Advantages and Disadvantages of an Online Call Center


An online call center gives the option of having online chat options as well as the traditional call center service. There are a number of benefits in offering this type of service for your business. There are also disadvantages and these should be considered before deciding on anything.

Advantages of an Online Option

Having an online chat option with your Seattle call center will offer something for customers who do not want to talk on the phone. There is no need to worry about talking to someone else, which brings up anxiety issues for many around the world. This means that you open the door for many more customers and to keep existing staff.

Using online chat with a call center service also makes it possible for people around the world to contact the customer services for free. This is necessary when it comes to businesses that operate around the world but only have a Seattle call center. People on the other side of the world are less likely to pick up the phone if there is an issue due to the international calling fees and are likely to go elsewhere, unless there is an option for free support.

An online call center also makes it possible to outsource the work or allow employees to work from home. There is no need to have a physical base, which saves the money on building leases as well as hiring full time personnel. Having this option makes it possible to hire people all over the world and operate a 24 hour service quickly, easily and affordably.

By allowing employees to work from home, the business is less likely to lose out on money. Working from home means that there are less risks of commuting problems or employees calling in sick to take time off to look after children. Workers are more likely to be happier to work because they are in their own environment and do not need to get up early to commute into the place of business; this instantly cuts down on the chance of them calling in sick from time to time.

Disadvantages of Online Customer Services

The main problem with an online option is that customers lose the ability to talk to a customer service representative. Trying to explain everything through an online chat option can be difficult, depending on the problem, which leads to people leaving and looking elsewhere. It is important to offer a traditional call center service as well as the online option.

Outsourcing the work or hiring people around the world still brings the issue of the work not being done correctly. By having everyone based as a Seattle call center, you will be able to keep an eye on the workload and how employees are doing. By hiring people all over the place, you run the risk of work not being done or people claiming that they are doing more than they really are.

There is also the issue of people working from home and not being able to track the work that they are doing. Employees can sign into the online call center but then ignore emails, chats or phone calls. You will need to set up a method of tracking the staff and ensuring that they work on the days that they say they are.

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