Call center start up

[ranchersswiss]

How much do you think it'd cost to start a call center? I'm planning on a small one for my meat and poultry shops. How long before I recoup what I've invested?

 

[Supa Dexta]

How much water does a cloud hold?

 

[skyhightree1]

My cell phone and email address is my call center... lol Why not just get a website for orders most would use that more so than calling especially if using credit cards because they feel more secure to use a site than over the phone. Like have a paypal account set up where they could pay you.

 

[M.Magis]

Your question is lacking far too many details for anyone to be able to answer. But I agree that a website would likely garner better results.

 

[ranchersswiss]

Something on a small scale. Maybe 2-3 people who can take calls, answer emails, chat and handle social networking. I have a website where I can take orders but my regular customers and friends told me that I should have a call center as well that can promote my store via social networking and so that when they concerns they can easily get help. My shop has 5 branches that's why I take in lots of orders and requests.
For now I've been checking out software that can help me do this. This one looks pretty good but it looks pricey too.

 

[skyhightree1]

Personally been in business for myself for 15 years and have no website and use my emails and my phone as my source of contact.. Listening to your customers and friends is good but you also have to look at the cost associated with the suggestions. There are many businesses that have waste by getting call centers and such when truly there is no need for such expenditure. Unless you want your profit margin to be smaller id advise customer more people and more complication means more of a cost for the product.

 

[Bigfoot]

Aren't there places that can handle your calls, and orders for you. I think we have a place like that here in town. Phone calls, and orders from various companies come to the same central location.

 

[greybeard]

I often think that the only reason people have a call center is to isolate themselves from their customers and any complaint they might have.
I think it costs less than 10,000 rupees to start up a call service..1 rupee=$.015. Don't do like Verizon---Try to get some that kinda half way speak English please.

 

[Nesikep]

I would just limit all suggestions, etc to email.. then in all likelyhood ONE person can handle it, and it's easy to keep a record of.

If the person can't resolve it over email, then escalate by having you call them.

 

[Kingfisher]

Something on a small scale. Maybe 2-3 people who can take calls, answer emails, chat and handle social networking. I have a website where I can take orders but my regular customers and friends told me that I should have a call center as well that can promote my store via social networking and so that when they concerns they can easily get help. My shop has 5 branches that's why I take in lots of orders and requests.
For now I've been checking out software that can help me do this. This one looks pretty good but it looks pricey too.

A lot of small business have employees that do their social networking. You just need a savy young marketing intern. The difficulty will be lack of product knowledge I would think.

 

[boondocks]

I often think that the only reason people have a call center is to isolate themselves from their customers and any complaint they might have.
I think it costs less than 10,000 rupees to start up a call service..1 rupee=$.015. Don't do like Verizon---Try to get some that kinda half way speak English please.

Good God yes! Spent 2 hrs on the phone with them 2 nights ago, into the wee hours. (we have to do this about every 2-3 weeks or we get no interwebs at all). Could not understand a single word. It got to be comical when I had to ask her to repeat a single letter 20x (she was giving me a long string of random letters/numbers for an access code--never did get it to go through, even after having her try the "M as in Michael, S as in Sam drill)....had to laugh or I'd have cried

 

[ez14]

I often think that the only reason people have a call center is to isolate themselves from their customers and any complaint they might have.
I think it costs less than 10,000 rupees to start up a call service..1 rupee=$.015. Don't do like Verizon---Try to get some that kinda half way speak English please.

Good God yes! Spent 2 hrs on the phone with them 2 nights ago, into the wee hours. (we have to do this about every 2-3 weeks or we get no interwebs at all). Could not understand a single word. It got to be comical when I had to ask her to repeat a single letter 20x (she was giving me a long string of random letters/numbers for an access code--never did get it to go through, even after having her try the "M as in Michael, S as in Sam drill)....had to laugh or I'd have cried

same thing with tracfone :bang: :bang:

 

[greybeard]

United Health Care is almost as bad. Tried to help my sister get her health insurance straightened out and and the guy had such a Boston/New Jersey type accent I couldn't understand 1/2 of what he was saying.

 

[littletom]

You can out source the social networking and they will take of care of the crazys on it too. The people that built my wifes website do hers. Just something we don't want to deal with. I would look into out source it all. 3 local girls on hourly wage is a lot of money.