{"id":40700,"date":"2021-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/inbound-calling\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T21:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T04:12:09","slug":"inbound-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/inbound-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"Inbound calling 101: What it is &#038; how to do it well"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if the term \u201cinbound calling\u201d doesn\u2019t ring a bell (pun intended), you\u2019ve no doubt interacted with this common business practice on numerous occasions. Like, for example, when your two-year phone contract finally comes to an end, so you contact your cell service provider to discuss renewal terms (like which of your children you must sacrifice in order to get your hands on the new iPhone free of charge).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, inbound calling is when customers or prospects initiate contact with your business. And because you don\u2019t know what the customer or prospect needs until you talk to them, this type of support is often referred to as <\/span><b>reactive support: <\/b>they call, you react<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Inbound calls are generally handled by a <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center.html\">call center<\/a> (aka contact center) or help desk\u2014although this isn\u2019t always the case with smaller companies or regional branches that may have only one or two people fielding all calls (think Kelly Kapoor from <i>The Office<\/i>). And the importance of having a good inbound calling strategy should definitely not be underestimated. It can affect anything from how quickly your team can pick up the phone, to how quickly they can resolve your customers actual problems:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6150\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/reasons-for-hanging-up-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"reasons that customers hang up\" width=\"840\" height=\"440\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Types of inbound calls include those for tech support, sales inquiries, complaints, contract renewals, billing, and more. Oh, and inbound calls don\u2019t always have to be \u201ccalls\u201d either\u2014as in on the telephone\u2014inbound calls can also include inquiries via live chat, email, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\">video call<\/a> and even social media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re thinking about your inbound calling strategy (or lack thereof), look no further. In this post, we\u2019ll look at:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#Inbound vs outbound calling\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The difference between inbound and outbound calling<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#Handle inbound calls\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to handle inbound calls<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#Benefits of having a call center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The benefits of having a call center or contact center<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#Pros and cons of outsourcing inbound calling\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pros and cons of outsourcing inbound calling<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#What to do if your business doesn\u2019t need a call center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to do if your business doesn\u2019t need a call center (yet)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#5 tips to strengthen your inbound call strategy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 tips to strengthen your inbound call strategy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\">How customer-obsessed is your business? Take the quiz to find out how to improve your customer experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/documents\/quiz_how_customer_obsessed_your_business.pdf\" data-id=\"69ff32d96b3a5\" id=\"69ff32d96b3a5\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69ff32d96b3a5.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83c\udf1f Want to provide better customer service?<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40 Ready to see how your business stacks up? <\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Take the quiz\">Take the quiz<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69ff32d96b3a5.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy the quiz! <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a name=\"Inbound vs outbound calling\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>But what about outbound calling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In contrast, outbound calling is when <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> initiate a call with your customer or prospect, like in response to a support request, to let a customer know about a new service, or to collect survey data. This type of calling is considered <strong>proactive<\/strong> since it allows you to prepare for the call.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever called a company and been given the option to request a \u201ccallback\u201d versus staying on the line for ages, listening to awful elevator music? That callback is an outbound call.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another common use of outbound calling is cold sales calling, where sales reps reach out to leads who may (or may not) have indicated they\u2019re interested in your offer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put simply, the key difference between inbound and outbound calling is who initiates the call\u2014<\/span><b>does it come from outside the organization (inbound) or inside the organization (outbound)?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe\" id=\"new-rc-subscribe\"  style=\"background-image:url('\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ringcentral\/assets\/images\/temp\/subscribe.png')\">\n\t\t<button class=\"close js-popup-close\"><svg class=\"icon_close_mobile\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\"><use xlink:href=\"#icon_close_mobile\"><\/use><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_text\">\n<h3 class=\"rc-subscribe__title h2\">Stay informed with RingCentral<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__subtitle\">Subscribe to our emails for the latest blogs, events, and exclusive content on AI-powered communication solutions. Stay ahead with insights and tips from the leader in trusted AI communications.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/legal\/privacy-notice.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-dl-name=\"Privacy Notic\" data-dl-element=\"link\" data-dl-additional-info=\"social\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Privacy Notice<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_form\">\n<form class=\"\" data-event-init=\"true\" novalidate data-js-form>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Must be valid email. example@yourdomain.com\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminlength=\"4\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaxlength=\"255\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpattern=\"[a-z0-9._%+\\-]+@[a-z0-9.\\-]+\\.