8 mins read
Virtual call centers aka virtual contact center have come into the spotlight even more due to Coronavirus, as they provide a flexible alternative to traditional office-based call centers.
Virtual call centers are more cost-effective and open up your business to new talented staff based anywhere in the world.
As a manager, you might find it daunting to build a virtual call center team, so we have put together some tips for you to bear in mind when building the perfect team.
So you can find the best talent and train them well, giving them all the tools they need to deliver excellent service and get you results.
Open Up Your Talent Pool
The beauty of a virtual call center is that you can hire any person who is a good fit for the role, rather than the person who is geographically located closest.
You can hire talented staff from all over the world and add them to your phone system in just a few clicks.
Ideal for shift work, someone can be online to answer calls 24 hours a day due to them working in different time zones and customers can contact you whenever they want to.
You will never have to settle for staff who are located close to you if they are not quite the right fit. As a manager, you can pick and choose from a global talent pool and can work together as if you are in the same room using your hosted phone system.
Make Sure Everyone Is Included With Collaborative Tools
Once you have hired your talented team from all over the world, you can start building a team atmosphere by using your hosted phone system to foster collaboration.
You can encourage your staff to collaborate on your different projects, and they can call each other internally with no costs attached.
No matter where the staff members are located, they can communicate over the phone with the same crystal clear communications as they would experience sitting in a room together.
Staff can also have team meetings with conference calls, and can easily dial in and share ideas and expertise.
They can also get to know each other and other staff’s areas of expertise, so if a customer calls they know exactly who to put them through to, to best answer the customer query.
Staff can learn from each other and this will help their own development too!
As a manager, creating a good collaborative atmosphere is important – particularly if staff are working remotely. This helps your staff function better together and can help minimize any feelings of isolation within the team.
Train Staff With Call Recordings
Your online portal, connected to your hosted phone system, allows you to access call recordings from any call you choose in just a few clicks.
These call recordings can be used in a number of ways, but are particularly useful when you are building up your team.
Team members will come from all different backgrounds, some may be inexperienced in working in a call center, however, this is no problem as you can utilize call recordings to show your new staff members exactly what to expect.
You can search easily through call logs to find great examples of customer service and play them alongside poor examples of customer service, and can even bring up the most difficult or common enquiries so staff members are fully prepared before they start on the phones.
Once staff are up and running, you can choose a few of their calls to review and give them tips on how to improve or identify where they have gaps in their knowledge, so you can easily draw up a training plan to make sure they are working as effectively as possible and providing the best customer service they can.
Monitor Staff And Support Them
Acefone’s online portal is a useful tool for managers as it has everything they need to run their call center efficiently. Call center managers can monitor their call center’s performance as a whole, through the total number of calls, call times, and more.
These useful analytics can tell call center managers which staff might need more training or support to perform better and which staff are exceeding expectations.
By looking at individual agent’s call waiting times, call recordings, and time in between calls managers can see where staff might need their support and can step in before a problem becomes more significant.
In the unfortunate event of a complaint against a staff member, you can support them by reviewing call recordings so you have all the information before you take any action with the customer.
Acefone’s online portal gives call center managers all the tools they need to develop a successful team from scratch, no matter where in the world that team might be based!
So, if you are putting a new team together for your call center, a hosted phone system and the amazing features it can include can help you recruit and train the best possible team without the limitations of a physical office location.
To find out more about how a contact center system can help you build the best call center team, call us on 1888-859-0450 today.
