Working for some of the Top Call Center Operations, for the past 25 years, has afforded me the opportunity to gain a full understanding of those intriguing dynamics that help shape an efficient Call Center.  Through a series of industry best practices, I have seen some of the best kept secrets of “world-class” customer services implemented. These best practices have also been used to help manage industry service levels, abandonments, and the required agent talk times. Conversely speaking, I have also seen how agent attrition, agent call -ins, inclement weather, and a lack of agent motivation, can become “Gangrene” to an entire call center population and cripple its ability to achieve goals and meet daily standards.

Having said all of that, recently I took on a role as Sales Consultant for Northwind Contact Solutions. We provide managed service solutions to contact centers, which can improve a company’s ROI and increase their overall efficiency through several platforms.  This venture is un-locking the door to one of the fastest growing trends for contact and outsourced centers globally. Essentially, it is moving away from costly equipment and premise based call center platforms and moving to a more versatile, “On Demand” virtual call center platform.

Virtual call center platforms provide an on-demand solution for inbound and outbound call centers, as well as, for businesses needing to utilize outbound IVR capabilities for surveys, appointment verifications and to deliver all important marketing information messages.  The “On-Demand” functionality of a virtual call center platform can allow a contact center to be up and running in hours versus weeks or months with a traditional, onsite equipment based platform. With a virtual call center platform, implementation is simple and does not require the build out of a complex infrastructure. Cost comparisons vary but on average, companies that have moved to a virtual platform claim to have reduced their overhead cost by more than 30% over on-site, equipment based platform.    Instead of the expensive equipment cost, call center teams are opting for the versatility, scalability and the “pay-per-use” cost structure provided with Virtual call center platforms.

Several years ago, the call center I was managing was faced with a huge challenge. We were awarded a new contract for additional business from one of our outsourced clients. This new assignment would require sixty new agents for a short period of time, forcing us to hire and invest the time, capital and human resources to gain and maintain creditability with the client. Needless to say, after the completion of the project, we had more agents than the current business needs required. They were ultimately sent home daily without reaching a net forty hours and attrition derailed the others. However, utilizing a virtual call center platform, it is easy and affordable for an outsourcer to scale up and or down to meet the needs of their clientele.

In conclusion, Virtualization is more cost-effective and flexible than any other technology available. It is easy to deploy because a virtual platform is based on software that runs on commodity servers and workstations, and the only equipment an agent requires is a standard PC, headset and internet connectivity. My overall experience allows me say that this technology and process management platform is on the cutting edge of the Call Center world.

Written by Tyrone Wilson.tyrone.wilson@att.net.

Tyrone A Wilson, an alumni of Texas Christian University, resides with his wife and two daughters outside of the Oklahoma City area. He is a Call Center consultant and has over 25 years experience in Call Center Operations. He’s Six Sigma certified and has worked with companies such as GTE Sprint, MCI Telecommunications, Cox Communications, and Assurant Solutions. He can be reached by e-mail at