Call centres are the life blood of customer service they manage your brands reputaion and have a direct impact on customer loyalty and retention. Here we debunk the myths that evolve around contact centres.

1. Granby Marketing Services Ltd | www.granbymarketing.com | t: 01254 682702 | e: info@granbymarketing.com | Twitter @Granbymarketing |
Outsourced call centers – debunking the myths

2. Call centers have been the subject of scrutiny for years, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to defend what we think is a hugely
important industry
We all have our own ideas about call centers, but here are a few:
 Call centers are monotonous and uninspiring.
 Call centers have bad working conditions.
 Working in the call center sector is a last resort career choice.
 People in call centers don’t care about the people they’re speaking to.
 Call centers are all in foreign countries.
Ring any bells? We thought so. So it may surprise you to know that a career in the call center, well, is even a career! Most presume that
the person on the end of the phone doesn’t really care about the service or product they are selling or dealing with, and that they are
just another call in a long line of ‘battery-hen’ call operators.
But, many companies are now choosing to outsource their call centers to professional companies like Granby Marketing. This offers call
center operatives more varied roles and better working conditions, which in turn leads to more productive and happier people - far
better for your customers to talk to!
As well as servicing and selling to customers, our call center operatives play a crucial role. Having an excellent contact center is an
important strategic asset that will not only improve a company’s image, but also improve customer relationships. Through the contact
center, companies find out more about their clients, and with that knowledge they can serve them better, leading to an improved
bottom line.
Here at Granby we know that a motivated team are a more efficient and productive one. By offering a career path and constantly
mentoring and educating staff, they become a better output; which is vital in a customer-facing role. Thanks to apprenticeships and
training courses, call centers are now becoming places for ambitious and aspiring people to work - which is exactly the type of person
you want your customers to deal with.

3. Social media and the modern world
We all know that the world is changing, but for customer service and marketing, social media is really shaking things up. Managers and
owners are finding themselves having to monitor many different channels of customer service. From emails to tweets, and phone calls to
web chats, call center staff now need to be fully up-to-date with modern media and all it brings. (A telling stat: According to a recent
Harvard Business Review study of 75,000 consumers, texts and emails are taking over as the preferred methods of communication.) Call
centers are now more than just call centers; they are now fully operational communications hubs, offering a challenging and rewarding
job.
Keep it local!
People prefer to speak to someone that they can relate to, someone they can trust, and when you think of call centers this can be as
simple as understanding the language or sense of humor. A positive trend for the industry in the UK is that the flow of companies bringing
call center operations back from offshore locations such as India has continued. Outsourcing to far away countries is now becoming less
frequent as customer demand has shown this to be out of favour. In the last few months Play.com, Advanced Payment Solutions and
Virgin Holidays have all moved their call centers back to the UK.
Customers want to talk to someone that they feel can empathise and easily understand their query or problem. Call center outsourcing
saves businesses the time and money needed to train and hire a department to handle a call center.
By using cutting-edge multi-channel technology, implementing proactive customer communication and user-friendly applications,
customers’ experience of your brand will become a treat, not a trick.
What do you think? Have you noticed changes in the call center industry? We’d love to hear your views.

4. Granby Marketing Services Ltd | www.granbymarketing.com | t: 01254 682702 | e: info@granbymarketing.com | Twitter @Granbymarketing |
Call us to see how we can support your customer service!