First of all, let’s agree on the obvious thing - call center isn’t always an inbound customer service department that services calls from customers. Even though it is the most popular type of call center, call centers differ by various criteria - type of infrastructure location, type of software solution, purpose of functioning, types of calls that are serviced, and so on. By the way, call centers aren’t used only for sales or customer service - they cover many other business functions and processes, which makes a call center some kind of irreplaceable unit for any organization that is seeking success.
Anyhow, let’s deal with the definitions of different types of call center solutions - there are plenty of them.
What is call center?
Let’s start from scratch - deal with the main definition regarding this topic. As you definitely know, call center is a department that processes customer calls, both inbound and outbound. Thus, as it follows from its name, call center has its main purpose to process different kinds of calls and provide customer service, customer support, collect customer feedback, generate sales, conduct customer surveys, provide self-service options, and so on.
There is also a little issue with the question of whether the terms “call center” and “contact center” can be used interchangeably. If we look at this issue from the perspective of doctrine, call center is an organization or a department in an organization that services calls only, while contact center is a multichannel communication center that services calls, text channels, and social media channels respectively. Nevertheless, nowadays these terms are used interchangeably, and there is nothing criminal about it. Anyhow, when it comes to choosing a software solution, you have to understand that multichannel call center and multichannel contact center are the same, while non-multichannel call center may be a solution that provides features for servicing phone calls only - however, it is better to research each solution separately, because different vendors have different points of view on what is multichannel or omnichannel solution.
So, let’s consider that when we are talking about call centers, we do mean multichannel solutions that provide communication options through different communication channels.
Types of call center solutions
1. Types of call ceternter: inbound call center
Inbound call center is the thing we all start thinking about when we hear the word “call center”. It is, in most cases, a department within the organization that is responsible for providing customer support to clients by answering their customer inquiries through inbound phone calls and other communication channels. By the way, the term “inbound call center” is a professional term, but “inbound calls” are the same thing as “incoming calls”.
You can use different types of call center software to set up and run the inbound call center, including on-premises and cloud-based software respectively. The main features for inbound call center include call queuing, call forwarding (call routing), call monitoring and ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), and online scheduling for customer support representatives. All these features are focused on optimizing the average wait times in call queues and providing faster access to customer service agents in purpose of eliminating abandoned calls. Also, the main goal of an inbound call center is to provide excellent customer experience, increase customer retention and provide customer relationship management when needed - via integration with CRM (Customer Relationship Management Software).
Inbound call center can also be involved in sales in some cases, especially when customers reach out to the customer service department with the questions about the product or service - thus, customer support agents can either transfer the call to the sales department or provide required information on their own.
Some people also think that inbound PBX are the same thing as inbound call centers, but they are wrong - PBX is a type of phone system that is used to service inbound calls, but it lacks a lot of necessary features and capabilities that are needed to provide superior customer service. Nevertheless, it can be an acceptable solution for small businesses that have a few contact center agents or don’t feel a need in handling hundreds of calls on a daily basis.
2. Types of call center: outbound call center
Outbound call center is something different from the inbound call center - it has nothing to do with customer calls and customer service at all. Outbound call centers are sometimes called sales call centers, and this is because they are focused on generating sales. In other words, outbound call center is a call center that performs massive outbound calling campaigns for telemarketing, lead generation, appointment reminders according to appointment scheduling, proactive outreach, or other purposes and outbound services.
As it follows from its definition, an outbound call center requires absolutely different functionality and features than an inbound call center. It can’t answer incoming calls, but its main goal is to generate as many successful outgoing calls to customers as possible per day, and this is why it uses different types of calling algorithms to call as many potential customers as possible.
These calling algorithms are called auto dialers, or outbound dialers, and there are four of them - Predictive dialer, Power dialer, Progressive dialer, and Preview dialer - each designed for a different purpose. A predictive dialer is a perfect solution for doing cold calling campaigns, a Progressive dialer can be used both for cold and warm calls, a Power dialer is an ideal choice for warm customer bases, and the Preview dialer provides options for furnishing excellent customer service with a high level of personalization.
As in the case of an inbound call center, there can also be used different types of call center software for setting up an outbound call center.
3. Types of call center: blended call center
Blended call center is a symbiosis between the inbound call center and an outbound call center, which means it shares the capabilities of both solutions. Thus, the blended call center is used by businesses that need the functionality of both solutions in one, and this is also a good investment for the future because not every inbound call center solution can be integrated with third-party outbound call center service, and the blended call center will always cost less than two solutions purchased separately.
The blended call center also has one unique feature that can be used during peak hours or seasonal increases in call volumes - this feature is called call blending, by the way, this is also the thing that gifted the name to the entire solution. This feature allows you to switch call center representatives from outbound line to inbound calls and vice versa - for instance, when you see that current number of inbound calls is increasing and agents can’t handle that, you can switch a few customer service representatives who are working on outbound campaigns - and thus resolve the issue of increased call volume.
If you don’t need a blended call center, but you do consider an option to switch for it in the future, check out for solutions that can be scaled up to a blended call center from basic inbound or outbound software - VoipTime Contact Center is one of such.
