Call center requirements checklist

The first thing that you need to take care of is the call center software and VoIP provider. You need to make sure that the company you are going to be working with can provide everything you require in order to have a successful call center.

Why is call center software important?

They will be the ones that are going to provide you with all the other items on your checklist. It is crucial to make sure they can deliver.

How to choose call center software?

Some of the things that you should look for in a call center software solution include:

• ability to offer a wide range of services
• good reputation and experience in the industry
• understanding of your business and what you are looking for
• flexibility to meet your specific needs

Ask for referrals, compare different providers, and do research before you decide (this goes for any type of contact center you choose). Thanks to that you’ll avoid any unpleasant surprises down the road.

Which tools to use for finding call center software?

• websites with independent reviews and ratings (like Capterra or Gartner)
• consultants who specialize in call center set-up and management
• LiveAgent (a flexible call center software with advanced features, compatible with many well-known VoIP providers and a large number of available integrations)

The quality of your Internet connection is extremely important for a call center. You need to make sure that you have enough bandwidth to support the number of inbound and outbound calls.

Why is a good Internet connection important?

Speed is vital for your agents to work smoothly and without any interruptions. In 2023, everything is online. The Internet contributes so many components to the successful operation of your call center.

How to have a good Internet connection?

Your call center should have:

• A bandwidth of at least 100 Mbps
• Upload and download speeds of 50 Mbps or higher (depending on your call volume)

The faster it is, the better. Look for a provider that offers high-speed Internet with unlimited data transfer (or as close to that as possible). Test your connection during different times of the day to get a better idea of its performance.

If you’re setting up a remote call center, verify that all of your agents have reliable Internet access.

How to test your Internet connection?

• use tools like Speedtest.net or Glasnost to test the speed of your connection

The next thing on your list is the necessary equipment. This includes items like headsets, computers, and software.

Why do you need this equipment?

Having the proper equipment will not only make your agents’ jobs easier but also help to eliminate any unnecessary stress. In addition, it will ensure that your agents are ready to take on the workload that you have for them.

How to choose the right equipment?

Every company has different needs, so consider what you will require before choosing any solution. This will depend on the type of call center that you decide to set up.
For example, if you are going to be using a cloud-based solution, you won’t need as much hardware. It will all be taken care of by your provider. However, if you are setting up a traditional call center, you will need to provide your agents with the proper tools.

When choosing your equipment, keep in mind the following factors:

• the type of work that your agents will be doing
• the size of your call center
• your budget

What’s the best way to purchase equipment?

• lease it
• buy it outright
• use a subscription model

Your call center should be able to handle any future changes that you might need to make. That’s why from the very beginning you should take care of two of the most important aspects: flexibility and scalability of your call center.

Why are flexibility and scalability important?

You never know when your business is going to need to make a change. Your call center should be able to accommodate any modifications without having to sacrifice customer service quality.

Flexibility and scalability are important because they allow your call center to grow with your business. As your company expands, so does your call center. This will help to ensure that you always have the resources that you need to meet the demands of your customers.

How do I make sure my call center is flexible and scalable?

The truth is that most of it depends on the provider that you choose. However, there are a few things that you can do to help increase the flexibility and scalability of your call center.

First, make sure you have a clear understanding of your long-term goals to help you choose the right solution for you. Second, be ready to adapt quickly when necessary. Third, choose a provider that offers you the opportunity to grow with your business.

How can you maximize your call center flexibility and scalability?

• adding new agents
• hiring new personnel
• changing the hours of operation
• switching to a new provider
• moving to a new location

In order to provide a high-quality service, your call center should have the latest technology. In addition to making it more efficient, this will allow you to reach a larger audience and handle more work.

Why is providing the right technology important?

The right equipment makes it easier for your agents to do their jobs. One of the most important things that technology can provide is flexibility, which allows you to connect with more customers and provide better service.

How to handle providing the right technology?

When choosing the right technology for your call center, make sure to keep in mind what type of work your agents will be doing. For example, if they will be making a lot of outbound calls then you will need to provide them with some modern technology and VoIP systems.

