One of the fastest-growing trends in business these days is the call center. Outsourcing calls can boost profits, enhance the quality of customer service, streamline business operations and save money. With virtual accessibility, call centers have become an option for any business, large or small.

What are the advantages to a business owner of using a call center?

(1) Staying Informed. Call center agents are working for you 24/7 to handle calls and keep business owners informed about what`s going on in their client base. Some call centers even compile statistics about customer calls.

(2) Fewer Personnel Headaches. Agents are hired and trained by the call center, which also manages payroll and other personnel functions.

(3) Efficiency. Incoming calls are automatically transmitted to the applicable agent, making the best possible use of an agent`s knowledge and training. If one agent cannot rectify a problem, the call can be transferred to a more informed agent. Calls are always answered despite the ebb and flow of business call volume.

(4) Accessibility. With 24/7 staffing, agents are always available to fill orders, settle problems or complaints, offer technical assistance, answer questions and set appointments, all at the customer`s convenience.

(5) Savings. Using a call center reduces the need for office space, furnishings and equipment for customer service representatives. Also, it`s cheaper to outsource calls than to hire agents on all three shifts.

(6) Greater Freedom. Call centers handle the client base, freeing owners to develop their business.

On the other hand, there is a down side to using call centers.

(1) Unpredictable Service. The quality of customer support depends upon the training and knowledge of a given agent and abilities can vary widely between agents.

(2) Communication Issues. Customers are frustrated by not being understood and not understanding agents from call centers in non-English speaking countries, with accents and/or insufficient ability with the English language. Some customers report that these agents are badly trained, unable to solve problems, answer questions or take appropriate actions.

(3) Lack of Supervisory Personnel. Some call centers have insufficient supervisory personnel to solve problems an individual agent cannot handle. This can leave a customer`s trouble indefinitely unresolved.

(4) Unhappy Agents. Some agents report feeling dehumanized at call centers due to low wages, lack of privacy, inability to leave their work areas and the stress of continual incoming calls. This can produce unresponsive agents who are rude to customers.

(5) Having to Call Repeatedly. Some customers say that, due to the great variability of skill among agents, they must contact the call center numerous time to find an agent who has the expertise to solve a given problem or to answer a particular inquiry.

Call centers are the direction of the future and many businesses are at least considering outsourcing their calls. Nonetheless, the success of outsourcing will be a function of the quality of customer service provided by the call centers themselves.