Everything you need to know, from set-up to success.
From inbound call centers where the phones just don’t stop ringing to automated virtual contact centers with interactive voice responders and active social media accounts, there is no shortage of diversity when it comes to the modern call center.
And whether the main goal is securing new leads, order fulfillment, handling complaints or redirecting customers to their nearest store, they’re a vital part of any business.
Because the truth is, once you’re successful enough to be recognized by your audience, you’re successful enough for them to want to get in touch.
While a fresh start-up might have a founder picking up the phone and moonlighting as customer service, the chances are that your time is more valuable than that. And the bigger you grow, the more important a central point of contact will be to streamline the customer experience.
You might want an outbound call center racking up lists of prospective clients, or perhaps an automated call center to reduce the costs of clients calling in. Maybe you need an omnichannel contact center to cater to your Gen-Z audience, or a virtual contact center to save on operating costs.
No matter which type of contact center you need, whether you’re opting for human agents or an automated system, there’s one thing which is of vital importance: The customer experience is everything, and 82% of those customers expect you to solve their problems through just one agent, according to a Salesforce study.
So, what does that mean? It means client expectations are higher today, and your business needs to meet them or risk being lost in the digital landscape.
Customers expect faster, better responses, no annoying hold music, and no two-week waits for email replies. And the best way to handle all that is with a central, well-connected contact center.
What is a virtual contact center?
Virtual contact centers offer a 360-degree customer experience, capable of handling everything from incoming calls to social media requests. It’s a great first step towards streamlining the whole experience, and a perfect chance to save money too.
Like any remote-first company, the staff at a virtual contact center work from home or another remote location, completely cutting out the costs of an office, and any overhead costs that a physical facility might entail.
With no limits on space, bandwidth, or where you can hire your talent, businesses tend to see much better results when they shift to digital connectivity.
Virtual contact centers generally focus on cloud-based software to provide omnichannel support. An integrated and personalized model means that the same team can handle customer service tickets, reply to emails, and pick up the phone.
Call center or contact center, what’s the difference?
The primary difference between these two models in that a virtual call center would focus purely on making and receiving calls, while a contact center handles communications across platforms.
So, what is a call center?
A call center is a department that handles inbound and outbound calls for a business. This could be customer inquiries, speaking with suppliers, or handling order status updates.
The common theme would be that all the conversations take place on the phone, with agents expected to cover 40 to 50 calls a day. The expectation in a call center is that all issues would be resolved within a single call.
A virtual call center has the simple difference that employees are working from home or other remote spaces.
The key differences in a contact center
While a call center is limited to calls, a contact center can solve issues on a variety of different channels. This is particularly useful when dealing with suppliers who may prefer to use email or the younger generations who may opt for Twitter or other social media platforms.
Today’s customers use an average of 10 platforms to communicate with companies, according to Salesforce. This is backed up by 66% of service providers noticing an increase in communications through digital channels.
A further advantage of a contact center is that it allows for asynchronous messaging. That is, a customer can send a message, you can respond, and then the customer can answer the response at their leisure.
Whether a conversation takes place on Facebook Messenger or on your own site, allowing a client to pause and restart a conversation at will can increase their satisfaction with your service. Especially because they can get on with other things in the meantime!
How do virtual contact centers work?
A virtual contact center simply takes this to the obvious next level. With the rise in remote-first companies and skyrocketing costs of office space and utilities, a virtual contact center helps you keep costs down while keeping staff happy.
This multi-platform center also allows companies to improve their customer service with a personalized touch. With Zendesk reporting that this will increase loyalty in 70% of customers, it’s definitely something worth investing in.
Rather than simply picking up the phone and starting the conversation with zero knowledge, your agents will have access to that customer’s entire history with the organization, from their chatbot conversations to their previously fulfilled orders.
Having an omnichannel approach makes this so much easier, especially with 38% of customers expecting agents to understand the context of their query - even if they’ve never used that communication channel before.
In total, 90% of those customers are going to spend their money with a company that shows an understanding of their goals, according to one Salesforce study.
That’s why having a team of virtual agents spread across the globe, catering to customers in different time zones, with all the right information to hand, can increase profits, cut costs, and improve both customer and staff satisfaction.
How do I create a virtual contact center?
So, you’re convinced that a virtual contact center is what you need. But where to start?
We’ve put together a checklist to help you assess your best first steps:
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Budget
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Setting KPIs
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Technologies
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Human staff
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Training programs
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Workflows
Let’s take a look at these in more depth.
How to create your budget
When considering how much you will invest in this new setup, there are some basic questions you can ask yourself.
First, you should consider the size of your business. If you’re a 50-person company receiving only 10 to 20 messages a day, your budget and needs will be very different to an international corporation.
