Despite the rapid rise and development of digital technology and communication, the use of phones is still dominant among users. 59% of consumers prefer traditional phone calls to get assistance from customer support representatives. Technology can not replace humans. However, the two can work together to improve Communication with customer care experience.
While digital communication continues to rule the market, customers prefer phone calls to emails and text messages. Because phone calls are more convenient and can assist you in providing instant solutions to problems, you must wait for a response if you rely on emails and text messages. To succeed in your new business, you must use customer service to help your customers and generate more sales.
To start a new call center for your business or a business call center, you must have adequate knowledge, extensive market research, and a clear plan. This detailed blog will discuss a complete plan for starting a call center.
What Are the 10 Steps to Starting a Call Center Business?
1. Write a Business Plan and Set Your Call Centers Goals:
Just like any other business, building a call center need careful planning. Before you start your business, you need to clearly understand why you need to start a call center business. Based on your answer, you must write down the goals that you want to achieve.
You must also ensure these goals are clear, realistic, achievable, and concise. They should be achievable within your current resources, budget, and business objectives. You call center business plan must have the following points:
- Company mission and vision statement
- Short-term and long-term goals and objectives
- Market analysis, industry overview and major competitors
- Services that your call center will provide
- Marketing plan and sales, promotion strategy
- Operational plan
- Financial plan
- Risk analysis and strategies to mitigate these risks
2. Choose a Call Center Type:
Next, you should also decide which type of call center suits your business. Following are the types of call centres; you can select any of them according to your business needs and requirements:
- Virtual call center: This is a cloud-based VoIP call center that can be accessed from any location and on any device with a stable internet connection. Staff is distributed across multiple locations and works from different locations, so virtual call centers are not limited to geographical locations. They suit businesses that prefer flexibility, advanced call management features, and scalability.
- On-site call center: This is a traditional call center where agents work physically. It can be the best option for large teams and fixed-location businesses. Direct supervision, improved collaboration, large teams, and increased data security options are some advantages of on-site call centers.
- Remote call center: A remote call center is entirely offsite and is commonly powered by International staff outsourcing. It can be a perfect option for small businesses or new businesses that can not afford the expenses of a physical location, office equipment, and other related costs. This type of call center also allows you to select staff with different skills and talents from a larger pool.
- Inbound call center: This type of call center handles incoming calls from existing customers, making it ideal for customer service, tech support, appointment scheduling, and order processing. E-commerce, travel, hospitality, healthcare, and retail are typical industries benefiting from inbound calls.
- Outbound call centers: An outbound call center makes outgoing customer calls for marketing, sales, political campaigns, and emergency service providers. Your call center should use features like auto-dialing capabilities for outbound call center services.
- Blended call center: This type of call center makes outbound calls and also receives inbound calls. The majority of call center are blended.
- Omni-channel call center: An omnichannel call center unites voice calling and digital communication channels like SMS, chat, social media messaging, and video conferencing in one interface. This is ideal for businesses managing a high daily volume of contacts, marketing teams engaging with customers across various channels, and online shops.
3. Create a Call Center Budget.
The total cost of the call center will ultimately depend on factors such as the type of set-up, software, hardware, required features, and the number of staff.
- Office space and hardware: Operating an on-site call center includes office space and equipment costs, but it requires funding for hardware systems infrastructure before calculating regular updates and maintenance fees. To eliminate these expenses, your organization can choose remote call center deployment.
- Call center software: Establish up-front equipment costs for on-site tools and cloud platform subscription charges based on your software licensing needs. Cloud provider prices depend on the features of a specific pricing bracket, the chosen billing model, and user count limits.
- Employee salaries: The compensation range agents receive depends heavily on their geographical duties and overall experience in the field. Moreover, unexpected costs will arise, including performance bonuses for star agents, employee training expenses, and team-building event costs.
- Training and customer support: The standard employee training and customer support in subscription plans from most call center software providers do not prevent the necessity of additional expenses for customized in-person training alongside actual omnichannel support service that runs around the clock.
4. Determine Staffing Needs
After creating your budget, you can calculate your workforce to determine the number of staff you can hire while evaluating required positions.
The most important call center management roles are:
- Call Center Manager: After evaluating customer expectations and business needs, the agent/supervisor roles are outlined. The manager also defines and monitors KPIs and reports to the business owner for call center activity and agent performance monitoring.
- Call Center Supervisor: The system monitors performance in real-time to automatically guide and feedback agents, deliver feedback reports to the call center manager, and implement manager-set performance standards.
