Hi all,

Apologies if this on the wrong section, im thinking of setting up an outsourcing call centre (thinking abroad due to lower overhead costs) and would just like some feedback on how best to go about getting started and hopefully get some networking to get an insight into some of your expertise!

Just as question, do you feel that setting up abroad is a smart move and is the technology as easily transferrable and sourced or is it best to set my sights on keeping it in the UK?

Hi James.

I can give you a perspective from a technology and a little bit on the cultural point of view.

Technologically, the method to deploy a call centre overseas from UK numbers is pretty commonplace these days. This means that, provided your network connections are robust enough, you can pass quite alot of UK traffic to pretty much any location in the world. And yes, there are certainly bargains to be had if you choose to go offshore, Philipines and some countries in South America are being eyed as some of the next "hot spots" to leverage good english speaking staff at very reasonable rates.

As always you want to be mindful as to the type of calls your outsourced centre would be attracting, as some types of calls are more culturally "biased" to a native UK accent than others, especially calls with either a high value, or high personal sensitivity. Fundamentally, you might want to consider specialising in a particular market type... will you be focussing on debt collection, customer care, sales, catalog order taking, outbound, customer surveys or perhaps a combination of these or more... once you can decide your forte, the answers might be a little easier regarding geographical or cultural preferences.

Technologically, though, setting up UK numbers to forward via IP technolgy or SIP into the centre of your choice is pretty easy, and can be quite cost effective too. And sourcing call centre technology in many places these days is not too difficult either. Your best bet might be to identify office space that may have already deployed some telephony infrastructure and just piggy back off of that, or alternatively you can consider investing in your own, it just means start up costs might be higher.

I hope this helps... good luck!

Gene

Hi,
It seems old now to be discussing call centers in the current era . I would start with a proper definition of the term call center. A call center is a facility which allows both inbound and outbound calls. If it is a support call center it will normally have inbound calls only, but in the case of a sales call center, it may allow outbound calls as well. The way it works is simple............
To simplify matters I am listing the points which are necessary for setting up call
1. Getting the required toll-free number and a multi channel [Broadband/ISDN] interface.
2. Get a broadband internet.
3. Get hold of an IPPABX (Internet Protocol Private Automatic Branch Exchange.
4. Purchase IP phones and lots of Cat 5+ cable.
5. Route the support number to IP Gateway.
6. Install all the necessary CRM software to agents computer.
This is all you need to be up and running with a call center

Yeah, its better to go for setting up abroad campaign..should have inbound & outbound campaign so that you would know how it works once getting feedback from your client.

"Hi,
It seems old now to be discussing call centers in the current era . I would start with a proper definition of the term call center. A call center is a facility which allows both inbound and outbound calls. If it is a support call center it will normally have inbound calls only, but in the case of a sales call center, it may allow outbound calls as well. The way it works is simple............
To simplify matters I am listing the points which are necessary for setting up call
1. Getting the required toll-free number and a multi channel [Broadband/ISDN] interface.
2. Get a broadband internet.
3. Get hold of an IPPABX (Internet Protocol Private Automatic Branch Exchange.
4. Purchase IP phones and lots of Cat 5+ cable.
5. Route the support number to IP Gateway.
6. Install all the necessary CRM software to agents computer.
This is all you need to be up and running with a call center"


Is it?

What about recruitment, training, performance management, client engagement, MI reporting, WFM, commercial agreements with clients etc etc. Oh, and what about somewhere to house your staff?

....and that's not even as though the technical solution suggested is worthwhile.

What about capacity? Resilience? Quality?

Personally, I think the days of outsourced operations competing on price alone are gone. Therefore, I can't see the benefit in looking at an offshore operation for that reason.

Specialise in a specific business area and build up some expertise there. Know the regulations and law for that sector. Understand how you can get a clients campaign up and running quicker than they can do it themselves (because you already understand the lay of the land). This is a good USP for an outsourcer.

If after all that you can then still deliver offshore and increase your margin, then do it. Otherwise I'd keep it in the UK where I could tightly control quality and ensure that the centre didn't fold after 12 months of failed pilots.