If you’re looking for a way to keep more customers happy or to close more sales, start researching call center services. With an overwhelming number of customers citing stellar customer service as the number one reason to stay loyal to a brand, there’s no good reason not to work with a call center company to provide around the clock customer service and sales assistance. But not every business uses them.

Let’s be realistic, just outsourcing to a call center isn’t going to be a magic wand that helps every single business. You’re not going to start forwarding your calls to a call center and *POOF* you’re business is a success. And even if it was, it’s not really that easy to choose the best call center, not to mention integrating it into your business processes. It takes a bit of research and work, but hiring a call center does pay off in the end with better customer service, more leads, and stellar customer retention. That’s why we decided to write about what businesses need a call center services without even knowing they do. If you run a business, you’re an excellent candidate.  Let’s start with why your business should be using a call center.

Why do I need a call center?

You may not think you do. But you do. If you’re even asking this question, you probably have no idea about the benefits of a call center. Employing call center services will help your business operate better. Check it out for yourself:

• 24/7 live answering to give your brand a personal touch.
• Integrative software applications which allows your call center to work in tandem with your business.
• Online portal and mobile apps to help you stay connected no matter where you are.
• On demand reports that can help you plan your next marketing campaign or understand your call volume.
• Affordable pricing options for small businesses on a budget.
• Bilingual agents to speak with customers in the language they prefer to communicate in.
• Emergency dispatching and the flexibility to create customized  on-call schedules.
• Outbound calling for telemarketing, appointment follow ups and market research needs.

If you’re still asking the question “Do I need a call center”, then you haven’t been paying attention. The answer, of course, is yes! Whichever industry you work for, whichever business you represent, whatever you do – a call center can benefit your business in multiple ways.

Who needs a call center?

Working call center services into your business is pretty universal as it can be used for sales, customer service, human resources, marketing, and more.

Call center for a sales team

Sales teams are the life blood of businesses. They are the ones that are able to push potential customers into the company’s sales pipeline. Without a sales team and new customer acquisition, a business will fail. While your sales team is busy closing deals, call centers can take care of the jobs that are more time-consuming like cold-calling potential customers, or contacting old customers to see if they can provide new incentives to get them back on service.

Call center for human resources

Human resource departments wear many hats. One minute they may be reviewing resumes or deciding on a new health insurance plan, and the next they may be reconciling an office feud. No matter what your human resources department is working on, a call center can help with things like answering questions about the business for people who are interested in a new job or acting as a compliance hotline for disgruntled employees.

Call center for customer service

Every day customer service departments across the globe strive to fix customer issues and increase the overall client experience. For small businesses, it can be difficult to provide the best possible care when working with limited resources. Call centers provide an affordable alternative than hiring more staff, and can be available to your customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, many call centers can integrate with software your business is already using, like appointment scheduling platforms or various CRM systems.

Why isn’t my business using a call center?

If you aren’t using a call center yet, now is the time to do it! If you’re not, you probably have a few reasons you think are good, but they really aren’t. One of the reasons you’re probably not already using a call center is because you think it’s too expensive. It’s true, small businesses are among the most cost conscious. With tight budgets, payroll to meet, and other expenses moving to the forefront, it’s hard to imagine another expense gnawing at your bank balance each month. However, call center services are affordable as the cost of the service is a function of your volume – i.e. the more calls you send, the more the service will cost. You don’t need to spend a bunch, just spend a little to start exploring the benefits.

If cost ain’t no thang, you may be thinking “Hey, no one calls me anyway”. We say – no way! Sure, there are multiple channels that customers can reach you on, like web chat, email, or text – but using the telephone is still very much a thing. And don’t forget, if we’re talking relevance, call centers can handle all manner of contact, including web chat, including email response, and including responding to texts. If you want to stay relevant, you need to be thinking call centers.

To show you that call centers can benefit any small business, we’ve listed 10 businesses that you may not think would need to outsource to call centers, and why we think they should:

Call Centers for Start-ups

Start ups are the perfect candidate for outsourcing. Most start ups have lower budgets than their established business counterparts and need to monitor their costs wisely. However, being a start-up doesn’t absolve the business from the normal grind like making sure managerial tasks are being completed on time, your customer base is getting established, marketing plans are being fine tuned, and the products or services they are looking to sell are being perfected.