[a-z]{2,}$\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tautocomplete=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-events-hover=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-element=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-additional-info=\"LET'S WORK TOGETHER\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"email-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"email-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<select\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"Country__c\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Country *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"country-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><option value=\"\" disabled=\"disabled\" selected=\"selected\">Country<\/option><option value=\"Canada\">Canada<\/option><option value=\"United_States\">United States<\/option><\/select><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"country-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\" data-event-init=\"true\">Subscribe<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"confirm-form\" role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" style=\"display: none;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"confirm-form__text\">Thank you for your interest in RingCentral<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a name=\"Handle inbound calls\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>How should you handle inbound calls?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Handling inbound calls might seem like a simple concept\u2014you get a call, you answer it\u2014but any customer-centric company knows that there\u2019s an art <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> science to handling inbound calls to best serve your customer (and your business).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To demonstrate the importance of a solid inbound call strategy, consider this scenario:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: auto; width: 80%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A customer bought something from you, and it\u2019s either not working as intended or it\u2019s straight up broken. Needless to say, they\u2019re frustrated, so they dig through the product manual or do some Googling and finally find a toll-free customer service number. When they dial it, they get an automated system (not surprising), but when none of the options sounds like what they need, they press \u201c0.\u201d They\u2019re disconnected. Now they\u2019re mad. They try the number again and choose the first option. A customer service rep answers but says unfortunately what they need is handled by another department, so they\u2019re transferred. Once again, they\u2019re disconnected for some reason. Irate, they start Tweeting at your company, ripping your customer support. They post on Facebook, warning their network to steer clear of your brand\u2014not the kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/brand-awareness\/\">brand awareness<\/a> you were looking for. They never, ever purchase another thing from your company. Ever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you find yourself cringing as you read the above scenario? It\u2019s an extreme example of what poor inbound call handling can look like, no doubt, but it absolutely highlights why inbound call handling should be a top priority, not an afterthought, for businesses both big and small.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"Benefits of having a call center\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Many hands make light work with inbound call centers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/small-business-management\/\">managing a small business<\/a> that has no immediate use for a full-on call center (totally cool if you are\u2014everyone has to start somewhere!), you could still start planning for a contact center or a phone help desk to field inbound calls. If you&#8217;re going to grow, then people will come calling. It&#8217;s inevitable, and it&#8217;s a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/inbound-call-centers.html\">Inbound call centers<\/a> are the brain of your organization, taking in all the external stimuli, organizing it, and distributing it to the appropriate business \u201climb.\u201d When inbound calls are received, they\u2019re processed and sorted\u2014often via an interactive voice response (<a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/interactive-voice-response.html\">IVR<\/a>) system\u2014and then either handled directly by call center representatives or transferred to the assigned department.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Even if a <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center.html\">contact center<\/a> doesn\u2019t make sense for your small business (yet), installing an IVR and\/or call routing system can ensure the caller is transferred to the right person or department without having to go through reception.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just a few years ago, inbound call centers were centralized, with all representatives usually in the same (big) room. But now, thanks to technology, call center teams can be distributed across multiple locations and time zones. So long as reps have access to a stable internet connection, they can use online tools to communicate with customers<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/contact-center\/products\/omnichannel.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> via their preferred channels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (including voice, live chat, SMS, social, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/telecoms-how-messaging-improves-customer-experience\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">messaging apps<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and email) from anywhere in the world:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc_custom_video\"><a class=\"rc_custom_video__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtu.be\/PZC3o5YN90E\">\n\t\t            <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi_webp\/PZC3o5YN90E\/maxresdefault.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rc_custom_video__media\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/PZC3o5YN90E\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t            <\/picture>\n\t\t        <\/a><br \/>\n\t\t        <button class=\"rc_custom_video__button\" aria-label=\"Play video\"><svg width=\"68\" height=\"48\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\"><path class=\"rc_custom_video__button-shape\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\"><\/path><path class=\"rc_custom_video__button-icon\" d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\"><\/path><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t        <\/button>\n\t\t    <\/div>\n<p>A few more perks of having an inbound call center:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re able to rely upon a dedicated team trained in resolving issues, answering questions, and relaying information efficiently (and hopefully pleasantly).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to solving problems and answering questions, call center reps can also stand-in as pseudo sales reps by upselling existing customers\u2014after all, they should be just as familiar with the benefits of your products or services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They might be able to dissuade customers from cancelling your services or returning your product.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can handle more volume more efficiently, which is particularly important during seasonal upticks or new product\/service launches.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your business would be available all hours of the day and night, since you can hire agents in different timezones.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\ud83d\udd79\ufe0f<\/span> Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral can reduce your inbound calls and help your team provide better customer service with features like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/lp\/small-business-phone-service.html\">business phone service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/virtual-call-center.html\">virtual call center.