Virtual Customer Service: How to Move Your Call Center Online (2024 Updated)

Max 8 min read

The entrepreneurs who weren’t sure about starting virtual call centers just six months ago don’t hesitate to make that decision now.

A remote worker is more productive, communicative, satisfied with their work-life balance, and saves around $11,000 a year by eliminating rent and office supplies. On top of that, the quality of customer support remains the same.

That’s why the virtual call center is quickly becoming a cost-effective solution for providing customer support. If you’re interested in starting one for your business, too, you need to know how to do it right.

Making a virtual center online isn’t that hard.

In this guide, you’ll know how to do it quickly and efficiently.

How Does a Virtual Call Center Work?

A virtual call center is a customer service center where support agents work remotely rather than being in one location.

This means that they can work from home, coffee house, coworking space, or another third-party location.

There are many advantages of having a virtual call center:

• Global Reach: Hire operators from around the world to provide support across different time zones.
• Access to Talent: Tap into a global talent pool for skilled support operators.
• Cost Reduction: Save on rent, office supplies, utilities, and IT infrastructure.
• Employee Satisfaction: Remote workers often report higher job satisfaction and better work-life balance.

Many customer support operations have gone remotely and it’s easy to see why. If you think your company can also benefit from the virtual call center business model, here’s where to start.

Steps to Set Up a Virtual Call Center

1. Hire Remote Operators or Train Your Employees

The first step in creating a virtual call center is to hire a great team.

Remember: you can use employees from all over the world to cover all the time differences. If your company serves international customers, you can hire operators from different countries to be available for them during local business hours.

This means you can look for candidates on international job boards. The task of hiring remote operators might be a bit easier if you serve only domestic customers.

When the team is assembled, you need to ensure they have the skills they need to provide quality support.

The same applies to your existing employees. If your office-based customer support needs to make the transition to work from home, they might need additional training to complete their tasks in a new work environment.

The most important thing about training and onboarding online operators is a helpful online resource base. It should serve the same purpose as a self-service knowledge base but contain instructional videos and written guidelines for operators.

Ideally, you need a resource base with:

• an overview of customer support processes.
• responsibilities of team leaders and operators.
• a description of your product or service.
• basic rules and conversation guidelines.
• instructions on how to use the software.

Share this resource base with your remote operators and conduct training sessions for each of these points. This will ensure that they’re prepared to serve customers well.

An example of an effective training plan could include:

2. Provide Access to a Cloud-Based Phone System

A cloud-based call system uses Virtual VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). It’s a perfect option for a virtual call center because it works via the internet instead of a traditional phone line. So, the call occurs through a special app on a computer.

Unlike regular landlines, VoIP systems are cheaper and easier to install, even through a third-party service provider.

Steps to Implement VoIP:

1. Purchase Virtual Phone Numbers: Obtain numbers from providers like Google Voice or RingCentral.
2. Register and Set Up: Create accounts with the VoIP provider.
3. Top Up Balance: Ensure sufficient funds for call operations.
4. Integrate: Configure the system to work seamlessly with your support setup.

Advantages of VoIP Systems:

• Scalability: Easily scale up or down based on call volume and business needs.
• Advanced Features: Access features like call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, and conference calling.
• Lower Costs: Reduce long-distance and international call charges.

3. Use a CRM to Keep Track of Customers and Conversations

A virtual call center CRM connects all operators through a single platform and automates the process of processing incoming calls, ticketing, and routing. It can help with keeping track of conversations, ticketing, managing customer information, and other support activities.

With a CRM, your call center operators can view, change, or add information to customer profiles. As a result, they will be better prepared to respond to customers.

Consider these virtual call center CRM features when choosing one:

• inbound & outbound calls.
• helpdesk ticketing.
• call recording.

4. Make Working Easier with Special Apps

Virtual call center operators can face unique challenges such as distractions and excessive background noise.  To make it easier for them to complete their tasks, consider investing in noise-canceling, co-browsing, and VPN tools.

Noise-Canceling Apps

Many remote customer support operators have a problem with background noise that even noise-canceling headphones can’t solve. An app like Krisp suppresses background noise in real-time.

5. Use Chatbots for Repetitive Questions

Chatbots are virtual assistants that help customers by addressing common inquiries 24/7. Here’s a support chatbot at Rasa that is automatically triggered giving customers a chance to ask questions and later connects them to the customer support agents.

Wrapping Up

Moving your customer support online is a cost-effective solution that expands business hours and helps maintain the quality of your service. Fortunately, doing so now is easier than ever.