How To Start Taking Inbound Calls

Remember the time when you could only contact a business through their phone number? Seems like it was decades ago, especially when you consider all the new communication channels that have become prominent in the last few years. 

Although customer support is evolving as we speak, there are still benefits associated with using traditional methods of being of service to your customers. Believe it or not, close to 70% of customers prefer to use phone call support in favor of digital contact channels. 

So, if you don’t want to alienate a large majority of consumers who prefer the old-school approach, you could benefit from implementing an inbound calling strategy. 

Stay with us, as in the next few minutes, we’ll go over key information such as the types of inbound calls and provide you with the basics of a successful inbound calling strategy.

What are inbound calls?

Inbound calls are communications initiated by potential or existing customers of your business. These calls get directed to a specialized inbound call center where customer advisors will help address caller queries and pain points. 

Inbound calls fall into two categories:

1. Customer service calls
2. Inbound sales calls

Let’s go over both types of inbound calls in a bit more detail.

1. Customer service calls

This type of communication is normally initiated by customers and the intent of the call is related to a question or a complaint about the service or product they purchased.

The goal here is to address any issues as efficiently as possible. That way, you’ll boost customer satisfaction while also avoiding the chance of getting branded as a business with subpar customer service. 

2. Inbound sales calls

As the name suggests, inbound sales calls are initiated by a potential customer who has an interest in your company’s offerings. Your agents will handle the task of advising them on their next step, answering their queries, and securing a conversion in the process. 

Nine times out of ten, you want to encourage inbound calls as these can play a significant role in boosting your overall sales numbers.

Basic steps of an inbound calling strategy

Regardless of the types of inbound calls you want to focus on, you need to make sure that the strategy you create boosts customer experience. 

You can start by following the next few steps: 

1. Research the viability of inbound calling

Before allocating resources to develop your inbound calling infrastructure, you first need to figure out if you’ll benefit from this channel in the first place. 

Take a good look at your target audience. Not all customers prefer calls, so make sure that they would be open to communicating with you through this channel to begin with. This is particularly important for companies that primarily target Gen Z customers who prefer communicating via text. 

2. Use the right technology

Inbound calls aren’t just limited to phone calls. Nowadays, it’s common for businesses to take inbound calls online by using software that allows customers to call a business through their website. 

This is very beneficial. For starters, it’s convenient for your customers and potential buyers, and it also allows you to integrate inbound calls into your overall omnichannel strategy. 

You can support inbound calling by investing in specialized technology. Keep in mind there’s a bit of work involved here as you’ll have to find solutions that will fit into your established workflows and that your agents can utilize with ease. 

When browsing for inbound calling software, prioritize these capabilities:

• CRM integration - this allows you to easily access customer history, which you can then leverage to provide a more personalized service 
• Call routing and queuing - call software should allow you to redirect inbound calls to the right agent and, in some cases, support customer callbacks when the lines are busy
• Web caller support - choose a system that supports web calling
• Call tracking - to monitor your inbound calling strategy, you need the capabilities to track certain information about the calls your handlers are taking
  
  

3. Track the most important performance indicators

You can only improve your overall inbound call strategy by keeping track of the metrics that provide an insight into the effectiveness of your efforts. The most important metrics for inbound calling are:



• First call resolution rate
• Average wait time
• Abandonment rate
• Repeating questions
• Customer satisfaction
  
  

4. Diversify your customer support

Once you invest in inbound calling, you’ll have to look for ways to reduce the overall strain on your phone lines. 

The main reason is the fact that each agent can handle a single call, which can lead to bottlenecks in your customer support. 

You can alleviate the congestion by introducing other methods of communication. For example, you can use live chats operated by live agents to free up your phone lines. You can then use phone calls for most effective practices like handling urgent customer queries or making sales with important clients. Your customers will appreciate the fact they can choose how they interact with you.

Can you support inbound calling with limited resources?

While it certainly seems like a blast from the past, inbound calling still packs a lot of punch, especially with Millenial and Gen X customers. 

Sadly, it’s expensive to maintain and you should be prepared to spend a lot of money if you want to open up this particular channel. 

Starting a call center has always been reserved for businesses with a lot of resources, which is why call center companies such as Aspen Media have been around for multiple decades. With thirty years of experience under our belt, we’ve helped many thriving companies provide their customers with next-level customer service, at a fraction of the cost of doing it in-house. 

Tell us more about your needs and goals by calling 800-853-2240 or filling out our contact form and start taking inbound calls without going bankrupt in the process.