company, Talkdesk will automatically create a new profile and update all integrated CRM, Helpdesks and databases with their information. This process will save your agents the hassle of updating multiple business tools, reduce errors and give your entire team the peace of mind of knowing that each caller’s information is always up-to-date.
• Enhance customer profiles
  When you upload a contact database or integrate your business tools, Talkdesk will automatically enhance your customer profiles with information from Data.com, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, and other sources of public data. Your customer profiles will be more complete and your agents will have a more comprehensive understanding of the customer when they call.
• Screen calls based on value
  When your sales and support teams are crunched for time, Enhanced Caller ID is invaluable. It will allow them to know exactly who is calling and then decide whether or not to take the call. Your team can also make a decision who answers the phone based on who is calling. So, calls from high-value prospects can be answered by your most experienced agent. Your team can now spend more time with high-value callers when it matters most.
• Increase the professionalism of your team
  With Enhanced Caller ID, your agents can address callers by their name, even if it is the first time they called your company. Your customers will appreciate this courteous greeting and may be won over forever in that instant. You will be amazed at how this feature will enhance the professionalism of your team.

How to

This is the default setting of Talkdesk. When you sign up (and you do not assign any tags to any agent), Talkdesk will automatically route all calls to all of your agents.

That being said, many companies like to assign tags to agents. They may have different phone numbers that serve different purposes (e.g. one for sales, one for support), but their entire team is capable of handling any issue. In this instance, you can still assign tags to agents and ring all agents when a customer calls, by following these directions:

Click on the “Admin” tab on the top of Talkdesk, click on the “Agents” tab on the left and then click on an agent. Next to “Team” please type in the SAME tag for each agent (e.g. “Sales”). You must also assign the same tag to the corresponding phone number.

For example, if you have a specific number that customers call for sales, assign the tag “Sales” to that phone number. When customers call the phone number that has the “Sales” tag, they will be routed to every agent that has a “Sales” tag (in this case, every agent in your company).

Hit save and the tags will automatically be applied. Again, be sure to give the same tag to all agents and to the corresponding phone number.

1. IVRs are easy to setup

With more progressive IVR technologies, all that is required is an internet connection and a browser. Your IVR will take a few minutes to setup you can use pre-recorded messages to expedite the setup process.

2. IVRs are customer friendly

Customers are used to interacting with an IVR. When you limit the number of prompts, they will be immediately directed to an agent who is most qualified to address their issues or concerns.

3. IVRs allow you to automate customer support

IVRs provide your customers with the option of helping themselves. They can use the IVR to solve their own problems and obtain relevant information without speaking with an agent.

4. IVRs give your customers a personalized experience

With IVRs you can record customized greetings, messages and prompts. You can record as many greetings as you would like so customers have a unique and personalized experience each time they call.

5. IVRs reduce transfer errors

IVRs transfer calls to the most appropriate agent or department, without fail. Thus, the probability that the caller is transferred to the wrong agent or department significantly decreases.

6. IVRs allow you to prioritize calls based value

IVRs will route VIP customers directly to your team member who is most qualified to meet their needs.

7. IVRs will improve your professionalism

You can use an IVR system to improve the professionalism of your company. The IVR will greet your customers professionally and you can use it to make it seem that your company has more departments and employees than you actually have.

8. IVRs will increase customer service, agent and company efficiency

IVRs allow agents to be more proficient at meeting the specific needs of the callers that are routed to them. With IVRs, your agents will be less likely to place calls on hold, call a manager for help or transfer the call to another agent with more experience. This results in a significant increase in customer service, agent and company efficiency.

9. IVRs are cheap

IVRs are not just for enterprise companies. With cloud-based technology, there are no costly setups or maintenance costs, no expensive hardware or software to install and are affordable. Any company can afford one, no matter what their budget.

10. IVRs will increase revenue

When customer service increases and agent efficiency increases, the results are simple. More customers who are more satisfied will be more likely to buy your product or service.

1. A blog helps your customers relate and identify with your brand.

A blog is the perfect way for your business to humanize itself. By updating your blog with posts that have personality and good content, customers will find your brand much more accessible (read: the opposite of a stiff, reserved company). And of course, blogging will allow customers to put a face (literally!) on your business – they will begin viewing your business as a friend with their best interests at heart and look forward to hearing what you have to say. Just through your blog, you can create long-term relationships with customers that will keep them coming back for more.

2. A blog is another doorway for a customer to find your business.

Each page of your website with a unique URL is another chance for someone who is using a search engine to stumble upon your site. Now, while having a website is an excellent way to gain traction in the wired world we live in, it only provides a limited set of doorways. A blog, on the other hand, will generate doorways every time you update it and will increase the reach of your website. Recent estimates are that 60% of American internet users will be blog readers by the year 2014. That’s a 15% increase from 2008! At this rate, you cannot afford not to have a blog! If you post just once per week, you’re adding 52 new ways for potential customers to find you every year. And of course, the more you post, the more you increase that number!

3. A blog gives your brand authority in its particular industry.

If you can consistently update your blog, readers will begin to view your blog and your brand as a credible source of information. While this won’t happen magically overnight, a steady stream of posts will show readers that you are dedicated and can offer them something valuable. The key part of this tip is to post relevant and interesting content that’s centered on your understanding of the industry. A blog is the perfect medium for you to showcase your knowledge and can elevate your brand’s reputation over your competitors. You can talk about anything from a trend you’ve noticed recently, an element that’s missing in your industry and how to bridge that gap, or even your own personal musings on an industry-related phenomenon.

