Tips for Hiring the First Employee for Your Small Business

Tips for Hiring the First Employee for Your Small Business

Blog/ Professional Services/ Small Business

If you run a small business, it is essential to hire a competent staff that can help you get off the ground and make a name for yourself in your industry. Use the following tips to make the best decision when the time comes to hire your first employee.

Decide What Position You Need Filled

One of the most important factors to consider before hiring anyone is the position you need to fill. You do not want to hire an employee to do a job that is not essential to your business, or it might do more harm than good. Take some time to really decide what kind of employee you need so you can be sure to find the best candidate for the job.

Write Down the Characteristics of Your Dream Candidate

Before you start interviewing people, you should compile a list of features your ideal candidate should have. This helps you figure out what you really want so you can spot it when you find it. If you are really sure about the kind of employee you need before you start your search, it makes it easier to hire a reputable candidate for the position.

Consider Outsourcing the Position

If you are not sure that you want to commit to a salary and benefits for an employee, you should first decide if you really need to hire an actual employee. There are other companies that can handle customer service, reservation setting, and even e-commerce services for you. If you are not comfortable enough with your current financial position to commit to hiring a full-time employee, this might be a better option for you.

Contact One Call Center is here with the customer service help you need to enhance your business. Whether you are in charge of a startup company or want to give your customers more ways to interact with your business, we can help. From live chat to answering services, we help you make the most of your customer service capabilities. Call 1-877-959-0158 to learn more.

Team Building Exercises for Call Centers

Team Building Exercises for Call Centers

Blog/ Customer Service

Call centers are often at the forefront of customer service. Because of this, it is very important for all staff members at a call center to work as a team. Use the following team-building exercises to create better customer service for your office.

Practice Taking Calls as a Group

Try a few role-play games that help your staff practice for a variety of phone calls. When you play a game like this in a group, it allows everyone to work together to come to a viable solution. Compile a few different scripts that you can use to show your staff a variety of situations that they might encounter on the phone to give them a little bit of experience before they start taking real calls.

Take Some Time for Fun

In between training and taking phone calls, you should plan a party that gives everyone a chance to relax. If you can decrease their stress levels, they are less likely to get burned out so they can continue to be productive. Set aside some time for a potluck lunch where everyone can mingle and get to know their coworkers.

Plan a Game Where the Staff Has to Work Together

Whether you concoct your own version of a murder mystery game or you separate your staff into teams and have them compete in some office Olympics, games are a great way to encourage camaraderie amongst your workers. Spend some time developing a game that requires your staff to work together so they can figure out what it means to be a part of a team.

If you do not have the manpower to staff a call center of your own, Contact One Call Center can provide one for you. From answering services to secure messaging, we provide the customer service help that you need to keep your business functioning at its highest potential. To learn more about our services and how they can help you, visit us online or call 1-877-959-0158.

Important Steps for Handling Customer Complaints

Important Steps for Handling Customer Complaints

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Customer service is an essential aspect of any business. If you have a uniform method for handling customer complaints, you can create an organized system that helps you maintain positive relationships with your clients. Consider adding the following steps into your own customer service model to improve the way you handle customer complaints.

Take the Time to Listen

No matter what kind of complaint you receive, it is important to listen to what the customer is saying. There is no way to find a solution for the customer’s problem unless you really understand why they are upset. If you take the time to really listen to your customers, they will feel like you are making an effort to help them.

Apologize Without Making Excuses

It can be infuriating for a customer to complain about something and feel like a company is trying to put them blame back onto them. Even if your company is not at fault, you should apologize for the customer’s inconvenience. Do not try to make an excuse for why the issue occurred. Instead, move on to more positive topics like trying to find a solution that works for everyone. If you can avoid placing blame or making excuses, it helps you keep up good relationships with your customers.

Give Everyone the Power to Work Toward a Solution

If your staff has to go through a chain of command to rectify a problem, it can be frustrating for the employees and for the customer. Anyone who manages an answering service should have the ability to solve a customer’s problem without having to jump through a lot of hoops to do it.

If you want to improve your business’s customer service capabilities, Contact One Call Center can help. From answering services to after-hours support, we make it easy to maintain clear communication with your customers to ensure that they feel like your business is looking out for them. To learn more about our services, visit us online or call 1-877-959-0158.

A Look at the Small Business Sector in America

A Look at the Small Business Sector in America

Blog/ Small Business

Small businesses are the foundation of the American economy. A large part of succeeding in this industry relies on your knowledge of how it functions. Keep reading to learn more about small business in the United States.

Small Business Matters

There are 23 million small businesses currently up and running in the United States. This means that small business makes up 54 percent of all of the sales in America. They are responsible for 55 percent of jobs. Even with these already impressive statistics, the small business sector is still on the rise. Since 1982, small businesses in America have increased by almost 50 percent. They have also added 8 million new jobs since 1990.

