A blended call centre refers to a contact centre that deals with both inbound and outbound calls. There are many advantages to a blended call centre; however, it can come with some disadvantages too.
Throughout this blog, we will explore everything you need to know about a blended call centre, the benefits and challenges and whether a blended call centre is right for your business. Read our article to find out more.
What is a Blended Call?
A blended call centre refers to a customer service set-up where both incoming and outgoing support calls are managed from one location, but what exactly are inbound and outbound calls?
Inbound calls: These are calls initiated by the customer and usually involve enquiries and supporting requests.
Outbound calls: These are calls that are made by the business or agent and usually involve sales.
Blended calls allow agents to deal with both types of calls instead of being limited to just one and offer a wide range of benefits for businesses.
What Are the Benefits of a Blended Call Centre?
Now that you have a better understanding of what a blended call is, let’s explore the benefits they offer:
Increased Agent Productivity
Blended calls ensure that agents are productive at all times by allowing them to answer and make phone calls. This reduces downtime and keeps agents engaged as they are constantly handling a variety of different tasks.
Improved Customer Service
Customers benefit from shorter wait times with blended call centres. This can significantly improve customer satisfaction as customers are seen to as quickly as possible.
If customers have to wait for long periods for you to answer their call, they’re more likely to hang up and move on to another business.
Simplified Operations
A blended call centre means that you don’t need separate teams to deal with inbound and outbound calls because all agents will be trained in both areas. This simplifies staffing and improves overall productivity.
Cost Efficiency
If agents can deal with both inbound and outbound calls, this reduces the costs associated with training and hiring.
Increased Sales Opportunities
Blended call centres allow agents to make calls to customers rather than just receiving calls, which can lead to more sales opportunities.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Blended Call Centre?
Although blended call centres offer many benefits for businesses, they can have some disadvantages too, including:
- Agent burnout or stress: Although blended call centres benefit the business, agents may feel stressed from switching between inbound and outbound calls.
- Reduced sales: When agents are constantly switching between both types of calls, they could miss the opportunity to pick up sales calls.
This is why having a dedicated team to deal with inbound calls and another to manage outbound calls is the key to a successful blended call centre.
Features of a Blended Call Centre
A blended call centre offers many benefits for your business, from improved agent productivity to increased customer satisfaction. But what are the features of a blended call centre?
- Automatic Call Distribution (ACD): ACD helps to direct inbound calls to an available agent best suited to the customer's needs.
- Real-time call monitoring and recording: Businesses can track a wide range of calls, including missed calls and agent performance.
- Dynamic agent allocation: A blended call centre automatically shifts agents to different roles based on call volume.
- Predictive dialling: This can increase connection rates while reducing idle time to allow agents to focus on live interactions
Examples of a Blended Call Centre
To help you further understand what a blended call centre is, we have provided you with some examples.
Example 1- An insurance company:
Insurance companies are a great example of a blended call centre because they deal with inbound calls to deal with policies and claims, and outbound calls for sales calls.
Example 2- A telecommunications company:
This is another example of a blended call centre. This is because they make calls to customers regarding plan upgrades or overdue bills. They will also receive calls from customers who have any questions about their services.
Example 3- Healthcare Providers:
Healthcare providers, such as our customer, Health CX, use a blended call environment for allied health and veterinary services.
Is a Blended Call Centre Right For Your Business?
Whether a blended call centre is right for your business depends on different factors, including:
- Your industry
- Team structure
- Size of your business
- Call volume
- Customer engagement strategy
For example, if you have a support and sales team that handles a high volume of incoming and outgoing calls and needs one platform to manage conversations in a single place, then a blended call centre may be the solution for you.
However, it’s important to remember that blended call centres require training so all agents know how to deal with each type of call. Simply put, a blended call centre is ideal for businesses that are looking to:
- Increase agent productivity
- Improve customer service
- Reducing costs associated with hiring staff
So, if you’re a company that handles both incoming and outgoing calls, a blended call centre may be the ideal solution for you.
Manage Your Calls in One Place With MaxContact
Dealing with both inbound and outbound calls can be overwhelming, which is where we at MaxContact step in.
We offer a wide range of services, including an all-in-one contact centre platform, which is designed to simplify your processes.
With intelligent call routing, real-time analytics, and simple integration capabilities, our all-in-one contact centre platform helps you improve efficiency, customer experience, and reduce agent stress — all in one place.
For more information on the services we offer or to manage your inbound and outbound calls effectively, don’t hesitate to contact us today. Alternatively, you can request a free demo of our platform. We look forward to hearing from you!
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