How To Build Your Own Call Center App: The Ultimate Guide [2024]

Learn the steps to create your own call center app. Get all the details you need to know before starting with the development process. 

You are from a call center company that has a decent customer base. You’ve got agents who help your customers with products and services. 

The problem? You are using a third-party call center app that you doubt may threaten the security of your customer details. You’ve got sensitive customer information that is at stake at the hands of a third-party software company. 

We empathize with your situation, and here is a solution.

Simply, build your own call center app! 

This step-by-step guide shares how to build a call centre app, completely customized for your contact center company.We’ll also cover the features you need to add, the cost associated with it and all the technical details you need.

What Is A Call Center App?

A call center app is a software that is used to connect customers with support agents of a company. The app comprises features including IVR, call recording, automatic call distribution, and call forwarding.

Call service apps, in general, use only VoIP calls to connect customers with agents. But these days, users are looking for a more convenient way to get support. Of course, it would be really annoying to listen to boring IVR tones endlessly until an agent was available to connect. 

Modern call centers are approaching this problem with a different approach. They have expanded their channel of communication diversely. This makes it easy for customers to get support as per their convenience. On the other hand, agents also find 

Why Does Your Call Center Business Need An App?

As a virtual call center business, your company will need its own app for several reasons. I’ve listed a few of them below. 

1. Provide Customer Service The Better Way: 

You know how important it is to give your customers great service, right? Well, a call center app can be a game-changer for making that happen. It streamlines how calls are handled, so there’s no more chaos or long wait times. 

2. Optimize Call Center Operations: 

Call center apps automates all the tedious tasks that your agents have to handle. This way, your team can focus on more important things. 

Plus, they give you real-time analytics – to help you see what’s working on your call center service and what’s not. And guess what? These apps make sure calls get directed straight to the right agent without any runaround. 

It is true that your customers will not be stuck on hold forever or get bounced around to get the solution they are looking for.

3. Save Your Money: 

You know what’s great about having a call center app? It can actually save your business a ton of money! 

Think about it – you don’t need to invest in as much physical office space and equipment when you have this virtual solution. All that infrastructure gets minimized. And the best part is – your operational costs go way down too. 

At the end of the day, a call center app lets you run an efficient contact center on a tighter budget. Who doesn’t love saving money while still giving the best support to customers?

4. Scale Your App Call Center Operations: 

One of the really cool things about call center apps is how flexible they are. They’ve got your back when call volumes go through the roof or dip way down. And this is an excellent solution to maintain your agent staffing, no matter the volume of calls. 

In other words, with Call centers, you will no longer be overstaffed or understaffed. It’s about as adaptable as it gets!

5. Secure Customer-Agent Conversations: 

You know how important it is to keep your customers’ private info safe and secure these days, right? Well, call center apps have got you covered there. 

These platforms are built with serious data security in mind – we’re talking encrypted, locked-down tight. They follow all the big data privacy rules and regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and OWASP.

Apps like these give both you and your customers that peace of mind. It’s like ensuring an extra layer of security that helps you strengthen customer relationships for a  long-term.

6. Integrate with any CRM: 

One more interesting reason to build your own call center app is that you can integrate your app seamlessly with your CRM system. 

This integration helps your agents get a complete view of every interaction, every preference, the whole customer history and journey, before they get into call. 

This works better in certain situations. Maybe the customer always prefers a certain product line or has a standing order already. 

With visibility of this particular information, your agents can add personal touches to conversations every time, instead of treating everybody the same. It seriously levels up your service game to make customers feel special and understood. This works great especially for telemarketing call centers and sales call centers. 

7. Enable Remote Working Opportunities: 

One of the best things about call center system is how they enable remote work for the agents. With just an internet connection, your support agents can work from literally anywhere – their home, a cozy coffee shop, you name it. 

This remote capability also ensures your business can continue operations smoothly, no matter where your agents are. 

Weather emergency? Power outage? No sweat – agents can still jump online and keep things running.

Cost Estimation Of Building A Call Center App

While you are excited to build your call center app, I sense your feeble hesitation worried about the cost. So here I am with a quick breakdown of how much your call center app development will cost. 

First, we will look into what you will be paying for:

1. Staffing expenses: 

When you’re setting up a call center service for customer service, something you should keep in mind is the cost of hiring and training your agents. It’s not just a one-time expense – it’s an ongoing investment.

The rates you’ll pay per hour can depend on the location of your agents. If you’re looking at countries like India or Pakistan, you could be paying in the $6 to $10 per hour range for basic customer service work. Not much, right?

