- What is a virtual call center?
- Virtual call center software
- How to set up a virtual call center?
- How much does it cost to set up a virtual call center?
Call centers no longer have to remain as we know them today, with a physical location, tables and above all many expenses. You can have a much cheaper and more comfortable option, and thanks to VoIP telephony it is possible to do all this work virtually in a call center. Virtual call centers use IP telephony to allow agents to work remotely, from anywhere, without having to go to an office or physical facilities. Knowing how to set up a Call Center from the beginning effectively and at the lowest possible cost is essential to start on the right path to make your business profitable, and offer excellent customer service.
What is a virtual call center?
A virtual call center allows companies to manage their customer service communications and call service remotely, it performs the same functions as a traditional call center but uses VoIP telephony and specialized call center software to manage calls, all from the cloud. This enables work to be done from anywhere without the need for physical installations. A virtual call center is a valuable way to increase the productivity of support and sales teams, and it is also an ideal tool for balancing work with personal life.
With VoIP telephony and call center software, they ensure that they can answer all calls, emails, interact in chats and manage all types of communication with customers efficiently. This modality offers flexibility and reduction in costs.
Virtual call center software
Virtual call centers work the same as a traditional call center, but with many more advantages, from being able to have a virtual switchboard to many more interesting functionalities to manage the relationship with customers. For its operation, specialized software for customer management and the cloud is necessary, where employees can access whenever they have an internet connection. This offers great advantages for those who are thinking about setting up a virtual call center.
First, you can have agents all over the world by not depending on a physical location, improving the quality of life of employees by eliminating travel, reducing staff turnover and improving employee motivation, and all this translates as better customer service. It is perfectly scalable, thanks to its flexibility you can adjust the number of agents as the company grows or according to demand, and anywhere, since with virtual telephone numbers it is possible to establish a number for the country that has been assigned to an agent.
Nowadays, there are many IP telephony service providers such as Megacall, which has functionalities that make virtual call centers even better. Functions such as being able to create welcome menus to direct customers through different departments, you can also see the route through which the call goes from the visual editor of the virtual switchboard, organizing it in the way you like the most (adding voice menus, call forwarding, voicemail, etc.) It is also possible to manage call queues at the same time, so that no call goes unanswered.
In the call settings, this is where you can activate call recording, a really important and useful function and where you also have the option of call recognition and transcription to be able to check if the established promotions are being offered, for example, or if quality service is being provided, also to know if legal regulations are being followed and even to resolve disputes with clients. In turns, this gives way to the call analytics function, with this you can observe the work of the employees, the best agents who best offer the service as well as those who usually have the most problems, sales opportunities and much more. That can be discovered with this tool.
Finally, the figure of the supervisor in traditional call centers is not lost and continues to be maintained in a virtual call center, with the advantage that they can listen to the call, advise during the call without the client listening or directly intervene in the conversation, in case it was necessary.
How to set up a virtual call center?
First of all, you cannot miss these 3 important steps to take to start setting up your virtual call center.
- Sign up and connect your number.
- Configure the virtual switchboard.
- Your own CRM or integrated into switchboard. This step is optional, but integration with a CRM brings many advantages as everything is centralized in a single platform.
From the virtual switchboard is where you can manage all calls and perform all the functions mentioned in the previous section. Furthermore, to have everything more centralized and controlled, it can be integrated to the company’s CRM, as Megacall does for free.
- We register and connect a phone number to the switchboard. These virtual numbers will be the numbers from which calls are made and received, and if your provider is Megacall, you will have the option of contracting numbers from more than 100 different countries or porting your current number, which will help you expand your business to other locations internationally and to give a more professional image to your clients.
- The next step is configure the virtual switchboard. This is where all the call configurations and functions will be made (voice menu, transfer, call forwarding, call recordings and analytics, voice transcription, call statistics, visual scenario editor, etc.) In the case of Megacall, it is possible to have a free option that allows the configuration of up to 5 users. It is also possible to contract other plans that includes a phone number, more storage space, more calling minutes and other advantages for 20 euros per month. You can check the plans here.
- The last step will be to connect the virtual switchboard to the company’s CRM or connect it for free to Megacall’s CRM, which will be fully integrated with the virtual switchboard from the beginning. This step is not mandatory, but we do recommend that having the switchboard integrated into the CRM brings many advantages for the company. Megacall also has other integrations with the most popular softwares on the market such as Zoho and Hubspot.
How much does it cost to set up a virtual call center?
To calculate how much it can cost you to have a virtual call center, in the case of Megacall it is very simple. Signing up for the Standard Plan for 0 euros and a telephone number for 2 euros, you will have access to all the functions of the virtual switchboard and CRM only by paying for the number (2 euros), with 200mb of storage and 100 minutes of calls. And if you are looking to expand the space in the cloud, have more calling minutes, the option of up to 6 voice menus and with a phone number included, you can choose the Lite Plan for 20 euros per month with the annual rate.
From here, you will be able to use all the functionalities offered by the virtual switchboard, and with the integrated CRM you will be able to keep track of both your company’s communications and the work of the agents. Are you ready to launch your virtual call center?
