A call center is a large investment for companies to work with and an even bigger investment for those that wish to start their own service. Creating a call center has become more streamlined as the industry and market has grown, but there are still a few things one can learn throughout this process. There are a few things for individuals to keep in mind when setting up a productive and effective call center.

Call centers need to reflect a basic yet structured system for customers to feel supported and assisted. A call center can be an investment for individuals in terms of money and time. Every business or individual that wants to create a call center must research plan, execute, and measure all that is needed to be successful. 

Call Center Setup Requirements

Getting ready to create your own call center is not an easy task and can take some serious preparation in order to enable everything to roll out smoothly. Here are some of the most important things to remember when establishing your very own call center.

1. Set Business Goals and Objectives- This is the first order of business you must establish when creating your own call center. Along with all organizations, the mission and goals are the first things solidified. By determining what you want your center to achieve will make carrying out functions all the difference in the ease of set up. Are you hoping to generate sales? Will you want agents to make calls to prospective customers? Is your call center going to be inbound call based, or outbound call based? After first answering these basic questions, you will have a smoother path to follow in your future.
2. Determining Your Needs- Will your call center provide all the resources, or will you have agents using their own equipment? A virtual call center might be a good option if you wish for agents to use their own technology and utilize multiple locations. If this is the type of call center you wish to create, then agents will simply need their own headsets and computers, along with a stable internet connection. An added bonus of this type of call center is that you don’t need to establish a set location, you can utilize all geographic areas.
3. Powerpoint any Operational Parameters or Constraints- Before beginning to set up your call center, you will want to take a closer look at your phone system. Will you be able to integrate software into your pre-existing phone lines? It’s really important to make sure that when you are thinking about your communication system provider, you put the needs and wants of your customers first so that you can choose the best provider. Again, if you decide to create a virtual call center, most online platforms are very easily integrated into online systems, making agents work easy and seamless.
4. Setting a Budget Early On- As with anything in life, money is very important to most people, and you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew. It’s really important to establish what you wish to spend on creating a call center well before you move forward. Setting a budget will determine key factors, such as how many agents you will want to hire, and the kind of technology you will be using. It’s smart to differentiate between initial set up expenses and ongoing operations costs.
5. Hire the Best Team for Your Goals- Depending on the goals of your call center, you will most likely want to generate sales and provide excellent customer support. If your agents are the voice of your company, they will determine the reputation of your company right off the bat. This is why it’s important to hire attentive, organized, and eager staff in order to create a company culture that is positive and lasting.
6. Training Your Team For Any Potential Situations- Agent training is crucial, especially if you want to gain success with your call center. To remain competitive, your agents will need to be trained with the latest technology, call center etiquette and customer service strategies. In order to cultivate a powerful workforce, training must be a mixture between lectures and hands-on training. Along with the initial training of agents, it is smart to hold on-going training for improvement in the long term.
7. Choose Relevant KPIs- KPIs, also known as key performance indicators, will help you to evaluate your call centers efficiency, speed, and quality of service. These indicators will be able to highlight both individual and team performance, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions and improvements. If you establish your KPIs during the planning process, new agents will be able to gain a better understanding from the beginning of what you are looking for at your call center.
8. Finalize a Disaster Recovery Plan- As most of you won’t be aware of, a disaster plan is an essential part of a call center. With this plan in place, you will be able to minimize the impact of disruptions to your network, informational systems, and call center agents. It’s an important document that touches on systems, infrastructure, and agents, laying out the steps needed to be taken in case any unplanned disruptions occur.
9. Evaluating Your Call Centers Success- After a few months of operations, you must evaluate all aspects of your call center. Sure, periodic evaluations should take place, but an overall evaluation will allow you to look at productivity, performance, and technologies used. This will serve as a guide to continuously improve performance.