What is a reasonable expectation for a company setting up an inbound call center program?
Many factors enter in to setting up an inbound program. The time frame varies based on whether it is a new program or an existing program, whether a new phone number needed or an existing number needs to be transferred. As a rule of thumb, allow three to four weeks from the time all program requirements have been defined to the time the first call is taken. This allows the proper amount of time to set up all technology, transferring or acquiring a phone number, create scripting, train the agents, and thoroughly test all areas of the program to ensure it is ready to go live. Where does a company start? What does it involve? The main place to start is research. You want to research everything from equipment to which agents to hire. Call center equipment is quite expensive, so you’ll want to get it right the first time. If you plan on expanding beyond inbound to outbound, you may want to invest a little more in the beginning and get a system that can handle both. You will also want to loo
