Outsourcing, or contact center outsourcing services, can provide you with an ally who is ready to act and be a virtual helpdesk for your customers. You can outsource different ranges of services. The ideal solution is to opt for a call center capable of handling calls, live chat, email, social networking, etc. Other services include lead generation, telemarketing, customer acquisition and market research.
In this article, we will answer three key questions asked by companies wishing to embark on outsourcing:
- How does call center outsourcing work?
- What are the advantages of outsourced call center?
- What are the best practices for managing an outsourced call center?
How does call center outsourcing work?
Customer support outsourcing
When it comes to outsourcing a call center or customer support outsourcing, there are several routes you can take and there are several things to consider. Firstly, you need to understand your contact center business process outsourcing requirements. You also need to determine what type of call center meets those needs and which company is best placed to meet them.
You can use contact center outsourcing services for some or all elements of your customer support. Call center outsourcing can be a great idea if you need to manage large numbers of inbound and outbound calls efficiently. Outsourcing call center services is also more cost-effective than keeping the team in-house.
- Handling incoming calls
For example, inbound call center handle calls that customers themselves initiate. Companies often offer inbound services to entities seeking technical assistance, managing customer accounts, receiving customer feedback or processing orders.
- Outbound call handling
On the other hand, outbound call center services call potential customers to sell products or services. These contact center agents generally focus on lead generation, customer follow-up, conducting surveys or customer satisfaction.
Finally, transparency is also crucial. So you need to choose an outsourcing partner that will provide you with regular records.
Inbound and outbound call center can offer a wide range of services, so outsourcing can help you respond better to customer needs.
What are the benefits of outsourced call center?
There are dozens ofbenefits to outsourcing your contact center, but we’ve selected the ones that are likely to be most important to you. Outsourcing customer relations is a strategic choice that allows you to combine cost optimisation, improved customer service quality and time savings.
- Cost reduction
The first benefit cited when talking about call center outsourcing is cost reduction. You’ll save on a range of things, including equipment, office space, software and payroll.
However, offloading and outsourcing non-core tasks to save money should not be your main driver. There are many contact center to choose from, but if you want excellent quality, you probably shouldn’t look for the cheapest solution.
- Improved productivity
Secondly, by outsourcing, you can improve the quality of your services and become more efficient. Having an overworked team is a real nightmare. Not only do they lack motivation, but the risk of human error is higher, which can very quickly and very seriously affect your business. Opting for a call center allows you to provide your customers with the right answers and optimise the time and energy of your in-house team.
- Save time
What’s more, you don’t have to devote time or resources to developing a customer service by outsourcing your needs. Instead, you can concentrate on spending time and money in other areas that can be improved.
- Technology watch
Finally, having the latest technology at your disposal is one of the most important elements of any successful business and one of the main benefits a call center can offer. Business process outsourcing gives you access to the latest metrics, sometimes even in real time. Outsourcing companies can facilitate market research by analysing, defining and reconfiguring KPIs through their analytics software. Not only will you improve your business model in the short and long term, but you’ll also understand how to improve each stage of the customer journey.
What are the best practices for managing an outsourced call center?
For best results, here are the best practices for managing an outsourced call center and making the most of the benefits it can offer you.
- Maintain good professional relationships
First of all, as a company, you need to maintain a good relationship between yourself and your outsourced team. Open and honest communication is vital when working together. You have to stick together. You can’t treat your contact center like a service provider. They represent and reflect your business and must be treated as such. If they make a mistake, it’s important to remain rational and not hold too much against them, as this will have a negative impact on your relationship in the long term.
- Define the lines of communication
Next, your in-house team and your outsourced contact center need to be on the same wavelength. The only way for everyone to know what the company’s objectives are and to work towards achieving them is to keep the lines of communication open. Plan a meeting at least once a month to make sure everything is running smoothly and to discuss any immediate adjustments that need to be made.
- Encouraging exchange
On the other hand, for smooth and seamless communication, make sure you designate one person to be your direct point of contact and to help with any queries you may have. Having a single point of contact means that you don’t receive conflicting information from several people. It also means that there is less risk of miscommunication.
Customer relationships are crucial to your business, and having your overwhelmed team dealing with customer queries and issues is likely to lead to misinformation and frustration. Hiring a third-party company to handle customer service not only saves your team from burnout, it also greatly benefits your customer.
Advancia Teleservices, the outsourced service specialist
Now that you’re well informed about the services that an outsourced call center can offer, don’t hesitate to contact us to assess your needs and receive an attractive offer. Advancia Teleservices can help you develop your business ?