You don't have to manage your own calendar. Learn how inbound appointment scheduling call centers work and how they can boost your productivity.

1. Inbound Appointment Scheduling 101

2. How an Inbound Appointment Scheduling Call Center Works
An inbound appointment scheduling call center is one that receives calls and
schedules appointments on behalf of a client or number of clients. They work
like a receptionist in an office, only they are off-site contractors instead of
employees.
Who uses inbound appointment scheduling?
Inbound appointment scheduling services are utilized by a variety of
industries and under a number of scenarios.
Attorneys often employ scheduling call centers in order to setup initial
consultation appointments with prospective clients who call into the office.
Contractors and service professionals use these answering services to
schedule estimates or manage the calendar for their entire operation (not just
new customers but existing ones as well).
Any business that routinely schedules appointments as part of their operation
can utilize a scheduling call center.
Inbound vs. outbound appointment scheduling

3. Inbound appointment scheduling differs from outbound telemarketing in that
it only deals with calls that come in to a business. It does not involve cold
calling from lists and trying to generate new business.
Instead, inbound appointment call centers rely on people expressing interest
and placing calls for appointments. Once a call is placed, the call center
answers and works to get the caller on the client’s calendar.
Outsourcing your inbound appointment scheduling duties
Taking advantage of a scheduling call center is a simple process. First, you
need to locate an answering service or call center that advertises appointment
scheduling capabilities. Be sure to locate a company that answers inbound
calls instead of making outbound telemarketing inquiries.
Once you’ve located a company you’re interested in working with, check
with their sales team to ensure they can integrate or utilize your preferred
calendar system. In most cases, you won’t be interested in using a new
calendar system just for the call center’s sake.
After selecting a company that can take your calls and use your calendar, all
that’s left is ensuring they have the information and scripting necessary to
handle your call types. If you’re running an advertising campaign offering
free estimates, for example, they need to be aware of the fine print, when to
schedule those estimates, how to notify you, what information to gather, etc.
Plan your internal process for handling these appointment calls and then
provide that plan to the call center for implementation.

4. Call centers can handle more than scheduling
Typically the vendor you work with is capable of far more than simply
scheduling your appointments. You may want to consider them for general
receptionist duties or other customer service related tasks. It’s quite possible
that they can handle all of your telephone answering and customer service
needs.
Call center and inbound scheduling source: www.continentalmessage.com