<\/a> Book a product tour today:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><button data-href=\"#leadform-popup\" class=\"js-open-popup-activator btn primary\" >Choose a time<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\ud83d\udcb0<\/span> You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/ringcentral.valuestoryapp.com\/roi-calculator\/\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>use this calculator<\/b><\/span><\/a><b> <\/b>to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team&#8217;s communication with each other, clients, freelancers, and more.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a name=\"Pros and cons of outsourcing inbound calling\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>To outsource or not to outsource your inbound calling&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is the question, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping your call center in-house gives you better quality control because the team is fully integrated into your company. An added benefit of having an integrated call center is you\u2019re that much closer to the people who pay your bills: the customers. The value of their feedback\u2014both positive and negative\u2014cannot be overstated. Make sure you have a system in place for call center reps to document and categorize feedback so you can easily sort through it when it comes time for tweaking existing offers or developing new ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, if you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">decide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/bpo-call-center\/\">outsource<\/a>, the biggest benefit of that (also called business process outsourcing, or BPO) is cash savings. Beyond that, outsourcing frees you up from having to accommodate changes in call volume and staffing since that\u2019s generally handled by your contractor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you go in-house or the BPO route, remember that neither is better nor worse\u2014it\u2019s just about what makes most sense for your business. That said, don\u2019t take this decision lightly: make sure you do your homework and, at the very least, chat with other business owners who\u2019ve been in your position to help identify potential pros and cons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"What to do if your business doesn\u2019t need a call center\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What if an inbound call center doesn\u2019t make sense for you? (4 questions to ask)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned, setting up an inbound call center might not make sense for everyone. That\u2019s okay. But just to gut-check if that\u2019s the case, ask yourself these four questions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Am I able to respond to customer inquiries promptly and efficiently?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Am I confident that my callers aren\u2019t waiting on hold for unreasonable amounts of time? (For reference, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arise.com\/resources\/blog\/arise-customer-service-frustration-series-phone-hold-times\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a recent survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found nearly two-thirds of respondents wouldn\u2019t wait on hold longer than two minutes.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Am I available during the hours and days when most customers or prospects are trying to contact me?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are my customers satisfied with the service I\u2019m providing? (If your answer is &#8220;I don\u2019t know,&#8221; it\u2019s probably time to send out a survey)?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you answered yes to most of the questions above, you probably don\u2019t need a call center just yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But even so, if you\u2019re planning on growing your business, it doesn\u2019t hurt to start planning for a call center (or some kind of inbound calling solution) in the future. This will ensure you\u2019re not making snap decisions when your company has a sudden influx of inbound calls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"5 tips to strengthen your inbound call strategy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>5 ways to strengthen your inbound call strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you already have an inbound call strategy or you\u2019re in the process of developing one to handle all the calls and emails you\u2019re getting, the following tips will\u2014in the words of Daft Punk\u2014make it better, faster, stronger. Which is a key if you want to provide a good overall <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-experience\/\">customer experience<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use inbound calling technology<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The right technology will enable your team (of one or 100) to help more inbound callers, in less time, with less effort\u2014and still deliver delightful service. Consider implementing a call routing tool to direct the caller to the right person along with important caller information like location, purchase history, plan details, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And don\u2019t forget to think about the tools you\u2019re already using and how they might interact with your inbound call strategy. For example, some call center tools can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/apps\/?appCategory=CRM\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so that you can, at a glance, see your customer\u2019s full relationship history with your business, allowing you to provide the most personalized call experience:<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1708\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1708\" style=\"width: 982px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1708 size-full\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image2-4.png\" alt=\"RingCentral Zendesk Integration\" width=\"982\" height=\"521\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1708\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">For example, with RingCentral\u2019s Zendesk integration, your incoming calls are automatically synced with matching customer records (if it\u2019s a customer calling).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3 style=\"padding-top: 20px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invest in intensive customer service training<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customer service has a reputation for being an entry-level job, which is often confused with being an \u201ceasy\u201d job. And as anyone who\u2019s worked in customer service knows\u2026 that\u2019s not true.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-service-skills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer service skills<\/a> should be developed over time with continuous training. Reps not only need to retain and relay vast amounts of information, they also need to be proficient multitaskers, clear communicators, and excellent problem-solvers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond that, they need to know how to empathize with your customer\u2014to put themselves in their shoes to better understand the problem and to deliver a solution that will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/happy-customers\">make the customer happy<\/a>. Remember, customer service reps interact with your customers more than anyone else in your business would so it\u2019s important they have the training and support to represent you well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversify your inbound \u201ccall\u201d channels<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although over-the-phone service remains a key support channel, it\u2019s also the most expensive since you can only help one person at a time. To lower this cost, divert some of that phone traffic to other more efficient channels, like live chat\u2014and if you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">want to be budget-conscious, there are tools out there that take care of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/engage\/channels\/live-chat.