How to start an outsourcing company
To start a BPO, Call Center, or Data Entry outsourcing company, you will need a lot of skills.
Be an expert in your field
You need to be an expert at your field, so that you can supervise work and know who to hire. If you know nothing about data entry, and have no clients, nobody will hire you, because you don’t know anything. People want to hire responsible experts, so if you are not an expert, please become one.
Get clients
How do you get clients? Many people tell me they want to start a 20 seater BPO, but they are asking me how to get clients. My advise is start with one seat, and then when you get more clients, get more seats. The clients come before the seats. No clients = being out of business. If you are asking me how to get business, you are really in trouble, because I am not in the call center business — I’m in the directory business with 10 years of experience.
Contact other call centers or data entry companies and see if they have any advice or overflow.
Contact call centers or other outsourcing outfits in America by phone and ask them if they need your services.
Contact companies in India by phone and ask if they need your services. Create a beautiful website and advertise on web directories
Facebook can sometimes be a great way to market a business too, as it is a way to network with more and more computer literate people.
Have a decisive offering
If you want to create a call center, but don’t know what you are offering, you will sound uneducated to your potential clients. Figure out what types of services you offer, and then figure out what type of price categories to assign your various services. My advice is focus on being flexible and helpful if you want to attract lots of business. The other call centers are rigid, and half of them want to cheat their new clients. In the long run, the helpful and responsible companies win the game!
Free trials – am I crazy?
If you want to offer people free trials, thats even better. Many companies will be skeptical about using a new outsourcing company who they never heard of before. If you have an amateurish phone manner, they will question whether you even are a business, or some unemployed guy who is desperate for work. If you offer a few hours of free trial work, so that the client company can test you out and get comfortable with you, you might win over some good long term contracts.
Short contracts or no contracts
Established call centers have a reputation and contacts. They can demand six month contracts for at least three seats and get away with it. If you are starting off, its best to let companies try you out for a short time and see if they like you. It will be hard to get long
contracts when nobody has ever heard of you before.
Equipment?
This is not my industry, so you have to ask other local call centers what they use. You need good computers and good phone connections for all of your seats. You will need to ask local utility companies what type of connections they can offer and how reliable they are. VoIP is popular these days, but thats all I know.
A place of business
If you have no clients, and want to get a 15 seater office, how do you intend to pay salaries and rent for fifteen people, when you have not a single client, and no knowledge of how to get a client. Find a real estate broker, and find a small place to start off in while you get your business acumen in ship shape condition. Start small and learn the business is you are starting a BPO
How do I start a call center or outsourcing business?
Have a database of people in the area who can work part time. Lots of ladies with kids don’t want a full time job. Interview these people, make sure they can function well, and try them out on small projects. While you are doing your outreach calls, you will hopefully get a few contracts. Hire these part time folks when you have work, and if the work dries up, they can go back home to their family life. They can be your “on call” staff members. One week you might be very busy, and the next week you might have hardly any work at all. Once you develop some long term clients who are comfortable with you and your services, then you will have regular work, and can think about that 15 seater office. Don’t jump ahead of yourself though.
Training?
Being a small company doesn’t mean you are worse than anyone else. You might have less resources, but you might have more caring! If you have a system of overseeing your workers and coaching them so they can be their best, you might really impress your clients. Obviously, you should start out with workers who have good skills, but refining their skills, and customizing their skills to the needs of specific clients will win you tremendous popularity and customer loyalty. You have to be on top of your workers, or they will not function optimally, and you will lose your business.
Where do I advertise my company?
Advertise on www.123outsource.net. We offer free and paid advertising for all types of outsourcing companies. Advertise in our Call Center, BPO, Data Entry, Software, or any other category.
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You might also like:
How to start an outsourcing company — 2016 version
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/12/29/how-to-start-an-outsourcing-company-2016/
Marketing your BPO outsourcing firm from A to Z
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2016/05/22/marketing-your-bpo-outsourcing-firm-from-a-to-z/
Compilation of best posts about how to get clients for your BPO
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/20/how-to-get-more-clients-for-your-bpo-or-call-center-compilation/
Marketing your outsourcing company
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/11/24/marketing-your-outsourcing-company/
How to get clients for your call center — CONTRACTS
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/04/05/how-to-get-clients-for-call-centers-contracts/
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