How 4 Companies Are Growing Their Businesses with Call Centers

The call center industry is now valued at more than $8.7 billion. This number makes one thing clear. Despite all the searchable online help files, FAQs, explainer videos and instructional apps, customers still need someone to talk to, both on the sales and the customer service side.

Here is a look at 4 companies from across the US that have found their growth strategies call for solid call center.

Growth through Customer Engagement

Argo Marketing – Lewiston, ME

The folks at Argo Marketing were on a mission to provide amazing customer support and engagement. So, what did they do? They looked to hire the best call center agents in the region – and make their work environment amazing!

At the start of 2014, Argo rescued a building that was scheduled for demolition with a $2.6 million renovation project on the outskirts of Portland, ME. They are now planning to open a call center featuring a massive saltwater aquarium, a patio on the roof and a brew pub for staff only. Jobs as call center agents for Argo are now one of the most sought after jobs in the region.

Argo’s CEO, Jason Levesque, explained to the Maine Business Journal what made the new facility so critical to his expansion plans, “We’ll have cutting-edge technology combined with a dedicated work force where everything we do is about customer engagement.” And it seems like his plan is working. The company is growing rapidly and is stretching to book $14 in revenue for 2014

Growth through Managing Prospects

Level Interactive – Pittsburgh, PA

Four years ago, Level Interactive, a digital marketing and lead generation agency, was generating less than $400,000 in revenue. That number rocketed up to $5.5 million three years ago and nearly $13 million last year. How did they do it? By gradually building up to 100 call centers spread out geographically. And they are not stopping there. They plan on doubling that number in the near future.

Thomas Donohoe, Level’s president, credits call centers as the secret behind the most effective online marketing initiatives. Donohoe said he works with many firms that aren’t able to take advantage of their expensive digital marketing campaigns due to problems handling the sudden influx of new prospects.

Without the capacity to scale up and work through the traffic generated, many of these potential customers can slip through their fingers. That’s where his team working within 100 call centers steps in. They handle customer support and guidance issues for their clients, so no lead falls through the cracks.

Growth through Gamification

Uptivity – Columbus, OH

The best way to make sure that companies derive the most value from a call center is to make sure call center employees are performing at maximum productivity. That was the idea that spawned Uptivity, a software company that tracks call center productivity and then awards prizes to the best employees.

Gamification strategies involving competition and recognition can be highly motivational in a stressful environment like a call center.

By studying call center employees, Uptivity found that training materials weren’t working because they didn’t connect well with new hires. Inadequate training is one of the points that both employees and customers tend to agree on as a major point of frustration. Uptivity reports its findings but also adjusts employee rewards to put a greater emphasis on mastering the existing training materials.

By focusing exclusively on the call center industry, Uptivity has earned a spot on the Inc. Magazine list of the fastest growing companies in America for four consecutive years.

Growth through Excellent Support

Trust International – Orlando, FL

Hotel and resorts remain among the bright spots in the travel industry as it goes through a massive shakeout and reinvention. Trust International, which concentrates on hospitality distribution methods, remains no exception. In recent years, Trust has added more call centers with more skilled employees as a surge of client implementations required more skillful support.

Richard Wiegmann, managing director for Trust International, singled out their new call centers as integral to their latest expansion, “As we continue to grow, we are leveraging our new office, expanded staff and new technology to once again raise the bar for service excellence far beyond what our customers expect.” They have found that when you hire the best and make your company customer-centric, your company can thrive even in the face of adversity.

These four examples shed light on how call centers can help grow a business. Data suggests that companies are aware of this, and investing more in their call centers. Across all industries, 77% of all contact centers are expected to maintain current levels or grow over the next 24 months according to a 2013 study by Deloitte.

The sectors that will see the greatest growth are technology (44% growth), the public sector (29% growth) and healthcare (23% growth). These numbers suggest that companies spanning different industries are realizing the importance of providing top notch customer support and sales over the phone, and expanding their call centers to better meet their customer’s needs.