If your agents will be handling a lot of inbound calls, you will need to provide them with an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. In this way, you can automate the process and make it easier for your customers to use.

What are some examples of the right technology?

• cloud-based call center software
• advanced calling technology like VoIP systems, intelligent call routing, call flow designing, etc. (LiveAgent has many to offer)
• high-speed Internet
• basic cloud technology like email, word processing, and spreadsheets
• CRM software

CRM is a fundamental component of every call center. By tracking all of the interactions between your agents and customers, you will gain valuable insights into their behavior.

Why is CRM important for a call center?

Without a CRM system, your agents will not be able to get enough information about customers. This means that your employees would have to rely on memory and guesswork while talking with clients.

How can you make sure that your call center has the right CRM?

The first step is to choose a provider that offers customer relationship management (CRM) software as a part of the overall solution. The second aspect to consider when choosing a CRM system is your needs and preferences.

If you already have a CRM that works for you, it might be better to stick with it. It might be more convenient than switching over and integrating it with your call center provider. Keep the following in mind when choosing a CRM system for your call center:

• the size of your contact database
• how often you plan on importing data
• the ability to track interactions with customers over time
• customizable reports
• ease of use and navigation

When choosing a CRM system, it is important to make sure that it has all the features you need to manage your customer relationships effectively. Otherwise, you will either have to find a different provider or invest in additional software that can fill in the gaps.

Which types of CRM can you choose?

• operational – for managing day-to-day activities
• analytical – for understanding what happened in the past and predicting future trends
• collaborative – to help team members share data and work together
• campaign management – to track and execute marketing campaigns
• strategic – to help with long-term decision making

As a call center, you ought to put even greater emphasis than usual on enhancing the customer experience by implementing advanced calling features.

Why are extensive calling features important?

Extensive calling features are important because they can help you make your call center run more efficiently. They can also provide a better customer experience by making it easier for your agents to connect with customers and handle their requests.

How to handle extensive calling features?

If you are not familiar with the features, you can learn about them by reading the documentation that comes with your call center software, or by talking to a representative from your provider.

Once you have learned about the features, you will need to make sure that your agents have an understanding of them as well. You can do this by sending them a document with information or scheduling an in-person training session.

Call center software that is user-friendly and easy to learn will help your agents get started faster and use the features more effectively.

What are some features that you should look for?

• ACD (Automatic Call Distribution)
• IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
• skill-based routing
• unlimited call recording and monitoring
• real-time analytics
• native and external CRM integrations

Tip: If you’re looking for call center software that has it all, LiveAgent does. What’s more, it provides crystal-clear quality and a full array of other features – and it’s completely free to try.

In 2023, your call center should be able to provide a personalized experience to your customers. This means that call center agents will need to have access to data about each individual customer and use it to personalize their interactions with them.

Why is personalization important?

To give your clients a better experience and leave a lasting impression, you need to provide a personalized call center experience. Personalization is also important because it can help you increase your sales, decrease the cost of each interaction with a customer, and improve your overall efficiency. How? By giving customers exactly what they are looking for, right when they need it.

How to provide a personalized experience in your call center?

You will first have to identify data that allows for personalization. You can do this by looking at your current CRM system and the information it contains about your customers.

Once you have identified the data, you will need to make sure that it is accessible to your agents. This can be done by either having it displayed on their screens or providing them with a report that they can access whenever they need.

Which tools to use for personalizing the experience?

• thank-you message template
• informing the customer about the stage of the process they are at
• marking customers that you need to reach out to again
• ranking agents by their availability or skill level and having them call only specific people based on this order
• converting abandoned calls into chats with automated messages explaining why all agents are busy

A call center agent’s experience is also important to emphasize in addition to personalization.

Why do you need experienced staff?

Employing experienced staff is imperative because they can help you provide a better customer experience and teach inexperienced agents how to handle calls. Moreover, they can supervise the work that is being done and help new employees improve their skills.

How to handle experienced staff?

You will need to ensure that you are hiring the right people for the job. This means you will need to look for candidates with customer service experience, as well as those who have worked in call centers before.

