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Call Center in Canada | Inbound & Outbound Call Center Services

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3C Contact Services is a call center based in Toronto that provides cost-effective call center services for small- and medium-sized businesses across Canada.

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3C Contact Services | 3C Contact Services provides cost-effective call center solutions for small and medium size businesses in US and Canada. We have a dedicated and well-trained cadre of customer support specialists who are able to consistently provide excellent services, delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner.

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3C Contact Services (@3ccontactservices) * Instagram photos and videos

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53 Followers, 42 Following, 14 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from 3C Contact Services (@3ccontactservices)

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3C Contact Services provides inbound and outbound customer call center solutions. We provide best-in-class, top-quality third-party outsource contact center services. We offer a variety of solutions that ensures that our clients gain new customers and retain existing clients. Our approach provides…

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Making the decision to outsource your customer service operations is a big one. It can be difficult to determine which type of call center is right for your business. In this article, we will outline the key differences between call centers and contact centers. By understanding the difference, you will be able to make an informed decision about which type of center is best for your needs.

What Is a Call Center?

A call center is a type of customer service center that handles an overflow of phone calls. A call center may be used by businesses to route callers to the appropriate department or employee, or it may be outsourced to a third-party company that specializes in handling customer service calls. A call center can also be used by organizations to make outgoing calls, such as for telemarketing or market research purposes.

What Is a Contact Center?

A contact center is similar to a call center, but it also handles other forms of communication beyond phone calls, such as email, chat, and text messages. A contact center may be used by businesses to provide customer support, sales, or other services. Like call centers, contact centers can be either in-house or outsourced to a third-party company.

Key Differences Between a Call Center and Contact Center

Both call centers and contact centers are typically used to route callers or customers to the appropriate department or employee, but they have some key differences.

Omnichannel vs. Single Channel Communication

In a call center, communication occurs over a single channel, typically the telephone. This type of communication is referred to as voice-only or single-channel communication.

A contact center, however, supports omnichannel communication, which means that customers can contact businesses through multiple channels, including voice, chat, email, and social media.

While call centers are focused on making and taking phone calls, contact centers are designed to provide comprehensive customer support across all channels.

Proactive vs. Reactive Support

A call center is primarily focused on handling inbound calls. Call center agents are usually reactive, meaning they only respond to customer inquiries and do not proactively reach out to customers.

In contrast, a contact center is a type of customer support that handles both inbound and outbound calls.

Contact center agents are usually proactive, meaning they take initiative to reach out to customers, even if the customer has not contacted the company first. This proactive approach allows contact centers to build better relationships with their customers and prevent issues before they become problems.
Also read: Proactive Vs. Reactive Customer Service: What's The Difference?
Online Self-Service vs. Traditional Customer Support

A call center provides traditional customer support through phone calls, whereas a contact center encompasses all forms of customer communication.

In addition, a contact center typically offers Online Self-Service (OSS) options, such as a knowledge base or FAQ section, that allow customers to find answers to their questions without having to contact a support representative. OSS can be a valuable asset for both customers and businesses, as it reduces the number of support requests and frees up representatives to help with more complex issues.

As the world of customer support continues to evolve, call centers are increasingly being replaced by contact centers that provide a more comprehensive range of services.

Centralized vs. Specialized Services

Call centers are typically organized into three main categories: inbound call centers, outbound call centers, and blended call centers. Inbound call centers handle incoming calls from customers, while outbound call centers make outgoing calls to customers. Blended call centers handle both incoming and outgoing calls.

Contact centers, on the other hand, typically offer a more centralized approach to customer service. This means that all customer service options are offered through a single point of contacts, such as an email address, chat interface, or phone number.

Consistent vs. Inconsistent Customer Experience (CX)

The main difference between a call center and a contact center is the customer experience (CX).

For call centers, CX is typically more inconsistent because there is less of a focus on developing relationships with customers. The interactions are usually shorter and more transactional in nature.

Meanwhile, contact centers often have longer interactions with customers and a stronger focus on developing relationships. This allows for a more consistent CX, as a staff is better able to understand the individual needs of each customer.

Photo: marchmeena29/iStock.com

Why Contact Centers May Be the Best Option for Your Business...and Your Customers?

In today's competitive business world, providing excellent customer service is more important than ever. Since contact centers provide a more comprehensive range of services, such as chat, email, and social media support, they are often better equipped to handle the needs of modern customers. In addition, by consolidating all of your customer service channels into one platform, contact centers can help to improve efficiency and cut costs.