Call centers can help alleviate some of the pressure  and give small businesses the presence they need in order to gain traction in order to compete with their competitors. For example, they can:

• Answer inbound calls 24/7 which allows in-house staff to prioritize call-backs accordingly
• Handle outbound communications like market research, lead generation and telemarketing
• Monitor email, live chat and social media channels to handle customer inquiries, give your brand a social presence and process customer feedback which can be used to understand more about your customer’s needs

Call Centers for Taxi or Transportation Services

Taxi and transportation services are busy 24/7, which means they need the assistance of a live 24/7 call center to help with the daily influx of new jobs and responsibilities. For example, call centers can help:

• Schedule new rides
• Update existing ride information
• Process payments
• Answer questions regarding booking information, ride estimates and quotes
• Field calls for customers wanting to know where their ride is
• Gather information like pick up and drop off locations, preferred vehicle, flight numbers and times, etc.

Call Centers for Mobile Pet Grooming

Mobile pet grooming services can get a lot of use out of call center services. Not only can a call center help schedule appointments, but they can also usually integrate with different applications and software to help maximize productivity. For example, if a call center can utilize Google Maps, they can check to see if a customer is in the designated service area and help provide directions.

Call Centers for Church or Ministries

While it may not seem like a church or ministry would need to use a call center, not many people really consider what goes on behind the scenes at these types of centers. For example:

• Priests may need to be called in the middle of the night to read someone their last rites
• Members may want to call and donate over the phone if they are unable to donate during a service
• Members may have questions about service or event dates and times, especially during the holiday seasons

Call Centers for Personal Trainers or Gyms

Whether someone is working as a personal trainer or running a small gym, call centers can help customer satisfaction and get more guests through your doors. Some ways they can help include:

• Simple receptionist support for small gyms who may not have phone support
• Offering bilingual support to Spanish speaking customers
• Scheduling classes
• Answering questions about class schedules, memberships, amenities and guest services
• Processing gym memberships over the phone or online via live chat
• Answering frequently asked questions
• Upgrading service levels or up-selling classes

Call Centers for Credit Unions

Credit unions are small, non-profit organizations that help people with various financial services similar to a bank, but with much lower interest rates. Call centers can help credit unions by assisting callers with loan or mortgage applications, provide balance and transaction information, help answer questions regarding claims and interest rates, and ultimately provide a live voice to talk to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call Centers for Food Manufacturers

Food manufacturers aren’t always monster factories. Many food manufacturers are actually small businesses that produce and deliver food to local shops, or have niche products that are available nationwide. Call centers can help with:

• Placing customer orders
• Scheduling deliveries
• Handling high volume product recalls
• Answering for employee or compliance hotlines

Call Centers for Local Government Offices

From complaints and suggestions to questions and requests, local government offices handle a lot of different calls each day. Government offices that outsource to call centers can set up multiple different lines all under one roof that would allow operators to handle calls differently. For example, lines could include:

• Tip line to report suspicious activity.
• Complaint or suggestion line to offer constructive criticism or suggestions of how to utilize vacant government property.
• Event registration line to help answer questions and register or reserve guest spots by processing payments.
• Basic receptionist line to route and transfer calls instead of listing dozens of individual numbers for residents to call.
• 24/7 service line to answer calls and dispatch messages in the event of bad weather or emergencies.

Call Centers for Magazine and Newspaper Companies

While most companies typically opt for inbound services while using a call center, magazine and newspaper companies can actually benefit from using both inbound and outbound services. For example, inbound services can be used to help answer questions and provide customer support, while outbound services can be used to reach out to existing customers whose subscriptions are nearing their end to see if they would like to renew.

Call Centers for School Districts

Like local government offices, school districts can utilize call centers in many different ways. For example, they can be set up to:

• Receive and schedule maintenance requests like leaky faucets and busted lockers.
• Screen calls and dispatch emergencies like flooded bathrooms or no electricity.
• Field complaints regarding vandalism, school closures and excessive noise.
• Answer questions about teachers, classes and extra curricular activities.
• Help register new students for the upcoming school year.