Running a Sales Call Center: Setup + 16 Key Features

Building a successful sales call center takes more than hiring skilled agents. You also need the right tools to help them stay productive, close more deals, and deliver a seamless customer experience.

As more companies turn to technology to support their teams, trends like call routing optimization and AI-powered features are gaining traction. According to Nextiva’s CX Trends Report, 25% of businesses are planning to adopt routing improvements, and 24% are exploring call summarization and transcription.

Walk through the key steps for setting up your sales call center with us, including selecting the right software and the key features you need to streamline call center operations and achieve your sales goals.

Types of Sales Call Centers 

A sales call center has three main types: inbound and outbound. Each one can be an on-premise or virtual call center. They use phone communication, and often other channels like email or live chat, to connect with potential and existing customers, promote products or services, and close deals.

Here’s how they differ:

• Inbound call centers: Sales reps handle incoming calls from leads or customers. Reps focus on converting inquiries into sales, often helping customers who have shown intent by calling your business after seeing an ad, visiting your website, or receiving a referral.
• Outbound call centers: Outbound sales teams make outgoing calls to potential customers. Their goal is to generate interest, qualify leads, and drive sales through proactive outreach. Common methods include cold calling, follow-up calls, or scheduled demos.
• Blended call centers: These sales call centers handle both inbound and outbound calls, allowing agents to seamlessly switch between receiving calls and making outgoing calls. This can optimize agent performance and efficiency, especially during fluctuating call volumes.

Key Sales Call Center Capabilities 

Look for advanced features like automation and data analytics that help boost sales and save time. Here are some other essential call center features you should put on your checklist.

Dialing features

Dialing features help you reach more prospects efficiently and effectively. These features automate or enhance the dialing process, reducing manual effort and enabling agents to have quality conversations and close deals. Here are some of them:

• Predictive dialing: A predictive dialer uses an algorithm to anticipate when agents will be available and lines up calls accordingly. This reduces idle time and increases talk time per hour, helping you book more appointments and stay proactive.
• Power dialing: The software automatically dials the next number in the queue as agents finish their calls. Power dialing helps you maintain a steady flow of customers with minimal wait times. 
• Preview dialing: Allowing agents to see the next caller’s details gives them a chance to prepare and tailor their approach. With preview dialing, they can have meaningful and relevant conversations that are more likely to win customers over.
• Customizable caller ID: You can display your business name and local number so customers know who’s calling, which can increase the odds of their picking up. It also builds trust and shows professionalism, especially when selling across different regions.

Lead management features 

Lead management features help your sales teams organize, track, and nurture potential customers throughout the sales process. Here are some features that ensure no opportunity slips through the cracks:

• CRM integration: Call center platforms like Nextiva can integrate with top CRM tools like HubSpot and Zendesk. This allows seamless data sharing between systems and automatically logs call activity and customer interactions, keeping records up to date without extra effort.
• Lead scoring and prioritization: Algorithms give each potential customer a value based on how likely they are to convert. Your teams can concentrate on the most promising leads, manage resources better, and optimize their time.
• Dialed number identification service: When you receive incoming customer calls, you can see the phone number the customer dialed. If you used that number for a telemarketing campaign, you will see that information, too. This helps you know whether the call is related to a specific advert and can have a more fruitful conversation.
• SMS reminders: Our CX Trends Report shows that 29% of businesses are planning to increase their SMS investments in 2025. You can schedule reminders for leads to increase their likelihood of attending sessions. Your SMS can include key details like the meeting time and video link.

Productivity and coaching features

Productivity and coaching features streamline daily operations and give you the necessary visibility and resources to train, guide, and improve team performance. Here are some features that can help you improve call center sales training:

• Call scripting and templates: Having prompts allows you to guide conversations and ensure consistency. You can also train new hires to deal with challenging situations like overcoming common objections and navigating discount requests.
• Intelligent call routing: Nextiva’s CX Trends Report shows that 24% of businesses have already optimized call routing to improve customer interactions. Directing known prospects to appropriate agents means the callers spend less time waiting, enhancing the customer experience. You can base the routing on the caller’s needs or the agent’s skills and experience levels.
• Real-time performance dashboards: Analytics give a live overview of metrics like call volumes and team member activity. You can use these insights to understand each agent’s performance and give fair and impartial feedback. Wallboards enhance this visibility by displaying real-time data on large screens, helping teams stay aligned and focused on performance goals throughout the day.
• Call recording and playback: You can record calls and use them for performance reviews and training sessions. This helps pinpoint call center agents’ strengths and weaknesses so they know where to improve. You can use tools like Nextiva that let you set triggers for the software to start recording calls.

Compliance features

• STIR/SHAKEN compliance: This set of protocols enables you to authenticate caller ID information and prevent spoofing. If you don’t properly authenticate outbound calls, they may be marked as spam, and your answer rate will drop.
• Do Not Call list scrubbing: Calling numbers on Do Not Call lists can leave you with hefty penalties and damage your reputation. List scrubbing removes all these numbers from your call campaigns, so you don’t risk your agents contacting them.
• Call recording archive: Industries like legal and health care may require proof of conversations if they need to review specific cases. They often have a minimum time you must store the recordings for. Call center software allows you to store files for the mandated time and stay compliant.
• Secure data storage: Inbound and outbound call center services are bound by data protection laws like the GDPR and HIPAA. Secure storage encrypts sensitive customer information during transfers and at rest to ensure you meet acceptable standards. It also helps avoid costly data breaches and reinforces trust in your company.

