Virtual Call Center

In the old days, setting up a call center whether it's for telemarketing, telesales, or customer service purposes is a very capital intensive undertaking. Companies must incurr cost on call center software, hardware, and also consulting services put it all together. However, thanks to advances in software and hardware technology companies can now "rent" virtual call center technology as a service.

Now companies can avoid the expensive software and equipment necessary in setting up a call center. Virtual call center software are increasingly offered by more vendors as adoption of this technology proliferates. Virtual call center software are typically offered as is a on-demand service available to anyone with a phone and browser. While virtual call center software might not have all the bells and whistles of an on-premise enterprise-class call center, virtual call center software can be setup in a very short period of time.

Although Virtual Call Center Software are often considered as "lite" call center software, the average call center service offered by many vendors include virtually all the features needed by most companies. These virtual call center features include:

• Hosted ACD, IVR, and PBX capabilities
• Call Routing
• Call Center Reporting
• Voice Recording/Logging
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
• Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
• Voice over IP (VOIP) and PSTN
• Integration with CRM software

Companies should consider a Virtual Call Center solution if they have geographically dispersed work-at-home call center agents or if they need to roll out a call center in a short period of time. Over time, a virtual call center solution might be more expensive than an in-house solution so companies should make their decision based on desired business outcome.