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Setting up a virtual call center is easier and faster than you might think.<\/p>\n
A lot of people waste too much time trying to plan every detail to perfection. But the best approach is to jump in and learn by doing.<\/p>\n
This guide explains how to set up a virtual call center in just four steps (or three if you don\u2019t need to hire).<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to spend months to launch a virtual call center. The entire process should involve some basic planning, the right call center software, and (maybe) a remote team. Once it\u2019s live, you can make adjustments and experiment with new features as needed.<\/p>\n
Using RingCentral<\/a> to set up your virtual call center is my top recommendation. But these steps still work even if you\u2019re using something else.<\/p>\n Be sure to check out our RingCentral review and our guide on the best call center software if you\u2019d like to learn more about your options.<\/p>\n This planning phase should only take a few hours at most. In most cases, it doesn\u2019t even take that long. All we\u2019re doing here is thinking through the basics just enough to know what we need before we go any further.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you should be thinking about:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get too deep into the weeds here.<\/p>\n All you need is a simple call center business plan that defines your goals and general sense of direction.<\/p>\n Make sure you\u2019re not overthinking things too much, and definitely don\u2019t wait until your plan is \u201cperfect\u201d (or you\u2019ll never start). As I said earlier, you\u2019ll figure everything out along the way.<\/p>\n I recommend RingCentral<\/a> for most call centers because it works equally well for small businesses, growing call centers, and even high-volume omnichannel operations.<\/p>\n Small or new call centers can get by just fine with RingEX. This is RingCentral\u2019s business phone plan \u2013 it starts at just $20 per user per month (if you pay annually) and includes all the lightweight features you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n It\u2019s less than half the price of a dedicated call center solution, and it supports unlimited inbound and outbound calling throughout the US and Canada.<\/p>\n All RingEX plans come with SMS messaging, an IVR call menu (which is a must-have for call centers), and AI-powered call transcriptions. But I recommend starting with the Advanced plan if you can \u2014 it adds automatic call recording, advanced call monitoring features, and CRM integrations for just $5 more per month.<\/p>\n Pro-tip: Change the number of users slider to 1-5 on the pricing page<\/a>\u2014 you\u2019ll see an option to try any of RingCentral\u2019s business phone plans for free.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n For high-volume call centers, fast-growth, or larger teams, I recommend starting with the RingCX Contact Center plan. It comes with the basics plus a range of advanced features that\u2019ll help you improve contact center CX for agents and callers.<\/p>\n Some of these advanced features include:<\/p>\n RingCentral\u2019s contact center plans start at $65 per agent per month.<\/p>\n This is a great deal when you consider how feature-packed the plan is on top of top-tier reliability and five-star customer service.<\/p>\n Before moving on, choose a RingCentral plan<\/a> and go through the signup process. You should set up voicemail, extensions or lines for your team, a basic IVR (with pre-recorded greetings), and CRM integration at the very least.<\/p>\n All the other bells and whistles can come later while you wait for volume to start picking up. Remember, the main goal here is to get everything launched as fast as possible.<\/p>\n You can skip this step if you\u2019re not planning to hire anyone right now. It\u2019s a good reference if you decide to add to your team later, but it won\u2019t be super helpful for you until then.<\/p>\n For those of you who do need to hire employees to run your virtual call center, I recommend slowing down for a minute and thinking carefully about the roles and responsibilities you need to hire for.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re small, a few generalist agents might be enough. But that\u2019s not the only type of job that exists in a virtual call center.<\/p>\n Do you need a manager to oversee your agents? Do you need to recruit people in different time zones who are available to take calls at different hours?<\/p>\n What skills are the most important to the stage you\u2019re at right now?<\/p>\n Depending on your call volume and goals, you might have two different job listings \u2014 one for inbound customer service and another for outbound sales. These are two very different roles with different requirements and skillsets.<\/p>\n You may also want to hire a quality assurance analyst among other roles for workforce optimization, agent engagement, and more.<\/p>\n From there, you should set up an onboarding flow for remote employees. This could include pre-recorded training, video calls with yourself or other team members, setting up payroll information, or reading through SOPs and documentation.<\/p>\n Thinking through this ahead of time ensures each new hire gets off to a great start.<\/p>\n For the actual recruitment and hiring process, you have two options. The first is outsourcing the bulk of this work to a recruiting agency. It\u2019s more expensive, but it\u2019s less work for you to handle on your own. They\u2019ll find candidates, qualify them, and send you the best options so you can make the final decisions.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can save some money by handling the recruitment process on your own.