How to Set Up a Successful Sales Call Center

A call center solution can help you meet targets, but success hinges on how well you manage your team. Below are some best practices for a successful sales call center set up.

Set clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs)

Defining goals and tracking your progress can guide your sales team toward success. Clear call center metrics and KPIs can help you identify top performers and reward them to encourage others. 

Here are some of the most relevant metrics to follow:

• Call volume 
• Connect rate
• Conversion rate
• Average handle time
• First-time close rate
• Wrap-up time
• Call quality ratings

Plan your budget

A well-thought-out budget helps you allocate resources effectively, avoid overspending, and prepare for upfront and recurring costs. It also gives leadership and stakeholders a clear view of your financial plan and potential ROI.

To estimate costs, list every component needed to operate your call center for sales. These may include: 

• Hardware
• Software
• Employee salaries
• Training
• Office space 

Also, account for long-term expenses such as subscriptions, utilities, and ongoing maintenance.

Understand your ideal customer profile (ICP)

Understanding and defining your ICP helps you focus on high-potential leads and shorten the sales cycle. Here are some ways to get clearer on who your best-fit customers really are:

• Start with data-backed research: Use market research and internal analytics to pinpoint the demographics that convert well and show strong retention and upsell potential.
• Map the customer journey: A customer journey map can reveal deeper insights into customer experience, which, according to Nextiva’s CX Trends Report, 96% of business leaders say is a key driver of business outcomes.
• Leverage cross-functional insights: Collaborate with customer support, inbound sales, and other frontline teams to uncover real-world pain points and goals.
• Put insights into action: Use everything you’ve learned to tailor your sales pitch, making conversations more relevant and persuasive from the first call.

Invest in quality lead generation  

Targeted lead generation helps your sales team focus on the right prospects, boosting conversions and maximizing ROI. Once you’ve defined your ICP, apply that data strategically using tools and processes like:

• Lead scoring: Use your CRM to rank leads based on demographics and behavior.
• Call prioritization: Customize call types to focus on high-value prospects first.
• Performance tracking: Monitor how many top-scoring leads agents contact, and how many convert.
• Ongoing optimization: If results are low, revisit your ICP or invest in team training.

Use the best tools

The best sales tools help you improve customer interactions, automate workflows, and share data seamlessly across platforms for full visibility.

From CRMs to productivity suites and revenue intelligence software, each tool uniquely optimizes your operations. Choose platforms that integrate smoothly to ensure your agents can switch between tasks without losing momentum or duplicating efforts.

Here are some popular tools that support better call center performance:

• Nextiva: VoIP phone system with built-in call center features and top-tier integrations
• HubSpot: CRM platform with marketing, sales, and service tools built to scale
• Zendesk: Customer support and sales CRM software known for strong automation features
• Microsoft Teams: Collaboration and communication platform for internal team alignment
• Google Workspace: A productivity suite that includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, and more
• Gong Collective: A revenue intelligence tool that analyzes calls and sales data for coaching insights

Develop winning call scripts   

Effective cold calling scripts help you standardize communication and ensure consistency across your team. Over time, this consistency can significantly improve voice channel performance, just like Emergia, which saw a 154% increase in monthly call management, jumping from 32,478 in Q4/23 to 82,680 in Q1/24.

To create scripts that drive results:

• Tailor scripts to proven scenarios: Focus on the conversations that consistently convert and build from there.
• Use your ICP as a guide: Align messaging with your ideal customer’s needs, preferences, and communication style.
• Highlight pain points: Executives respond well to ROI-driven pitches. Operational staff prefer time-saving or efficiency-focused solutions.
• Balance structure with flexibility: Guide agents through a logical conversation flow. Allow room for adapting to different questions or objections on the fly.

Prioritize coaching and development  

While software provides the tools, your sales agents are the ones closing deals, and they need continuous support to thrive. Provide ongoing call center training to sharpen their skills and keep performance high. According to our CX Trends Report, 33% of companies are planning to increase their investments for employee upskilling in 2025. 

Use tools like Nextiva to record important phone calls for review and provide timely, constructive feedback. Clearly define what you’re evaluating, whether it’s communication style or product knowledge, and hold review sessions regularly to keep insights relevant and actionable.

Incentivize the right behaviors  

Rewarding actions that support your call center goals can motivate agents and encourage a culture of excellence. When team members see peers recognized with bonuses or shout-outs, they’re more likely to adopt those same high-impact behaviors.

If your platform includes contact center gamification, use it to spotlight top performers and offer perks for activities like upselling or cross-selling. Recognition doesn’t have to be complex — even a public shout-out goes a long way. You can also share achievements on your company’s social media.

Hit Your Sales Goals With Nextiva 

Running a high-performing sales call center takes more than talent—it requires the right technology to streamline outreach, track performance, and stay compliant. 

Nextiva’s AI-powered inside sales call center software combines all the must-have features into one intuitive platform. With tools like predictive dialing, CRM integration, and call recording, your team can focus on building relationships and closing deals, not managing disconnected systems. 

See how Nextiva can help upscale your sales call center services. 👇