You will also need to provide staff with the right tools and training so that they can be successful in their roles. This includes providing them with a guide on how to use your call center software, as well as giving them access to tutorials that can help them improve their skills.

Which tools to use for finding experienced staff?

• a list of requirements for each position
• an assessment to measure candidates’ skills
• interview questions related to customer service
• reference checks

A successful call center does everything possible to streamline its agents’ workflow and make sure they are as productive as possible. This is done by automating a lot of the mundane processes. It minimizes the time spent dealing with tasks that do not add any value to agents’ jobs.

Why is improving agents’ productivity important?

An automated process for resolving calls without requiring callers to wait on hold is a major benefit for the end-user. It means that they can be served faster, have shorter waiting times, and get a better customer satisfaction score from your service.

How can you improve your agents’ productivity?

One way is to have them use self-service technology. Customers can resolve their issues on their own. Additionally, you can improve productivity by automating as many processes as possible and providing staff with the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

This includes giving them access to a CRM system that is easy to use, as well as providing them with reports they can use to better manage their customer base.

Which tools to use for improving agents’ productivity?

• LiveAgent omnichannel help desk software – collects messages from social media, live chat, and emails, all in one inbox to help agents manage their work
• context-rich omnichannel agent desktop – enables a seamless transition between answering calls and finding important customer data, and is also available in LiveAgent
• automated ticket distribution – assigns support tickets to agents based on predetermined rules
• integrations

Another requirement that your call center should definitely cover is having excellent call quality.

Why is having excellent call quality important?

The quality of calls is important because it can help you increase your customer satisfaction and boost your reputation. This will have a direct impact on the number of leads that you get, helping you grow your business as well as increasing sales.

How to ensure excellent call quality?

You can do this by using the right tools and equipment, as well as by having a monitoring process in place. This includes using software that can help you identify any issues with calls. In addition, you should employ agents who are familiar with the use of such tools and the full range of their features.

Which tools to use for ensuring excellent call quality?

• a VoIP phone system
• quality monitoring software to test the quality of calls
• a script to follow when taking calls and resolving issues
• solutions for reducing customer turnover rate

Another major requirement for any call center is having internal support and provisioning. This means that you will need to be able to help your agents resolve issues easily and troubleshoot problems on the spot.

Why is it important?

Having a process in place that allows you to provide assistance when required can make all the difference between an agent who is able to resolve an issue and one who needs additional support. It can also help your call center representatives provide better service, resulting in more satisfied customers who will make further purchases.

How do you ensure internal support?

You need to make sure that every agent has access to high-quality resources and support at all times so that they can get the help they need. You also need to have a process in place that allows you to quickly and easily resolve any issues that may arise.

Which tools to use for providing internal support?

• ticketing system
• knowledge base
• internal chat software
• quality monitoring software

Providing continual training to all your agents is the bread and butter of a successful call center. It ensures that new employees are capable of doing their jobs effectively. Furthermore, it keeps existing staff up-to-date with everything that has changed since they first joined the team.

Why is proper training important?

Having an experienced and ongoing training process in your call center team can help you provide better service to your customers. By familiarizing agents with your company’s products and services, they are better able to answer customers’ questions and resolve issues faster.

How do you ensure proper training?

Firstly, create a plan of what you want your agents to learn. Next is hosting your training sessions regularly in order to maintain skills and knowledge. You can even have experienced staff train your new employees. In addition, regular reviews can help your agents keep up with the latest trends and changes.

Which tools to use for proper training?

• call center software solution
• training program (documents, videos) on your website or in an internal knowledge base

A backup plan is essential when considering what would happen if one of your main call center solutions failed. This can have a direct impact on how well you are able to resolve issues, as well as provide service to your customers.

Why is it important?

Backup solutions ensure that your business continues to operate even if there is a problem with one of the main solutions. It can be a lifesaver in case anything goes wrong. It ensures that you and your agents are still available to take calls or provide service while waiting for the problem to be resolved.

How do you prepare an effective backup plan?

