incoming and outgoing handled in same dept

[mzuccala]

I Manage a small dept of 8 reps who are handling 14 thousand customers total. I am working to improve the amount of Proactive calls verses ReActive and thereby retaining more customers.. we average 600-700 calls per day both in and outgoing. We have a higher percentage of incoming (reactive) calls everyday. I am in the process of rethinking the layout of the department. These 8 reps also handle all the related paperwork and data entry and collections for these customers. we are strickly a business to business company. I need any input or direction about the best way to move the data entry out of this department so that the reps can spend more time on make proactive calls to our customers. I am open to anything you may have for an idea. We are doing all customer service from one location however, we are supporting 15 remote offices on the east coast.

[csteven]

Suggest you create a back-end customer support dept. When the consultants get a call that involves a dispute or long-involved issue that will require in-depth investigation & time. I suggest you take down the particulars & advise him you'll forward or transfer the call to the "customer support team", then allow the poor consultant to get the next call.

Having your guys wear so many hats will eventually wear them out.

You may want to mail or email to your customers handy reference materials on the top 10 calls you get to avoid them calling in all the time. Customer education may be needed.

Since you're biz to biz, perhaps you have sales people who handle these clients. I'd try to shift some of the stuff onto those guys, too. They shouldn't get all the glory. Your guys shouldn't get all the sh...

[dchoudhury]

I suggest you to outsource your back office operation to some reputed Organization, who'll do it effectively regularly interfacing with you through internet as your partner. In that case may be 1/2 I can able to suggest, as we have tried and its now rendering us two benifits
1) Some body is more liable than our working people,who are involved in something else, and their core compitence is also supporting us in that respects.
2) Cost effective ness
The major cost cutting happend in that case, and more over our people are happy that they're no longer worried for the back office part. We're now growing , so I cannot afford to make my people busy on something else, on which they're not happy.
If requirred I can get you those names of the people, one of their representative stays very near to me.
Thanks & Regards
Dibs