virtual contact center

Support.com Tips on Setting Up a Virtual Call Center

27 Mar 2020

The Coronavirus has forever changed how call centers think about maintaining business continuity -- from managing agent resources and having the right technology in place, to shoring up security protocols and management processes. Here are some key questions to think through as you consider incorporating a virtual call center model into your portfolio to help mitigate the risk of unforeseen events and forced closures.  

Amidst widespread shelter-in-place orders and the closing of non-essential businesses, bricks-and-mortar call centers are scrambling to figure out what to do, while phones keep ringing non-stop. Many call centers are opting to send their agents to work-from-home but are quickly finding out that it’s not a simple process. There are a multitude of decisions to make about the technology systems, security protocols, and logistical processes needed to enable work-from-home. Figuring out how to monitor and manage a remote workforce is a key challenge that will likely require the addition of a new technology platform to replace “walking the floor.” These decisions must then be documented as policies and procedures, immediately distributed, and then monitored for compliance.

If you are sending your agents to work-from-home, maybe even allowing them to use their own equipment, here are some key questions to ask yourself:

  • Do you have a VPN that you can run a public access point?
  • Do you have a network access controller in place to control a large number of end points?
  • Do you have full redundancy with multiple data centers?
  • Does your agent have a physically secure environment to work uninterrupted? Have you seen it? Can you use remote video to verify?
  • How will you remotely verify that sufficient virus protection is enabled?
  • What can you do to minimize the potential performance degradation if the equipment is outdated?
  • What security measures are in place that enable you to remotely lock down the device while the employee is working, if necessary?
  • How you will monitor what an agent is really doing beyond reviewing call recordings or tickets?
  • What tools are in place to facilitate agent communication, escalations, and knowledge sharing?

Answering these questions is the first step in putting together an approach for how to add a virtual call center to your business. 

Support.com has available resources to help companies that need help supporting their highly internal call centers. The company has been delivering remote, virtual call center services that provide customer and tech support for more than 20 years and understand what’s required to enable a remote, virtual call center team to work-from-home effectively and securely. In order to keep our communities connected during these challenging times, Support.com is offering 24/7, unlimited Tech Pro support for all connected devices free for 30 days, providing expert tech support via virtual house calls, phone, chat, and step-by-step guides.

Please visit https://corporate.support.com/call-center-services/ to learn more.

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