It is not easy to distinguish between a contact center and a call center in the eyes of the general public. They are both phone-based customer care tools. That sums up their shared qualities, so let's compare their differences.
What is a Contact Center?
The two terms are sometimes interchangeable, but they are not synonymous. Although they share certain similarities, a contact center goes beyond a traditional call center by also offering:
● Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Telephone Services
● Online messaging, chatting, and faxing
● Connecting Straight to a Website
There is a growing demand for multichannel customer support, and a contact center can facilitate this. Consumers nowadays anticipate the brands will have a web presence across several platforms and provide competent service across all of those platforms.
In addition to providing customer assistance, contact centers also work for telemarketing, debt collection, and billing services, all outsourced to third-party businesses.
Mathematical methods, including queuing theory and operations research, have backed contact centers to resolve multiple optimization issues.
What is a Call Center?
The telephone is the primary means of interaction in call centers.
Because of their setup, contact centers can manage an extremely high call volume. Customer service, technical support, and sales are the most common applications for call centers.
They can act as inbound call handlers, outbound call agents, or both. A contact center's flexibility allows agents with varying levels of expertise and responsibility to cooperate toward common goals.
Call Centers Can Help with:
● Telemarketing: This is a common function of call centers because it is less expensive than maintaining a physical location.
● Fraud Prevention: One further application of contact centers is fraud prevention through the follow-up on purchases and transactions.
● Collection: To avoid assigning this responsibility to in-house workers and ensure continuous debtor follow-up, having your call center personnel make collection calls might be an excellent option.
● Gathering Data (leads, feedback, etc.): Last but not least, you can use your call center to learn more about your leads and customers by having them call in and fill out brief surveys to help you predict which products and services will best meet their needs.
How to Determine Which Solution Is Ideal for Your Company
Let's quickly review what we mean when we say, “contact center” or “call center” and how they differ from one another.
Whether an incoming or outgoing call, call centers work to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the telephone channel. A call center is a specialized office that takes and processes a high volume of incoming calls.
Contact centers provide the same role, but they do their work via a wide selection of channels rather than simply the phone. Agents at a contact center use multiple approaches to achieve the same result.
Choose between a contact center and a call center based on your company's size, activity, and desired outcomes. Managing your strategy from one location is easier with a contact center. An alternative worth considering is a call center in tandem with similarly specialized services for each channel; this would allow for more adaptability, greater cooperation, and a sharper focus on the consumer.
Whether you choose any of these solutions, Call Center US can provide these services according to your needs. Get started today!