Technology shouldn’t replace humans, but the two can work together as a team to simplify processes and improve customer experience.
While digital communication continues to skyrocket, customers still prefer phone calls to email, SMS or messaging apps. Setting up a virtual call center to support your customers doesn’t have to cost a fortune and can actually come with numerous benefits.
Advantages of a virtual call center
- More availability: Many virtual call centers offer round-the-clock service with 24/7 access to agents from different time zones.
- Easily scalable: During busy periods or slow seasons, virtual call centers provide flexibility without having to make drastic staffing changes.
- Multilingual support: Having multilingual agents opens access to a wider, international customer base.
- Less overhead: Costs like rent and infrastructure disappear without the need for a physical office.
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to getting your virtual call center up and running. Let’s dive in.
10 Steps to Start Your Call Center Business
#1 Conduct thorough market research
Analyze industry trends
Cloud technology is the driving force behind much of the growth in the call center industry. AI chatbots, CRM integrations, IVR menus, omnichannel support systems, remote work – staying competitive in the market depends on keeping up to date with these changes.
Anticipating and preparing for coming developments like voice recognition and predictive analytics future-proofs the business, putting you one step ahead of the competition.
Identify your target market
Positioning yourself in the market relies on clear knowledge of the target demographic: are you catering to a specific age group, income level, geographic region, or occupation? Establish your ICPs, customer preferences and behaviors with thorough market research. Then develop a detailed customer persona to paint a vivid picture of how you can solve their problems.
To make it more manageable, consider segmenting your market: break it down into bite-sized chunks and handle each group individually.
And keep in mind that every industry has different needs, regulations, and trends: define your specialty and stick with it.
Once you’re well-established as an expert in the area, your customer base will develop itself.
Keep pace with competitors
Analyzing your competitors doesn’t entail copying their best practices, but learning from what they do and amplifying it in your own business. Build upon what others in the industry are doing and make it better: where are you failing where they’re succeeding? Whether it’s superior technology, top-tier customer service or unmatched training programmes, identify their successes and how you can replicate them.
We all learn from our own mistakes. But what differentiates a good call center from a great one is learning from the mistakes of others. If your competition has poor customer service, make sure yours is best in class; if their service hours are limited, ensure yours are 24/7; if their turnover rates are high, implement advocacy programs to improve employee satisfaction.
Recognize the gaps in the market and fill them with your solution to stand out from the crowd.
Assess market demand
Growth potential is simple: if the demand is there, growth is inevitable. Without demand, your business can stagnate. Researching whether or not a call center is viable or necessary is important before investing your time and money.
Look into things like the number of potential clients you’ll have, industry reports and market forecasts to see where the industry is heading. And have a look at your competitor’s reviews too – you might find growth potential in the gaps between your product and theirs.
Send out surveys to measure people’s desire for a call center or study market reports to see exactly how high demand really is.
#2 Decide what type of call center business you want
Inbound or outbound
Inbound call centers focus on incoming customer calls, and are most commonly found in the customer service or tech support sectors. Outbound call centers are the exact opposite: they deal with outgoing calls, generally for sales and lead generation, survey-taking or telemarketing.
A hybrid call center on the other hand, incorporates both. It provides more flexibility for businesses who want to establish both customer support and sales channels. Choosing the right path for your call center is dependent upon your business objectives, whether they be sales growth, customer retention or a bit of both.
Customer support or sales
Customer support call centers handle inquiries, technical issues and account queries. While sales centers focus on lead generation and driving sales.A dual-purpose call center can incorporates both.
Implementation isn’t difficult; simply identify whether you’re intent on sales or customer support and tailor your training programs accordingly. Customer support agents might need training on issue resolution, empathy and product knowledge, while sales agents should be more focused on sales tactics, objection handling and competitor knowledge.
Omnichannel support
Being able to meet your customers where they are is a huge asset to any call center.
Many customers, depending on a variety of factors such as age, demographic, country, or even language, use different communication platforms. Omnichannel support involves supporting the customer via voice calls, emails, live chat, social media and messaging apps, simultaneously.
