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Skype is Shutting Down: Here’s How to Port Your Skype Number

Meryl D'Sa-Wilson 3rd March 2025 blog, Cloud Telephony

Note (May 1st): We are no longer accepting Skype port-ins. Due to the May 5th cutoff date, porting requests will be rejected. Instead, clients can purchase a new phone number …Read More »

Benefits of Call Sentiment Analysis for Sales and Support Teams

Gulme Pal 25th February 2025 blog

The benefits of analyzing call sentiments

The ability to gauge emotions and pick up on the unsaid dynamics of a conversation is an important skill in business. A conveying handshake, a confident gaze, or a subtle …Read More »

Understanding Why Your International Calls are Being Blocked

Meryl D'Sa-Wilson 21st February 2025 blog

The rise of VoIP technology has improved global communication, offering businesses and consumers a flexible and cost-effective way to stay connected. However, as VoIP gained traction, it also opened the …Read More »

Navigating International Calling Challenges in the UAE

Meryl D'Sa-Wilson 21st February 2025 blog

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is renowned as a global and regional business hub, attracting companies with its favorable time zone, strategic location, and competitive corporate tax advantages. Many businesses …Read More »

Improve Team Productivity with Call Summaries

Gulme Pal 11th February 2025 blog, Cloud Telephony

Call summaries to improve team productivity.

Tired of searching through hours of call records to determine call outcomes? Looking for a way to quickly capture key insights from every customer interaction? Call Summary, an AI call …Read More »

What is Call Analytics?

Meryl D'Sa-Wilson 13th January 2025 blog, Call Management

Wouldn’t it be valuable to know where your best leads come from, what marketing channels drive the most calls, and how your customers feel about their interactions with your business? …Read More »

The Daily Challenges of Being a Call Center Agent

Magaly Fuentes 19th September 2019 blog, Call Center

Customer service is a central part of any organization. The quality of service provided is undoubtedly a direct contributor to the overall success of a company. This means more companies are investing in call centers to handle their communication needs. With technological advances, virtual call center software has evolved. The daily challenges of being a call center agent have also changed. Having a good grasp on these changes helps in being prepared to overcome the challenges. This type of preparation ultimately contributes to the overall success of the organization. Let’s discuss some of these challenges to get a better understanding of how to manage them.

Customers Express Interest Only to Opt-Out Later On

A call center agent may spend a lot of time on the phone with a customer going over the details of products and services. A customer may express a lot of interest and this motivates the call center agent to continue to invest time. Later on, however, the customer may change their mind and opt-out of purchasing the product or service. When a sale falls through, it affects the productivity of the call agent in numbers and in the resources spent through their time.

The best way to convert leads to sales is to follow up regularly. Stay in touch with those who have expressed interest while communicating your value. Establishing this rapport and reminding them of the value of what your offerings is the best way to increase sales.

Not Knowing the Answer to a Question

Call center agents undergo extensive training. There is still the possibility that a customer is going to ask a question they do not know the answer to. If a call center agent does not know the answer to something, they should bring an expert into the conversation or make sure they call the customer back as soon as possible with an answer.

Managing a Never-Ending Queue of Calls

A call center agent will have what seems like a never-ending queue of calls, especially during peak business hours. This may mean long hold times for customers. Customers can become frustrated with long wait times.

A business owner manages this issue by having FAQ pages, DIY instructions, and tutorials on the company website. A call center agent can utilize self-service options and a callback option to better deal with heavy call volumes.

Transferring Calls

A call center agent will need to transfer calls from time to time. This may mean transferring to a different department and this could upset the customer. Being personalized and specific when transferring a call will help to ease a customer’s concerns. Also, making it a point that it is in their best interests in order to get them the best answer to their query really helps as well.

The daily challenges of being a call center agent. — Source: DepositPhotos.com – O#: 174295982ID#27446420

Adapting to New Technology

A call center agent will have to adapt to new technology from time to time. The environment is extremely dynamic and this presents challenges. Especially when trying to simultaneously manage productivity.

A business owner must introduce training courses to help familiarize agents with any new technology. This is the best way to allow the call center agent to grasp the full potential of the new technology rapidly and efficiently. This will then translate to higher productivity in the workplace.

Virtual phone numbers are a perfect example of new technology that has been introduced in relation to an inbound call center. Virtual phone numbers are relatively easy to adapt t and are beneficial to the company as well as call center agents. Introductions tools like these help companies to stay ahead of their competitors.

Understanding Customers and Dealing With Various Situations

A call center agent acts as a representative of the brand. This necessitates that call center agents operate within certain constraints. This can present challenges as some customers are expressive and very easy to read and others are not. Dealing with customers who are upset is also a challenge, as is dealing with unexpected issues without clear solutions.

