Call Center Companies

How We Ranked Call Center Companies

We rank specialized companies with your needs in mind. Our research methodology therefore is based on a meticulous inspection of each company’s type and specialization, use of modern tech, communication and reporting skills. We further look into the firms’ reputation and previous customers, as well as their pricing policy.

Read on to learn more about the criteria we took into account.

Types of Call Companies

There are two basic types of call center providers:

• Inbound call centers — receive calls (customer service, technical support, inbound sales)
• Outbound call centers — call out (cold calls, warm calls, surveys, scheduling calls to customers).

The main goal of inbound call centers is usually addressing customer concerns in an attempt to build loyalty and boost client retention. Outbound call centers meanwhile are there to build interest among potential buyers. Depending on your business needs, going for one or the other will can all the difference for the success of your joint efforts, so to choose the best call center for your business, you need to opt for the kind that fits your requirements.

Note that this criterion doesn’t affect our ranking; it just helps us classify the best companies in the business in a more comprehensive way.

Technological Capabilities

Our rankings always include companies that have implemented the latest technological solutions. That means the call center software they use must have in-demand features such as IVR, Automatic Call Distributor, dialer, voice logger, reporting engine, etc. which enables easier creation of high-quality customer interactions and ensures maximized productivity and optimal output delivery by agents.

Communication Skills

Good communication with the customer is highly important for the uninterrupted and successful functioning of any company. If you cannot do it in-house and are among the companies looking for call center services, your potential partner should provide both well-trained professionals and modern multi-channel communication technology.

It’s also imperative that agents’ language skills match or exceed the expectations of the client company. Bad communication affects the client company’s brand, and leaves customers dissatisfied, which is a recipe for disaster.

Transparency and Reporting

Having a successful and stable relationship with a business partner cannot be done without clear communication, especially in a moment of crisis. That’s why, when creating our call center listing, we’ve also considered how often the companies liaise with and report to clients, whether they offer call completion and refusal reports, etc.

The Agency’s Track Record

The history of the call centers’ previous customers as well as their level of satisfaction is a crucial part of the consideration process. That’s why we do our research and find out who the call centers currently do business with, along with their former customers. We don’t rely just on the testimonials featured on their websites but also scout directories and try to get feedback about the experiences that real clients have had.

Pricing

Another important factor when ranking companies are their pricing models and policies. We do not focus on cheap call center services, but rather, look for agencies that fall within the industry standards and provide good value for money.

Some of the most popular pricing models offered by call centers include sales-based, transaction-based and incidence-based, so you can to identify the right option for your business before entering into an agreement.

Tips for Hiring a Company for Call Center Services

It’s important to hire a company you feel comfortable doing business with for a long time, so we’ve listed several tips to help you make the right choice. This way you will know what to consider when assessing the companies, and what to expect after closing the deal.

Establish Goals

For establishing and maintaining a quality business relationship, it’s important for partners to be able to measure aspects of the outsourced process. With companies that use call centers, that is done through first contact resolution, average handle time, call answering speed, etc.

That’s why you should share reasonable and quantifiable KPIs (key performance indicators) with a call center before signing the agreement. It will allow you to establish the first line of trust and set expectations. That said, since no two companies’ situations are the same, make sure the metrics are aligned to your specific business needs.

Consider Whether the Agency Is a Cultural Fit

All agencies differ in some way, and even the best call centers are not an exception. Going further than the size of the agency, you need to make sure their culture aligns with that of your company to ensure a successful partnership.

Decide If You Want Someone Local

With modern communication tools like email, instant messages and videoconferencing, it’s never been easier to reach someone on the other side of the world and maintain a working relationship with them. That means that you don’t have to choose to hire an agency from our call center list that is from your neck of the woods if you think that an outfit from the other end of the world would do a better job.

You must therefore consider what you value more — the proximity of the company or their reputation or quality of work. You also need to consider if you prefer to communicate with them in person and drop by to check on their progress. If you own a small business, you might benefit more from working with a local company that is more familiar with the market than any of the international call service centers.

Availability and Flexibility

If your business requires a call center that works around the clock, check in advance if that is an option. Then, there are processes that may not need 24/7 availability, in which case you only need the call agents to work during your business hours.

There is also the issue of holidays. Do you need your call center processes functional every single day of the year or are you fine with them being closed on holidays like Christmas, New Year’s Day, etc? Also, if you are considering call center companies that operate overseas, you need to agree upon the agents’ availability during the foreign holidays to ensure an uninterrupted workflow of your company processes.