Take note of the preferred mediums of your target market and prioritize them, and consider investing in omnichannel technology that combines all the platforms on one interface.
#3 Develop a solid business plan
Have a clear mission and vision
Every company needs a mission statement: a simple description of its purpose to guide day-to-day operations and decision-making, and to set the tone for the call center’s long-term goals.
Crafting one starts with your purpose: what is your call center trying to achieve? Are you aiming for top-tier customer service or unstoppable sales growth? Set it in stone and develop it based on a five, ten or 15 year plan.
Create accurate financial projections
Being fully informed about the financial health of your call center is a priority; it means estimating future revenue against profits and expenses. Preparing for both the worst and best-case scenarios allows you to easily manage any possible financial fluctuations.
Estimating your initial investment is a good place to start: consider tech costs like hard and software, and implementation costs like training, recruitment, marketing and onboarding. Budget wisely for things such as salaries, subscriptions, service rates and call volumes, to ensure you’re prepared for both present and future expenses.
Anticipate your projected profit and invest within your means: don’t overspend and adjust your strategies if there are major discrepancies between expectations and reality.
Conduct SWOT analysis
Businesses and humans are one in the same: we all have our flaws. Being aware of our strengths and weaknesses is what allows us to capitalize on what we’re good at, and work around our less adept areas.
Start by crafting a list of your call center’s key advantages: are your staff experienced? Is your technology more advanced than other competitors? Weigh up these strengths against any areas for improvement: maybe your turnover rates could be better or your training programs need a refresh.
Knowing what you’re good at internally means your external opportunities are easier to identify.
Anything from high employee turnover to outdated technology can negatively impact the business in the form of incurred costs and lack of integration with new systems. But identifying these weak points early on means you can implement strategies to lessen their impact.
When it comes to opportunities and threats, look to the market: as global economies expand, so does demand. And your competitors.
Capitalize on what you can, such as emerging markets, tech advancements or gaps in customer service, and be aware of any risk factors like new competitors or economic fluctuations.
Look out for opportunities in the form of AI and automation to streamline operations, and be vigilant of threats like economic fluctuations and cybersecurity concerns. Staying one step ahead of the competition allows you to quickly pivot towards opportunities and away from potential threats.
Implement a strong marketing strategy
Your target market is your golden goose. Ensuring your marketing plan is tailored to their demographics and regions is key to promoting your unique selling point. Show your target audience what sets you apart from the competition and adapt to their communication preferences by choosing marketing channels that suit them.
And don’t forget about retaining the customers you’ve worked hard to acquire – loyalty programs, follow-ups, nurturing, and quality assurance prevent customers from looking to competitors. Keep churn to a minimum while maximizing acquisition and continuously update your marketing plan based on these values.
#4 Obtain necessary licenses & permits
Research Local Regulations
Labor laws, data protection laws, telemarketing rules, and any other industry-specific regulations might affect your call center if you’re not fully versed in their details. Start by determining whether your local or national authorities are in charge of the call center operations in your area. Get informed about the laws related to everything from employment practices to consumer protection.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so consult a legal expert specializing in business communication. And remember to keep up to date with research and document everything in case of future audits.
Register Your Business Properly
Every business needs a legal structure that includes liability, taxation and management factors. Bring in expert accountants to help you establish yours, then register your business name with the local government. For added protection, trademark the name of your business to prevent copycats. Finally, register your business entity with the appropriate tax authorities and acquire whatever identification numbers are necessary.
Apply for Permits
Compliance means being up to date with any specific permits or licenses that are needed to operate your business in a certain region. If you’re prioritizing sales, you’ll have to acquire a telemarketing license, while customer service centers will need data protection permits.
#5 Select a call center software provider
Evaluate your feature requirements
Every call center has different operational needs; choosing a software provider isn’t always a quick decision.