4. Types of call center: on-premises call center
On-premises call center software is a type of call center solution that uses physical infrastructure, including servers and additional hardware, that is run, set up and maintained by the owner of a call center, while the vendor provides the software only. In other words, it is a situation where you build your call center from scratch - from the point of choosing the location for servers to the point of regular maintenance and setup of security systems. Thus, in terms of set-up expenses, on-premises call center software is much more expensive than cloud-based solutions.
On-premise solutions are also called “on-site” or “inbox” solutions, which refers to the fact that you run the call center on your own facilities. Why do people keep buying on-premises software if it is more expensive than cloud-based software? Well, to be honest, TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for on-premises solution can become the same as it is for cloud software at some point, the only issue is that sometimes it takes years to happen. Another big disadvantage of on-premises software is that it is complex to scale up.
Nevertheless, it is still a good option for large enterprises that can afford such costly solution and have in-staff specialists to keep it running. The main argument in favor of on-premise solution is that it provides total control over the infrastructure for the owner, which is a valuable factor for some entrepreneurs.
5. Types of call center: cloud-based call center
Cloud-based call center is a type of call center software that uses cloud computing to build the call center infrastructure and to process business operations. Cloud call centers are often called virtual call centers. What is cloud computing? It is a technology that allows to store data in the cloud - virtual environment that is run and maintained by the vendor, thus cloud solutions are provided via the so-called SaaS (Software as a Service) model, when the buyer pays only a monthly subscription fee and downloads the software from the Internet.
In other words, cloud call center requires only stable Internet connection and headphones for employees to be all set. You don’t pay for any hardware, as well as for maintenance - it is all provided by the vendor, who is also responsible for providing stable and reliable functioning of the solution. In terms of scalability, cloud call centers are also preferable - you can just send technical specifications to the vendor, pay for additional licenses (work seats) and get it done. The set up is sometimes free, while it is also much faster - 24 hours on average.
Cloud call centers are also solutions that can be easily modified and configured to meet your business needs - whether it relates to adding some new features, workplaces or third-party software integrations that are must-haves for modern call centers.
6. Types of call center: multichannel call center
Multichannel call center is the call center that provides different communication channel options for customers to use, including text channels - email, online chat, chatbots, etc., social media channels, and sometimes even video conferencing. Self-service channels can also be counted as separate communication channels.
Nevertheless, you can find many articles regarding the difference between mutlichannel and omnichannel call centers. A few years ago, the point was that multichannel call centers don’t provide an option for users to switch between channels during the conversation without losing its progress. Nowadays, multichannel call centers do offer this feature, but they are still limited in terms of analytics capabilities - you can’t analyze the performance of a separate channel, only the overall data.
To learn more about these two types of call centers, check out our complete guide.
7. Types of call center: omnichannel call center
As it has been mentioned above, an omnichannel call center is a kind of advanced multichannel call center. In other words, it shares its capabilities with a multichannel call center, with one single difference - omnichannel call center offers an option to analyze data regarding every contact channel separately, which means it provides you with deeper insights regarding your communication strategy and this can have a huge impact on your customer service performance, as well as on business strategy at all.
In fact, you should do deep research for each solution you are considering for purchase - many call center solutions are called “omnichannel” or “multichannel”, while their features may significantly differ, so don’t let them confuse you.
8. Types of call center: outsourced call center
Outsourced call center is any call center that is rented on turnkey basis. In other words, this means you pay for the services of a call center that is often located overseas (they are also called offshore call centers) and which has its own staff, software, and facilities to handle your customer calls or run telemarketing campaigns for you. Such companies offer both outbound and inbound call center services. Many entrepreneurs prefer this option as it grants great economy on labor costs, operating costs, and some other expenses too.
Nevertheless, this option also has some pitfalls - a few of outsourced call centers can guarantee high-quality of customer service and high levels of customer satisfaction, and those who can will do it for a proper price - otherwise there will be legit customer concerns, especially when it comes to sensitive customers. Also, you won’t have control over anything - all internal processes are managed by the managers of the outsourced call centers, and you have to negotiate every single aspect of the partnership with them - with all potential consequences. A call center that is set up and run by an organization itself is called in-house call center business model.
9. Types of call center: automated call center
Automated call center is a call center that provides services without involving human agents and other call center employees, excluding those who maintain the system. In other words, customer can’t communicate with a live agent in this case - only with self-service tools, such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system or chatbots, or AI-powered assistants.
In most cases, automated call center is considered to have AI-driven tools, so it is a “young” type of call center. Nonetheless, the tendency shows that in near future there will be plenty of such call centers, even though there is no way to replace the work of human agents, common customer questions can be resolved with the use of self-service tools only.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many call center types - and call center types differ by the type of infrastructure location, type of calls they handle, and by the model of ownership. Call centers can also differ by industry they are used in - financial services, financial institutions, customer service call centers, healthcare, government services, e-commerce, retail call centers, manufacturing, etc. Also, call centers may be differentiated by the types of customer issues or customer queries they resolve.
Nonetheless, the list of types of call centers we have provided you above is the most complete list. You have to build a dedicated team, analyze customer behavior, customer journey and customer interactions, focusing on providing high level of customer service - but outstanding customer service team is the thing that will help you receive customer trust and reach your business goals.
