How To Start A Call Center in 2023 (Processes, Tips, Tools)

The call center industry is one of the most alluring industry verticals due to the growing trend of outsourcing customer support projects to call centers. The increasing need of retaining clients and delighting them with outstanding customer service has increased the market value of the best call centers that can manage each call center process. The emphasis on on-site call centers is reduced by the business owners because now businesses want to focus all their energy on expanding their own business wings. This gives an open playground to business owners that are interested to start a call center.

When you decide to invest your resources in call center setup, it is recommended to first understand the process, legislation, required tools, and best practices to succeed. Even if this industry is lucrative and there are a plethora of opportunities, the competition is vicious. Setting a call center is not enough, you need to know how to start a call center that can give you a great start and help you keep going on to achieve your business goals.

In this blog post, we will cover all the essential details that can answer all your questions related to how to start a call center and thrive successfully in this highly competitive industry. If you follow the right approach and best practices, you will be able to succeed for sure.

In this blog post, we have covered the following points:

1. Getting started
   1.1 Define the budget and source of funds 
   1.2 Choose the service type
   1.3 Define call center setup requirements 
   1.4 Define the customer Avatar
   1.5 Understand legislation
   1.6 Complete the groundwork
2. Build your team
   2.1 Define work model
   2.2 Define HR policies
   2.3 Define recruitment process
   2.4 Devise onboarding and training program 
3. Acquire the call center infrastructure
   3.1 Internal communication tools
   3.2 Customer communication tools
   3.3 HR management tools
   3.4 Reporting and monitoring tools 
4. Conclusion

Yes, there is so much to understand when you are looking for the right answer for how to start a call center. So without any further adieu, let’s begin this topic, which will help you start your own call center in 2023 and establish a victorious business.

1. Getting started (how to start a call center in 2023)

The thought of setting call center and getting started immediately might be really rousing and you must want to start now. However, you have to hold yourself, complete the groundwork, and then only go ahead with launching a call center. For this, it is worth knowing the requirements to start a call center. This section covers the major things that you need to discover if you don’t know already and prepare yourself for call center setup.  

1.1 Define the budget and source of funds

Setting a call center needs you to bear expenses related to legal costs, infrastructure, manpower, and more. To make sure you make a strategy to start a call center within your budget, you need to first define how much you have in hand to invest in setting up your call center in 2023. You must get the cost estimation for different aspects if you don’t have one already. one Remember, the cost of different software, human resources, etc. change annually and as we have already hit December, you must get an estimation for 2023 to avoid shocks later on.

If you don’t have enough funds, you may also need to look for and decide the source of funds, which can be angel investors, stockholders, investors, partners, etc. You must decide whom you would take on board to meet the needs of funds for setting up a call center.

1.2 Choose the service type

The call center is a basket term. There are multiple branches burgeoning in this industry. Thus, it is necessary to decide which areas you will cover with your call center services. Even if you have the urge to serve all service areas, remember, you have to start slow to keep investment and finances under control. Following are some areas to consider.

1.2.1. Inbound call center 

Some call center service areas need you to set up an inbound call center. For example, customer care and technical customer support. For this, agents usually handle incoming calls from customers related to their issues and concerns. The inbound call center handles these calls and aims to focus on delivering exceptional customer experience. To handle inbound leads as well an inbound call center needs to be set up.

1.2.2. Outbound call center 

If you are thinking about a service area that would make more outbound calls, then you need to start an outbound call center in 2023. The classic examples of this type of call center are centers that run telemarketing and tele sales campaigns. The outbound call center also focuses on generating leads, collecting feedback, and running similar campaigns. 

1.2.3. Blended call center

 If your call center is going to handle the full cycle of the customer journey by handling both inbound and outbound calls, then you will need to set up a blended call center. This will help you handle bidirectional calls/ 

1.2.4. Omnichannel/ Multichannel/ Single Channel call center 

 Along with blended, inbound, and outbound call center setup criteria, you also need to define through which communication channels you will cater to clients. A single channel will cover only voice calls. A multichannel will cover more than one communication channel. An omnichannel will serve clients through unified communication channels, including, voice, video, chat, SMS, email, social media, and WhatsApp. 

1.3 Define call center setup requirements

Once you are clear with the service area, the next aspect to consider is where you will perform call center setup. There are two popular options available.