- Call Center Agent: The call center agent interacts directly with customers to deliver service support and generates sales while speaking for the company to the public and relaying information to management.
When the budget allows additional hires, we will transition these positions from part-time contract work to full-time employment.
5. Select Call Center Software And Equipment

Choosing the appropriate technology is fundamental to establishing a viable call center. This determines success or failure. Here, we outline key features of call center software and SaaS tools that you should consider.
- Call Center as a Service (CCaaS): The scalable cloud calling platform delivers advanced features which optimize call management practices while boosting productivity rates and creating superior CX. These key features enable call routing, forwarding, call monitoring, IVR and ACD features, call recording and transcription capabilities, third-party integration abilities, and comprehensive analytical functions.
- Open Source Call Center Software: An open-source platform constituting a free customizable replacement for paid solutions that grants the public full rights to use, modify, or distribute its source code. A basic understanding of coding is needed to use open-source software, but developer communities ease the installation process by delivering code components alongside their associated setup instructions.
- Call Center Hardware and Equipment: PBX servers, desk phones, office materials, and jacks with jacks constitute the leading equipment used in in-house facilities.
- Cables/jacks and conference room hardware: Remote device installations need a VoIP gateway, an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA), an ethernet cable, and a modem. They must also function with sufficient bandwidth over high-speed Internet connections. Call center headsets with webcams and freestanding virtual whiteboards are optional equipment for improving performance.
6. Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
To effectively assess your call center’s success, choose Key Performance Indicators that must be regularly assessed. Automated monitoring delivers interactive analytics that present dynamic charts alongside graphs users can explore through call type, date range, or department categories.
Call tagging alongside data drilling down to individual Key Performance Indicators provides the most comprehensive data analysis. Essential call center metrics to monitor include:
- First Call Resolution Rate (FCR): The measure represents all customer cases that achieve complete resolution before requiring subsequent follow-up during initial contact.
- Call Abandonment Rate: The abandonment percentage represents the number of callers who disconnected their calls before agents could answer them during that session.
Average Handle Time: The total duration of each call includes voice interaction, waiting periods, processing, and additional follow-up activities.
- Call Volume: Tracks the overall number of inbound and outbound calls during a specified period.
- Missed Call Percentage: The percentage of calls which failed to connect represents the missed call metrics from the total number of calls that the contact center received.
- Cost Per Call: The typical expense for every inbound and outbound call.
- Call Queue Length: Call center performance data includes the period customers must wait for an agent and the actual queue capacity.
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score: The survey uses a 1-5 ranking scale to determine total customer satisfaction from the question “How satisfied were you with today’s service?”
- Agent Turnover Rate: A specific percentage of agents leave employment during designated timeframes
7. Hire a Call Center Team
Some people lack suitability for work in call centers. Call center agents typically dedicate their shifts to working with frustrated customers via phone while answering questions and solving issues. They also need to promote product offerings. On top of that, it’s essential to look for those who possess a variety of soft skills that are much-needed to succeed in the role, such as:
- Excellent communication skills: Active listening and strong written and verbal communication skills are essential for successful call center work. Employees must deliver messages through straightforward discussions that produce understandable steps for participants to implement.
- Empathy and emotional intelligence: The ability to demonstrate empathy and emotional intelligence during customer interactions builds trust, so these traits matter significantly during recruitment evaluation.
- Conflict resolution: Workplace disagreements and negative responses from dissatisfied customers and colleagues are natural parts of the business environment. Business-standard candidates must demonstrate exceptional capabilities in resolving problems, managing conflicts, handling complaints, and controlling tense moments.
- Ability to multitask: Agents working between diverse contact channels must demonstrate efficient multitasking and swift task transitions to succeed mainly in omnichannel call centers.
- Stress management: Agents operate in stressful, high-pressure situations, where they must handle tricky customer scenarios, deal with irritated customers, and achieve performance metrics;,. Thus, job stress management abilities are essential.
8. Onboarding Processes and Training Initiatives
Call center onboarding procedures frequently involve multiple stages, making them complex for new employees. Proper implementation leads to numerous ongoing advantages for call centers, including stronger agent morale, elevated job productivity, and fewer employee departures.
Simply having proper onboarding does not create a highly efficient call center team. Regular training and coaching initiatives deliver ongoing educational processes that you must implement consistently. Here are examples of potential materials, resources, and activities for your agent training include:
- A comprehensive internal knowledge base with FAQs
- Live or pre-recorded agent training webinars
- Organizations use phone recording data to build a reference library of excellent customer interactions.
