What is a UK Call Centre?

For many companies a UK call centre is the cornerstone of their Customer Service. Dealing with incoming and outgoing telephone calls from new or existing customers, these are handled by a team of advisors.

Traditionally the services provided were:

• Offering customers call support
• Handling their queries
• Carrying out telemarketing
• Conducting market research

However, with improvements in technology, and new channels of communication opening with the emergence of digital voice and customer experience. This has led to the evolution of the call centre into the contact centre.

What is the difference between a UK Call Centre and a Contact Centre?

A call centre is different from a contact centre as it traditionally only deals with voice calls. A contact centre handles queries from multiple channels including phone / voice and digital such as email, live chat, WhatsApp messaging, and social media including Facebook amd Instagram.

Although most UK contact centres now handle queries over the phone, and via email and multiple channels, they are still predominantly labelled as call centres, it seems the old description is hard to lose. What this means, is that today, the terms ‘call centre’ and ‘contact centre’, are often used to refer to the same process in terms of outsourcing to third party  customer service representatives.

Why are call centres still so valuable?

Customers increasingly want a platform where they can have their queries resolved, order placed, or return managed 24/7, 365 days a year, through a channel which suits them. Using a call centre enables companies to provide a platform to enhance their brand through delivering a great customer experience.

In addition, UK call centres drive data which can be used to personalise service, streamline processes, and map out the customer journey. This creates a proactive method and provides the best possible experience.