1.3.1 On-site call centers

To set up an on-site call center, one needs dedicated servers set up and configured on their premises. This will need physical servers, plus, physical space to complete the whole call center setup. This setup is considered to be more secure, but expensive as well.

1.3.2 Virtual call centers

This is one of the trending setup types of call centers. There are plenty of articles that would recommend you set up a virtual call center. This call center setup type uses cloud space to host and set up the call center. Virtual call centers can be set up on either dedicated or shared servers depending on your own business needs. A virtual call center is cheap as it offers a pay as you go model. Moreover, it supports amazing flexibility and really impressive uptime SLA (Service Level Agreement). This is the reason virtual call centers are gaining a lot of popularity among new and existing call centers.

1.4 Define the customer Avatar

This is another important aspect to consider. The customer Avatar depicts your ideal customer. The type of business your customer will have, the type of service he would be offering, his demographics and geography, call handling requirements, industry verticals, and more. This will help you in your marketing campaigns once you complete setting a call center.

1.5 Understand legislation

This is another vital aspect to consider while setting up your call center along with managing other call center setup requirements while setting up the call center. This will also define how you will define each call center process for smooth operations of the business. In different countries, the legislation related to customer care centers, BPOs, call centers, etc. is different. Thus, it is worth hiring an experienced lawyer or professional that can guide you through the legal call center process to set up your business. The legislation may also differ based on the fact that whether you will have an on-site call center or a virtual call center. Thus, discuss all aspects with your lawyer or professional to comply with the compliances. 

1.6 Complete the groundwork

Once you define all the necessary information, you need to start getting your hands dirty by taking practical steps. You must have finished the documentation process to showcase all factors along with a business plan to set up a call center business. The earlier steps will help you make quick choices and go through different processes for setting up your call center. So let’s get started.

1.6.1. Get physical space

This is a must if you want to set up an on-site call center. In that case, the physical space needs to be big to accommodate servers, staff, etc. Even if you will have a virtual call center setup, you may want to have an office to operate from. In some countries, for registration, having a physical office address is necessary. There also you will need this space. So depending on your requirement, get a physical space for your call center.

1.6.2. Complete the paperwork

To register your business, take a legal license, and other aspects, you may need some documents. You can get those ready before you start the process. Take the help of your lawyer to know what documents will be needed to register your business and get the license. 

1.6.3. Register your business

This is the first real step towards call center setup. You will take legal action to register your business and get the license. Depending on various driving factors, this process may take little time or longer. Make sure your paperwork is crystal clear, so you don’t face any major hindrances in this process.

2. Build your team

The next step to start your own call center in 2023 is building the right team. To run your business and build your team, you will need to consider hiring the following resources:

• HR manager
• Accounting expert
• Call center supervisor
• Call center agents

These are the main resources that you will need to start your call center. Depending on the size of your call center and other driving factors, you may need more or fewer resources. Always remember, your team defines the success of your business. Thus, it is necessary to build the right team with the right, experienced, and skilled team members.

2.1 Define work model

The first thing you need to define is whether you want to set up one of the virtual or on-site call centers. This will help you define whether you want to hire a local team or an international team. For virtual call centers, the hiring options are wide open as the international pool of talent is available for hire. Moreover, agents work in any condition, which is why it is a preferred model by several call centers.

2.2 Define HR policies

Often, call centers don’t bother to define human resource management policies prior and this can cause disruption in business later on. It is necessary to define and document detailed human resource related policies.

2.3 Define recruitment process

Once you are ready with the HR policies and operational model, you need to start the recruitment process. The best option is to outsource the recruitment process as it will reduce the workload and manage stress. However, you can also keep this process in-house by hiring an in-house recruiter or HR specialist for recruitment and running this process.

2.4 Devise onboarding and training program

While your recruiter is looking for the best talent for your call center, you can have the required discussions and meetings with your HR head to define the onboarding process. The onboarding process is necessary to start a call center successfully because when your team joins the call center, they need guidance on how the call center process will take place. From the first day vision explanation to giving a welcome kit and all other processes need to be documented to make the onboarding process smooth and quick.

Your hired manpower may also need training programs. Even if agents are experienced and know how to use infrastructure, how to have conversations, etc., you need to give them the training to share about your targeted KPIs, vision, competitive advantage, etc. For defining training programs, you may need to take the help of supervisors or the managing head to define the training program. 

