Aug
19th
2008

Why Start a Professional Survey Call Center



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Before developing new products, business owners conduct market research to find out whether or not a product will be of value to their consumers. If at all possible, they prefer to gather this type of information before manufacturing a new product or investing large amounts of money in developing it. To carry out this research, many businesses conduct surveys in order to get a better understanding of current consumer trends.

Survey Call Center Tasks

In many cases, you’ll find that survey call centers focus their calls on specific geographic regions, or target audience characteristics. For example, you might receive a list of phone numbers of people that download a specific type of music from services like iTunes. While you won’t be trying to sell a product or service to the customer, you will be trying to find out what makes a person buy – or not buy – a specific item with a series of predetermined questions.

In other instances, business might use survey call centers to obtain customer satisfaction information. For example, if a consumer purchased a piece of equipment, the manufacturer might want to know if the customer is happy with the item or not. This type of information is often used to help formulate new versions of a product, as well as highlight areas that need improvement.

Businesses That Use Survey Call Centers

Electronics manufacturers, restaurant franchises, and service related businesses are just a few of the different types of businesses that may outsource some of their marketing research to a survey call center. During political campaigns, candidates running for office may also utilize call centers to help them create and maintain the impression they’re making on the general public. You may also find that a variety of public service organizations want to get specific information from community members, which requires the assistance of an independent survey group.

Career Opportunities

In some cases, you may be able to find a job as a survey call center professional dedicated to a specific franchise. That said, the parent company will have to be fairly large in order to provide enough work for a full time position. You may also be able to find work at traditional survey organizations. During an election season, you may also be employed by a candidate, or their party.

Starting Your Own Survey Call Center

In some cases, business owners may not be able to afford the fees associated with hiring large survey organizations. At the same time, they may not have enough work available to justify hiring someone. Therefore, you may be able to offer your services on a call volume basis. While it may take some work to start this type of business, it’s an ideal situation if you prefer working for yourself.

Without question, candid consumer feedback is vital the success of a company. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to obtain this information. Focused telephone surveys can help gather sufficient customer feedback to help businesses make a number of decisions related to future product offerings.

Posted by Admin in Call Center News.

Aug
13th
2008

Non-Profit Organization Call Centers



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Non-profit organizations fill a number of roles in society, from serving to raise consumer awareness about a wide range of issues to providing financial and other forms of assistance in emergency situations. Typically, the public funding for these groups is limited, so their services rely heavily on the generosity of donors. As a call center specialist, you could find yourself doing anything from soliciting financial contributions to disseminating information and educational materials about the organization’s mission.

Non-Profit Organization Call Center Tasks

As with any other type of business, non-profit organizations need to obtain an enormous amount of information from individuals that are likely to make donations. In addition, when you’re working in a non-profit organization call center, you may also make calls directly asking people for donations. Depending on the situation, you may find varying levels of receptiveness to your requests – including everything from generous responses to quickly hung-up phones.

Because non-profit organizations also seek to raise awareness of specific issues, some of your call center work may involve distributing educational materials. For example, a women’s shelter might conduct a campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence. Typically, if you’re involved in an educational outreach effort, you’ll be given a series of points to cover with individuals that are willing to listen to you.

Getting Paid for Working in a Non-Profit Call Center

In many cases, you’ll find that non-profit organizations are under-funded and under-staffed. As a result, you may be asked to conduct phone-a-thons, or related services on a volunteer basis. Even though you may not be paid for your work, you may find the experience valuable if you plan to start your own call center business. You’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing that you helped a worthwhile organization raise needed funds.

Aside from this, you’ll also gain an opportunity to expand your communication skills, without having to worry about job performance reviews. Your experiences as a non-profit organization call specialist may also be useful to include on a job resume. Not only will this give you the chance to highlight a significant amount of experience, it’s a useful way to present yourself as an individual interested in humanitarian goals.

Fraud Alerts

If you’re going to work as an outsourced non-profit call center specialists, it’s important to research your clients carefully. Individuals have posed as everything from police offers to clergy members in order to obtain donations. Unfortunately, some people will even pretend they’re trying to raise money in order to help people affected by disaster situations. Make sure the organization is legit before you start soliciting donations.

In many cases, non-profit organizations rely on call centers to help them raise funds to continue their operations. Unfortunately, due to the limited nature of non-profit funding, it may be impossible for them to find qualified personnel to fill this position. Therefore, if you choose to work in this field, it’s likely your services will be accepted only on a voluntary basis. However, if you gain enough experience in this field, you may eventually be able to move on to bigger and better things.

Posted by Admin in Call Center News.