Small Businesses Have Big Potential for Success

About 7 out of every 10 small businesses that start are still around after 2 years. Half of these businesses survive their first 5 years. One-third of them manage to grow their business so that they are still open at least 15 years after they begin. With the right resources, small businesses have a good chance of succeeding in their industry.

Small Businesses Thrive with the Right Resources

Since small businesses do not have the power of a big brand behind them, they must rely on quality customer service to build their client base and solidify their place in their industry. It is extremely important for small businesses to focus on resources that improve their customer service abilities so they can compete with bigger companies.

Contact One Call Center is here to help your small business succeed. We offer answering services, order taking and e-commerce options, appointment and reservation setting, and live chat to give you an advantage in your industry. Our staff helps you give your customers access to real people who care about their needs, bilingual support, and after-hours support. To learn more about our services, call 1-877-959-0158.

Challenges Facing Your Small Business

Challenges Facing Your Small Business

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

Although small businesses make up a significant part of the American economy, there is a certain amount of risk starting one of your own. With the right information and resources, you can get past these challenges and find success in your field. Keep reading to learn about some of the risks that you face with your small business.

Too Few Clients

If your entire profit margin depends on a small amount of clients, your business could be at risk. When you are a small business, it is important to diversify your customer base so you are not completely dependent on just one or two customers. Do everything you can to entice new customers to utilize your services to keep your business safe.

Poor Customer Service

Customer service is essential for your small business. As soon as you start your company, customer service should be one of your main focuses. The better your customer service capabilities, the likelier you are to build a strong client base that helps your own business grow and thrive in your industry.

Overworked Employees

As your business starts to grow, it might be hard for your staff to keep up with the new demand. Keep an eye on your staff to make sure no one is getting burned out while trying to handle all of the increased customer service requirements. It might behoove your business to look for outside help to handle the increase in your customer relations. Answering services, after-hours support, and live chat can help you maintain communication with your clients without overworking your employees.

Turn to Contact One Call Center to get the help you need to ensure that your small business finds success. Our call centers bring you qualified help that can maintain the kind of customer service you need to make a name for yourself in your industry. To learn more about our services or how you can utilize them, visit us online or call 1-877-959-0158.

Developing a Comprehensive Call Center Strategy

Developing a Comprehensive Call Center Strategy

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

If you want to improve your company’s ability to handle its customer service, it is important to figure out a call center strategy can help you make the most of your interactions with your clients. Keep reading for some tips on developing a strategy that will help you improve the service aspect of your business.

Find the Right Company

Instead of trying to develop a call center among your already busy employees, you should work with a reputable company in your area. An off-site call center offers helpful resources like answering services and after-hours support that gives your customers even more opportunities to reach you when they need some help. When you can find the right call center, it will enhance the way you interact with the public.

Determine Your Call Center Hours

Some companies like to have a call center operating throughout the day in case their office cannot handle the amount of calls they receive. Others like to have an outside call center operating after-hours and on the weekends to field any calls they get once their office has closed for the day. It is up to you to decide how long you want the call center to operate to enhance your customer service options.

Find a Way to Interact with the Call Center

Once you hire a call center, you should talk to your staff about how to handle communication with the answering service. The call center will probably receive important calls relating to client needs. You must determine the best way to relay these important messages to the right staff members so they can figure out how to help in a timely manner. When you can figure out the best way to communicate with the call center, you will notice drastic improvements in your customer service.

When you choose Contact One Call Center as your answering service, you gain access to important resources that will improve the way you do business. We know what it takes to provide answering services that can increase your communication with your clientele. To learn more, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

Deciding Whether or Not to Outsource Customer Service

Deciding Whether or Not to Outsource Customer Service

Blog/ Customer Service/ Small Business

As a business owner, every single decision you make can have a huge impact on your company and its ability to succeed. Customer service is one of the most important areas of any business, which is why it is important to figure out the best way to handle it in your company. Use these tips to figure out if it is better to do it yourself or to outsource it to another agency.

Determining Your Manpower

If you are running a small business, you might not have enough people to provide the amount of customer service you need to keep your clients happy. Small companies might greatly benefit from the help of a call center that can provide round-the-clock help for customers. If you need your employees to focus on other aspects of your business, a call center can provide an important customer service resource.

Considering Your Clients’ Needs

Are you always available when your customers call in with questions or concerns? If you seem to be falling short on being able to handle your customer’s needs, it might be time to enlist some help. A call center can provide answering services, after-hours support, disaster preparedness, and even secure messaging to keep you in control of your customers’ needs.