3. Acquire the call center infrastructure

While you are preparing for setting up your call center, on the other hand, you must acquire the required infrastructure. Whether you have a cloud or on-site call center, you will need to get the infrastructure to run your business.

3.1 Internal communication tools

When you are seeking answers for how to start a call center, you need to find the best internal communication tools. Usually, businesses focus on customer communication tools and give no emphasis on internal solutions. However, it is necessary to keep the internal communication system empowered so the team can answer customers better.

•  IP PBX

It is one of the best business phone systems, which can be used for internal and external communication. Many call centers use it to strengthen collaboration with one to one or extension calling and other features it has to support ongoing internal communication.

• IP Phones or SIP Softphones

To make and receive calls, call centers need a telephony solution even if they use a VoIP based communication system. The IP phone and SIP Softphone solutions are two options available to use. Usually, call centers use SIP Softphone to simplify infrastructure management and reduce maintenance expenses, but depending on your infrastructure setup plan, you can use both of these or any of these options to set up an internal communication system. These tools will also be used to communicate with clients.

3.2 Customer communication tools

To run different campaigns and cater to clients, a call center needs different communication tools. There are several options available, but we have listed the top and must have tools here.

• CRM software

To manage the complete customer journey, it is necessary to have a CRM solution in place. It must have a complete array of features and modules that let you store all details about the clients from the very first interaction to till date. Moreover, this software must allow you to introduce automation to make some operations mechanized to save resources.

• Call center solution

The most important tool for launching an running a call center business in 2023 is definitely this software. A software solution like a DialShree: omnichannel contact center solution is a must for your business. It will have different features and modules to automate several processes in a call center and run different campaigns seamlessly. Its omnichannel nature will let you use different communication channels to delight clients and increase the productivity of the team. Thus, for customer care and communication, it is a must have tool.

If you are interested in exploring more about DialShree, don’t wait any further. Book a demo now! 

3.3 HR management tools

To manage your team, you will need human resource management tools like a system to keep attendance, a system for payroll processing, and more. Some CRM solutions have these modules as internal features and in that case, you may not need to have these tools. However, if your CRM system doesn’t support an HR module, then you must get a reliable and feature rich HR management tool. The reason is call centers usually have multiple people on their team and they need to be managed with the right approach.

3.4 Reporting and monitoring tools

One more vital tool to keep call center operations smooth and productive to achieve the defined goal is a monitoring and reporting tool. Live call monitoring has become a trend in the call center industry. Thus, you will need this tool to keep your operations running. You will also need to generate reports to review the overall performance of different KPIs, agents, and more. You may find these features within the software for call centers. However, if it is not available in your software or if the software provides very basic features of reporting and monitoring, then you better choose the option of an external tool to keep reporting and monitoring more effective. 

4. Conclusion

Starting a call center needs a methodical call center setup with different aspects kept in place to ensure the base is clear. If your preparation is correct, then you will not need to worry much about the ongoing processes. Things will go smoothly and as per the plan. You may wonder that the tools might be needed once staff is available or you may think that once the staff is ready, they must have tools in their access to commence work immediately. But, all these go hand in hand. It means you need to keep things ready before you actually commence and launch your call center.

The first step is to complete the groundwork with the required research, key personnel selection, and completing legal aspects. The second step is to hire the right team. At least, team leaders, business managers, and heads need to be hired. In parallel, get the right infrastructure depending on the fact, whether you will have an on-site or virtual business. Setting up your call center and onboarding the team can be done in parallel to save time. When everything is ready, then only launch your call center.

Invest the required time to invest in making the required preparation as mentioned in this article. We have decades of industry experience in assisting call center owners to set up their own call centers. By taking advantage of our years of experience, we have tried to cover all the answers to the vital question of how to start a call center. You must keep in mind all the aspects explained in this blog post to start your call center successfully and thrive. 

You can also take help from one of the top technology experts for successful call center setup if you don’t want to manage everything on your own from preparation to set up. We have been helping businesses by offering the best technology solutions and infrastructure. Moreover, we help them by providing consultation services based on our more than 15 years of experience as technology experts and partners in several call centers. We can help you as well to set up your own call center. To know more and discuss your ideas or call center setup requirements, get in touch with us.