A call center is a centralized location that receives calls for one or more other businesses. You may receive standard customer service calls or ones that require specialized knowledge. Because phone systems and a staff to man them can be very expensive, many different types of businesses utilize the services of a call center to minimize their expenses.
This has allowed companies to expand their service hours from a traditional business day to a 24-hour, 7-day operation.
How To Start A Call Center – Getting Started
When deciding how to start a call center, choose a facility that’s large enough to comfortably house a staff of phone workers. If you would like to allow your workers to telecommute, you may be able to operate out of your home, but you will need a more sophisticated call-forwarding system and a method to monitor your employees so that you know when they’re working and when they’re off the clock.
On-site workers will need office equipment including desks, chairs, and computers. In addition to taking phone calls, many call centers also provide live chat services for web-based retailers and outgoing calls for telemarketing purposes.
To accommodate several customers, a number of high-speed phone lines and a reliable, high capacity internet connection are required. Before opening your doors, speak with both your local phone company and internet service providers about your needs.
When learning how to start a call center, training for the high-tech phone equipment will be necessary. Each of your customers will want to make sure that you’re knowledgeable about their products and operation as well.
The person on the other end of the phone should never be able to guess that you’re a third-party call center. For outbound calls, you’ll need to comply with all do-not-call registry regulations in order to avoid penalties.
You should also comply with all Federal and state regulations that dictate who you can call, when you can call, and why you can call. To stay on top of all new regulations, join a call center organization like Contact Center World North America, The Global Association for Contact Center Best Practices & Networking.
Keys To Success
To be successful when learning how to start a call center, keep both your client and their customers happy and do it for less than anyone else can. By keeping your rates low and everyone satisfied, you’ll gain a reputation for excellent service.
Continue to think of new ways that your services can solve your business partner’s problems. Make regular sales calls to prospective clients and ask for feedback about your call center’s performance. To beat your competition, you will have to constantly evolve and make sure that you’re always one step ahead of the next call center.
Finding Clients For Your Call Center
Unless you have a few customers in your pocket when you start a call center, call on local businesses to develop a client base. Be prepared to show that you can answer their calls better than their existing call center or that you can save them money.
Your best bet would be to show how you can do both at the same time. If the business owner has an internal staff that they are concerned about letting go, you can offer to hire a certain number of them if you have a true need for more employees. Like all other businesses today, you should also have a website that details the value that you can add to a potential client’s customer service and sales operations.
Expansion opportunities are limitless when you consider that almost every business is a potential client. However, if you would like to expand into other areas, that’s possible, too. You could start a training program for companies who would like to maintain an in-house call center, but need help with their processes. If your telemarketing skills are unparalleled, branch out into other sales and marketing areas.
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