In these days of advancing technology, telecommuting is both possible and popular with many people around the world. In fact, more than 3.7 million US employees reportedly work from home at least half time. This is a 115 percent increase in the past decade. If you’re one of the millions of Americans making the choice to work from home, chances are you’ve either landed a call center job or are planning to hire out your services as an independent contractor. Either way, you’ll need to know the specifics of setting up your own home-based call center.
Designate a private office space
The first thing you’ll need to figure out is where your office space will be. It’s best to have a dedicated space where you can keep yourself free from noise and other distractions. If you do have to use a room with multiple purposes, make sure you clear out a space for your equipment where it won’t be bothered. And you may have to set some ground rules with your family for quiet time while you’re working. Designating this space will also help you with your taxes at the end of the year. You can deduct a portion of your business if you have a space dedicated solely to your business.
Choose your office furniture
There’s almost no getting around this. It’s almost impossible to run a call center from your kitchen table. You may be working varied hours, for multiple companies, and have multiple requirements. So, your office space needs to be comfortable and conducive to business.
A simple desk will do, but it’s nice to have enough space so that you are able to take notes, use a calendar, and work on your computer without feeling cramped. But your chair may be the most important part of your space. It should be comfortable and ergonomic to keep you from injury during long hours at your desk.
Many people opt for completely paperless work environments, and that’s perfectly acceptable. But if you’re the type of person who needs to write things down or keep physical files, you’ll need a filing cabinet or box to keep yourself organized.
Set up your equipment
The technical aspects of your job should involve a computer, phone system, and salesforce omnichannel software. Your computer, like your office space, is best designated strictly for business. Sharing one with your family could be risky when you have so much information to keep up with.
Your phone system will be linked to your software. And your software should include the ability to communicate with your customers using multiple channels. This includes, chat, text, and phone. In addition to these things, a good quality headset is almost mandatory. These should block out background noise, both for you and the customer.
The idea is to give your customers the illusion of working in an office solely dedicated to customer service.Your customers should never know if you’re working at home with dinner cooking on the stove. And this is not a dishonest tactic.
Most people realize a lot of call center jobs are telecommute positions. But they want to feel that they are prioritized as customers, which is impossible when they hear screaming toddlers in the background. Aside from that, most people find it hard to focus on their work without a dedicated space. And this applies to any type of work at home position. So, to stay on task, present a professional demeanor, and offer your customers the best service, follow these steps to set up your designated workspace.