<\/p>\n This can work just fine if you\u2019re only hiring a handful of people. All you have to do is post your job to platforms, like Indeed or other Indeed alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re hiring more than five or six people, I recommend using an applicant tracking system to keep everything organized. Some of them link directly to job platforms, allowing you to see and manage submissions from multiple locations in one place.<\/p>\n Now that plan is in place and your call center is officially up and running, this is where the real work starts. In reality, it actually never ends but it isn\u2019t as daunting as it sounds.<\/p>\n Because we moved quickly through the initial stages, it\u2019s time to start observing. Here are some questions you can ask to get the ball rolling:<\/p>\n Every few months, you should sit down and think about how to resolve current problems and optimize your systems.<\/p>\n A good place to start is by evaluating the call center metrics that have an impact on customer and agent experiences. These KPIs can tell you things that are tough to uncover by simply listening in on a phone call.<\/p>\n If hold times are too long, it might be time to set up queue callbacks.<\/p>\n Are customers dropping out of your phone tree or regularly connecting with the wrong agent? Automated IVR testing can help resolve those problems for good. Having a tough time measuring customer satisfaction? AI-powered sentiment analysis or dedicated speech analytics software can help.<\/p>\n Over time, this will become a natural part of your workflow.<\/p>\n Agents will feel more comfortable speaking up when things aren\u2019t working, you\u2019ll get more familiar with the software you\u2019re using, and everyone will improve together.<\/p>\n There are many advantages to setting up a virtual call center.<\/p>\n Beyond the obvious,\u00a0 like driving more sales and giving your customers the ability to reach you by phone, here are some other perks to consider:<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been managing remote teams for years and I can tell you that my staff is happier, I\u2019m able to hire the best folks for the job no matter where they live, and we still get everything done.<\/p>\n When your agents are happy, it translates to better interactions with your customers. Happier customers (almost always) equals a happier business.<\/p>\n The cost of a virtual call center depends on the number of seats and features you need.<\/p>\n Say you\u2019re running a solo ecommerce shop and want to set up a virtual call center by yourself to handle customer support calls. You could just get a RingCentral business phone plan for $20 to $35 per month, and it will be more than enough to handle calls on your own.<\/p>\n Even if you need to hire a few more people, it\u2019s just a matter of multiplying the number of employees by the monthly cost of your call center software.<\/p>\n Full-fledged virtual call center centers handling a higher volume of both inbound calls, outbound calls, and potentially support through other communication channels will pay a higher rate per user because they need more functionality.<\/p>\n However, they may be able to get high-volume discounts depending on the software they choose.<\/p>\n RingCentral<\/a>, for example, requires you to talk to sales for higher level plans and larger teams because you may qualify for custom pricing.<\/p>\n That said, RingCX plans start at $65 per month per agent. $65 x 10 agents = $650 per month, $65 x 25 agents = $1,625 per month. You can use this same equation to get a close ballpark before talking to their sales team.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also need to account for other costs, like:<\/p>\n With the exception of internet services, most of these other expenses are one-time costs. Many of them may also be covered by the employee themselves, depending on your agreement with them.<\/p>\n I have a complete guide that breaks down call center software pricing if you want to get deeper into the weeds.<\/p>\n Traditional call centers operate in a traditional office environment. They require physical space, infrastructure, electricity, and all the other things you normally think of with an office.<\/p>\n The positive of this setup is that it\u2019s easier for your agents to collaborate, the team is probably easier to manage when they\u2019re all in the same place, and you\u2019ll have more opportunities for team bonding.<\/p>\n On the other hand, you can deploy a virtual call center from anywhere with internet access.<\/p>\n So far, I\u2019ve talked a lot about how great remote work is. But there are also some trade offs as well. For starters, each employee needs a stable internet connection. If even one agent has a less than ideal connection, you\u2019ll suffer through calls and customers won\u2019t be able to hear them.<\/p>\n Aside from that, it\u2019s significantly more challenging to collaborate as a team when you\u2019re all in different locations. Time zones can also play a factor as well.<\/p>\n To me, these trade offs are worth it every time.<\/p>\n As long as you have great call center software (I recommend RingCentral<\/a>), managers should have everything they need to monitor their team, check for quality, train, and keep an eye on everything no matter where their team works.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nStep 1: Set the groundwork<\/h3>\n
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Step 2: Sign up for RingCentral<\/h3>\n
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Step 3: Build your team (if needed)<\/h3>\n
Step 4: Observe, iterate, optimize<\/h3>\n
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Benefits of setting up a virtual call center (even if you\u2019re small)<\/h2>\n
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How much does a virtual call center cost? Not as much as you think<\/h2>\n
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Traditional vs. virtual call centers: There\u2019s a clear winner<\/h2>\n