To be precise, a call center is a subordinate yet salient class of a large outsourcing organization which has a comparatively broader spectrum of responsibilities than the former. Since out of the innumerous functions of outsourcing service providers, only the ones that concern making and answering telephone calls to and from the customers are known as call center services, therefore one can take call center for a subset of a BPO company.
So, let’s have a detailed and more distinguishing look at each of the two sectors being talked about here-
Business process outsourcing-
Business process outsourcing organizations are the multitasking business centers that perform an extensive variety of errands ranging from manufacturing products to providing customer care support. These outsourcing services are targeted for handling a unit process or small parts of a process primarily held by another organization. Outsourcing services are basically provided to minimize expenditures or to maximize the productivity. There are three main categories that the outsourcing facilities fall under, they are:
- On- shore outsourcing
When a business process is outsourced from one company to another company within same country
For eg., Domestic outsourcing between a company to another both located in Canberra itself.
- Near shore outsourcing
When a work process is outsourced to a company established in a nearby country
For eg., Outsourcing between a company in Sydney to another one located in Melbourne.
- Off- shore outsourcing
When a work process is outsourced to a company located in a country which is far away from that of the service provider.
For eg., Outsourcing between a company in Australia to another located in India.
Once you have a closer look at a BPO organization, on the basis of work division, you will see the following two fundamental classifications of it-
- BACK OFFICE – The back office is the section of a company which is comprised of administration and support team which does not deal with client-facing. It is the type of outsourcing which involves internal business functions such as-
- Billing, accounting and purchasing
- Regulatory compliance
- Market research
- Data analysis and processing
- Settlements and clearances
- Human resource and IT services
- Record maintenance
- FRONT OFFICE – The front office is the section of a company which is related to facing the customers directly or through any medium such as internet, fax, mails, phone calls or other forms of interactive communication. It is the type of outsourcing which involves customer-related services such as-
- Troubleshooting
- Database management
- Contact center services
- Technical support
- Telemarketing
- Debt collection
- Inbound and outbound sales
Now, before jumping to the conclusion right away, let’s read about the basic and necessary specifications of a call center.
Call center-
The main job of the support team working in this sub- division of a BPO company, that is, a call center is to handle customers via telephone calls exclusively. A call center is designed to meet rapidly changing needs of a customer of the client enterprises, irrespective of the size and nature of the business. The telephonic conversations over the phone can be made for a larger and more satisfied number of customers on the other end.
Call center companies are mainly divided into the below mentioned two categories on the basis of the direction of calls-
- Inbound call center
Taking or receiving calls from the customers is the function of the inbound call center. Such sections of any organization have agents who receive incoming calls from potential consumers. They work for the purpose of increasing number of clients by administering and solving queries efficiently, providing assistance on a product, providing information about the company, etc.
Three major services offered by an inbound call center are:
ü Customer care
ü Sales
ü Revenue management processes
- Outbound call center
Making or directing calls to the customers is the function of the outbound call center. Such sections of any organization have agents who initiate outgoing calls to potential consumers. They work for the purpose of make new customers or to get product reviews from existing ones, to sell or promote a product or scheme, to advertise the company and publicize its offers.