How to Start a Call Center

Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a way to put your customer service skills to work for other businesses, you should look into how to start a call center. A call center is a centralized office where a staff of telephone operators typically take incoming customer service calls from customers of the call center’s clients. Be sure you understand the difference between a call center and an answering service which can be run from your home, typically takes calls when your clients are not in the office (after hours, lunch, meetings, etc.), and does not offer customer service. A call center houses a team of employees who work at all hours of the day and night depending on the time zone of the customer. This type of call center is also different from a home-based call center in that it is a much larger operation, usually with a sizeable staff. If you have experience in a call center, you know that more and more businesses are outsourcing their customer service to these facilities to free up their own staff so that they can concentrate on other areas of their business. If you’ve wondered how to start a call center business, the first thing you should know is that there are many different types of businesses you can market your services to. Next you’ll need to decide whether to purchase a franchise call center or start one from the ground up. A franchise will come with all the equipment you’ll need so this may be the easier option if you want to get up and running quickly. Once you’ve selected a location and found your equipment, you need to know how to run a call center successfully. To be successful with this business idea you need to have topnotch customer service personnel. Hiring a staff that has experience on the phone dealing with customers will go a long way in being able to attract new clients. Since most large companies already have a call center, you should look into up and coming businesses who are just starting to have growing pains and need to start outsourcing their customer service. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce for new businesses in your area. From there you can branch out regionally and nationwide.

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

Your day will begin by checking in with your staff as they may be changing shifts as you arrive. If you have customers all over the globe, you will need an overnight shift. Throughout your day, you will monitor various calls to ensure quality standards are being met and customers are satisfied. You will spend a portion of your day marketing your business to other businesses. Finally, you will look at your finances to ensure your bills have been paid and your bottom line is healthy.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be businesses that need help with their customer service.

What You Need to Start:

• Call center business plan
• Call center facility
• Cubicles or desks, telephones, computers, etc.
• High-speed Internet access
• Staff of customer service professionals

The Good:

• There is an increasing demand for call centers.
• You can charge businesses top dollar for excellent customer service.
• With your staff handling the calls, you can concentrate on marketing and oversight of your business.
• If you hire a manager to handle the day-to-day administrative duties, you can take vacation or time off whenever you want to.
• This business is highly scalable.

The Bad:

• The startup costs are high.
• It can take time to get an experienced staff hired and trained.

Resources:

• National Association of Call Centers
• American Teleservices Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Customer Service Representatives
• Wikipedia on Call Centers

About The Author

---

Templateify

Praesent nec tortor quam. Quisque ac malesuada augue. Sed dignissim gravida odio ut bibendum. Cras fermentum euismod turpis. Nunc nec diam ante, et faucibus ipsum. Etiam imperdiet mattis elit et molestie. Nulla feugiat mollis leo vel egestas. Pellentesque convallis

- Twitter - Facebook - Google+