Setting up a BPO Company | 123outsource.net Outsourcing Blog

What is the process of setting up a call center or data entry house?

I have never done anything like this before, so I am the wrong person to ask. However, I regularly interact with those in the BPO, Call Center, and Data Entry professions, so I know a few of the basics.

Here is a step by step plan for setting up a BPO company.
(1) You need to be an expert at most of the core skills of the outsourcing company you are setting up. If you don’t know what you are doing, you will not be able to hire or train others to do the job well. Also, if you don’t know what you are doing, you are not serious, and will fall on your face.
(2) You need to be a business expert, and an expert at attracting and keeping clientele. If you know how to run a BPO call center perfectly, but fail to attract clients, you would be better off as a manager at someone else’s call center. If nobody will hire you, then that proves your value (or lack of it)
(3) You need to pick an auspicious location. Some areas offer better rates per square foot. In my opinion, lucky offices will attract more clients, so keep luck in mind. Do you see an area where companies are generally thriving and making profits? It is easy to see if someone has revenues, but profits are harder to detect. Maybe these seemingly thriving companies are just getting by, or taking a loss.
(4) There are companies that focus on selling equipment and networking for new companies to set up their phone systems and internet systems.
(5) Once you have your office all set up, you need clients. If you have an attractive web site and do outreach to large companies that might need a call center, you might be able to set up a client base. From there, hopefully you will get referrals.
(6) You need to have a large pool of workers you can call if you need service. Call centers have unsteady business, so you need a long list of people to call if you get a new client. It is not a bad idea to let the client have a say in who you hire for their particular projects too.

Those are the basics. I am not in that business, so I can not tell you more! But, keeping an eye on your employees, and making sure they are doing their best is key. Bringing in an outside consultant to train and critique your workers could make a wonderful improvement too, and is worth the money. Quality wins the game in the end, so if you are willing to invest in quality, you could beat out the competition.