Contact Center vs. Call Center

Call centers and contact centers are widely utilized terms in the realm of customer service, representing specialized solutions crafted to deliver different method of communication for customers.

Call centers primarily focus on phone-based support, whereas contact centers encompass a broader spectrum, incorporating phone, email, chat, and more.

In this article, we’ll delve into these differences, providing insights into the operational and customer service implications without advocating for a one-size-fits-all approach.

What Is Contact Center?

A contact center is a centralized facility or department within an organization that manages customer interactions through various communication channels, such as telephone, email, chat, and social media.

Unlike call centers that primarily focus on handling voice calls, contact centers are designed to provide a more comprehensive and multi-channel approach to customer support and engagement. Contact centers aim to enhance customer experience by efficiently managing inquiries, resolving issues, and offering support through diverse communication channels. Thus, accommodating the preferences and convenience of the customers.

A contact center has evolved with customer engagement to nurture robust customer relationships, ensuring a seamless customer journey across a multitude of touchpoints.

The global contact center market was valued at nearly $340 billion in 2020, and forecasts indicate stable growth in the coming years, reaching $496 billion by 2027.

Enterprises often opt to outsource customer service to external contact center service providers to ensure high-quality customer care and reduce operational costs.

Multiple Communication Platforms

In the era of digitalization, customers are no longer restricted to phone calls and now have the freedom to interact with businesses across multiple platforms. Contact centers seamlessly incorporate a variety of communication channels, including:

• Phone
• Email
• Social media
• Chat
• Apps
• Text/SMS
• Videos

This seamless integration allows customers to choose their preferred mode of contact, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and engagement.

According to The State of Multichannel Customer Service Report, 5 most popular channels are consistently email, telephone, live chat, search engine, and online self-service support. Moreover, when customers engage with a brand, they tend to begin contact online. In the second place, customers get in touch through phone.

Advanced Technology Integration

Technological innovation is a hallmark of contact centers. They integrate advanced technologies like AI, chatbots, and CRM systems to streamline operations and enhance customer support. These technological integrations empower agents to deliver personalized customer experiences, further enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Conversational AI becomes integral element of contact center operations. AI-powered chatbots and voicebots can handle routine inquiries, freeing up human agents for more complex tasks. They provide automated support through voice or chat interfaces.

One of the examples of AI solutions enhancing contact center operations and customer experience is Primebot created by OEX VCC, a cutting-edge voicebot designed to enhance customer interactions through voice-based communication. It can be used to automate and streamline customer support processes, providing users with prompt and efficient assistance.

Primebot is equipped with natural language processing capabilities, allowing it to understand and respond to customer inquiries effectively. It can contribute to improving overall customer service efficiency by handling routine queries, providing information, and directing customers to relevant resources.

The Benefits of Using Contact Center Outsourcing Services

Using a contact center in customer service offers several benefits for businesses aiming to provide efficient and effective support to their customers. Here are key advantages:

• Multichannel support: Contact centers offer support across various communication channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media. This multichannel approach accommodates diverse customer preferences and ensures a seamless experience.
• Scalability: Businesses can easily scale their customer support operations, back office or sales support up or down based on demand by leveraging contact center services. This flexibility is especially beneficial during peak seasons or when dealing with fluctuating call volumes.
• Cost efficiency: Outsourcing contact center services can be cost-effective, as businesses avoid the upfront investment in infrastructure, technology, and ongoing operational expenses associated with maintaining an in-house team.
• 24/7 availability: Contact centers provide the ability to offer round-the-clock customer support. This 24/7 availability ensures that customers can receive assistance at any time, regardless of their location or time zone.
• Data-driven insights: Contact centers leverage data analytics to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and common issues. These insights enable businesses to make informed decisions and continuously improve their customer service strategies.

Multilingual Customer Support

Contact centers can provide various solutions, such as multilingual call centers that employ consultants proficient in specific languages, and utilize AI-based automation to assist customers speaking different languages.
Call centers specializing in multilingual customer service are tailored to handle interactions in various languages, catering to the needs of a diverse customer base. Companies utilize multilingual solutions when aiming to provide customer service and support on an international scale.

Here are the benefits of using multilingual call centers:

• Global reach: Companies operating worldwide or focusing on several international markets can effectively communicate with customers in different regions, overcoming language barriers.
• Market expansion: Companies can enter new markets and expand their customer base by offering support in languages used in specific regions. This helps build brand awareness and gain acceptance in various countries.
• Flexibility: Multilingual call centers offer flexibility in adapting to changing market dynamics and customer demographics. Companies can quickly scale language support based on evolving needs.
• 24/7 availability: Providing communication with consultants around the clock, seven days a week in different languages is a strategic approach that considers the diverse time zones of customers worldwide.

