Using a call center broker to help you find an outsource call center to process your calls offers many benefits. A call center broker can save you time by speeding your campaign to a successful launch. A broker can also find a service provider that meets your specific needs and expectations. Another advantage of using a call center broker is ongoing support to verify billing and to interface with the call center so you don’t have to.
However, none of these benefits mean anything if you go with the wrong broker. Here are some tips to find a qualified broker who’s right for you.
Select a call center broker that possesses these credentials:
Call Center Knowledge: Don’t go with a generic service broker who tries to be all things to all people. Instead select a broker who knows about call centers. With a bit of practice, most anyone can spout the right jargon, but the telling proof comes from actually understanding the meaning behind what they’re saying. Do they just talk a good game or can they walk the talk?
In addition to call center knowledge, a quality broker must keep up with trends. Ever-changing, the customer service bar rises every year, and callers expect more. Make sure your call center broker is on top of the latest developments.
Industry Experience: A companion piece to call center knowledge is practical experience. Ideally your broker and their team will have worked in the call center industry at some point. They may have once owned a call center, managed one, or been a shift supervisor.
Other call center roles also provide excellent experience in preparing a broker to do their job well. These include training agents, programming accounts, and maintaining systems. Perhaps the most valuable industry experience comes from a broker with call center sales experience.
Track Record: Avoid a broker who is just starting out. Though they may have passion for the job and a can-do attitude, they will make mistakes. Can you afford to have them make a rookie blunder on your account?
Instead select a call center broker with a record of accomplishment in the field. While length of time as a broker is one good sign, a better indication is a significant number of deals. Otherwise you could end up with someone who has technically worked as a broker for years but not closed many deals.
Happy Clients: While the above items are all critical, the proof comes from satisfied clients. Having happy clients demonstrates the broker can combine their call center knowledge, experience, and track record to produce tangible results that matter most.
A successful broker will have happy clients. If a prospective broker hesitates to share names, be wary. This just might mean they have no one who will vouch for them.
When selecting a call center broker, don’t just grab the first one you find. Instead perform a bit of due diligence to find a broker with call center knowledge, industry experience, a record of accomplishment, and happy clients.
When they possess all four of these characteristics, they also possess the ability to serve you with excellence. And excellence is what you want in a call center broker.
