How to Start a Call Center from Your Home

Business Overview:

If a home-based business idea appeals to you, and you possess a stellar telephone presence, learn how to start a call center in your home and test your skills. Let’s start with the obvious question: What exactly is a home-based call center? A home call center, or virtual call center, is used by businesses that contract out their customer service, sales, or support phone calls to a person working from their home-based office. This works for both parties in that the company does not have to pay for a full-time employee (instead you’d be an independent contractor or freelancer) and the home worker gets to do just that: work from home. For stay-at-home parents and less mobile individuals, this type of work can be a blessing—but it will only be a successful venture if a solid call center business plan is in place from the start. When researching how to run a call center of your own, you will likely find this important advice: Make sure you have a quiet space in your home to set up your call center. Many companies will insist that their virtual call center contractors have a dedicated landline telephone to service their customer calls and might even go so far as to require a room with a door to eliminate any ambient home noise (loud children, television, or voices). Beyond that, you will need a computer and the ability to negotiate your contract with the company or companies you will work with. Part of that contract should include means of payment—hourly, by the call, by the type of customer—as well as the number of hours you are expected to operate your call center. If you’ve got your ducks in a row, the next thing you’ll want to explore is how to open a call center, in other words, where to find your clients. The good news here is that many well-known businesses hire home call centers for their customer service or marketing needs, you just need to know which companies those are. The bad news is that many business scams are based on this type of business; knowing the potential snags ahead of time can keep you going in the right direction. After you’ve established your call center, you can decide if you want to add on and include more clients to your business or if you want to branch out and recruit employees to work for your call center from their own homes. If this type of business seems fitting for your lifestyle, there’s no better time to get dialing!

A Day in the Life of a Call Center Business Owner:

So much of your day will depend on the type of call center you operate—do you work for an international company and do most of your calling at night or are you free all day to call customers? Your needs and the needs of your business client will determine your hours, but you can expect to field a certain number of phone calls each business day. From customer service to technical support to telemarketing, the type of calls you make will also depend upon your clients’ needs and your particular set of telephone skills. When you’re through with your call center duties for the day, you will want to log your hours or phone calls to ensure proper payment, and wrap up any contact with your client that is necessary.

About Your Customers:

Customers of a call center business will be those companies that are in need of telephone-based solutions for their customer service or marketing needs. The companies will likely prefer a professional virtual call center because it frees up their office space or employee roster and might save them money as well.

What You Need to Start:

• A quiet home office with a separate landline telephone and a computer
• A good idea of the type of call work you would prefer
• An idea of your business hours and payment requirements
• A pleasant phone voice and articulate speaking manner
• A natural inclination to speak to others

The Good:

• You can often specify your own hours of operation, especially if you hire others to work the odd hours you don’t want to cover.
• You get to work entirely from your home.
• The business can be profitable, depending the number and type of phone calls you make.
• You can take on employees who work for your call center (you get them the work and take a percentage of their profits).
• If home-based work is a necessity for you, this is one of the legitimate options available.

The Bad:

• You absolutely must be able to make phone calls in peace and quiet or you risk jeopardizing your business.
• You might need to go through training for some of the companies you call for in order to best service their customers.

Resources:

• National Association of Call Centers
• Call Center Network Group
• American Teleservices Association
• Wikipedia on Call Centers

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