Simply put, a virtual call center offers a number of important differences and advantages as compared to its traditional equivalent. We'll briefly list these in a top-level view, and then explore each in further detail. Decentralization/work from anywhere Cost savings Manager control and tracking Scalability Ease of maintenance and changes Decentralization/work from anywhere: In a virtual configuration, center staff can work from nearly any physical location, in contrast to a traditional setup in which staff must work from a central office. The benefits are numerous: elimination of commute time; savings on vehicle costs; savings on a range of office costs; more flexible work schedules; and environmental benefits such as reduced vehicle emissions, office waste, hydro usage and more. Cost savings: With a virtual configuration for a call center, cost savings can be realized in a variety of areas. One major factor is capital outlay for initial deployment - in a traditional setup, companies typically must purchase a complex and therefore expensive on-premise PBX system, pay for installation and hardware, and, in addition, still have to purchase software and possibly per-seat licenses to integrate advanced features such as tracking and reporting tools. The virtual configuration eliminates many of these costs by using a web-based service to deliver the same features and functionality as an on-premise alternative. In addition, quality virtual call center management software allows administrators to complete initial configuration themselves, eliminating the need for a potentially costly on-site technician. Manager control and tracking: Crucial to success is the ability to track and measure agent performance. Good virtual call center software allows managers to track and produce reports on a variety of metrics, such as average hold time, number of calls answered vs. abandoned, time spent on each call, and more. Scalability: As with initial configuration, growth and expansion present potential costs and logistical considerations. A virtual call center configuration can significantly reduce these costs by allowing administrators to quickly and easily add members to their staff via a simple web interface. This approach saves money by removing the need for another technician visit, and also saves valuable staff time by greatly simplifying the addition of a new staff member. Ease of maintenance and changes: Most call centers will experience the need to modify or "tweak" their configuration as they gain experience in handling calls and identify more efficient means of conducting business. A robust web interface, as previously mentioned, is again of great benefit. Administrators and managers can for example easily change the center's call flow, add new prompts to existing auto-attendants, shuffle the priority of staff in a queue, or determine where unanswered calls are sent. We hope you have found our initial article on virtual call centers to be informative and helpful and we invite you to peruse our subsequent articles on the topic as they are published. Easy Office Phone offers a powerful, user-friendly Virtual Call Center solution. With its robust feature set, intuitive web interface and detailed reporting and tracking, our solutions are a perfect fit for both in-house and outsourced virtual call center applications.
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