The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the call center industry for companies large and small around the world. Businesses that typically operated in brick-and-mortar centers have been forced to reorganize call center operations and move to primarily remote workforce. Some have reduced their workforce, while others have needed to increase their workforce remotely in order to manage an increasing volume of calls.
Industries like airlines, travel, and hospitality have all been hit hard by the pandemic as customers reduce non-essential travel, reducing profits as well as requiring increased support as consumers cancel and postpone their plans. All companies, regardless of industry have been in some way affected by the pandemic. If you are one of the companies experiencing more call traffic and customer interactions across your communication channels, you may be wondering how to quickly and easily supplement your existing call center operations.
Hire a BPO or Outsourcer to Handle Spike in Calls
Outsourcing some of your calls to a professional BPO could be the best way to seamlessly expand your current operations and handle an increase in calls. BPOs can transition calls over to their teams in a matter of days so that you can continue to provide the great service your customers are used to receiving.
Many of the traditional benefits of a BPO or outsourcer can also apply during a time of crisis. BPOs allow you to provide continuous support regardless of what is happening with your in-house call center representatives. BPOs are equipped to handle crisis situations because they already have advanced cloud technology and tools set in place to handle calls if you are experiencing a spike in call volume or if you have less of your own agents available. BPOs can also provide you with consultative support. They are pro’s when it comes to customer service and you can lean on them for best practices during any type of situation.
Bright Pattern BPO customer, 80024Support, operates with remote agents to prevent operational difficulties experienced during a natural disaster or crisis using Bright Pattern’s 100% virtual contact center software. “80024Support fully transitioned to a work-from-home model two years ago to distribute risk and downtime associated with single points of failure,” said Keith Mitchell, CTO of 80024Support. “Because of that, we were uniquely prepared for the current crisis. In fact, we were able to migrate several clients who were mired in legacy phone systems into our environment to assist them through this historical event.”
Other Ways to Supplement You Call Center Operations During a Crisis
I wrote a blog a few weeks ago on all the ways you can supplement your current agents during a crisis. Those option include:
- Hiring a BPO
- Deploy Your Own Remote Workforce with Cloud Call Center Software
- Virtual Agents–AI and Bots
- Self-Service Options