You should also think about your industry and the particular concerns your customers have. Around 82% of contact centers still engage via phone calls, but this may not be the same if you’re in specific industries. Other companies may need to focus on delivery and order fulfilment, while those selling software won’t have the same issues.
Thinking about these factors can help you narrow down your focus, and give you the basic idea of how much you need to cover. Will you focus on laptops or tablets? AI answer machines or chatbots? Whatever you decide, having a strict budget in mind leaves less room for deviation.
Setting KPIs
Creating and understanding your key performance indicators is vital if you want to analyze your business success. It’s best to have specific numbers in mind, and this is the same when we talk about contact centers.
You might be focusing on the average time it takes to handle an issue from start to finish, or perhaps you want to see how many issues are resolved within the first conversation with an agent. If you’re using an AI chatbot, then how much time does it save you?
Finding the right tech
Call center technology has moved on a lot from cubicles and switchboards, and the options can seem overwhelming at first. This is one reason why it's best to consider your budget first.
In particular, you’ll need to find the right software. For a virtual center, you’ll want a cloud-based solution, which isn’t tied to a physical location or piece of hardware. You want your agents to be able to work from anywhere, after all. You might then look at AI tools, speech analytics tools, and other industry-specific tools.
Remember, you’ll also need to think about how your agents will work, and work together. Will you provide the computers? What about ergonomic desks? You’ll also need to arrange what communications channels your employees will have access to so they can collaborate or report in to managers.
Finding your human staff
One of the biggest advantages of a virtual contact center is that it allows employees around the world to work together. This means you can find the best talent in the countries where you operate, and give customers a more personalized experience with an agent that speaks their language.
Training programs
Unless you’re hiring from within, the first thing you’ll want to do is get your new staff up to speed on the daily operations of your business. You should also provide training on the software programs they will use, and any information about your brand voice and values that they should keep in mind.
The perfect workflow
Creating standardized processes for your agents to follow should have been on your mind throughout this whole process, you’ll want to nail these workflows down before the launch. Remember, there will always be time to tweak it later. Just get it down on paper for now.
While the best workflow will always change depending on your industry and KPIs, there are some questions that may help.
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Will you use call scripts or improvisation?
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What happens if an issue needs to be escalated?
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How will calls /messages be distributed?
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When should your chatbot hand over to an agent?
Pros and cons of a virtual contact center
With more and more businesses opting for virtual centers, it’s clear that the advantages are many. However, there are certainly some disadvantages too, which we’ll address below.
Let’s talk positives
The advantages of going virtual range from improved staff satisfaction as you cut commutes and living costs to the increased customer insights offered by a multi-channel approach.
One of the key factors will be the increase in your staff’s positivity, which will lead to a more positive customer experience and reduced turnover.
A remote workforce will also save you money on office space, especially important in busy urban areas. With no need for people to come in person, you’ll also cut the costs of utilities, security and the cleaning crew.
What is a virtual call center’s weak point?
Some businesses will worry about data security when they opt for a cloud-based approach, and this is understandable. Whether from technical issues or a hack, it’s important that your clients know you can keep their data safe.
This is why we’d also recommend using tried and tested software programs, and implementing additional checks where possible. While these worries may seem like a big deal, it simply requires some additional thought.
Other issues you may run into will be the same for any remote environment. These usually relate to reduced collaboration and communications issues between employees in remote teams.
How do I run a successful virtual contact center?
Once you’ve hired your staff, set up your workflows and implemented your new tech, it’s time to think about the future. And the most important part of that will be making sure that your team shares a vision and sense of purpose.
That’s why it’s important to share your image of the future and train your staff with that in mind. You’ll want your staff to know the norms and expectations, how to find the information they need, and where they can go for help.
The best way to guarantee the success of your contact center is to empower customer service, giving the virtual team the tools they need to succeed.
Another key to positive growth is to reinforce your team’s sense of well-being. This can be done through expressing gratitude, recognizing performance and offering training where needed. It’s the job of a good supervisor to go one step beyond the metrics, ensuring that all agents have the necessary tools they need.
Be good to your teams, and they’ll be good to you.
Virtual contact center
We’ve looked at what a virtual contact center is, the differences between that and a call center, and the different pieces of software available to you. From the financial advantages of a remote-first workforce to the pros of opting for an omnichannel system, you should now be in a place where you can begin your plan.
You’ll need a budget, training plans, and some idea of the workflows you’ll implement. A plan for hiring and a plan for helping those employees succeed on an individual and team level.
Because in our current digital landscape, using the right technology and training mechanisms are vital for improving the customer experience. As potential clients and consumers, we expect more than ever these days, and if you don’t have a happy and healthy workforce propping you up, you’ll be sure to lose those revenue streams.
To nurture this workforce, having the best software is essential. That’s why the call center software market in the US is expected to grow by 23.2% this year. To earn more about the tools that will empower your customer service department, see what Boost has to offer.