Overview

For many companies, the volume of requests for support warrants only a few reps. But when your demand for support requires 20 or more reps at any one time, then you have to maintain a full-fledge support center.

Support centers represent the elite among corporate call centers. They require reps with specialized training to assist customers with anything from power windows to Windows operating systems.

Labor comprises about 70% of a support center's operating costs, a higher percentage than you're likely to find at other types of call centers, where labor typically accounts for 60% of costs. You have to pay a premium to attract reps that can communicate knowledgeably and effectively with customers.

Consider, for example, the level-one reps whom your customers initially reach, and who, according to experts, handle 75% of support inquiries. Expect to pay 10% to 15% more for level-one support reps than for reps in call centers that do not provide support.

You have to take special care in selecting sites where you employ support reps, whether you run a service bureau or your company's in-house support center. As is true of call centers in general, wages depend on the labor market. They are typically higher in major American metropolitan areas, less in smaller cities and lower still in other countries, like Canada. Outsourcers typically pay less than in-house support centers.

King White, a vice president with the Dallas, TX-based Trammell Crow Call Center Site Selection Group, observes that support centers pay between...