4. A blog can act as another source of customer service.

A blog is a creative outlet for you and your business. You can think of it as an extended, subtler method of advertising. In between your non-business promoting posts, you can also address frequently asked questions or give your readers a demonstration on a little known aspect of your product/service (we here at the Talkdesk Blog do this often). A blog gives you complete creative freedom – take advantage of that! Another great feature about a blog is that more often than not, a reader is able to comment directly on a specific post. The comment feature provides real time feedback from your readers – you may even find that some readers will bring up problems that could easily be fixed before they snowball into a larger dilemma.

5. A blog can become the center of your social media activity.

In addition to a blog and website, all businesses should also be taking advantage of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. It’s tough to routinely think of witty status updates and summarize news in less than 140 characters. That’s where your blog can be of service. Every time you update your blog, you will then have material to blast to your other social media outlets. In essence, you can arrange your social media presence so that everything is based around your blog, making it your social media hub. Promoting your blog via social media will then generate traffic to your blog and also keep your social media accounts active – a win-win situation for everyone.

About the author:

Tracy Gao is a sophomore at Stanford University studying International Relations and a content writer for the Talkdesk call center blog. Talkdesk provides call center software for SMBs at an affordable price.

Overview of the National Do Not Call Registry

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) both enforce rules that require companies to comply with do not call lists
• The National Do Not Call Registry is a database managed by the FTC
• The FTC started registering phone numbers in June, 2003 and by 2007, over 72% of Americans have registered a phone number on the DNC list
• Consumer’s phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry are organized by area code
• Each company that accesses the National Do Not Call Registry must pay an annual fee (ranging from $54 – $14,850) if they access 5 or more area codes
• The area codes in the National Do Not Call Registry cover the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, North Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and toll-free numbers (500, 800, 866, 877, 880, 881, 882, and 888)

Information for Consumers

• The FTC allows consumers the option of whether or not they would like to receive telemarketing or sales calls
• If consumers would not like to be called by telemarketers or sales reps, they simply register their phone number (landline or mobile) on the National Do Not Call Registry and it will remain on the registry forever (or until they remove it)
• A consumer who receives a telemarketing or sales call despite being on the National Do Not Call Registry for more than 31 days can file a complaint with the FTC
• If the consumer asks to be put on a company’s do not call list, that company may not call them (regardless if their number is registered to the National Do Not Call Registry or not)

Information for Businesses

• It is illegal for telemarketers or sellers to call a number listed on the National Do Not Call Registry
• Violators of the National Do Not Call Registry could be fined up to $16,000 per incident by the National Registry and up to $25,000 by the State > tweet <
• Violators could be investigated by any or all of the following:
  • FTC
  • FCC
  • States Attorney General
  • Consumers
• Telemarketers and sellers must register their organization in order to access the do not call list
• Telemarketers and sellers must comply with the requirements of the National Registry
• The government requires that telemarketers and sellers search the do not call registry at least once every 31 days and remove any calls from their lists accordingly
• The National Do Not Call Registry applies to:
  • Any plan, program or campaign to sell goods or services
  • Telemarketers who solicit consumers
  • Sellers who provide, offer to provide or arrange to provide goods or services to consumers in exchange for payment
• The National Do Not Call Registry does not apply to:
  • Political organizations
  • Charities
  • Telephone surveyors
  • Business to business calls
• Telemarketers or sellers may contact consumers on the National Do Not Call Registry if:
  • They have an established business relationship with the customer. They may call that customer for up to 18 months after the customer’s last purchase, delivery or payment (note: If the consumer asks a company not to call, the company may not call, even if there is an established business relationship)
  • The consumer has made an inquiry or submits an application to the company. They may contact the consumer for up to 3 months after they made the inquiry.
  • The consumer has given a company written permission to contact them
• The company is responsible for Do Not Call compliance, even if they hire a subcontractor or third party to handle their telemarketing
• Both the telemarketer who makes the phone calls and the seller whose product is promoted are legally responsible for any violations of the National Do Not Call Registry > tweet <

Rules and Regulations

• Telemarketers and sellers are not permitted to block their Caller IDs as this information will allow consumers to identify them
• When phone calls are answered by the consumer (rather than an answering machine), sellers and telemarketers are required be on the line within 2 seconds of them answering. Thus, companies that use power dialers or predictive dialers must transfer a live call to an agent within two seconds of the call being answered
• Telemarketers and sellers must ensure that predictive dialers abandon no more than 3% of all calls. An abandoned call is considered any call that is not transferred to an agent within 2 seconds of the consumer answering
• Calls to residential numbers are forbidden before 8am and after 9pm local time
• Telemarketers and sellers must identify themselves, the company they represent and give a contact address or phone number to the consumer
• Consumers can ask that a specific company never call them again, and the company must comply, even if the consumer’s phone number is not on the National Do Not Call Registry
• FTC regulations prohibit calling any wireless phone number with an autodialer unless the consumer gives written permission
• The FTC prohibits using predictive dialers for automated messaging

Solutions

• Many call center software solutions allow you to import your Do Not Call List as well as your outbound campaign lists. The software will automatically “scrub” (a.k.a remove) any calls from your campaign list that are on the National Do Not Call Registry before your campaign list is added to the autodialer
• Many companies will also check numbers against U.S. Federal, State and Direct Marketing Association Do Not Call databases
• You can also allow customers to add their name to your company do not call list via your IVR

Tips