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How to Select a Call Center
by Kristin Davis, Digilatics

Many home inspectors look for advice on how to evaluate which call center is the best choice for their home inspection business. So, when it comes to outsourcing a call center, how do you choose the best fit for your business?

Bill Compton, owner of Inspector Call Center, says that when choosing the right call center for your inspection business, look for these vital services as part of a basic package:
• Scheduling inspections
• Industry knowledge
• Customer service
• Selling add-ons
• Arranging 3rd party services
• Keeping great notes in your database
• Collecting payment

In addition to offering vital services to your business, the right call center will align with your personal company strategies and goals. You should definitely feel as if you are on the same team! The communication and experience you have during the onboarding process with your call center of choice, is extremely telling of how the communication with your future clients will go. Take notice of what your chosen call center does to make sure you are understood and taken care of.

A call center should enable residential and commercial real estate inspectors to focus on the heart and soul of their business—inspecting—while it takes care of the nuts and bolts of administration. This includes all of your back-office support such as collecting payments, getting your pre-inspection agreement signed and uploaded into your database, scheduling your third-party inspectors for add-on services, etc.

Compton says great client coordinators are trained to help you gain additional inspections first and foremost, but after that, Compton says they help you in other ways. “A great call center works hard to sell your add-on services,” Compton said. “Our goal is to ensure you are making the most money you can on each inspection. A good call center should do that for you.”

Choosing the right call center ensures that your back-office is running smoothly also. With the right team, not only will your number of inspections grow, but so will your efficiency when it comes to tasks like collecting payments and keeping the revenue flow moving forward.

Client care coordinators become part of your team, so they should treat you and your customers accordingly. They handle scheduling and help increase sales and revenue. If your call center has a database like ISN, you will be able to see your inspection scheduled in real time, allowing you to see exactly what is going on at all times.

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A great call center builds relationships with your customers and with your industry partners too. An agent or broker who knows they can count on quick service from you and that they will always be able to reach you/your company, will gain confidence that they can rely on you, increasing trust and repeat business. People want to work with professionals.

A call center will help your company grow beyond what is possible when working on your own. It will bring you to the next level. There are so many variables that go into choosing the right call center for your inspection business—these are just a few. The most important, however, is to make sure they are a passionate and engaged member of your team! Good luck in 2021!

About the Author
Kristin Davis is a “dropout teacher” and lifelong learner. Through a serendipitous twist of events, she found her niche and passion through freelance writing and marketing. To work with Kristin and her freelance services, please email knd4422@gmail.com.

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