{"id":9327,"date":"2020-06-16T03:53:48","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T03:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therealpbx.com\/blog\/?p=9327"},"modified":"2020-06-16T03:56:32","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T03:56:32","slug":"equipment-for-remote-contact-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therealpbx.com\/blog\/equipment-for-remote-contact-center\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are The Equipment Required For Setting Up Remote Contact Center?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"contact<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Customer service is an integral part of\nany business. It is such an essential aspect of every modern-day business that\nnot even a single company can afford the risk of neglecting customer experience\nin the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the world around us is forced to stay\ninside their homes, businesses are facing the challenge of providing\nuninterrupted customer services. Fortunately, technological advancements over\nthe years are coming to their rescue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloud technology and its applications in\nthe communication sector offer the much-needed scalability, flexibility, and\nportability to businesses that they very much require for running their businesses from home<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cloud eliminates all the IT hassles\nand allows companies to focus on growing their business and solely taking care\nof customer service operations. Cloud-based contact centers<\/a> are there to facilitate seamless\ncustomer services by allowing your agents to work remotely from their\nhomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting up a remote contact center involves multiple steps, i.e., from understanding your current working environment to figuring out what type of hardware and software you might require. Read this guide till the very end and you will come to know about what type of equipment you require for setting up a virtual or remote contact center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Basic Hardware Requirements <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

i) Computer<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern call centers work on cutting edge\ntechnologies which require personal computers to stay productive and manage\ncustomer service operations efficiently. Your agents will either require a\ndesktop or laptop to work from home. Having a PC can significantly reduce the\nneed for VoIP phones as your agents can utilize softphones for calling\npurposes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ii)<\/strong> Headsets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure HD call quality, your agents\nwill require good quality headsets. For VoIP calls, wired headsets are\nrecommended, as in the case of Bluetooth or wireless headphones, there are\naudio delays sometimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 iii)<\/strong> Internet Connection<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first and foremost thing you need to\ncheck is whether your agents have good quality and stable internet connection\nat home or not. As VoIP requires internet for calling purposes, having a low\nbandwidth internet connection will affect customer service operations and the\nproductivity of your agents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Software Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Call Logs and Analytics <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should be aware of what’s going on in your virtual contact center. With call logs and analytics features of cloud-based contact center software, you can visualize data such as the total number of incoming calls, missed calls, number of calls answered within service level, and so on. Above all, you get individual reports based on business phone numbers and agents of these metrics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. After Call Survey <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the best ways to gauge the success of your agents is to conduct post call surveys with customers. The after-call survey is another handy feature that you may require to track your agents’ performance while they work from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Real-Time Call Monitoring <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An intuitive dashboard for monitoring\nlive calls is imperative where call center managers can see the total number of\nlive calls, answered calls, idle agents, and other KPIs to keep track of what’s\nhappening in their contact center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on these real-time KPIs, you can\nmanage call flow and efficiently manage your idle agents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Predictive Dialers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Keep your agents productive and reduce\ntheir downtime by employing hosted predictive dialer software<\/a> to ensure a steady flow of calls. Save\nyour agents from the hassles of finding and dialing customers’ contacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With predictive dialing software, they\ncan interact with more customers in less time as the software keeps on dialing\ncustomer numbers based on advanced algorithms designed to keep your agents\nproductive and efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part is that predictive dialers\nsupport integrations with CRM applications. Apart from that, they can also\ndetect answering machines and redirect their calls to different destinations\nsuch as voicemails. Thus, protecting the valuable time of your agents by\nkeeping them away from answering machines and busy tones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Call Whisper <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Call Whisper lets you hear the live\nconversations between your agents and customers. This feature of a cloud-based\ncontact center software also serves as a useful training tool for agents as the\ncustomers can’t hear the voice of managers guiding their agents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Call Whisper, you can conduct\nregular training sessions even if your staff is working remotely. You can hear\ntheir conversations and guide them on how to close leads and provide top-notch\ncustomer support services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Call Barge <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now, what if you want to take control of a live conversation between your agent and the customer? Call Barge feature is the answer as it lets you answer the ongoing calls by transferring it thus giving you the control of the situation wherever necessary. The transition is smooth, and your agent will have to inform the customer that, “my senior or manager will now be talking with you to better cater to your requirements.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Call Recording<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With this feature, you can record conversations between your agents and customers<\/a> and save them securely on the cloud.\nYou can access these call recordings anytime from your admin portal and use\nthem for analysis and quality assurance purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. ACD Software <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ACD stands for Automatic Call\nDistribution, which routes customers’ calls to the right agents based on\nvarious factors such as skills, availability, department, client requirements,\netc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is typically incorporated with the\nhosted call center solutions and ensures that your remote agents receive\ncustomers’ calls, which they can handle and that to at an appropriate time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACD incorporates a digital receptionist or auto attendant phone system<\/a> that automatically answers customers’ calls and provides a pre-recorded menu with options to perform different operations. Customers can then choose an appropriate option to get their queries resolved by the right agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 4. CRM Software <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When your agents are supposed to work\nfrom home, they can easily miss important details regarding client demographics\n– name, contact number, address, requirements, etc. Customer Relationship\nManagement applications bridge this gap as they keep everyone on the same page\nin the lead nurturing phase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your company already uses CRMs, then\nyou must adopt a remote contact center solution that offers integration with\nit. If not, then whether they are ready to provide custom integration with your\nCRM tool or not. The Real PBX remote work solutions offer integrations with the\nZoho CRM, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and other popular CRMapps.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Communication & Team Collaboration Tools  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is essential for your team of agents\nto seamlessly communicate and collaborate to stay connected for the smooth\nfunctioning of your contact center operations. Do check out some must-have\nfeatures such as audio\/video conferencing, in-meeting chat, screen sharing,\nsecurity, etc. before investing in any team collaboration tools. Choosing the right\ntool to empower your agents to work from home can define the success or failure\nof your remote contact center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from home for a long duration can also affect your team’s mental health, and thus you need to keep them engaged. Watch this video to know the six simple steps to keep your agents productive during work from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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