Plan a backup in advance. This could be by having an alternative solution that you can switch to in case the main one stops working.

Furthermore, agents must know what to do if there is a problem and where to get support. You need to have a clear policy in place that your agents can follow in case of any emergencies.

Which tools to use for preparing an effective backup plan?

• call center software solution
• incident management system
• quality monitoring software
• support chat software
• business continuity plans
• an emergency contact list that includes the phone numbers and email addresses of key people who can help (agents, supervisors, managers, etc.)

In order to ensure that your agents are meeting the company’s standards and providing good service, you need to track agent performance.

Why is performance tracking important?

Tracking agent call performance will help you identify any areas where they may need additional training or support. It also helps determine if they are meeting the goals that have been set for them.

How do you track agents’ performance?

You can use quality monitoring software as well as a call center solution to track your agents’ performance. You also need to make sure that they know what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated, so they can work on improving their skills.

What tools to use for tracking performance?

• historical reports
• key performance indicators
• performance targets

Call recording will allow you to review phone conversations, as well as identify ways in which agents can improve their performance.

Why is call recording important?

Call recording will help your agents learn the best way of handling customer issues and resolving problems more effectively. It also helps them avoid repeating mistakes in the future. The same goes for supervisors who may be able to use recordings of past calls to help train new agents.

How to handle call recording?

Call recording works by capturing all or part of a telephone conversation and storing it in digital format. This can be done for all calls or only specific ones that you want to review.
To avoid confusion or interruption in service, you must ensure that your agents know when their calls are being recorded. You should establish a policy for how recordings will be used, as well as who will have access to them.

What tools to use for recording calls?

• call recording software
• call center solution that includes recording
• quality monitoring software with call recording capabilities

You need to make sure that your call center is in compliance with all applicable regulations and laws.

Why is legal compliance important?

Compliance will help you run a more efficient business by giving you peace of mind knowing that everything is done according to the law. The fact that your company follows the set regulations also shows your customers, partners, and other stakeholders that they can trust you.

How to ensure compliance?

You can do so by having a written policy in place that outlines all of the call center’s requirements and how they will be enforced. Your agents should also know these policies and be aware of their responsibilities.

Finally, keep in mind that some regulations can change over time. You should regularly check to ensure that your call center still complies with them.

What tools can you use to ensure compliance?

• call center policy
• guideline books and posters
• training program on the company’s policies and procedures

Integrating your call center with other business tools will streamline your agents’ work and improve their efficiency.

Why is integration important?

Integration will help your agents have a better understanding of the company’s overall business goals and how their work impacts other areas of the business. It also allows them to collaborate with different departments, which can lead to improved customer service.

How to integrate?

Your call center can be integrated with other business tools in a number of ways. You can use APIs to connect different systems or middleware to manage all the interactions between applications. It all depends on the tools you wish to integrate.

What tools should you consider for integration?

• CRM system with call center integration
• quality monitoring software with reporting capabilities
• agent desktops and softphones
• scripting and queuing

Your call center should cover all the security measures needed to keep both your data and agents safe.

Why is security important?

Security is essential for any business, but it’s especially important for call centers because they deal with sensitive customer information. You need to ensure that all of your systems are secure from unauthorized access and your agents are protected from cyber-attacks.

How to provide security?

You need to have a written call center policy in place that outlines all of your security requirements. Regularly checking and updating these policies is also required as new threats emerge or when vulnerabilities are discovered in the systems your business uses.

What tools to use for providing security?

• call center policy
• compliance with ISO
• GDPR
• encryption
• training program on the company’s policies and procedures
• password management software
• firewall protection
• regular updates

Your call center should be accessible to all agents, regardless of their location.

Why is this important?

It’s crucial for your call center to be accessible to all agents so they can work from anywhere at any given moment. This will give them the flexibility they need to handle customer inquiries in a timely manner.

How to handle access?

Using a cloud-based call center solution will give your agents access to all the tools and resources they need, no matter where they are located.

Which tools to use for granting access to company resources?

• cloud-based call center solution
• remote access software
• mobile apps for agents