Take your time with software selection – start by identifying the non-negotiable features and build upwards: is CRM integration necessary? Will omnichannel support make a difference? Determine what’s most important to guide you towards providers that offer what you need. Reading reviews and case studies from current users is a good place to start.
Remember to loop in the relevant departments, such as IT, to get insight into how the implementation process will work. End-users such as sales or customer support agents might want to be involved, as they’ll use the software most. Consider their opinions before making any decisions – there’s no point investing in software that they won’t get any value from.
Aim For Scalability and Flexibility
Choosing the right software is just the first step: ensuring that it scales effectively alongside your business is the next hurdle.
Think about staffing requirements and whether you’ll have to hire new employees; can your software easily adapt to increased volumes of users? If you decide to expand to new markets, can it handle increased call volumes? Assess your current and future business needs and how much your company is expected to grow over the course of the next several years.
Evaluate Integration Capabilities
The new tool should integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, such as CRMs and marketing automation platforms.
Determine which integrations are most important, then audit your current tools to determine how well they work with the new software. Evaluate APIs and native integrations to identify issues that could cause future operational disruptions.
Implementing new software should solve problems, not create them.
Look for Vendor Support and Training
Some vendors might offer substantial training and customer support, while others may not. Always look for vendors that offer 24/7 support as adequate levels of both availability and training are crucial for smooth implementation and maintenance.
Functions like live chat, account management and tech support are huge bonuses. See if the provider offers training resources, onboarding, or Q&As and get involved in as many sessions as possible to optimize the solution.
#6 Invest in call center hardware
Get the essential equipment
Despite being cloud-based, virtual call centers still require specific hardware for smooth operation. Making sure all agents have access to the same equipment, such as high-quality headsets with noise cancellation, VoIP-enabled phone systems and reliable computers, is the best way to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Consistency is key in call centers; make sure to constantly monitor hardware performance and reliability, as any issues could impact productivity.
#7 Hire your call center team
Define roles and responsibilities
Every team needs leadership but hiring the right people for the right roles is essential in building a strong team.
Define the roles and responsibilities of each team member: from agents and supervisors to team leaders and managers. Empower each with their own individual targets and tasks to align the whole team with the collective goal. Keep job descriptions clear and concise, outline all skills and expectations and establish a clear team structure. That way everyone knows who they report to and where to get help.
Spend time on your recruitment strategy
Hiring staff isn’t the cheapest task. Which means planning your recruitment strategy shouldn’t be done carelessly.
Attracting and hiring the right candidates means identifying which skills are necessary for each role. Whether they be problem-solving, objection handling or communication, interview candidates carefully to see how they fit into the company culture and objectives. And don’t forget to update your recruitment strategy based on the quality of new hires.
Provide ongoing training and development
Hiring new employees without a well-designed training program is like trying to build a house without blueprints.
Training programs are the best way to get new employees up to speed and should include both technical and practical training.
And don’t stop at onboarding: the market is constantly changing. Which makes ongoing training and development necessary to refresh the team’s skills and set them up for career growth.
Develop retention strategies
A stable workforce is a good sign that employees are happy in their roles at the business and is a reliable indicator of high job satisfaction.
Companies with the lowest turnover rates usually have employee engagement sessions where they gather feedback and offer career development opportunities. They also might have a strong work-life balance, flexible hours, remote work or competitive salaries. Set the path that’s best for your business and keep your employees in mind to ensure a healthy workforce.
After all, it’s much more costly to hire new agents than to retain existing ones.
#8 Define processes and build workflows
Have strong call handling procedures
Call centers rely on consistency and efficiency. Without standardized procedures like scripts, tailored protocols, or email templates, communication can vary wildly by agent. Scripts for both common calls and less standard interactions guarantee alignment with the brand tone. And in the case of more serious issues, protocols should clearly guide agents through escalation and troubleshooting procedures.
Regularly conduct quality assurance
QA is a basic necessity of any call center in maintaining high standards of customer call interactions.
Constant monitoring of call quality, agent performance, customer satisfaction and overall resolution rates are not only important, but required.