But let’s say you want agents based in the US to handle those calls. Well, be ready because the cost may go from $26 to $30 per hour just for the basic operations. 

No matter which location you’ll hire, just know that the agent’s labor is going to be one of the biggest expenses in your budget. 

At the end of the day, they are the front line representatives of your brand to your customers. After all, It’s an investment, but one that really pays off.

2. Technology & Infrastructure Costs:

Infrastructure costs? Yes, they really make you open your wallet wide. You’re going to need to invest some major part of the budget into all the hardware front. 

I’m talking about all the PBX phone systems, big servers to run everything, networking equipment to keep it all connected, and of course, VoIP desktop phones for your agents.

The spending does not stop just there! All your hardware is going to need regular maintenance and upgrades over time to keep it all running smoothly. Those ongoing costs for service, repairs, replacements – all these can really start to add up quickly, year after year.

3. Training & Development Costs:

Okay, so you can’t just throw some new hires on the phones and hope for the best, right? They need professional training on your products, services, and policies. 

And developing all those training materials – manuals, videos, roleplaying scenarios – that’s not free. You’ll also be paying instructional designers, subject matter experts, to put that curriculum together.

Then you’ll also need to conduct the training sessions, whether that’s in-person classes, or virtual sessions. 

But don’t think the training costs stop there. You want your agents performing at a high level long-term, right? 

That means you’ll need to provide ongoing coaching and advanced development courses to help your agents upskill. 

4. Integration & Customization Costs: 

Sometimes, you’ll need more than a call center app to handle everyday operations. Maybe your ERP system for processes too. Or other popular third-party integrations that will ease up your customer service operations. 

Besides integrations, your app will also need unique customizations, to make your daily operations run smoothly and efficiently. Every new feature, optimization, reconfiguration – all these will cost you something.

5. Compliance and Security Costs: 

Data privacy and security are very important these days. Especially when you’re dealing with sensitive customer information via phone call.  Of course, the last thing you’ll want is to face really hefty fines or lawsuits for violating the privacy regulations like GDPR or HIPAA. 

This is why you’ve got to invest in proper security measures and protocols within your call center app and systems. Also, you’ll likely need to pay consultants to audit your call center setup regularly.

6. Monitoring & Analytics Cost:

Okay, so you’ve got your call center app up and running smoothly. Agents are handling customer inquiries the best way possible. But how do you really know if it’s operating at peak efficiency? That’s where performance monitoring and data analytics come into play.

You’ll need to have the right tools and personnel in place to measure the metrics. And simply having the software isn’t enough. You’ll need a team of data scientists – analysts, engineers, etc. – who can properly configure it, manage the inputs, interpret the data, and turn it all into actionable recommendations. 

Yes, you’ll need to arm yourself to face these expenses to build a call center app. Now, I know this is just not enough. You’ll need to see the numbers to get an actual idea of how much you need to back yourself up with. 

So, here is a detailed cost breakdown of your call center app’s budget. 

How to Start a Call Center Business Most Quickly?

All ears here! For people who are looking at how to start a call center business from home or from remote locations,, this section is for those. As we will help you navigate through all the kiths and kins of its operations, pricing, and tools.

Here’s how to setup a call center in simple steps:

1. Identify your goal
2. Choose your call center type
3. Fix on a budget
4. Build your team
5. Train employees
6. Find the right call center tools/software
7. Cultivate positive work culture

1. Find your objective

• You need to first outline why you need to get into the call center business. Whether it is for customer support, sales, or both, and then head on with planning.
• Similarly, see whether your objective is to increase lead generation and acquire new customers, or simply improve customer satisfaction, and set call center key metrics based on it.

2. Decide on the call center type

• Here, identify what type of call your agents are going to make, whether it is a cold sales call or just resolving issues. 
• Categorize your objectives into outbound/inbound calls and into on-site or virtual.
• Just remember that whichever option you choose has its benefits.

3. Fix a budget

• Once you are done with your objectives, finalize the budget, and go for a realistic one. 
• Keep in consideration the staff, technology, operational costs, and financial control costs, and if it’s on-site make sure to include rental space costs and more. 
• If the above said does not come as financially feasible, try the remote option.

4. Form a team

Your next step is to build a call center team with skilled representatives, supervisors, support staff, and a capable workforce who are flexible to work in shifts and help your call center business succeed.

5. Train your employees

• Once you have hired employees, indulge them in training programs to enhance their skills for giving a positive customer experience.
• Plus, training on call/contact center etiquette and tips can help retain your brand.