- The system includes a reference database for scripts and standardized responses to cover distinct customer interaction situations.
- When handling telephone calls employees follow operational instructions which specify processing paths alongside designated escalation procedures.
- Live call whispering facilitates on-the-job training during customer interactions.
9. Your Call Center Performance Assessment Requires Measurable Metrics
Diverse performance measurement metrics and KPIs should be selected based on your call center operation (inbound or outbound) concerning specific objectives while taking advantage of your call center application’s analytical features to simultaneously assess agent and operational effectiveness. Here are some of the most essential metrics and KPIs to monitor closely:
- The Average Handle Time (AHT): On average, call center agents need the AHT to complete customer conversations. This combines wait time with discussion duration and post-call administrative tasks. Among several performance metrics, the AHT helps reveal agent effectiveness regarding customer inquiry management. Poor agent training and ineffective call routing operations can create long AHTs.
- The Average Speed of Answer (ASA): Telephone users wait to reach an agent connection at this metric’s average speed. Calls waiting more than 30 Seconds during regular business hours represent one of the multiple signs that a contact center should evaluate operational efficiency, customer interaction management, workforce distribution, and self-serve functionality.
- First Call Resolution (FCR): First Call Resolution Rate allows you to measure the number of customer problems agents resolve. At the same time, customers wait for their first interaction which displays agent efficiency in dealing with support needs. An unsatisfactory FCR rate points to insufficient training for agents and access to required tools or information to resolve customer queries in the initial contact.
- Call Abandonment Rate: The Call Abandonment Rate represents the total percentage of calls customers hang up before reaching a customer service representative. The primary drivers behind elevated customer hang-up rates are an insufficient workforce, prolonged hold wait times, poor routing systems, and absent callback features.
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score: A Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score evaluates customers’ satisfaction levels with their product or service to determine how well your call center fulfils their expectations. The link between poor service quality measured through lower CSAT ratings signals your need to enhance your ASA, AHT and FCR metrics.
- Conversion Rate: Corporations running sales-driven outbound call centers rely on conversion rate metrics to understand the connection between outbound attempts and positive sales outcomes. Your lead lists may need quality improvement, and the agents may need better training since your conversion rate stays low.
10. Create an Environment Within the Call Center that Stimulates Worker Success.
Historically, the challenging work environment in call centers generates high worker turnover but presents significant challenges for business operations. The lengthy agent recruitment process using substantial financial resources, extended onboarding durations, and training periods drains the organisation’s money and time. Additionally, agent departures create operational disruption, diminishing the staff morale of those who stay. Creating proper conditions of workplace support needs continuous work for building and maintaining them in your call center setups. Here’s what you can do:
- The organization should create adjustable work hours and offsite job capabilities to let representatives maintain productive personal and professional routines.
- Agents must feel safe sharing thoughts and recommendations through a work environment built upon psychological support.
- Agents should receive ongoing feedback during one-on-one meetings, and employees should be heard as part of their workplace experience.
- Outside and within office walls organize team-building events to improve employee morale and engagement enormously.
- A structured employee recognition framework and incentives for top agent performance must be established.
Final Words- Start a Call Center
Starting a call center involves numerous steps, but with dedication and proper planning, it can become a thriving business. Every step is vital, from understanding the industry to launching and optimizing operations. Success in this field is not just about setting up the infrastructure—it’s about building a team that shares your vision, maintaining a customer-first mindset, and adapting to ever-changing market dynamics.
The key to standing out in the competitive call center industry is your ability to consistently deliver exceptional service, utilize cutting-edge technology, and foster a positive work environment for your employees. Remember, a call center is the face and voice of many businesses, so your reputation will play a significant role in attracting and retaining clients.
FaQ's
Q1. What is the minimum budget to start a call center?
Depending on scale, costs can range from $10,000 for a small setup to over $100,000 for more extensive operations.
Q2. How many employees are needed for a call center?
A small call center may need 5-10 employees, while larger ones require dozens or even hundreds.
Q3. What are the top challenges faced by call center startups?
Common challenges include high turnover rates, technology issues, and service quality.
Q4. Can I run a call center from home?
Yes, with the right technology, you can set up a remote call center.
Q5. How long does it take to set up a call center?
It typically takes 3-6 months to fully establish a call center, depending on the size and complexity.