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live chat along with phone calls <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communication channels<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/engage\/channels\/live-chat.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral\u2019s live chat tool<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows you who\u2019s chatting with you, which comes in handy if it\u2019s a customer who already has a relationship with your business (see it in action by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/schedule-a-demo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">booking a quick demo here<\/a>):<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1709 size-large\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image3-3-1024x775.png\" alt=\"RingCentral live chat tool\" width=\"840\" height=\"636\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the average person can only take one phone call at a time, they can often take on two, three, or more live chats at once. Email, too, is far \u201clower touch\u201d (meaning a low level of personal contact with customers), especially since you can save even more time by using templated responses to answer common customer questions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Help customers help themselves<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By investing in \u201cself-serve\u201d methods of support, like a good FAQ page and easy-to-follow instructional resources, you empower customers and prospects to answer their own questions rather than reaching out to you\u2014which saves everyone time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, you\u2019ll always have some folks who prefer hand-holding, but for those people who hate contacting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer support<\/a>, why not give them a hassle-free way to resolve their own problems?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\">Pro-tip:<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is by no means a top priority for every business, but if you find that you\u2019re spending a lot of time answering the same few questions, that\u2019s a sign that you should look into making an FAQ page for your website.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Track everything, always<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider the question, \u201cAre your customers satisfied with the service you\u2019re providing?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you answered &#8220;I don\u2019t know,&#8221; that\u2019s a pretty good indication that you should be setting up some kind of tracking method to help you answer this confidently, one way or the other. Just a few of the <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center-metrics.html\">call center metrics<\/a> you should be tracking include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Call abandonment rate:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> percentage of callers who hang up before they speak to someone<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Time on hold\/in queue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> average time a caller waits before speaking to someone<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Time to resolution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> average time it takes for you to resolve an issue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/first-call-resolution-industry-standard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">First-call resolution<\/a>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> percentage of calls that are resolved after the first interaction<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Customer satisfaction:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/nps-in-your-customer-care-strategy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NPS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a great way to measure this<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, and make sure whatever inbound calling tool you\u2019re using has a way of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/features\/analytics-portal\/overview.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measuring at least some of these metrics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for you:<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1711\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1711\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/features\/analytics-portal\/overview.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1711 size-large\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image4-3-1024x835.png\" alt=\"RingCentral Analytics Portal\" width=\"840\" height=\"685\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">RingCentral&#8217;s analytics portal shows you everything you need to know about calling patterns from your customers and prospects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s your inbound calling strategy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re scrambling to amp up (or just create) an inbound calling strategy, don\u2019t worry\u2014it might be a good thing. After all, an influx of inbound calls could indicate more customers coming in, which means more growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, with growth comes more work, and it can be tempting to put inbound calling on the backburner while you focus on seemingly more important\u00a0 tasks. Try not to do this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is where an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/inbound-call-center-solution.html\">inbound call center solution<\/a> can be a game-changer. By implementing a robust inbound call center solution, you can efficiently manage increased call volumes, ensure consistent customer experiences, and free up your team to focus on strategic tasks. Such a solution can provide features like intelligent call routing, real-time analytics, and AI-powered assistance to help you scale your inbound calling strategy effectively.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way you respond to a customer or prospect who\u2019s reaching out to you could make or break their relationship with your brand. Only by establishing a solid inbound calling strategy can you be sure that your customers and prospects are properly taken care of. Plus, this lets you focus your attention and energy on growing your business and acquiring new customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even if the term \u201cinbound calling\u201d doesn\u2019t ring a bell (pun intended), you\u2019ve no doubt interacted with this common business practice on numerous occasions. Like, for example, when your two-year phone contract finally comes to an end, so you contact your cell service provider to discuss renewal terms (like which of your children you must &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":40706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[7993,8000,15541,17923,4373],"class_list":["post-40700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-call-center","tag-contact-center","tag-cx","tag-inbound-calling","tag-inbound-calls"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Inbound calling 101: What it is &amp; how to do it well | RingCentral Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even if the term \u201cinbound calling\u201d doesn\u2019t ring a bell (pun intended), you\u2019ve no doubt interacted with this common business practice on numerous\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/inbound-calling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inbound calling 101: What it is &amp; 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