Call Centers

[Elsydeon]

I understand that many small business owners aren't available 24/7. You have your own life to live, after all!

I came across something that may be of help to some people (not sure if this is the appropriate thread for it, so feel free to move it if necessary). I don't know how many of you have used or considered using a call center to take your calls when you can't, but I came across one that seems legit: SCI Live (Call Center Services, Live operators, 24/7 Live Operators -SCILive (http://www.scilive.com/)). They seem affordable too.

I suppose the need for this depends on what you do and your current, regular traffic. But it's cool to think that you could be enjoying a movie with friends or family and still not miss any business calls.

[tylerhutchinson]

Thank you for the site. I have heard about companies like this. Can be useful and cheaper then hiring people directly. One concern to think of is that you will lose some quality in your customer service. Similar to offshore customer service dept for insurance companies. Harder to understand, and do not fully understand the company as if you would fully train your own staff. You would want to make sure that the cost savings is worth customer service lowers.

[Elsydeon]

I couldn't agree more. I think the idea of a third party call center is both appealing and a little unnerving for said reasons. But I've talked to a couple people now that have used this particular company and had good things to say about it.

So, I would say it's definitely worth a shot if you can afford the expense. And because of the low rates, it's hardly an expense IMO.

[MyITGuy]

I'm getting a forbidden error trying to view their site.

Personally I don't see the benefit in paying someone to take messages for me. If they did more such as described products, took orders and etc then I would look into it further, but I would definitely be looking at where the calls are terminated to ensure there aren't any language/accent barriers.

In lieu of paying for a call center, my PBX (Asterisk based) has a find me/follow me function that I use, I don't have it fully implemented, but here's the options I have:
When a caller reaches my voice mail, I let them know they can press 1 to have the system locate me. When this option is pressed, the PBX makes outbound calls to my cell phone (more phone numbers can be added). If I answer then the call is automatically connected

This PBX also allows you to configure your extension so it rings all of your phones either at once, in intervals or in a round robin type of way. This way the caller doesn't even know your not at the office.

[rum0r]

@myitguy

I also made some experiences with asterisk based programs. They are great but you have to do everything by your own (installation, data maintenance, etc.) Just a question: Where is the difference between PBX and PBAX?

[onestepatatime52]

I think call centers can be a good idea. With the 24/7 world we live in today, clients expect a certain level of availability. With that said, I think a good way to add the call center would be to implement it in phases. As your business grows, you can allocate funds to the additional "online" hours of the call center partner.

[BeTheBest]

As another suggestion, have you considered using a Magic Jack for messages??

The cost is great. You can set up your own outgoing message. That message gets directed to your e-mail address, so you get the actual recording. Your outgoing message can include the fact that you will respond in 'however many hours' you want.

As a bonus, you can forward your regular line to the Magic Jack number... so you don't have to publish any other numbers.

Hope this helps!