The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with no end in sight spells problems for small and medium enterprises. As lockdowns and quarantines are in place, business owners are starting to feel the pressure of sustaining their operations. Should they simply stop operations for the time being? Are there any sustainable options available during the crisis? Of course, stopping business operations is not the best decision for SMEs as it greatly impedes their growth. Instead, there are some great sustainable options they can utilize during the pandemic – outsourcing is one of them.
Outsourcing is a common strategy that allows non-core functions and activities of a business to be conducted by a specialized company. When these duties are delegated, it decreases the permanent cost of your business. According to Clutch.co, about 52% of small and medium executives will continue to outsource jobs in 2020. There can be various classes of outsourcing that can be applied, however, in this blog, we will specifically focus on outsourcing call center services.
Outsourcing calls enable you to have highly-skilled agents who will provide excellent customer support to your prospective clients and existing customers. Over the years, there has been an increased tendency for businesses to understand the benefits of customer service outsourcing. Aside from being an effective economical method of delivering excellent call center services, outsource call centers can also boost a healthier relationship with the customers.
Another obvious benefit of outsourcing customer service is to repeat customers. When customers know that their needs are paramount to your company, they will come back to you easily and establish long-lasting relationships. With more customers, your company will experience an increase in sales, which means more money to invest in the latest technology, and ultimately, expand your business. Obviously, increasing your sales will significantly improve your cash flow as well. Customer service outsourcing is something that SMEs should consider especially during the COVID-19 crisis.
To guide you more here is what you need to know when choosing the customer support service provider:
Check experience and expertise
Before deciding on the call center, make sure to evaluate their experience and expertise in your industry or any related industry. Know the focus on their services, including types of calls (inbound or outbound) and their unique language capabilities. Keep in mind that outsourced call centers can offer a lot more than inbound and outbound calling, they can also provide multichannel services such as social media monitoring, live chat, and outsourced email support, as well as chatbots.
Know their capacity and flexibility
When you’re looking for an outsource call center to manage the overflow or 100% of your call volume, it is critical that the partner you choose has the capacity and flexibility to meet your current requirements as well as your peak call volume. Does the customer support service provider have the capacity to scale their services to match your highest call volume demand? During this global pandemic, it’s important that you can answer all the questions and concerns of your regular customers and potential clients.
Determine their overall performance
Evaluate the call center’s quality (QA) practices for maximizing performance. Examine their training, account management, call monitoring and remote call monitoring, incentives, and motivational practices to ensure they can perform as promised. Talk to several client references, look into their average handle time (AHT), first contact resolution, speed to answer, CSAT scores, and other metrics to get an idea of how they stack up and if they’re in the range of the performance metrics you expect from your call center. How quickly and easily will you be able to get feedback on metrics? What reports are available and how will you get them? These are just some of the questions you need to ask them.
Identify the technology they are using
Does the customer support service provider have the capacity and the technology to support your needs as you grow? In case of an emergency or crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, does the outsource call center have the technology that meets your objectives? Know if they have redundant systems, ISPs and back-up generators. Make sure they have key technology such as artificial intelligence, email support, interactive voice response (IVR), live chat support, social media services, and workforce management software.
By understanding the right way to outsource a call center service during the pandemic, small and medium enterprises are in the perfect place to achieve greater ROI and increase customer satisfaction.
Looking for the best customer support service provider? Markable Solutions’ 360-degree customer support services provide both outbound and inbound call center services to ensure that your brand is always available for your customers.