The call center agent should always remain patient, calm and courteous. A business owner must also have a uniform process for dealing with a customer that is upset or an issue that is unexpected. That may mean simply going to a supervisor for their suggestion before moving forward with scripted best practices.

Want to Overcome the Challenges of Being a Call Center Agent?

The daily challenges of being a call center agent certainly require preparation for. Agents require training in areas such as communication, marketing strategies, and cultural phone etiquette. Ongoing training to manage the path in adjusting to new technologies is also crucial. Managing time, staying cool under pressure, and the prioritization of goals are also very helpful. Call center performance management is a critical piece of the puzzle in the success of a business. With the right personnel in place, as well as the right call center technology and training, call centers can help a company soar far ahead of the competition.

Improve Your Call Center Productivity With Call Recording

Global Call Forwarding 19th March 2019 blog, Call Center

Improving call center productivity will require knowing your employees and customers on a deeper level. You may have customer service employees on payroll, but are they well-trained? Maybe they are, but their experience may be in a field completely unrelated to your business. At the same time, some team members might want additional training and input, but may be afraid to ask directly.

Whatever the case may be, business owners can use call recording to break the ice with employees while helping them to better assist customers. Caller behavior can also be complex, but it’s equally important to understand caller preferences.

Consider these four additional benefits as you focus on maximizing your productivity and achieving set goals at your call center.

Motivate Employees

Make call recording part of the training process and review calls with employees on an individual basis. As you discuss methods of improvement, acknowledge their strengths and contributions. This will inspire confidence and paint a clearer picture of how to communicate with customers.

There’s another benefit that’s often forgotten when you improve your call center productivity with call recording. As employees strive to be better, knowing that their calls are being recorded encourages staff to give it their all and do a commendable job.

Micromanagement tends to have a negative impact on employees, but when call recording is part of the supervisory process, it eliminates the tension that can build when managers are directly questioning and overseeing employees.

Learn More About Your Callers

How do customers respond when asked specific questions? What is their reason for choosing specific products more frequently than others? These are the types of questions to consider as you perfect your business strategy because you’ll want to ensure that you’re attracting your target callers and properly connecting with them over the phone.

If you want to improve call center productivity with call recording, use the recordings to compile data that will answer a lot of the questions that will help you to set future sales goals and craft more efficient approaches when speaking on the phone.

Answer Frequently Asked Questions

You can improve your call center productivity with call recording because the recordings can be used to create customized greetings and voice menus that give callers the answers they need.
There are frequently asked questions at every call center. Knowing what those questions are in advance will increase productivity by saving time. Use the playback from recorded calls to find the most frequently asked questions. Then, find the best way to answer those questions automatically.

Responses to frequently asked questions can be posted as information on your website and answered in customized messages that customers will hear while on hold. However, these aren’t the only options. Another approach would be to have an interactive voice menu that allows callers to select a number to hear the answers to frequently asked question such as operating hours and extension information to reach specific departments.

Know that as you work to improve your call center productivity with call recording, setting up an automated system isn’t complicated when using virtual phone numbers. Much of the process can be self-guided. Your virtual phone number provider can also walk you through the setup process from start to finish if you need assistance, or the process can be completed for you upon request.

While some business owners believe that pre-recorded menus are too impersonal, the contrary is often true. Automated options and responses are valued by customers because many callers don’t want to wait to connect with someone just to ask a basic question.

Note The Length of Calls

One of the biggest things call center supervisors must recognize when analyzing call center productivity is how long it takes before the call ends favorably. This information is critical because it will help employees who may be struggling to build relationships with callers. When you improve your call center productivity with call recording, it removes much of the guesswork involved with selling techniques and interacting with customers.

As most call center professionals know, working at a call center does not mean simply taking phone calls. There are other strategies that employees should be implementing to ensure that their time is utilized wisely during their shift. Decreasing the amount of time it takes to end a phone call with positive results gives employees the time they need to handle other tasks.

In Conclusion

Using virtual phone numbers to operate and grow your business will provide numerous advantages for internal business operations and callers. Furthermore, you can vastly improve your call center productivity with call recording.

Managing or working at a call center isn’t an easy task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult if you use the right tools. Knowing the right ways to improve call center productivity while having a well-organized business structure can make the job easier for managers and employees.

Call centers operate for a variety of reasons, but their common focus is attracting new callers and maintaining customer loyalty. By increasing productivity, callers will have a more favorable experience when dialing into your caller center without a long wait or confusing process.

