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28.04.2021

Launching a Call Center for The Brokerage Business

The first thing to start with is determining the primary goals assigned to the call center. This step will largely determine the subsequent decisions on the functionality, organizational structure, and a balanced choice of a software supplier. 

Most often, brokerage companies use a call center for: 

  • Reception of incoming calls from clients and contractors of the company
  • Making outgoing calls to hot and cold leads
  • Sales of brokerage company services
  • Organization of customer service

Far from all companies create their own call centers for the full functioning of the brokerage business. Some providers prefer to use outsourced ones, which significantly reduces monthly operating costs. 

10 Steps to Organize a call center for a Brokerage Business 

  1. Define department goals
  2. Select software
  3. Determine the number of operators, telephone load, and channel width
  4. Select a service provider and deploy infrastructure
  5. Create a suitable organizational structure for the department
  6. Hire staff
  7. Design internal communication processes, reporting, rules, and procedures
  8. Configure and test the software
  9. Install CRM
  10. Conduct staff training

Organizational structure 

The efficiency of the call center largely depends on the well-coordinated work of the staff. That is why the interaction between contact center employees needs to be thought out in the early stages. 

Otherwise, a broker runs the risk of spending a colossal amount of time establishing internal processes and achieving the set business goals. 

That is why a top-level call center always has a clear organizational structure that is entirely subordinate to the specifics of the business. 

For example, if it concerns large brokerage companies’ contact centers, they may look like separate divisions. Moreover, each of them performs a specific range of tasks. 

One way or another, almost all call centers have a similar organizational structure. 

H3 Head of Call Center 

The primary responsibilities of the head of the call center are: 

  • Administration and management of supervisors
  • Drawing up plans to achieve the business goals of the company
  • Planning and budget approval
  • Drawing up reports on the results achieved for the management of the company

 Supervisors 

This group of employees brings together the leaders of the individual operator groups. The main tasks of supervisors are: 

  • Control of the work of each operator.
  • Track employee performance.
  • Achievement of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

It is the supervisors who are the most critical link in the call center. They can determine in advance all possible failures in the operation of the call center. For this reason, the supervisors’ suggestions for possible improvements in the work of the call center are critical for the upper management of a company. 

Contact Center Operators 

Do not assume that the call center operators are just ordinary employees who perform the assigned tasks. Operators are the first link that contacts your clients. Their efficiency directly affects the business performance of the brokerage company. 

Operators can be either full-time or temporary employees. Sometimes brokers expand their call center staff during active advertising campaigns. 

Operators perform the following range of tasks: 

  • Calling the existing customer base
  • Cold outgoing calls
  • Processing of incoming calls
  • Initial filling of the client’s profile in the CRM system

The selection of operators and training of each employee is a crucial stage in organizing a call center. Operators often experience increased psychological stress and can quickly “burn out.” 

That is why it will not be superfluous to think over timely psychological relief, as well as a series of training to improve their qualifications. 

 Technical Support Service Call Center 

It involves an IT department, which deals with: 

  • Technical support for the work of the call center
  • Integration and smooth interaction of the contact center with the CRM system 

If you plan to open a brokerage business with 24/7 customer service, then be sure to provide separate IT service specialists to serve the call center exclusively. 

Otherwise, your business will not be able to solve technical problems on time. This might lead to a potential drop in the performance indicators of the contact center. 

 Human Resources 

Keep in mind that call center turnover is really high. That is why a significant burden and responsibility falls on the shoulders of the HR department. HR staff must adhere to all recruitment criteria and requirements and organize internal training for operators. 

In any case, the call center’s scale, goals, and objectives will largely determine the structure and number of employees who will ensure its effective functioning. 

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