Call Center Basics

[mdbusa]

Excuse my ignorance on this but well... I gotta start somewhere.

I am currently looking at the feasibility of setting up a call center in Thailand to provide 1st level IS/IT support to company employees in Asia Pacific. How does it work with LD charges?
Ideally I would like all LD costs charged to the call center. Is there a way to do this? Can any LD savings be expected using special services from providers etc..??


Also what type of PBX/Phone system will I need?
I will need to get stats for abandon rate,call times etc..

As you can see I am very new to this so any insight, ideas, guidance would be very much appreciated.
Regards

MDBUSA

[thetuan]

You have an interesting scenario that needs the expertise from the local phone company. In the end, we, as call center executives, want to make the most cost effective solution for the operation. If you are going to trunk a lot of calls through the line, your best bet is a private leased line (T1 or E1) - that cost generally runs from 5k to 8k monthly to the US. If you don't plan on trunking a lot of calls through, then check with the local phone companies to see who can give you the best rate base on number of minutes that you will use. The quick calculation to see if you need a T1 or an E1 is to figure out how many calls you will take each minute. A T1 has 24 trunks and an E1 has 30 trunks so you can use that to see how many calls you will take at any point in time based on your forecsated volume.

You are going to need to get a PBX or an ACD if you plan to route calls in your center and to the reps. Second hand ACDs on the market are relatively cheap if you don't get all the bells and whistles - it can range from 5k to 30k depending on the configurations that you need for your operation.

I would highly recommend that you look into retaining a reputable call center consultant firm to assist you with getting your operation going. By investing in a consultant in the beginning will help you to save money in the long run.

Tuan

[mdbusa]

But what does the US have to do with receiving calls from Asia Pacific countries? as for calls per minute it will start out much less than 1 call per minute and even if all other Asia Pacific call centers are consolidated to Thailand I would not expect any more than 2 calls per minute.


So what you are saying is that local phone co's can provide service for a flat rate? I.e pay 5K per month and there will be no charges per minute??

[thetuan]

Hi,

I'm just giving you a basic scenario where an offshore call center is trunking calls in from the US. If you are taking calls in the Pacific Rim, then it could be less to get a private leased line - and yes, you will not have to pay monthly minutes if you do so.

At the rate you are quoting, it might make more sense to get a per minute rate from the phone companies in your local area.

Tuan

[kylohre]

You do indeed have an interesting and unique challenge ahead of you. And Tuan is right, a good consulting firm is an ideal way to deal with starting a new call center. I happen to work for one! We are a leading consulting firm in the U.S. regarding Workforce Management and Call Center Operations. You can call us toll-free at 1-877-575-9364 Ext. 401 and speak to Daryl Gonos, and explain to him your ideas and concern and we can see if our company can assist you in any way. The name of our company is WorkForce Management Group (WFMG). I hope we can be of assistance to you, and Good Luck with your endevor!

Matthew Duncan
WFMG