Tips on How to Improve Outbound Call Center Performance and Scheduling

Tips on How to Improve Outbound Call Center Performance and Scheduling

Efficiency is one of the most important elements in an outbound call center. It can be a struggle that almost all call centers struggle with at one time or another. Since efficiency is directly tied to overhead costs, if an outbound call center is not run properly, productivity decreases and costs time and money. Of course, common call center challenges such as staff turnover, upticks in demand, and software problems can create chaos and frustration in even the most effective team.

In order for an outbound call center to work smoothly and efficiently, it’s important to put systems and strategies in place and to thoroughly train staff to use and adhere to the systems. Call center in the Philippines, being one of the most in demand countries for outsourcing, make sure that they provide efficient outbound calls without making it look to salesy to customers. The factors that determine the success or failure of an outbound call center are varied, however, the factors can be tipped in the company’s favor by implementing a sound outbound calls strategy.

Outbound Strategy Details

Prior to picking up the phone, the details of the outbound campaign need to be defined and worked out. Of course, the details can be modified, however, a detailed plan must be in place before the campaign can start. Among the first must-haves in a campaign are the call center key performance indicators (KPI). The KPI measures value and indicates how effectively the company, team, department or individual is meeting their business goals. These metrics include:

  • Agent Sales – Sales per agent tracks the team’s call efficiency by measuring sales and total calls. By tracking these, managers are able to adjust overall performance as well as targets.
  • First Call Close – The best time to close a sale is the first time the agent connects with a potential customer. This metric is one of the most valuable for a business to know.
  • Hit Rate – A hit rate is the number of calls that are answered by a prospect vs. the number of calls made. (Success is determined by a high hit rate.)
  • Conversion Rate – The percentage of calls that result in a sale, appointment made or survey questions answered.
  • Calls Per Account – The number of connections made on one account. This can determine if an account should be kept or dropped from the call list.
  •  Average Call Length – The length of time a “pitch” takes to close. Pitches that are too lengthy can reduce the success of the campaign.
  • Successful Call Revenue – The average amount of revenue for each successful close.

Call Center Phone Traffic Flow

Traffic flow is one of the most important aspects of a call center. When an outbound call center has poor call traffic distribution, the efficiency slows and agent and customer frustration grows. Efficient, adjustable software, such as Bright Pattern, allows the outbound call center to be flexible and productive. When the outbound call center tracking software is reliable, as well as easy to learn and use, the entire outbound campaign runs smoother and more efficiently.  

Using a cloud-based, omnichannel software, such as Bright Pattern, allows flexibility within the outbound call center and is highly cost effective. The ease of use for agents and management increases employee satisfaction and adds to an overall more friendly work environment.

Reduce Employee Turnover

Keeping a steady team of outbound agents will help improve performance and scheduling, as well as reduce training costs and time. It also allows the department to monitor productivity on a long-term basis. 

By ensuring that the company uses the most optimal and up to date technology allows the agents to concentrate on doing their job, rather than fussing with software that isn’t efficient.

When improving outbound call center performance, an important element is implementing tools, systems and software that allow the center to work efficiently and form a more cohesive team–and when those elements are in place, the overall efficacy of the department increased.

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