Whether you already have a call center, or you are considering investing in one, upgrading to a contact center is a smart move that can provide numerous benefits for your business and your customers.

Choose 3C Contact Services as Your Contact Center

At 3C Contact Services, we utilize solid value-driven relationship-building techniques to maximize customer interactions over the phone, via email, and on live chat. Having a broad range of IT and help desk service specialists on our team, helps keeps our costs (and in turn yours) low without compromising service quality and expertise.

As one of the most renowned technical support companies in North America, we have access to a number of technological and customer service-based resources that can help you grow your business and expand to a variety of markets. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

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Call Center vs. Contact Center: What's the difference?

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Making the decision to outsource your customer service operations is a big one. It can be difficult to determine which type of call center is right for your business. In this article, we will outline the key differences between call centers and contact centers.

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Why Is Email Response Time Important? How to Improve yours?

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The faster you respond, the greater the result will be in improved customer satisfaction. In this article, we look at why email response time is important and how you can improve it.

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Companies are only as strong as their reputation. They put a lot of time, money, and energy into trying to both win and retain customers: they develop finely tuned advertising campaigns, look for endorsements, create loyalty programs, and build web sites.

While brands can try to manage how clients see the company, its products, and/or its services, most fail to build strong relationships with their current or prospective customers; after all, the customer/client relationship extends well beyond the point of purchase. In fact, it's how a brand interacts with its customer base after they make a purchase that can have the biggest impact on its long-term reputation.

This has been amplified over the last decade with the dominance of social media sites like Facebook and web review sites. Before the age of the Internet, it wasn't uncommon for businesses to do the bare minimum when it came to customer service; after all, what's the worst that could happen? They tell one or two people about their bad experience, and it stops there.

Not anymore. The Internet is open 24/7 and the online community is talking. It doesn't matter whether or not a company has an online presence, people are still talking about them-and what they have to say resonates. A whopping 85% of consumers say that they read online reviews to determine whether to visit a local business. On top of that, 79% of Web users say online reviews are as trustworthy as recommendations from family and friends.

To build a strong, loyal, and lasting customer relationship, brands need to listen to their clients and meet their needs more than ever. In this tough economic climate, customers are looking not just for the best prices, but also the best service. And if they don't get it, they'll take their business elsewhere.

For some people, the only interaction they have with a company is through their customer service experience. Customers have more power than ever before, and the consequences of not providing the best service possible can be devastating.

According to some estimates, up to $5.9 trillion in revenue is up for grabs globally as consumers regularly switch their product and service providers; in North America alone, that number stands at around 1.4 trillion. Interestingly, 66% of consumers switched companies due to poor service in the past year.

In the U.S. 51% of consumers say they switched service providers as a result of a bad customer service experience, up five percent from 2012.

What are some of the most common customer service frustrations?
1. Being put on hold for a long time (90%)
How long are customers willing to sit on hold for? Not too long. Six out of 10 said they will wait one minute or less, while a third of respondents give up after 1-5 minutes.
2. Having to contact a company numerous times for the same reason (91%) 3. Being asked to repeat their issue to multiple representatives (89%) 4. Dealing with self-help systems that cannot answer their questions (89%) 5. A company delivering something different than what they promise up front (88%)
But it's not all bad news; a large majority (81%) said the companies could have done something different to prevent them from taking their business elsewhere. And here are some other important stats:

* 68% say it's important to resolve any conflict on the first call

* 55% think it would have been good for the company to proactively contact them

* 45% want better service and support options via their mobile device

* 44% like preferential treatment (platinum/gold service levels)

The fact of the matter is that customers are willing to pay for excellent customer service. Two-thirds of consumers say they will spend 13% more, on average, with a company that provides excellent customer service. At the other end of the scale, over half left a brand based on poor customer service.

Consumers want value for their money, but that doesn't just apply to how much they pay. Equally as important is how they feel they are treated when they contact the customer service department.

Customer service is about eliminating complexity and building relationships and loyalty. Brands that don't are just sending business to the competition.

Sources

"85 Percent of Consumers Read Online Reviews to Determine Whether A Local Business is Good or Not," ReviewTrackers.com, June 28, 2013; http://www.reviewtrackers.com/85-percent-consumers-read-online-reviews-determine-local-business-good
"2013 Global Consumer Pulse Research - Digital Customer: It's time to play to win and stop playing not to lose," Accenture web site, October 2013; www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Global-Consumer-Pulse-Research-Study-2013.pdf
Hess, M., "Most companies fail customer service test," CBS News web site, November 6, 2013; http://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-companies-fail-customer-service-test/

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Companies are only as strong as their reputation. They put a lot of time, money, and energy into trying to both win and retain customers: they develop finely tuned advertising campaigns, look for endorsements, create loyalty programs, and build web sites.

