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Fight Seasonal Volume Spikes with a Hosted Call Center

By Chris DiMarco, TMCnet Managing Editor

Holiday volume peaks are par-for-the-course in the call center. The influx of shoppers seeking a way to buy, return, or figure out how to use the products is likely to have your phones ringing off the hooks from Black Friday (News - Alert) to the middle of January. As go the seasonal volume peaks, so goes the hiring of seasonal workers, and for call centers hiring agents is a holiday tradition as old as decorating the tree, or playing Dreidel with Uncle Morty.

This year, hiring those seasonal workers doesn’t have to be as anxiety-inducing as burning the turkey in front of your extended family. If you’re looking for a way to supplement your staff, with agents that know their stuff, then a hosted call center solution may be your best bet.

This type of communications software allows you to quickly add agents without the investment in hardware typically associated with the process. Hosted call center software requires only a connected PC and headset to give agents all they need to start serving customer right away.

More importantly this means that you can expand your hiring radius to include subject matter experts regardless of their location. Need someone who knows the billing software you use already? Want to save time by hiring people that are familiar with your industry or product line? A hosted call center option allows you to find them, and connect them with little more than a web address and some login credentials.

Training takes time, and when call volume is peaking, supervisors are likely too busy help a new hire get their footing. If you start hiring early enough for season employment this may not be a problem, but when heavy volume hits you’ll save time and money hiring someone who already knows the ropes.

So take one of those holiday responsibilities off your supervisor’s to-do list this year. Incorporate a hosted call center option and you’ll make it easier to hire and maybe even reduce the training needs of your staff.

Chris DiMarco is a Managing Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page. Follow him on Twitter (News - Alert) @cpdimarco.

Edited by Juliana Kenny