Customer service is an essential part of any business. Call centres and help desks play an integral role in this.
Poor customer service is a costly problem for businesses. 33% of customers will switch to another company if they have had bad customer service. Only 1% of customers will switch to a competitor if their problem is solved on the first contact.
Not all businesses can afford to offer the type of Customer Service that will reduce customer churn, and associated costs.
This is where help desk outsourcing and call center comes in.
Businesses can Outsource their Customer Service to a professional call center to ensure that they are able meet their customers' needs efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining their core values. Outsourcing help desk and call centre services has been so successful that global spending has risen from $45.6 billion to $86.6 billion in 2018 to $407.1 billion in 2020. This allows businesses to ensure they are able to meet their customers' needs in a cost-effective manner while still maintaining their core values and unique tone of voice.
Companies that don't look for ways to cut costs, increase customer satisfaction, or increase sales through outsourcing call centre operations and help desk operations miss a significant business opportunity to gain competitive advantage.
Read on to learn how outsourcing call center and help desk services can transform your approach towards customer service excellence.
What is the real meaning of outsourcing?
Outsourcing is a way to access functionality you don't have in-house. It allows you to transfer responsibility for certain functions from your in-house team to another company.
However, not everyone understands how you can Outsource Customer Service. There's more to call centre and help desk outsourcing.
1). The first step to determining whether outsourcing is necessary is to analyze your business goals, objectives, and expectations. Once you have your expectations, goals, and objectives clearly established, you can compare them with the offerings of customer service outsourcing companies to ensure that the service you are purchasing is in line with your needs.
2). Provider alignment: To ensure that an outsourcing partner offers the service you need, it is important to do some research on their services.
3). As you will almost certainly allow a third party to access customer data, you need to consider the legal and security implications, particularly the legal ramifications for potential data security breaches as per data security laws like GDPR.
4). Brand Protection: Customer Service Outsourcing in particular requires that businesses ensure that all external call centres are expressing their brand values, and using a specific tone of voice. It is best to create a clear brand voice and tone guidelines, which can easily be transmitted to an outsourcing partner. This will ensure that customers can feel comfortable contacting your outsourcing customer service team.
Once you have found the right outsourcing service, it is important to plan ahead for implementation and training. Also, make sure you have plans to address any teething issues.
Why outsource customer service?
Outsourcing offers the obvious benefit of being able to take on large numbers of calls without having to invest in staff or facilities.
But outsourcing call center and help desk services doesn't end there. Outsourced help desks and call centres are more cost-effective than in-house facilities.
1). Outsourcing makes it possible to improve customer service without having to hire and train new staff or build new call centers. You also have a lower administrative and maintenance burden. Your business can now boast a cost-effective customer support function.
2). Faster resolution: Your internal agents will have a better understanding of your technical operations and be better equipped to solve complex problems. They can't do their best work if they are constantly being backed up by simple requests. Outsourcing can help you free up your time and ensure that your customers receive exceptional support from your partner.
3). Quality and standardization of service are improved: Dedicated call centres offer dedicated agents unparalleled support and a streamlined way to deal with customer queries. Your customer service function can be significantly improved by their customer support expertise and proficiency.
4). Scalable to meet customer demand: Companies that provide dedicated customer service outsourcing solutions have, as you might expect, access to large talent pools that can scale to meet rising demand.
5). Flexible customer service support: Your outsourcing partner should be there to help you when you need it and let you do what you want. You shouldn't feel restricted by rigid plans or high premiums. The right partner will work with your to create a solution that works for you and not try to upsell you.
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What are the key features to look out for in an outsourcing partner?
It is crucial to choose the right partner for you. While the details will vary with every business, there are common characteristics that you should look for.
Before you can decide which features you need, it is important to understand your reasons for outsourcing. While cost reduction and flexibility are the most popular motivations for outsourcing, you might have other reasons.
You should also consider the following:
- Are they able to handle the channels that your customers use? Over half of consumers use at least three to five communication channels to reach customer service. Your outsourcing partner should be able handle these channels.
- Are they able to provide quality agents? Quality of customer service is directly linked to agent quality. It is therefore important that you ensure that any potential outsourcing partner has quality agents.
- Is it offshore or onshore outsourcing? Outsourcing does not have to be synonymous with offshoring. In fact, many customer service agents work on an onshore distributed basis. They can access high-quality agents from their home to represent your brand.
- Are they able to offer flexible solutions? This is one of the main advantages of outsourcing.
LivehelpIndia can help your business grow
LHI is a better alternative to traditional call centers. It offers more experience and flexibility than traditional call centres. Our staff can be deployed quickly and provide excellent customer service in just 48 hours.
We partner with you to provide our agents with brand-specific and campaign-specific training. This is combined with their industry-specific experiences to ensure that your customers receive the highest quality assistance in your particular tone.
Our flexible model can be scaled to meet fluctuating customer demand. And our pay-as you-go contracts ensure that you never pay extra for capacity.
Get a quote to learn more about how we can transform your customer service approach!
