Roberta Powers

Effectively training call center agents

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

You can deliver the world’s best Customer Service Training Program to the wrong trainees and still wind up with a poorly performing, dysfunctional Call Center with poor Customer Satisfaction Ratings.
While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in ... more

How can I avoid costly mistakes during my call center setup?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

I’m sure you’re receiving all sorts of ‘Best Practice’ Hardware/Software advice – just don’t lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut ... more

What qualities should I look for when hiring call center agents?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center environment. Someone may have “The Right Stuff” to be a great Customer Service & Support CSR – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the same individual is ... more

How do you ensure exemplary call center customer service?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Mary,
When the dinner bell rings – any recipe is only as good as the chef who executes it.
Equally – when the phone rings in your Call Center – any “recipe” for ensuring exemplary customer service is only as good as the Agent who answers ... more

Is customer service outsourcing a viable option?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Outsourcing your Customer Care to a 3rd Party may make sense – but I would encourage you to select a vendor located in your region.
Before you consider sending your call center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center experiences. ... more

How do you motivate your telemarketing employees?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

You’ve already received some good answers.
The top way to avoid Telemarketer Burnout, low employee motivation and consistent turnover is to not lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone can use ... more

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

How can I help my agents improve their customer service skills?

Hi Jay,
When the dinner bell rings – any recipe is only as good as the chef who executes it.
Equally – when the phone rings in your Contact Center – any “recipe” for increasing customer satisfaction is only as good as the Agent who answers the ... more

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

What are some ways to avoid inside sales burnout?

Hi Erik,
The top way to avoid ‘Inside Sales Burnout’ is to not lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to ... more

Can I outsource help desk support?

Inside Sales Management

Inside Sales Reps

Telemarketing

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Outsourcing your help desk support to a 3rd Party may make sense – but I would encourage you to select a vendor located in your region.
Before you consider sending your call center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center ... more

Small Business

Help Desk

Outsourcing

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

We want to launch an inside sales team-what are the things we should be thinking about?

Hi Fred,
I’m sure you’re going to get lots of advice about the Hardware/Software to use as you launch your Inside Sales initiative - just don’t lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While ... more

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Inbound call center services?

You can find a great directory of domestic (US) Call Centers to work with at www.atsi.org.
But before you consider sending your Call Center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center experiences.
I’m sure that some of your friends will ... more

Inside sales retention: How long can I expect a telemarketer to stay in the job?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Mary,
You’ve already received some good answers.
The top way to avoid Inside Sales/Telemarketer Burnout and consistent turnover is to not lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone can use a ... more

Marketing

What are the benefits to setting up your own call centres vs offshore?

Inside Sales Reps

Inside Sales Retention

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

If by “outsourcing your call center” you mean sending your work to a vendor located in your country, I would say that it is possible & affordable.
But if you are considering sending your call center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about ... more

Should I make my inside sales team stick to a rigid "script?"

Call Centres

Offshore

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

What a great discussion!
While the decision to tightly script a call is sometimes determined by an Industry Sector - such as Financial Services/Insurance/Healthcare etc. - or a Client’s SLA for an OutSourcer - in the world of Telemarketing & Inside Sales – where Success & ... more

Marketing

How do you keep your customer service reps engaged?

Call Center Associates

8 more topics

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Customer Service Call Center environment. And while someone may have “The Right Stuff” to deliver great Customer Service & Support – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the same ... more

What are the benefits of keeping an outbound call center in the US Vs. going abroad?

Client Service

Customer Service Issues

Customer Service Reps

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center experiences.
I’m sure that some of your friends will tell you that they’ve occasionally had the experience of dealing with a Call Center Agent based in the USA who was clearly a poor fit for ... more

What technologies do I need for a successful inside sales team?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Alison,
I’m sure you’re going to get lots of advice about the Hardware/Software to use for your Inside Sales initiative - just don’t lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone ... more

Can I outsource my outboud call center?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

If by “outsourcing your outbound call center” you mean sending your work to a competent vendor based onshore in the USA I would say that it is both possible & affordable.
But if you’re considering sending your work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors ... more

What's a BPO call center?

Outsourcing

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

A “BPO Call Center” is a 3rd Party who will handle your calls for you. I would strongly encourage you to select a vendor located in your country.
But if you are considering sending your call center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors ... more

Business Process Outsourcing

1 more topic

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Customer Service Call Center help?

While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center environment. Someone may have “The Right Stuff” to deliver great Customer Service & Support – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the same individual is also a ... more

What are you thoughts on Indian call centers for inside sales?

ACD

3 more topics

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

You can find a great directory of domestic (USA/Canada) Call Centers for you to consider outsourcing your telemarketing calls to at http://www.atsi.org/assnfe/companydirectory.asp?SEARCH_TYPE=7&SnID=458599223.
But before you consider sending your Call Center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center experiences.
I’m sure ... more

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

How do you do your call center recruitment?

Employers have more media options to publicize their Call Center jobs with than ever before: Online Job Boards/Craigslist/Social Media/Video Recruiting, etc. These new media tend to generate a near instant ‘tsunami’ of resumes & Job Candidates - and the majority of Candidate responses occur within ... more

What are the top characteristics I should look for in a lead qualification rep?

Call Centre

Call Centre Recruitment

Recruitment

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Scott,
While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center environment. And while someone may have “The Right Stuff” to be a great Customer Service & Support CSR – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the ... more

What are keys to success when outsourcing inside sales?

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

You can find a directory of domestic (USA/Canada) Call Centers for you to consider outsourcing your calls to at http://www.atsi.org/assnfe/companydirectory.asp?SEARCH_TYPE=7&SnID=458599223.
But before you consider sending your Call Center work overseas - just ask your friends & neighbors about their Call Center experiences.
I’m sure that some ... more

How do you recruit competent call centre associates?

Focus Interactive Summit

Focusisgps

Inside Sales

2 more topics

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Annie,
While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center environment. And while someone may have “The Right Stuff” to be a great Customer Service & Support CSR – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the ... more

Human Resources

What are some of the top mistakes that businesses make when trying to build and inside sales team?

Call Center Associates

3 more topics

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Hi Dan,
When building an Inside Sales Dept. there is typically a strong emphasis on the Hardware/Software to use - just don’t lose sight of the fact that fundamentally it’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy to begin with.
While most everyone can use ... more

Best ways to recruit sales people for a non profit for fund raising

Inside Sales Reps

Inside Sales Teams

Inside Sales Training

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Speaking from a TeleFundraising perspective - employers these days have more media options - and lower-cost media options – than ever before with which to publicize their TeleFundraising jobs: Online Job Boards/Craigslist/Social Media/Video Recruiting, etc. These new media tend to generate a near instant ‘tsunami’ ... more

Human Resources

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Where can you hire good telemarketers?

Employers have more media options than ever before to publicize their Call Center jobs: Online Job Boards/Craigslist/Social Media/Video Recruiting, etc. These new media tend to generate a near instant ‘tsunami’ of resumes & Job Candidates - and the majority of Candidate responses occur within the ... more

Nov. 28, 2010

Roberta Powers recommends this answer by David Filwood

Ways to improve staff retention in a customer call center?

While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Call Center. Someone may have “The Right Stuff” to be a great Customer Service & Support CSR – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the same individual is also ... more

Call Center Recruiting