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Whether the economy is booming or lukewarm, businesses of every size are looking for ways to enhance their business offerings. One of the most popular moves that North American firms can make to improve their efficiency and better serve their customer base is to outsource.

Outsourcing is when a company strategically hires employees in offshore or near-shore countries to perform jobs that may usually be performed by inside staff in a more traditional business set-up, such as manufacturing, call centers, information technology support, graphic design, and even security.

To meet the growing demand of skilled staff to serve businesses in North America, many outsourcing companies choose to provide specialized workers. These are some of the top reasons why companies of every size choose to outsource.
1. Reduces Operating Costs
It takes a lot to run a business, from research and development to marketing, logistics, and even staff. Those businesses that do everything in-house can incur huge costs, which ultimately get passed onto the consumers. Outsourcing certain jobs can help lower operating costs and increase a company's competitive edge. As a result, a company can use that freed-up money to fund a new advertising campaign, purchase new equipment, or develop new products.
2. Improves Company Focus
Companies are only as good as their reputations! Aside from products and services, a business builds its reputation through its customer service. Outsourcing can free up a business from working on areas that are not in its expertise. Outsourcing to an expert in the field allows a company to focus on its core business efforts, while still maintaining a well-rounded and positive reputation.
3. Offers Resources Not Available Internally
Sometimes, companies outsource because they do not have the necessary resources to do everything within the firm. Outsourcing from the very start is an excellent alternative for new organizations, subsidiaries, or companies expanding into new territories or even new technologies.
4. Easier to Downsize
When business is good, companies expand. When business is bad, companies have to make tough business decisions. Downsizing is never a popular choice, but from a business perspective, it can be vital. Because of different international labour laws, North American companies can upsize or downsize at will. Of course, outsourcing can make this move easier.
5. Manages Risk
Operating a business is a risky venture. Why? Because to succeed, businesses need the right management, funding, products or services, and economic climate to excel. This might explain why the start-up business failure rate in the U.S. is 25% in the first year and 50% by the fourth year of operations. By outsourcing certain tasks, a business can share responsibilities and reduce risk.
6. Frees Up Resources
When it comes to business, time is money-and there's never enough of either. But outsourcing can help. Every organization has limited resources; outsourcing allows businesses to redirect their resources to their customers.
7. Lessens Time Needed to Get Up and Running
Just because a business can do something in-house doesn't necessarily mean it should. There's more to outsourcing than the bottom line. Outsourcing tasks to experts in a particular field means a new business can be up and running right away. Outsourcing then, can be a much faster alternative to downtime associated with recruiting, interviewing, and training new staff.
8. Hedges Against Uncertainty
You don't need to look further than the 2008 recession to see how deeply economic and political uncertainty can wreak havoc on a business. In fact, a 2008 survey revealed that 25% of CEOs said that "uncertainty about the political and business climates" was a primary factor for outsourcing. Concerns about higher taxes, regulation, and imports and exports have a direct impact on the way companies make their hiring decisions. Businesses are increasingly looking not just months into the future, but years, and in some cases, even decades. Outsourcing can be a hedge against political and economic uncertainty.
9. Improves Competitiveness
"The early bird gets the worm"-that axiom works perfectly in the world of business. The first business to market a product or service gets a serious head start over the competition. Outsourcing is a time-sensitive, financial incentive for businesses with a short-term window of opportunity.
10. Creates Jobs Through Small Business
When it comes to outsourcing, most people picture large companies letting people go to save money and appease shareholders. However, it should be noted that the 23 million small businesses in the U.S. account for 54% of all American jobs. At a time when corporate America is downsizing, the rate of small business start-ups has grown. In fact, the number of small businesses in the U.S. has increased 49% since 1982. Since 1990, big businesses have eliminated four million jobs; meanwhile, small businesses have added eight million new jobs.

To get a competitive edge, many small businesses turn to outsourcing to remain efficient and competitive.
Sources:
"Small Business Trends," U.S. Small Business Administration web site; www.sba.gov/content/small-business-trends, last accessed January 7, 2014.

"Startup Business Failure Rate By Industry," Statistic Brain web site, July 27, 2013; http://www.statisticbrain.com/startup-failure-by-industry/.

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Whether the economy is booming or lukewarm, businesses of every size are looking for ways to enhance their business offerings. One of the most popular moves that North American firms can make to improve their efficiency and better serve their customer base is to outsource.