What Is Call Center?

A call center in customer service is a centralized facility or department within an organization that is dedicated to handling incoming and outgoing customer communications. The primary mode of communication in a call center is typically voice-based, involving telephone calls between customers and trained agents. Call centers play a crucial role in providing customer support, handling inquiries, resolving issues, and offering various services.

How big the call center market? The global call center market was estimated at $314.5 billion in 2022, with forecasted growth to reach $494.7 billion by 2030.

Inbound vs. Outbound

Inbound call centers focus on handling incoming calls from customers who initiate contact. Customers reach out to the call center for various reasons, such as seeking information, assistance, or support.

Agents in inbound call centers are trained to handle a wide range of customer inquiries, including product information, billing queries, technical support, and issue resolution.

Outbound call centers are focused on making outgoing calls to customers or prospects. Agents proactively reach out to individuals for various purposes, including sales, surveys, telemarketing, and follow-ups.

Outbound can be used for:

• Telemarketing: Agents make calls to potential customers to promote products or services and generate sales leads.
• Surveys and market research: Outbound call centers conduct surveys to gather feedback or perform market research.
• Appointment setting: Agents schedule appointments on behalf of the organization.
  Follow-up calls: Outbound calls may be made for follow-ups after a purchase or service interaction.

The Benefits of Using Call Center Outsourcing Services

• Cost reduction: By focusing customer service in call centers, companies can achieve significant cost savings compared to traditional customer service methods.
• Flexibility and scalability: Call centers offer flexibility to adapt to changing company needs, as well as scalability in case of growth or decline in customer service demand.
• Improvement of efficiency metrics: Call centers can help improve efficiency metrics such as service level, answer rate, or customer satisfaction.
• Increased productivity: Effective call centers enable increased company productivity by focusing on key tasks while customer service is handled by specialists.

Considerations for Choosing Between Contact Center and Call Center

The decision between contact center and call center solutions should be guided by careful consideration of business needs, customer expectations, and future growth plans.

Business objectives

Before deciding, a thorough assessment of your business needs and objectives is necessary. Understanding the nature of your customer interactions, the volume of inquiries, and the specific support needs that are best suited for either multiple channels of communication or phone-only contact can guide your decision.

• Choose a call center when: The primary goal is to handle voice-based interactions efficiently, and the scope is limited to specific services like technical support or telemarketing.
• Choose a contact center when: The business requires a more comprehensive approach to customer interactions, incorporating various channels to provide a seamless and unified customer experience.

Service complexity

The choice between call center and contact center depends on the complexity of the service provided and the specific needs of the organization in terms of channels, expertise, automation, and data analysis capabilities. For more complex services requiring a multifaceted approach and specialized expertise across various channels, a contact center may be the preferred option.

• Choose a call center when: Services can be adequately delivered through voice communication, and additional channels are not critical to meeting customer needs.
• Choose a contact center when: The business deals with complex services that may require multiple channels for effective communication and issue resolution.

Scalability

When choosing between a contact center or call center solution, it’s important to factor in future growth and scalability. Contact centers equipped with advanced technology and multi-channel support generally provide greater flexibility for accommodating expanding customer bases and changing business requirements compared to traditional call centers.

• Choose a call center when: Scalability requirements are focused on voice communication and can be managed within that scope.
• Choose a contact center when: The business anticipates the need to scale across various communication channels to accommodate evolving customer expectations.

Customer Preferences

Given the customer-centric nature of today’s world, it’s vital that your chosen solution aligns with customer expectations. Considering service efficiency, agent interactions, and overall customer satisfaction can help you deliver a fulfilling customer service experience.

• Choose a call center when: Customers primarily prefer or are accustomed to voice-based interactions.
• Choose a contact center when: Customers expect the flexibility to communicate through their preferred channels, including digital and social media.

Summary

In conclusion, the choice between contact centers and call centers boils down to your business needs, customer expectations, and future growth plans. While contact centers offer a comprehensive approach to customer engagement, call centers remain a vital component for businesses focusing on voice interactions. Regardless of the choice, remember that the end goal is to enhance customer experience and satisfaction.

Author: Patrycja Hala-Saçan, Senior Content Specialist, OEX VCC