Top 16 BPO Call Centers in the United States

Global Call Forwarding 6th March 2018 blog, Call Center

BPO call centers are centralized facilities that handle thousands of inbound and outbound calls and other business processes every day. With such call centers, organizations and businesses can communicate effectively with prospects, current customers, and partners.

The call center services market generated $140 billion of revenue in 2017 and is projected to grow much larger than that by 2025.

What Do BPO Call Centers Offer?

BPO stands for business process outsourcing. BPO call centers handle key business processes such as lead generation, customer service, technical support, and more. Call center outsourcing means hiring a third party — such as a BPO call center — to handle and complete these business processes. Instead of hiring an in-house team, you can outsource these services and reduce costs spent on employees.

BPO call centers aren’t just for customer service providers. They can manage more business processes and operations to support different departments of an organization. Here are a few key responsibilities a call center BPO handles:

Customer service and support
Lead generation and qualification
New order processing
Product exchanges and returns
Billing, payment, and invoicing services
Technical support
Special customer requests, and so on.

Call Center Amenities and Technologies

BPO call centers come equipped with advanced tools and technologies to increase productivity and efficiency. This makes them a good alternative to hiring in-house teams and increasing spend on advanced technologies.

Related: Call Center Trends in 2021

Depending on the call center, hardware and software can be shared by full teams or specific individuals. In fact, it is becoming more common for call centers to adopt BYOD policies that let users use their own devices from remote locations. This flexibility increases the global coverage and reach of these call centers.

The largest US call centers make use of administration panels that help employees take calls and prioritize tasks. These call centers will also have various office locations, project management systems, and CRMs. And they will have access to features such as:

Call recording
Softphones
Outbound calling and custom caller IDs
International phone numbers
International call forwarding
Cloud IVR
Advanced routing options: time-based routing, simultaneous ring, follow the sun support model
Voicemail to email, and so on.

As a call center grows and expands its services, it will need new technology to carry its weight. These tools and technologies help US call centers reduce wait time, save on business-related costs, and connect global teams.

Furthermore, they also help BPO call centers offer the best customer service to their clients’ customers.

Top 16 US Call Centers

The following is a listing of the top BPO call centers in the United States:

Note: This list is compiled from research and reviews collected by UpCity.com, Clutch.co, and G2.

1. America’s Call Center (ACC)
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Professional services for home inspectors: customer service, lead management, market research, selling and upselling, full order processing, etc.
Service Area: International

2. BPO American
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Answering services, inbound and outbound call center services, webchat, email, and SMS services
Service Area: International

3. Intersoft BPO
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Customer service, management, billing, KPO, digital marketing
Service Area: International

4. MAP Communications
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: 24/7 telephone services: answering services, virtual receptionist services, customized call center solutions
Service Area: International

5. PROS
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Internet technology and marketing solutions
Service Area: International

6. CIENCE Technologies
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: People-as-a-Service (PaaS): voice and call center services, SDR services, CRM consulting, outreach, etc
Service Area: International

7. SupportYourApp
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: 24/7 customer support and service for tech companies
Service Area: International

8. Remote CoWorker
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Virtual assistants, customer and technical support, sales and billing, bookkeeping, etc.
Service Area: National

9. SAGE Outsource Solutions
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Customer contact center: customer service, sales, technical support, voice of the customer program (VoC)
Service Area: National

10. Wow 24-7
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Customer support outsourcing provider
Service Area: International

11. Telecom Inc
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Omnichannel contact center: inbound and outbound solutions
Service Area: International

12. Unity Communications
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: BPO services: customer service, virtual assistants, admin support, data entry, order processing, bookkeeping, etc.
Service Area: International

13. Contact One
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Call center support services: virtual receptionists, medical answering services, appointment setting, live chat support, etc.
Service Area: National

14. Callbox
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Lead generation, appointment setting, pipeline management, account-based marketing, event marketing, etc.
Service Area: International

15. Leadium
Commercial Focus: B2B
Services: Outbound sales, predictive sales funnel solution, lead generation, etc
Service Area: International

16. XACT
Commercial Focus: B2B, B2C
Services: Answering services, lead generation, telemarketing and telesales, customer support, chat or web support, order processing, etc
Service Area: International

Starting Your Own Call Center

Starting your own BPO call center is quite easy to do. You need to identify what key services you will offer and then create a plan accordingly:

How many employees will you need?
How will you train employees?
Will you hire remote employees in different regions and countries?
How will you structure your departments?
Will you need cloud or virtual call center solutions?
What locations will you cover?
What technology will you need to offer these services?
How will you keep up and comply with call center regulations? And so on.

