Outsourcing your operation is quite a bright concept for the business world nowadays. You outsource your business operation and saves an enormous amount of time, money, effort and resource. But there is a dark side to outsourcing too.
Many business owners do the mistake of not considering the crucial aspects of outsourcing and just tie up with any company. Result? The brands witness a major exodus of the customers, owing to shabby customer service quality.
Always remember, any business operation that is outsourced to another company and involves direct interaction with your customers, demands special attention from you.
Make sure to weigh out the business demands and the service quality the outsourcing company is offering. See, if your business objectives are aligned with the KPIs of the outsourcing company.
It becomes extremely important to consider different aspects when you are in the requirement to outsource your advanced customer service call center to a third-party.
The manner in which the vendor company is going to offer the service decided your fate with the customers. So, mentioned below are the factors needed to be considered while you decide to outsource your customer service:
The requirement
Not everyone requires Outsourcing when it comes to business demands.
Your business may demand a close interaction with the prospects and customers. This type of B2B businesses that work in niche segment usually prefers an in-house facility more than an outsourced customer service. This is because the B2B owners want a team to assist their lead in close proximity to their business objectives.
However, if you have a high frequency of large call volumes, then outsourcing may help you. Understand correctly if your business actually requires outsourcing the customer service or not. If the answer is yes, then keep reading.
The return
Organizations, be it big or small, opt to outsource their business operations due to one major reason; saving money. Since owning and handling the customer service in an in-house facility would cost you more bucks, so you turn your focus towards outsourcing. But, cost-effectiveness of outsourcing does not mean that you will gain only.
Being a smart business owner or manager, you should be ready with your ROI or return on the investment plan. See the real impact of customer service on your marketing and overall base of your business. Compare between different vendors and see who is offering a long-term value for your business.
The hidden costs
Most of the experienced business owners know that there are hidden costs in every industry, and even though outsourcing seems to be cost-effective and viable, keeping an eye on cash flow on hidden aspects is a good idea. See the costs that are hidden within the service line of your outsourcing partner and request a total transparency on the cost division.
Additional service
Most of the outsourcing companies come up with special offers for their customers. Few of the outsourcing firms offer call recording and analytics free along with their service subscription charge. Not everyone does it. The added services can really offer a boost to your customer service, so keep a good look at different offers from vendors. Observe and see which added services will provide an upper hand to your business by enhancing the ROI.
Who is the owner?
One of the biggest blunders a business owner can do while outsourcing the customer service is not taking the ownership of phone numbers. Let’s say, you have outsourced your customer service from a company and now you want to change the service provider. If you do not have the ownership of the customer care numbers, because of negligence, or lack of knowledge, then you have to change the same.
A different customer care number can disrupt the smooth flow of customer service and can destroy the image of the company too. So, clearing up things with your outsourcing partner regarding the ownership in advance will avoid your business a big loss.
The training
Most of the customers (Around 70%) leave a company due to shabby customer service quality. This is one thing that you need to trust before handing over to any other entity. Make sure to get a proper look at the staff of the outsourcing company to match its knowledge and experience with your business demands.
Track and see the outsourcer’s employee hiring process and communication tools to get a much clearer picture. If the outsourcing company requires much advanced technology, then take your time and decide. You surely do not want to partner up with a company that lacks the technological amenities to offer the superior service to the customers.
Summary
Never rush into something you do not have an idea of. This saying fits perfectly to the business owners like you who are thinking to outsource their customer service. Follow the above-mentioned tips to choose an ideal outsourcing partner for your business. Â If you want further suggestion or clearance on outsourcing the customer service, feel free to leave a comment below.