Doing a Cost-Benefit Analysis

Sometimes it is more cost-effective to outsource your customer service needs to a company that specializes in dealing with the public. Figure out how much it would cost for you to pay your staff to come in for more shifts to cover all of your customer service needs and decide if would cost you more than just working with another company.

At Contact One Call Center, we know that the customer service aspect of your company can be demanding, which is why we offer services to make it simpler for you. We can provide answering services, live web chat, and order taking help to ensure your business always has the contact it needs with its customers. To learn more about our services, check out our website or call 1-877-959-0158.

Building Strong Client Relationships in the Business-to-Business Industry

Building Strong Client Relationships in the Business-to-Business Industry

Blog/ Customer Service/ Professional Services/ Small Business

Business relationships are an important resource for your company that can help you in every facet of the corporate world. Use this guide to figure out the best way to form new relationships that can help you expand your business and improve your profits.

Take Your Time

Quality relationships do not just develop overnight. If you want to create long-lasting relationships with your clients and other businesses in your area, you have to put some time and effort into developing them. Do not expect these relationships to form in just one day. Maintain your patience so you can work on developing real relationships that benefit you and your customers for many years to come.

Do Your Research

If you are well informed, it helps you relate to people on a different level. Learn about your clients and their businesses so you can have educated conversations with them. Do whatever you can to anticipate their needs so you can meet them in a timely manner. When you know about your clients and their own businesses, you can establish a more meaningful relationship that benefits you both.

Improve Your Customer Service

Even if you have a friendly relationship with your clients, you still have to remember that you are a business and your clients expect you to offer services promptly. Make sure you offer quality customer service that makes every single client feel like they are the most important of all of your customers. This level of customer service keeps your client relationships in tact so you can continue to benefit from one another.

With the answering services, live chat capabilities, and disaster preparedness that you can find with Contact One Call Center, you can make the most out of all of your client relationships. We give you this range of services so you can be there for your clients whenever they need you. For more information about our services, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347.

A Look at Contact One’s Call Center Services

A Look at Contact One’s Call Center Services

Blog/ Customer Service

Contact One Call Center brings you helpful services that can enhance every aspect of your business. If you are looking for a call center that has it all, we are the company for you. Keep reading to learn more about our services and what they can do for you.

Answering Services

We know that you cannot always be there to answer the phone when your customers call, which is why we bring you 24/7 answering services. Whether you need overflow call support, appointment taking, online chat, call reports, or even disaster preparedness, we have you covered. These answering services ensure that your customers can always reach your business so they keep their faith in your customer service capabilities.

Order Taking/E-Commerce

Our order taking and e-commerce services give you the power to keep your business running all day every day even when your staff has gone home. These services allow you to close a sale at any time of day. They also provide live answer or web chat so your customers can always ask about their orders. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make your website more effective, this is it. We customize the services to your needs to help you get ahead in your industry.

Live Chat

Sometimes your customers do not want to have to call for assistance. Our live chat services give you the online support you need to keep all your customers happy. With this service, you have real-time control that enables you to instantly increase your online presence. With our help, you can give your clients this convenient service at a low cost.

Contact One Call Center is here with the services you need to optimize the way you do business. Our services give you a hand when it comes to interacting with your customers so you can always be available when they need you. To learn more about our services or to find out how to sign up, visit us online or call 1-800-278-3347 and instantly improve your customer service capabilities.

Steps for Successfully Handling a Customer Complaint

Steps for Successfully Handling a Customer Complaint

Blog/ Customer Service

The way you handle customer complaints says a lot about your business. It is one thing to offer quality customer service when your clients are happy. It is another to remain friendly when someone is calling in with a complaint. Use the following steps to successfully handle a customer complaint.

Take the Time to Listen

Before you can help a customer, you have to understand their problem and the only way to do that is to listen to what they have to say. When you take the time to really listen to their complaint and try to understand why they are unhappy, it makes it much easier to take the next steps to rectify the situation.

Offer Your Condolences

No matter what the customer has to say, you should always apologize for any inconvenience that they are feeling because of your service. If you show empathy toward their concerns, they see that you really care about their business and will do everything you can to help them get a solution for the problem.

Find a Solution

Once you have established the problem, you should do everything you can to find a solution that works for everyone. Show the customer what you can do to help them and avoid discussing the ways in which you cannot help. If you are progressive in your quest for a solution, it shows the customer that you are putting their needs first.

Check In with the Customer

After you have done what you can to fix the problem, you should check in with your customer to ensure that they are satisfied with your solution. This final step cements your ability to provide quality customer service.

Contact One Call Center’s answering service, after-hours support, live chat, disaster preparedness, and secure messaging services can help you ensure that you always meet your client’s needs. With our help, your customers can always reach your business. For more information on our services, visit our website or call 1-800-278-3347.