Sometimes it’s hard to find a good call center or telephone answering service. Other times it’s hard to work with them once you find them. Dealing with customer service issues, training deficiencies, billing questions, and account changes can soon become a full time job. It doesn’t have to be that way. Enter the call center broker. Not only can a broker help you find the perfect call center or answering service, but a broker can also manage them for you, so that you don’t have to. Basically, you outsource the phone work to a call center and you outsource call center oversight to a broker. Depending on your needs, expectations, and internal resources a broker can do as much or as little as you need them to. Consider these options: Single Point of Contact: Your broker becomes a single point of contact for you when dealing with your call center. You don’t need to know if you should call customer service, the training manager, accounting, the technical department, or your account manager. You need only contact your broker: one person and one number saves you from a load of hassle. Conflict Resolution: When a problem arises with your answering service, you can call and yell at them, possibly damaging your relationship with them in the process. Or you can share your frustration with your broker who will know the right way to approach your answering service and communicate it in a manner that makes sense to them but without burning any bridges. Advocate: Your broker becomes your chief campaigner with your call center. They will represent you and your best interests. They function as an activist on your behalf. Compliance Champion: Your contract with your call center likely has performance metrics they must comply with. But it can be hard to know if they are. Your broker can track and verify this. Your broker can also ensure your invoices are correct and in accordance with their contractual commitments. Don’t leave this to chance. Have your broker verify. Jargon Translator: Do you speak call center? Not many people do, but your broker can, translating your words to your call center staff and their words back to you. Don’t let a boatload of jargon sink your ship. Your broker can help keep you afloat with your call center. Use a broker to find a call center or answering service, and use a broker to manage them for you, too. Janet Livingston is the president ofCall Center Sales Pro, a premier sales and marketing service provider for the call center and telephone answering service industry—and who provides a call center matchmaking service, covering both onshore and offshore call centers and answering services. Contact Janet at contactus@callcenter-salespro.com or call 800-901-7706. Peter Lyle DeHaan is a freelance writer from Southwest Michigan.