Benefits of order taking services

Benefits of order taking services

Order taking services are the crux of any business as they enable the company to maintain a round the clock global presence, letting the customers to purchase from them at any time they want to. Last decade saw the emergence of online trading and e commerce start-ups that revolutionized the way businesses are being done. Online sales are just like their offline counterparts except everything from viewing the product to payment options, are conducted virtually or over the phone calls. The most important aspect of the virtual shopping process is the placement of orders as it brings money to the company. Acquiring orders is as important as delivering them, as they ensure that company’s products are actually being sold and used by the customers.

In the old days when there was no internet people would have to actually visit the shop during the regular business hours and place orders. Some companies came up with the idea of telephone ordering but it was quite expensive for both the customer and the company. But as we made advancements in the field of communications, cell phones became more and more common and call rates dropped, telephone based order placement became a common trend. People soon realized that they are just a phone call away from acquiring products. Without even leaving the comfort of their home they were able to buy products by simply contacting the company through a single phone call. Telephone order placement paved way for internet order taking. Since people prefer to get in touch with representative of the company, telephonic order taking services are more preferred.

Big companies or start-ups that get heavy investments can afford to have an in-house department dedicated to order taking services. But small time businesses and emerging start-ups that cannot spare enough resources to have an in-house order taking department, outsource their requirements to order taking call centres. They are third party vendors that specialise in handling order acquiring phone calls and providing relevant information to the customers along with occasional gaining of feedback. People who are not very comfortable with making purchase online, can exercise the option of telephonic order taking services.

The process includes a live attendant walking you through the process order placement over the telephone. Some order taking call centres even process payments through debit or credit cards. Since these are professionals dealing with your order, special care is taken in maintaining data privacy and to make sure that your private information is not shared with anyone else except the company from which you are buying the products. In case the caller has any query or doubt regarding the product or payment option, attendants are trained to take care of them as well. All in all, great care is taken to ensure that the customer feels comfortable and confident while placing the order.

Some order taking call centres even offer shipment, order tracking, order cancellation and fulfilment services as well. This works in the favour of the company also, as if shipment does not reach in time and customer is dissatisfied with the experience, it can cause negative publicity. This will affect the sales and in turn business will suffer. Order taking call centres constantly coordinate with the shipping, handling and delivery people to keep a track of the order and ensure that it is delivered hassle free to the customer within the delivery date promised.

There is one benefit that order taking call centres offer to the companies that many people are not aware of. Order acquiring agents are trained well to up and cross sell. Upselling is a sales technique through which the caller tries to prompt the customer to purchase more expensive items, and/or upgrade the already placed one to make a more profitable sale. Cross selling is one of the least demanding and best marketing strategies. It refers to selling of an additional product or service to the customer. The customer needs to be made aware of the additional service being provided by the company that too in such a way that it seems tempting. This is the reason why order taking agents are thoroughly trained as company’s sales depend on their behaviour and conduct with the caller. Cross and up selling cannot be conducted that smoothly using online options.

The business of online sales thrives on customers’ satisfaction. A good and reliable order taking service is bound to bring in new customers and retain the already existing ones. Order taking call centres make sure that the customer support being provided is top notch and no stones is left upturned in making the customers feel comfortable and happy during the order placement process. Many businesses have died because of bad customer handling. A good order taking call centre is aware of this and uses the best of human resource and technology to provide the honest order acquiring services.