Month: January 2024

Setting up a new call center might seem straightforward—just get some phones, hire some agents, and start taking calls. However, there is far more to it once you factor in considerations surrounding call center compliance.

Simply put, you can’t just read the rules set out by regulatory bodies like the FCC, FTC, and TCPA and call it a day. Instead, staying compliant requires comprehensive operating procedures, ongoing agent training, extensive documentation, and rigorous quality assurance throughout your call center.

7 Call Center Compliance Pitfalls to Avoid

Regardless of which type of call center you operate, it’s important to steer clear of the many compliance pitfalls that exist. This will save you from headaches in the short term and from potentially derailing your business down the road.

1. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) – Calls

Explanation: The TCPA aims to limit intrusive telemarketing phone calls by requiring opt-in consent prior to using auto-dialers, prerecorded voice calls, SMS text messages, and faxes. Fines for violations are set at roughly $500 to $1500 per call.

Pitfall: Many new call centers mistakenly believe consent is implied or they fail to document opt-in processes properly. This is not good because unclear, overly broad, or missing consent records can easily lead to lawsuits over unlawful calling.

Solution: Develop clearly worded consent statements and have agents confirm opt-in for your outreach on all campaign calls. Log all consent in individual contact records, keep it for at least four years, and implement processes to remain TCPA compliant by honoring do-not-call requests.

2. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) – Data

Explanation: In addition to limiting certain types of calls, the TCPA also establishes guidelines around data handling. Under the TCPA, contact lists used for auto-dialing—along with call and text logs—require protection and transparency.

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There’s no question that call center benchmarks matter. As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

But the question is, what are the metrics that actually matter?

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the information out there telling you what benchmarks you should be tracking at your call center. Most articles will name dozens.

But there are only seven call center benchmarks that actually move the needle in your business—that means benchmarks that directly drive revenue and put money into your pockets.

Benchmarks May Vary (but Not by Much)

Depending on the type of call center you run, the most important benchmarks vary, given that each operation has its own objectives.

That said, at the end of the day, the most essential call center metrics will mostly remain the same.

Here’s a quick rundown of the different types of call centers out there and what each one does:

• Inbound call centers take incoming calls to answer questions that clients may have or resolve conflicts.
• Outbound call centers are often more sales and marketing oriented. In these call centers, agents make outreach efforts to prospects to promote products or gain customer feedback.
• Multichannel contact centershandle both incoming queries and outbound calls along with other channels, such as emails and messaging.
• Offshore call centers operate overseas, which is in a different location from your business’s headquarters.

Benchmark 1: First Call Resolution Rate

First Call Resolution Rate (FCR) is a metric that measures the percentage of customer issues that get resolved during the initial interaction with an agent. This means customers don’t need to call back for the same problem. Here’s why FCR matters and how call center managers can make…

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The sound of ringing phones. Voices talking over one another. A hint of panic in the air. Sounds familiar, right? This is what most contact centers are like.

No wonder so many call center agents are on the brink of burnout.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right call center management tactics, you can increase productivity while also reducing employee turnover rate.

Ready to manage your call center better? Here are 10 call center management tips to save your day.

1. Encourage Virtual Brainstorming Sessions

An effective way to promote teamwork and build an innovative culture is to hold brainstorming meetings.

For instance, if you’re looking to improve customer satisfaction scores or reduce call times, allow your agents to be part of the solution. They’re the ones on the ground fielding calls—they may give you some valuable insight to help improve your overall operation.

Instead of only hosting your conferences in physical locations, consider online sessions. While in-person brainstorming improves team collaboration, virtual brainstorming results in more ideas.

Virtual settings make everyone feel involved, regardless of their position. They also make it easy for introverts to participate on their own terms.

Keep in mind: the key to successful brainstorming sessions lies in encouraging a free flow of ideas. You might have to break the ice yourself and pre-plan discussion topics to get ideas flowing, but this preparation can help a lot in setting a positive tone.

Other than these tips, you should also:

• Give detailed tutorials on your collaborative software of choice before a meeting.
• Try different techniques such as mind-mapping, starbursting, or rapid ideation.
• Define the rules of participation before getting started.
• Encourage the use of emojis for online meetings or doodles for in-person sessions.
• Avoid…

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If you’ve ever worked in a corporate setting, you know the feeling of being onboarded and having to make a list of the dozen different software applications you’ll need to learn and what they each do—let alone all the different passwords you’ll need to remember!

For anyone in the recruiting business, Recruiterflow is an effective remedy for this problem, branding itself as “the complete ecosystem that helps you run and scale your recruiting & staffing business.” Broadly speaking, the software provides applicant tracking software and customer relationship management solutions.

So if you run an employment agency and you’re sick of all the moving parts in your software structure, it may be time to give Recruiterflow a close look.

Who Recruiterflow Is For

So yes, Recruiterflow is for the recruiters. It’s not a broad communication software that applies to all businesses. It was specifically designed for recruiting and staffing agencies—which also means it’s a particularly effective and focused software.

In terms of business size, Recruiterflow is ideal for any companies who have moved past the startup stage and are anticipating—or have already experienced—serious growth.

If you’re still getting your recruiting business off the ground, you may or may not want to invest in Recruiterflow right away—you can take a look at its features and decide if it feels right for your business. Either way, you won’t need to wait too long. Recruiterflow’s website says its Base plan is for ambitious recruiting agencies who are ready to take things to the next level, and one of its main purposes is to help those agencies scale their operations.

Recruiterflow Pricing

Despite being a comprehensive, end-to-end ATS…

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