Call Centers that specialize in Catalog Order Processing should have most of the following features or services:

Request for Catalog
Be able to take Requests for Catalog with Live Operator or through IVR (Interactive Voice Response) for an economical solution.

Customer ID Capture
When the customer calls in, the agent can capture the Customer ID code printed on the mailing label. Systems can then retrieve the customer name, address, and if desired, past purchase history. This allows agents to save data entry time and reduce errors.

Product Description
A good database can provide a detailed description of each product so agent's are knowledgeable when responding to your customer's inquiries.

Power Search Engines
At times, your customers will not have all the relevant information available. With powerful search engines, a call center can easily identify and select the products customers are interested in purchasing.

These search functions include:
SKU Search
Product Search
Keyword Search
Catalog Page Search

List ID Code Capture
A good call center will understand that you will frequently test lists, so they realize how critical it is to have accurate data on your List ID Code. With this data, you can evaluate the response rate per list and decide if you will purchase more names on the list or discontinue use.

Expansive Customer Info Capture
One of the secrets to One-to-One marketing and Database Marketing is to know your customer. A good system allows for extensive data capture by agent's as they are conversing with your customers. That data might include hobbies, stage of life, profession, household data, extended family info, etc. The demographic information captured by agents allows you to segment your database further.

Comparative Products
Have you ever been to Blockbuster and seen a movie with Tom Hanks and then seen the sign, "If you like this movie, you will also like these other movies¡­" We can provide the same product relationships so our MSR's can recommend related products for your customers.

Upsell Training
Do you want fries with that? Do you want to Super Size that? One of the most critical roles a call center can play is to increase the revenue per order by friendly and persuasive up sales. You have spent a lot of money and energy to stimulate the customer to call. Once the customer has begun to buy your products, the barriers are much lower to get them to buy additional products at the same time.

Combination Packages
Here is another lesson from our Fast Food friends. Combo meals are a way of combining related products and increasing the average revenue per order. A good call center can easily combine multiple SKUs into a new SKU that combines multiple products at a new price.

VIP Treatment
If you want to segment part of your list and provide special service to your preferred and/or most profitable customer base, a good call center can help. They can offer everything from a unique toll-free number for preferred customers, to special discounts or free "thank-you" product offers.

Threshold Upsells
If you find your average order is $88 for example, you may want to offer a premium to the customer for spending $100 or more. This can be an effective way to increase revenue per order. A good company will have robust logic and systems to allow these thresholds to be easily set and the related premiums to be easily made available to your customer by their agents as they are prompted by the computer system.

Specials of the Day
If you have excess inventory, you may want to offer specials that are not printed in your catalog. A good system allows these products to be changed frequently and quickly so you can offer different specials to your customers on a daily basis.

Refer a Friend
Increasing the referral rate is one of the best ways to lower your new customer acquisition cost and save on those costly list rental fees. A good call center can prompt their agents to capture referrals in a friendly, yet persuasive manner.

Credit Card Processing
Credit Card processing can be done by a call center, by the fulfillment center, by you or by a third party. If the call center process the credit card, they can do it on-line real time, or in a batch process. Due to FTC regulations, this process is a two-step process. The first step they can do is check availability of funds and put a temporary lock on those funds (Authorize the card). Once they receive shipment confirmation, they can then charge the customer's credit card and post the funds directly to your account.

Real Time Credit Card Mod-10 Check
Whether they do the Credit Card processing or another party, a good call center can still verify the cards validity. Most order entry systems utilize a function developed by credit card companies called a Mod-10 check. This is based on an algorithm that verifies card number sequence validity.

Data

RFM Coding and ID
Recency, Frequency and Monetary - these are three critical factors in determining your most profitable customer segments. It also helps you avoid wasting money on your most unprofitable segments and save those precious mailing dollars. Some call centers can code your database, create segments, and provide the appropriate data for your mailing strategy.

Merge / Purge / De-dup
A good call center can help with any of your list cleaning or management services.

Demographic / Lifestyle Appending
A good call center can append demographic data to your customer base and create profiles of your customers. They can also link up lifestyle data. With this data, you can find additional customer that matches your existing customers as well as better target your products and marketing to your customer base.

Standard Reports
Most good call centers provide all the typical ACD call center reports. These reports are generally available online so they are available at your convenience.

Customized Reports
Sales per product
Geographic penetration
Revenue per catalog space

Connectivity
There can be several options with connectivity. One possibility is to have mirrored databases that have a daily update and handshake. Another is to have a dedicated line between the call center, the fulfillment center and the central data repository. At the call center, they can do a terminal emulation of your system on their computers. A third possibility is to utilize the web and have all or partial systems integrated into a web site.

Real Time Inventory Status
It is nice to be able to tell at any moment what the status of your inventory is and if any items are backordered. This can be done in real time or on a daily update basis.

Real Time Shipping Status
It is nice to allow the agent to be able to tell the date the order shipped, the method of shipment, and any applicable tracking numbers. This also can be done on a daily update basis.

Integration with Fulfillment System and POS Systems
This requires a dedicated line between these systems and the call center network. With that line in place, they can access the areas of your system that you give access to and emulate your terminals on their computers. This can also be accomplished through use of a Virtual Private Network.

E-commerce / Web Integration
It is common today to utilize your existing e-commerce site as the order entry application. Most catalog call centers can build a robust e-commerce solution for you.

Customer Service
One option available is to have a dedicated shipping specialist that is empowered to handle all customer complaints or any complex inquiry or issue. Agents can escalate calls to this specialist for quick and efficient resolution.

Order Tracking
Large portions of customer service calls are generally simple inquiries into their order status. Has the item been shipped? When should it arrive? How will it be delivered? With a robust database, a call center can link order status information with the customer order.

Customer Interaction History
Customer frustration quickly escalates if they have to repeat their same story over to multiple people. With a good contact management tool, any agent can access customer information and view their previous interactions. It is wise to date stamp and ID the previous agent so each interaction is well documented.

Return Handling
Accurate return processing is a critical factor in maintaining a satisfied customer base. Return handling requires close and frequent coordination with the fulfillment center and the unit doing the credit card processing.

Chargeback Handling
If credit card Chargebacks are not handled in a timely and correct manner, it can jeopardize your Merchant Account status or prove to be very expensive and inflate your return rate. Look for well defined business rules and processes to effectively handle chargeback resolutions.

Complaint Resolution
Does the catalog call center train their agents on how to handle angry customers, teach them correct phone etiquette, and do they seek to empower them to seek for a resolution of the customer's concerns?

Finding the best for your Catalog Order Processing
Find a company that has years experience with catalog order processing. Find someone who has taken hundreds of thousands of order entry calls. Find someone who has worked with large and small catalogs. Find someone who understands your world and seeks to increase your revenue per order, augment the lifetime value of each customer, and enhance your bottom line. Find someone who knows that they need to help make you successful for them to be successful.

Please check out the Inbound Telemarketing Directory for further information about Inbound Call Centers firms that provide inbound service for Catalog Companies.