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Bangladesh Call Center Establishment
[Mar 14 2009 23:51:28]
Introduction
Critical factors that need to be considered when setting up Call Centre. The matters those are vital to the successful establishment of a best practice Call Centre, such as telecommunication and information systems requirements, office facilities and design. Resource issues such as staffing, structure, recruiting, initial training and the development of integrated marketing and communication strategies.
Major Establishment Factors
Factors associated with establishing Call Centre major factors, including telecommunication and information systems, facilities management, resourcing, staffing and integrated marketing and communication strategies.
The detailed task analysis listed below provides a checklist of the key elements related to the establishment of a Call Centre.
Organizational design: Span criteria – number of levels and functions
Support roles: infrastructure – important technology and telecommunications (IT&T), facilities management, financial analysis.
General: human resource manager, staff development and training manager, administration / office support manager.
Operations: quality assurance manager, resource manager, forecasting / scheduling and reporting analyst.
Facilities planning: site selection; detailed facilities design – requirements / specifications; viable location analysis; fit out and construction; space planning.
Business model: business case analysis; business performance and expectations.
Processes: performance reporting; processes and procedures; key performance indicators (KPIs); forecasting / scheduling; quality assurance.
IT Systems and telephony: PABX / ACD; call monitoring; local area network (LAN); data, desktop support; server platform; mainframe; software; security.
Business recovery: viable operating options to maintain business operations in the event of business interruptions and unplanned disasters
Human resources management: critical competencies and job standards; job descriptions; roles; accountabilities; pay and rewards; human resource policies.
People: skills; knowledge and competencies; recruitment; training.
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Telecommunications
It is important to put the right telecommunication systems in place from the beginning, as mistakes are expensive and difficult. The right technology for a Call Centre is very difficult to determine as understanding technology requires a comprehension of the terminology that is being used.
An agency should allow sufficient time to develop an effective telecommunications plan. The initial audit of the existing telephony infrastructure and call analysis will provide the basis for deciding future telecommunication requirements for the Call Centre.
Information systems requirements
One of the key building blocks of a Call Centre is the information systems that will be established. The suitability of the existing information system will need to be assessed. A consultant and / or systems integrator should be consulted to help choose the most appropriate technology for the agency's needs.
Hardware
Hardware, the physical equipment used to operate the software, includes the screens, processing unit or drive, CD-reader, keyboard and printer. There are a number of different hardware figurations, including stand-alone personal computers (PCs), networked PCs that are part of a local area network (LAN) linked to a central database and management control system, and an existing mainframe computer.
Software
One of the most important considerations in choosing software is the question of compatibility with the hardware that will be used.
Customer contact software should provide CSOs with proper customer information so that they can handle inquiries properly. The system should have the ability to manage new callers as well as regular customers, and allow for easy and flexible scripting. It should also incorporate automatic tracking of call outcomes and have a calendar and diary that records date and time automatically when entries are made and can schedule follow-up calls as appropriate.
Workforce Management Systems
The main goal of workforce management is to determine the optimum ratio of staff to call volumes and service level standards. The use of roistering software can provide significant staffing efficiencies.
Proper facility planning will have a major impact on the operational performance of the Call Centre. The following outlines the key project steps involved in facility planning.
1. Benchmarking
a.Network conduits and cabling Identify similar Call Centers
b. Site visits to three or four Call Centers;
2. Sizing
Estimate calls volumes;
Determine staffing and position level
Estimate furniture and space required
Incorporate information gained into design.
3. Site design
Incorporate furniture and room requirements;
Infrastructure: cabling, conduits and rooms;
Select preliminary finishes, lighting, and decor;
Validate space required.
4. Site selection
Determine selection criteria;
Site visits to buildings in top two or three locations.
Select top two sites - begin lease negotiations
5. Agency approval
Lease signed, approve final floor plan;
Approve all furniture;
Approve infrastructure design.
6. Construction and documentation
Permits;
Lighting and plumbing plans;
Furniture and electrical plans.
7. Budding
Approve final finishes, lighting, decor;
Order furniture;
All infrastructure hardware / software ordered;
General contractor hired.
8. Actual construction
Demolition / construction: walls;
Infrastructure: rooms, cabling, electrical, plumbing.
9. Voice / data Infrastructure installation
Network conduits and cabling;
Infrastructure hardware / software installed;
All vertical and horizontal cabling complete
10. Furniture Installation
Modular furniture base installed;
Infrastructure cabling installed within furniture;
All communications outlets wired & tested.
11. Site preparation and move-in
Supporting vendor contracts installed;
Transition of facilities management;
Move-in
12. Finish Construction
Lighting, ceiling, security installed;
Finishes - painting and decor;
Office furniture installed.
Office Equipment
Running of the Call Centre among the resources required for the efficient office equipment such as fax machines, photocopiers and printers, whiteboards, training room furniture and equipment, TV / VCR, overhead projector and shelves for stationery and other office items.
Security
In a Call Centre adequate provision should be made for security. This includes restricted access to customer records and the database, confidential material, and personnel files. The telecommunications and information systems room is also likely to be a restricted area with access codes required. The Call Centre must also have adequate protection against fire, water and other damage.
Staffing
Appropriate staffing is one of the most critical aspects in establishing a Call Centre. Ensuring that correct numbers of staff are recruited and deciding on what levels they will be hired are two key decisions in effective human resource management. The number of calls and their duration are the two important factors in determining the staff numbers required in a Call Centre. Estimating call volumes is more difficult in an inbound Call Centre than in an outbound Call Centre.
The basic process for estimating staff numbers is as follows:
Step 1 - Determine the number of calls to be made / received;
Step 2 - Determine the average talk time for each call and after-call work time;
Step 3 - Determine the actual productive time of a CSO.
When calculating staff, the number of calls handled per CSO is directly linked to the service level objectives and call quality outcomes. In other words, a focus on call quality outcomes may mean fewer calls handled per CSO.
Organizational structure
It is important to develop a structure that provides overall effective performance management within a Call Centre. A typical organizational structure for a 30-seat Call Centre. Typically a Call Centre with fewer than 10 CSOs would have a Call Centre manager, team leader and a combined support staff member / CSO. A Call Centre with more than 50 CSOs would have three to four team leaders, senior CSO levels, specialist support staff, a workforce analyst and a staff development / quality assurance manager. Support staff for Call Centres includes information technology and telecommunications specialists and finance and administration personnel.
CONCLUSION
The Call Centre needs to be integrated into the agency's overall marketing strategy to maximize its effectiveness. This will help to coordinate the various agency initiatives. This coordination will ensure that the Call Centre is not faced with unexpected call volumes because it was unaware of a planned marketing event. Unexpected call volumes that are not handled efficiently can lead to widespread customer dissatisfaction, destroying the success of the marketing system.
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