The outlook for call centers is booming. This is, in part, thanks to the fact that more and more call centers are handling all kinds of customer service communications, whether they’re over the phone or via live chat platforms. At the same time, online business is growing exponentially, with more and more customers choosing to purchase from the comfort of their home than inside a brick and mortar store. As a result, returns and exchanges are becoming more common, and with them comes an increase in demand for customer service. If you’re looking to start your call center, here’s what you need to know.
Secure Financing
As is the case with any business, you need to have a financial foundation laid out before launching any new venture. This ensures that you can build the business the way you want to, as opposed to having to make compromises when money that you were promised doesn’t come in. In addition to seeking out traditional investors or finding business loans, it may be worth speaking with a corporate trustee about the ways they can help your business. Especially when it comes to laying the groundwork for financial stability, having a financial planning company on your side can be a major boon for business. A seasoned corporate trustee like Mercer Advisors brings dozens of on-the-job experience to any business. These kinds of advisors can help you identify which channels of your company make the most sense to streamline and how you should manage your cash flow. In turn, you’ll be able to rest easy with the knowledge that your company stands on solid ground.
Pick the right software
Any call center is going to need a powerful software solution to offer competitive service to its customers. As a result, you must pick a call center software platform that has the right features for your niche. If you’re employing a small team of agents, for example, you’ll likely want to choose a piece of software that is capable of integrating with predictive dialer systems. This ensures that each agent is only ever connected with a live call, which can help maximize a smaller team’s productivity by avoiding wasted time with voicemail greetings or an unanswered call. You’ll probably also want to find a platform with enough features that you know your company won’t need to switch packages as it grows in its first five years. When it comes to developing robust call center software, one of the industry leaders is Bright Pattern. Their software can scale up to enterprise-level applications, so you know that you’re future-proofing your company when you select it as your software solution.
Hire the Right Team
Once you’ve laid the groundwork for a successful business, there’s only one more ingredient you need: people. Hiring a solid team for your call center is perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll make as you start to grow your business. This is because in the world of customer service, having a team of support agents who can consistently engage with your customers in conjunction with your best practices is worth its weight in gold. In an era when customers are tweeting about your hold times and poor customer service experiences are the source of countless Facebook Live rants, having an agent who represents your company’s brand and values is imperative. Spend the extra time thoroughly vetting and training all of your job applicants so that you can avoid negative press about your business.
Part of being able to expand your call center business comes down to making sure you start with the end in mind. By picking a corporate trustee, hiring the right people, and using a software platform that won’t hinder your growth, you’ll be able to gradually expand as demand for your service increases. This ensures that you’ll ultimately find success, since you’ll never be faced with a decision that is limited by trade-offs based on your technical or economic limitations.