6. Search for the right software and tools

Next on your checklist would be to find the right call center tool that would align well with your business goals and customer interactions.

7. Cultivate a positive culture

Investing in a positive and collaborative work culture emphasizing visions, missions, and values, can improve team interaction thereby leading to overall business success.

Well, now you would have got an idea on how to set up a call center for offering dedicated support.. With these ready in hand, let us all see some of the other aspects that would help us make informed decisions. 

 

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How To Choose The Right Call Center Provider

Now if you want to enhance the quality of your support operations and optimize agent/customer interactions, then you must first focus on how to host your app and how to take control of it.

Below is a clear-cut breakdown of the different deployment models.

1. On-premises Hosting

• On-premise call center solutions refer to hosting the entire infrastructure on the company’s own servers within their physical premises. 
• This way they would have complete control of data and security. Plus, can personalize any features they want to meet their complaint standards or security parameters.
• However, with this model, businesses need in-house technical experts for server maintenance and upgrades.

2. Hosted Solution

• It is a method of outsourcing all the operations, maintenance, and infrastructure to a third-party provider, mostly like a data center.
• Here, businesses are devoid of limited customization options.
• But can relieve themselves from any hardware or upfront costs.

3. Cloud-based Solution

• Cloud-based hosting is a type where the entire solution is distributed over the internet and hosted onto a cloud platform. 
• So businesses can access with an internet connection, thus making it possible to foster remote work.
• But in this scenario, downtime can occur and scalability can be an issue. Plus, it mostly follows a subscription-based model.

Inbound Call Features You Need to Have

These features are responsible for managing all incoming calls, routing them rightly to agents, and monitoring call quality. They are:

1. Inbound call handling:

These features are built in such a way as to easily manage and handle all incoming calls from customers and direct them to the right agents or departments. Some of the examples of it include interactive voice responses (IVR), call routing, and skill-based routing.

2. Call queue management:

Whenever there is a high call volume on a day, this feature helps to distribute the calls in a round-robin fashion. 

3. Call recording and monitoring:

Helps to capture and monitor incoming calls for training and quality check purposes. Plus, leads can inspect the calls and provide feedback to agents.

Outbound Call Features You Need to Have

These features help streamline the outgoing calls thereby improving leads and seeking insights on where to improve. And they are:

1. Autodialing attributes:

This characteristic is used to automatically dial-in phone numbers to connect with leads quickly. Its types are predictive dialing, progressive dialing, and power dialing. 

2. Lead & campaign management:

It is responsible for organizing and maintaining all the outbound call initiatives made by the agents, to reach targeted audiences faster.

3. Reporting & analytics:

These offer insights on the outbound call performances using key metrics like call success rates, call duration, agent productivity, and other KPIs. 

Finally, with all the basics dealt on how to setup a call center and what features to include, you are now ready to take off with your call center implementation plan.

How To Build A Call Center Software Environment?

When call centers can boost up business’s income on one side, it also poses significant challenges to them because of high employee turnovers.

Imagine the time and effort an organization would put in to hire and train employees and make them resource-intensive. It is unimaginable. 

Likewise, when they depart within a few days, the entire work environment is put at stake. Therefore, to foster a positive working nature, try adding these to your businesses:

• Build healthier work-life balance for agents by promoting work-from-home options.
• Promote open communication and collaboration forums in offices to allow agents to share their thoughts.
• Boost the morale of agents and build a strong bond with them by planning out team-building activities.
• Recognize the best employees through recognition programs and award them.
• Collect feedback on the work environment through one-on-one meetups. 

So, with these steps, one can enhance the overall call centre business environment for the better good and minimize turnover ratios. 

How To Set Up A Call Center Solution With MirrorFly

Finally, we are at the end of the post and we hope we gave you a fair share of knowledge on the why’s and what’s of a call center business.. 

Now with all of that being said, your next question would be why should you start an omnichannel contact center solution with MirrorFly.

Because, setting up a call center from scratch is not an easy task, as it requires detailed analysis and planning, and you need to break the bank. 

However, by using MirrorFly’s self-hosted SDKs, you can easily integrate 500+ customizable call and chat features, and deliver exceptional agent and customer experiences for a one-time license fee. Along with these, you also get

• Flexibility to host apps on your own servers
• Take full charge of security and infrastructure
• Enhance productivity and support with Chat GPT powered support and chatbots
• Track and monitor data without violating privacy
• Easily build a call center apps (B2B) without any hassles

So what do you say? Ready to get started with our self-hosted SDKs?

 

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