In the end, it matters how internal processes are set up. Keep things running smoothly with the right technology, consistent training, dedicated employees, and satisfied customers. Once you achieve all of these goals, your organization will be on track to becoming a high-volume call center!

To learn more about Global Call Forwarding’s virtual call center software, speak with our representatives today. We can get you set up with the tools and features you need to run your BPO call center from any location. Call us at +1 (561) 908-6171 or chat with us online!

Call Center Regulations

Corinna Underwood 28th November 2017 blog, Call Center

Customer call centers are the bedrock of large businesses’ customer service. Many businesses set up call centers to take incoming calls from customers who need help or have questions about their products or services. While some businesses only use their call center to receive calls, others also use it to make outbound calls for the purpose of soliciting new clients.

Call Center Laws

It is important to know that there are specific federal laws that affect the operation of call centers. These include the Telephone, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Consumer Protection Act, and the U.S. Department of Labor Hourly Worker Requirements.

While some of these may seem surprising, it is important to know that many call center managers are not aware they can be in violation of call center regulations.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act

Call centers that are making outbound calls to solicit sales must follow the regulations mandated by the TCPA. This body regulates the times that telemarketers may call and their persons they may call.

Call centers must not call residential numbers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
During each call, the customer service agent must tell the recipient which company he or she represents and must also give his or her name and phone number.
Call centers must abide by the regulations of the Do Not Call Registry.
Auto-dialed and automated or pre-recorded calls may not be made for telemarketing purposes without the recipient’s written consent.

The TCPA permits individuals to file lawsuits and claim damages if a call center violates the regulations.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

All the main U.S. health insurance companies utilize customer service call centers. Their purpose is to handle inquiries from current or prospective insurance policy subscribers as well as dealing with provider inquiries, verifications of eligibility, and claim authorizations. All call center workers dealing with patient information must at all times adhere to the regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA was passed in 1996 and mandates the privacy of each individual’s health information. The act is designed to protect patients and their medical information. Call center staff are not allowed to discuss the details of private patient information with anyone other than the patient or a person whom the patient has authorized. Any call center that violates HIPAA regulations is subject to legal action and penalties on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Contractual Requirements

Each individual client to whom a call center provides service is classed as a separate contract. Call centers must, at all times, follow federal mandates for these clients, as well as following the client’s specific requirements. For example, a contract may specify that calls are to be answered live instead of being routed through an automated system. Another contract may request that calls are answered within a specific time frame. If a call center is unionized, it is also required to meet union regulations as well. All specific contractual obligations must be followed at all times.

U.S. Department of Labor Hourly Worker Requirements

Usually, call center employees are paid at an hourly rate. For call centers in the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor administers the Fair Labor Standards Act, which states how workers who are paid hourly must be treated. The employer is required to pay at least the national minimum wage unless the state minimum wage is higher. Furthermore, hourly employees who work more than 40 hours per week must be paid an overtime rate, the amount of which should be of one and a half times their normal hourly wage.

It is up to the call center manager to ensure that there are enough people in the call center to handle the expected call volume at any given time. Call center managers often use virtual software to predict how many call center agents will be needed to handle the projected volume in half-hour increments. This helps ensure that workers get their required break times.

Regulations Regarding Recording Customer Calls

If you record customer calls and you are taking information about the customer’s credit cards, then you need to know that this is against PCI-DSS standards, which prohibits the storage of the CVV2 number (the three- or four-digit number listed on the back of the card). This number may not be stored at any time or in any form even at a high level of encryption. If your company is recording calls and you are not stopping call recording when the customer gives out the CVV2 number, then you are violating PCI-DSS regulations. The simple solution to this problem is to pause the voice recording when the customer is inputting their credit card details so that the call center agent can enter it manually and it will not be stored in the recording.

Regulations Regarding Outbound Calls

Many companies have a recorded announcement stating that incoming calls may be recorded for the improvement of customer services.

However, few organizations provide this information when making outgoing calls to customers. And even fewer take into consideration that they are recording their employee’s conversations as well as those of their customers. At this point, it should be noted that if you are going to record a telephone conversation, all parties must be notified before you commence recording. To avoid legal action, your call center must advise all parties that they will be recorded, and give them the opportunity to opt out if they so desire. It must also be clear that in order to opt out they should hang up. In order to avoid any legal complications with this issue, the easiest option is to ask your employees and contractors to sign a notice of consent form agreeing that their calls may be monitored and recorded.

