Today, when coronavirus has spread across the whole globe, and millions of people are locked at home, telecom providers are in even higher demand than ever before. While many sectors are losing out, the Telecom industry is under a protective umbrella, mainly because of the increased voice traffic from SIP termination providers. Why? The answer is obvious — they help society to stay connected in the world of self-isolation.
The Impact of Coronavirus on Call Centers
Although, as stated by GlobalData, the negative aspect of the pandemic will not last long, call centers now are facing immediate telecommunications industry challenges, which should be overcome to reach or even increase the level of productivity they had before the crisis. Among these challenges are:
Transition to remote work
Work from home is a completely new model for call centers, as many of them have never thought of teleworking before the coronavirus. However, this won’t be a problem with a good cloud-based contact center system, which allows your agents to work from anywhere using their laptop and stable internet connection. To make or take calls, they simply need to log in into the system.
- Secure and Easy Access to Corporate Data
When working from home, your agents mainly use their personal computers or laptops. That’s why, when shifting to a virtual call center, you have to ensure smooth and secure access to Telecom resources for your remote teams. Thus, you need to use a VPN service to get a safe and easy corporate connection — the same you used to have in the office.
High Call Volume
Many call centers aren’t ready to support their clients during the pandemic crisis, as they can’t handle the volume of incoming calls, which results in long waiting times and increased dropped calls. However, a good Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and lead distribution system can automate your call center routine and help your agents remain calm even during a critical time.
Cost Optimization
When suddenly your call center goes online, it’s high time to optimize your spending. Having a virtual office means you no longer need to pay rent and can consider staff cuts based on the efficiency of each member of your team. You can also think of automation of the working routine by selecting the right automated lead distribution and auto dialing system.
The New Normal After COVID-19: Long-Term Perspective
Is there a life after COVID-19? Yes, sure. But the business world will change once and for all:
International markets will prevail
When your business is online, you can look for the best markets for your business, as the distance isn’t a problem anymore. Establishing a local presence in a particular region while having your office located far away can be achieved in just several steps.
Let’s imagine your call center is located in the Philippines, but you want to attract customers from South Africa and the UAE.
- First, you need to find a reliable business VPN that can mask your actual location.
- Second, choose a trustworthy SIP trunk provider in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to get prime voice connectivity across these regions at affordable rates.
- You also have to buy South African and UAE virtual phone numbers to stay closer to your clients and increase the pickup rate.
- Plus, find effective web-based solutions from a SIP termination provider to operate your virtual call center in the cloud.
This combo can help you build a strong local presence in any region worldwide without being tied to your actual location.
The office will never be the same again
Why sacrifice your precious time when you can work remotely and don’t waste time commuting to work? That’s why more and more people who have tried teleworking for the first time during the coronavirus crisis will prefer to continue working from home. Many businesses will also think of hiring remote teams and cutting costs on office rent — as they simply cannot afford to have enough space for social distancing. This won’t be difficult, as many of them are already equipped with all the necessary remote tools, which they bought at the beginning of the pandemic.
More companies will move to the cloud
During coronavirus, it became clear that having landline telephony and on-premises software for your business won’t work anymore. If you want to stay ready for any future challenge, you need to move your business infrastructure to the cloud. Having done so, you can easily work from anywhere — even from your coach — without reducing your productivity.
Summing Up
Coronavirus is yet another challenge the business has faced. However, it helped many people completely rethink the way to operate a company. They can’t go back to normal, as this normal has changed. Moving online and managing remote teams is a completely new reality, which can benefit your business in the long run.
