After-hours call center services are becoming increasingly important for busy businesses that want to maintain a competitive edge. Unlike traditional business days, customers no longer wait for a business to open the next day and assist with their queries.
In such a competitive market, your customers always expect you to plan one step ahead when it comes to customer services. After-hour answering services enable the extended support that every customer favors. Be the best choice for your customers with the best experience.
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Traditional Customer Support vs. Extended Customer Support
Customer support of a business usually keeps two options- traditional business hour customer support and extended customer support. Businesses should be aware of both when deciding the best option for their needs.
Traditional Customer Support
Traditional customer support typically involves offering assistance during regular business hours. Customers are able to reach out to support representatives during business days and within business hours. It can often be overwhelming for customers who work during the day and are unable to seek assistance during business hours. Additionally, customers leave dissatisfied when representatives fail to provide first-class service during peak hours.
Extended Customer Support
After-hours extended customer support offers assistance outside of traditional business hours. This can be done through a variety of channels, including phone support, email support, live chat, and social media. With after-hours extended support, customers are able to receive assistance when it is most convenient for them, whether that is early in the morning or late at night.
Advantages of After-Hour Call Center Services
On-call after-hours answering services have a number of advantages that lead to increased sales of businesses. Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, 24-hour answering service helps you provide your customers with exceptional service and support, even when your business is closed. These services are designed to ensure that your customers receive prompt and professional assistance.
Eliminate Time-zone Limitations
With after-hours call centers, agents can work remotely from anywhere in the world, enabling call centers to have a team of agents available around the clock without having to worry about time zone differences. It opens limitless opportunities for businesses to achieve global reach.
Outstanding Customer Experience
They say customers are your biggest brand promoter. After-hours phone services act as the front line of customer support, and the quality of service they provide can significantly impact a customer's perception of a brand.
Generate More Sales
Customers are likely to move to your competitor when they find you unreachable. Imagine the number of leads that failed to convert during those times. After-hours phone answering service generates 3X more sales by providing a personalized experience on demand.
10 After Hour Call Center Services to Outsource to a BPO
1. 24/7 Customer Service: Out-of-hours call handling service ensures that their customers' issues are addressed promptly throughout business hours and after hours.
2. Multilingual Support: Deliver multilingual support to customers from different origins.
3. Live Chat Support: Reply to customer queries instantly with live chat support.
4. Sales support: Let your sales multiply even after your business hours.
5. Complaint resolution: Customers may have complaints outside of regular business hours. Hire a call center to provide complaint resolution.
6. Technical support: After-hour calling centers may provide technical support to customers who are experiencing issues with products or services.
7. Lead generation: Call centers to generate leads for businesses by making outbound calls and identifying potential customers.
8. Order processing: Order processing and fulfillment take the major part of the e-commerce business workload. A call center simplifies tasks by taking orders, assisting with order processing, and managing shipments.
9. Surveys: Get feedback from your valuable customers with call center survey service.
10. Appointment scheduling: Manage appointment scheduling for businesses such as healthcare providers or service companies.
Where to Outsource After-Hour Call Center
There are many third-party providers that offer after-hours call support services for businesses that want to outsource this function. You may choose from the options below based on your requirements,
BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) Firms
BPO firms like ASL BPO offer a range of services, including after-hours call support. The biggest advantage of outsourcing your after-hour call center to a BPO is that you can have multiple support under one roof. Moreover, BPO companies are reliable with industry experience, licenses, and data security aspects.
Virtual Assistant Services
The most comprehensive cost-effective option is hiring virtual assistants for after-hour answering service. Virtual assistant services can also provide after-hours call support, as well as other administrative tasks such as email management and appointment scheduling. The cost of hiring a virtual assistant from ASL BPO starts as low as $6/ per hour.
Call Center Outsourcing Companies
Some companies only provide 24/7 call center services. You may receive exceptional service from their single-focused business.
Freelance Call Center Agents
This is the least recommended. Platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com allow businesses to hire freelancers for short-term or long-term projects including calling support.
Wrapping Up
After-hours calling services are a crucial aspect of modern businesses that aim to provide outstanding customer support. By investing in after-hours call center services, any business can stay competitive, enhance its reputation, and improve its bottom line. So, if you just finished your business hours and are about to go to sleep, leaving your business unattended. Wake up! Give us a call.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Hours are Considered “After hours” for Businesses?
‘After hours’ typically refers to the time outside of regular business hours. The exact hours considered ‘after hours' may vary depending on the specific business. However, the typical after an hour is considered beyond the 9 am to 5 pm workday. It also includes weekends and public holidays.
Which Businesses Should Outsource an After Hours Call Center?
Businesses that require 24/7 customer service, but do not have the resources or infrastructure to manage it in-house. This may include businesses that operate in industries such as healthcare, e-commerce, finance, telecommunications, travel, and insurance, among others.