Start with clear QA criteria: what standards are you trying to uphold? What tone of voice should be maintained? What phrases or words should be avoided? Use call monitoring tools like AI speech analytics to highlight keywords and flag any non-compliance or areas for improvement.
Continually report and analyze
KPI tracking is the heart and soul of a successful call center. Without consistent KPI management, there would be no direction or guidance for agents on the levels of service they need to uphold.
KPIs give valuable insight into call center quality by outlining average handling times, first call resolutions and customer experience.
Having real-time dashboards provides a constant feedback loop by tracking emerging trends. Plus, it enables data-driven decision-making and easy performance improvement.
Automate workflows
Many manual tasks that take hours for humans can be done by a computer in seconds. Automating the tedious, repetitive tasks for your agents can free them up for more meaningful work.
Identify which tasks in your processes can be automated, such as call routing, self-service menus, data entry or follow-up emails, and implement the right tools to get the job done.
#9 Promote your services
Implement a digital marketing strategy
Your digital marketing strategy is the driving force behind your business promotion. Most customers use social media and online platforms to get their news. Which means attracting clients relies upon strong SEO, social media marketing strategies, and content.
Optimize your website for SEO to improve its visibility on search engines. Create valuable content to share on social media platforms like LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram to build organic brand awareness and drive website traffic.
And remember: keeping track of key metrics like engagement, lead generation and traffic will allow you to assess how effective your digital marketing efforts are.
Get involved in networking & partnerships
Collaborating with other businesses can expand your customer base. While partnership and referral programs increase brand credibility and trust. Attend events, look for networking opportunities, engage in mutual promotion and refer clients to each other’s businesses.
Create customer case studies and gather testimonials
Most consumers read reviews and testimonials before buying anything. Leverage your happy customers by creating case studies or gathering testimonials that bring to light the challenges facing businesses in your niche. Be sure to highlight how your offering solves the problem for your clients.
Attend industry events
Stay up to date on market trends and build connections with others in the same industry by attending events. Don’t miss trade shows, conferences, seminars or webinars that draw a pool of potential customers. And prep your attendees with business cards and demo materials. Consider investing in exhibitions at relevant events, have a booth or get involved in panel discussions to further maximize your visibility.
#10 Continuously monitor & improve your performance
Track key metrics
KPIs can vary between call centers, such as: FCR (First-call Resolution), AHT (Average Handle Time), abandonment rate, CSAT score, cost per call and many others.
Track the most relevant ones by identifying which are crucial to achieving your business goals. And don’t forget to use the right software to monitor them accordingly. Regularly check in with your agents to assess performance against targets, comparing them over months and quarters to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Get feedback
Your customers and staff are your greatest assets. They’re capable of providing the most relevant and targeted feedback of both your internal processes and product quality.
Having a presence on review sites such as Capterra, G2 and TrustPilot can help you gauge customer satisfaction and gather insights into what you’re doing right or wrong.
Agent feedback is just as important: one-to-ones, group sessions, monthly meetings or anonymous surveys help in understanding the challenges faced by your employees. You can then use this information to prioritize and adjust training programs or processes.
Conduct regular performance reviews
Consistent monitoring is important for more than just agent performance – but any processes, inefficiencies and routines that aren’t working well. Create a review schedule and involve relevant stakeholders like managers or agents to get the full perspective.
A final word
Starting a call center business is a unique opportunity to establish powerful customer service.
Blending the human touch with technology can amplify your call center operations. Automating routine tasks frees up employees for more important work so they can deliver quick, exceptional customer experiences.
With the right planning, execution, constant adaptation and monitoring, a virtual call center can be a catalyst for superior customer support by enabling better availability, improved scalability and cost efficiency. And investing in the right tools and technologies can protect operations against competition.
Customer service continues to evolve every day; and so do customers’ expectations. Staying informed, responsive and adaptable not only gives the customer what they need, it also keeps your call center relevant and effective.
Ultimately, no call center can fail with careful planning and a commitment to excellence.
