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Introduction

Any IT business will at some point require dedicated tech support. The only question is; how to build one efficiently using the available resources? Whether you are a support service provider or an IT firm looking to service your clients, it is important to have a clear strategy on how you will go about establishing a team of trained agents ready to provide high quality tech support.

Tech Support call centers are in high demand, particularly in the United States. According to recent statistics, the worldwide market value of call centers is expected to reach $496 billion by 2027. IdeasUnlimited has been at the forefront of this arena for more than 11 years and has witnessed tremendous growth in this industry. Furthermore, the invaluable experience that we’ve gained has helped hundreds of clients create successful tech support. In this blog, we’ll be sharing some of that experience.

Research

To start off, it is important to do a thorough analysis of the requirements when setting up a tech support branch. This means studying your competitors in the local region, understanding the available market base and calculating how much investment would be needed to launch a successful tech support. This will give you a broader picture of what your tech support branch is going to look like in the coming years.

Make a list of your objectives and choose your target audience before beginning the survey. First, determine if the industry you intend to operate in is market competitive. Identify your USP (unique selling proposition) in this context. Make a business plan in such a way that it covers the pain points that clients are experiencing. Always ask yourself what sets you apart from your competitors. Then, depending on your research, generate fresh ideas. Though It is said that 50% of new business strategies fail after 5 years due to several reasons, whereas 30% have more probability of development.

Inventory

This is perhaps the most important aspect of preparing a tech support center. It needs to be geared up with all the essential equipment and software for your team to use. You need to make sure that you are ready to invest a moderate amount towards this. Not only does a tech support center need to have the right VOIP, IVR and CRM solutions at hand, all the necessary training needs to be done before the doors open for new customers.

That being said, it is no surprise that this is the most costly part of the business plan. Not only will the software licenses and equipment become a significant expenditure, the office space along with the cost of management and training will also raise the cost.

Legal Compliance & Branding

This depends greatly on the region your call center is set up. But it is still important to acquire all the necessary compliance and licensing requirements needed to operate as a tech support. Other than the general business license, you will also need to be certified in order to prove to your client that you are capable of serving them.

Generally, you want to create a strong brand by using the right legal channel while building your digital footprint. Get your company registered under the appropriate legal entity and find a qualified skilled web developer. As scams can be quite frequent, it is important to solidify your brand with the right documentation in order to build trust for your potential clients. Besides that, be aware of the cost requirements  when it comes to  developing your website. You want to build a high quality website, which may incur some extra cost, but the result of having a strong website to promote is almost always worth the investment.

Recruitment & HR

Hire a team that is experienced enough to handle your customer’s needs. Alongside, prepare an HR staff that is capable of managing the large manpower that you will soon need to supervise. The HR department is perhaps the most important branch in a contact center and if you’re about to build a tech support branch, it will also need significant management.

First, create the team. Agents who will take on customer calls, live chat or email need to be coached and trained. Not only will they need to have the right attitude when interacting with customers, they should also be comfortable with the tools and software that will be utilized. Overall, a high level of professionalism needs to be maintained by every support agent.

To manage these agents, you will also need a team of supervisors along with an HR staff that ensures that there are enough agents to service every project. This is crucial since tech support needs to be online 24/7 and even the slightest hiccup in the service can cause irreversible damage.

B2B Marketing

Setting up your facilities is only half the battle. The next phase is gathering enough leads to keep your team busy. This starts with a strong B2B marketing strategy.

It is important to understand that support service is a niche business. There is a very specific, yet lucrative, market that’s in need of call center support. Therefore, this makes finding clients a little tricky.

The best way to find your clients is through the web. In our experience, digital marketing tends to be the best method of promoting a call center business. With digital marketing, you need to build three fronts; social media, website and search engine. All three channels can be a significant investment, but with a bit of growth hacking, you can be well on your way without having to overinvest.

CONCLUSION

Whether you wish to build a dedicated tech support center or a branch in your existing company, call centers are, and will always be, a significant investment. That is why IdeasUnlimited has always recommended clients to partner with an existing tech support center rather than taking the risk of building one from scratch. Our experts are ready to help you provide all the necessary tech support not just for you, but also for your clients. Head over to our contact page and get it touch with one of our representatives for more information.

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