Network Regulations

You also need to ensure that your call center network system is secure enough to be compliant with PCI guidelines. This means not only having an effective firewall and router but also implementing internal processes that will provide additional layers of protection. You should impose restrictions on all traffic from networks which are considered to be unsafe and never permit direct access between network components containing customer data and the internet.

To make sure your call center agents are aware of security protocols and call center regulations, you should add these issues to the employee training program, and make sure to update your team regularly so that they do not forget to keep all calls 100 percent compliant.

5 Call Center Features You Need for an Inbound Sales Team

Samantha Stevens 25th January 2017 blog, Call Center

Inbound call center agents handle incoming calls for your company, usually in large volumes. Traditionally, call centers take on product orders or provide customer service during hours when your office is not available.

Call centers will typically use international toll-free numbers when the call center is located outside the country. They are especially beneficial in areas where labor is less expensive. For example, you may have a few call centers setup in the Philippines or India. Depending on your industry, you may even have call centers specified just for bringing in new sales opportunities.

International call forwarding services are imperative to sales teams. Whether you are the owner of a call center in the Philippines or India, a toll free call forwarding service provider can get your enterprise set up with a call center phone system so you can increase sales at your company. We highlighted 5 key features that can increase the effectiveness of your inbound call center.

Your Inbound Sales Team

Inbound sales, by definition, is the budding relationship between a potential client that reaches out to your company and a salesperson from your organization. Because the digital realm has transformed the way companies interact with consumers and make sales, enterprises have now included digital phone numbers, or virtual phone numbers, to streamline the process.

When these features are integrated into your processes, your inbound call center can be more effective than ever. Global Call Forwarding is able to help you attract the revenue you want with new and more modern techniques than ever before.

Below you can read about 5 of the top call center phone system features that can improve the performance of your inbound sales team.

1. Call Recording

Call recording is a feature that allows you to record any inbound calls automatically. Simply select the number you want to record and enable or disable the feature as needed. With this in place, you can monitor your international call center’s conversations and understand how to improve the sales process. As a manager or business owner, you may find that after listening in on a few calls, you will have just the right knowledge to help out your employees. You can also use these recordings to train new sales staff.

When you keep and store these calls from your personalized Control Panel, you can also recover lost information from previous calls in case that you need to remember important details about your prospects. Let’s say, for example, a prospective client has spoken to a salesman in your India call center. However, when the same client calls back a week later, your salesman is either out of town, on vacation, or no longer working for your company. To find out information about this specific client, you can access your Control Panel and pull important information from their previous conversations. Now you will be able to hand off the inbound client to another member of your call center in India without worry. This can be a useful add-on to your current plan with Global Call Forwarding.

2. Call Transfer

This feature is just like having an auto-attendant or virtual assistant! Call transfer allows you to make a transition immediately or place a person on hold while you brief the individual on the other line. This can be done even if all three parties are in different countries or area codes.

How does this help your inbound sales? If a potential client contacts your call center in the Philippines and has reached your virtual assistant, your assistant can place that person on hold while they brief the salesman. This allows your salesman the opportunity to quickly research the client’s needs or requirements. This is especially useful if a salesman would like to offer unique products or services that are even better than the competition.

3. Simultaneous Ringing

There are many reasons to have simultaneous ringing in a call center. With this feature, you can forward calls from your line to two or more numbers through your inbound call center. Even though they will ring at the same time, the call will only be connected to the first salesman to answer it.

This is useful if you have a sales team that is not always in the office or at their desk. Perhaps they frequently travel and meet with different business partners. With simultaneous ringing, they could get calls transferred to their personal cell phones if this is a more convenient option for them. This ensures your team does not miss out on important communication while they are away.

4. Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) gives your callers a computer greeting and directs them to the appropriate line for their needs. All of this is automated for their convenience as well as yours. All they have to do is navigate through the menu system through their voice and keypad. Best of all, this system is customized to your needs. Within your IVR, you can include company announcements and new deals. This even gives you another opportunity to sell!

IVR also saves your employees time and effort if there are individuals who tend to call your company for a simple, specific reason. For example, if a customer contacts your India call center because they only need to receive their account information, your Interactive Voice Response can do it for them!

5. Black and white lists

Filtering calls is now easier than ever. Reject numbers coming in from specific area codes to maximize your efficiency. No more unwanted or unsolicited calls!

If your call center in the Philippines is getting hounded by spam, for example, you can integrate black and white lists with toll-free forwarding services. Your “Black List” blocks unwanted callers while a “White List” places preferences on those you want to hear from.

Improve Your Inbound Sales Team

These are just a few of the call center technologies that can improve the performance of an inbound call center sales team. It is incredibly important, now more than ever, that your sales teams remain consistent in the way you provide service.