E-commerce companies today often outsource email support. It is important to find an outsourcing partner with high-quality staff and cost-effectiveness as companies seek to scale up and improve customer support.
It is not easy to find the right company with customer-focused email service and quick response time, given the number of BPO companies across the globe.
To help you make an informed decision before outsourcing email support, consider the following factors.
Why do companies outsource email support?
Anyone who has ever written support emails knows that it is more than simply writing it and hitting send. Effective customer service emails require careful evaluation, excellent editing, and thoughtful wording. This is a worthwhile task as ineffective customer service emails can lead to poor customer experiences and a waste of money.
Here are some of the benefits that outsourcing your email support services to a trusted BPO company can bring:
Enhanced Production, Quality, and Delivery
It can be costly and time-consuming to train your email support staff. Your team members may be more able to help with other aspects of your business. If your staff is not properly trained, it can lead to a cluttered environment that makes it difficult for you and your resources to be productive.
It might be a better option to outsource your email support to a BPO company with the experience and expertise to handle the type of campaign you are looking for.
Many outsourced email support groups rely on technology and strategies to speed up production and eliminate mistakes through a quality audit (QA).
They adhere to high-quality standards to be competitive in a competitive market. Many businesses can't afford to hire in-house email support staff to provide the same level of expertise as outsourced email support team members.
Increased Response Rates
Your customer experience directly impacts the effectiveness of your email support campaigns. Outsourcing professionals analyze metrics like first-rate resolution, customer satisfaction, CSAT, or customer satisfaction, and create complete, customer-focused email support programs. A coordinated email support program will increase your business's response rates and improve the customer experience.
Improved Email Deliverability
Are you integrating A/B testing into your in-house email system? What about checking Outlook headers and text-less messages for errors? Are you using the most recent technology to implement filtering to comply with changing ISP requirements?
Consider the other issues that can lead to permission-based email blocking. These are just some of the places where your internal email solution might be failing clients. Your customer service might suffer if you don't have the right tools and expertise to create a well-designed and presented email support campaign.
You might consider outsourcing your email support services to increase your team's capabilities. Competent staff can not only build trust with your customers but also with their ISPs. This will reduce the likelihood of spam complaints.
Experts are aware of all the latest risks that could prevent your emails from being sent. Outsourced email support should be able to assist you in improving email delivery and campaign management.
Reduce Costs
It can be expensive to create efficient support teams in-house. In-house support staff can be more cost-effective than hiring an outsourcing company. They will need to first be trained and then managed.
Organizations that provide email support may face higher skill-related costs. The cost of outsourcing this process is a major expense. Now is the right time to shop for a quote.
Skills and specialization
Companies that have years of experience in outsourcing can manage and implement email support campaigns for many industries and consumer groups. They are familiar with the best tactics and tools to successfully execute campaigns.
This is why outsourcing email support services are a good option. It is necessary to have well-honed skills in increasing client targeting, personalization, as well as email message optimization.
The best email operations teams share their knowledge and offer valuable tips. You can show how to optimize HTML addresses and use permission-based email lists. They are able to see the value of data-driven, targeted email marketing, which leads to continuous and sustained company growth.
Four Factors to Consider before Outsourcing Email
While many companies outsource their email services, this is not always the best option for you. It is important to consider the pros and cons of outsourcing over in-house. Here are 4 things to keep in mind before outsourcing email support.
1. What are your current obstacles?
Outsourcing is not an option, despite its many benefits. Outsourcing will not solve all the problems that are affecting your postal operations. If your marketing emails or invoices are frequently late, you might consider outsourcing this service.
This is a sensible way to delegate this expensive problem to another team. While this may be a good idea, it could also lead to delays due to other internal problems. This could be because your sales team was unable to communicate with the customer service department responsible for mailings.
Perhaps the skills required to send marketing emails and follow USPS guidelines are not available. You may need to learn how to insert, fold, and print.
It is not a good idea to outsource mail operations only to discover that your costs are significantly higher and you face similar problems.
2. Is it going to be cheaper?
Cost is the main reason for outsourcing. Outsourcing allows you to do the same work but in a more cost-efficient and productive manner.
There are many factors to be aware of when outsourcing. Is the company located offshore or near? Is your BPO firm equipped to support new technology with the current resources available? Is there an additional cost for training, overtime, or other services?
3. Are you looking for additional space?
You might consider outsourcing certain activities if your company has increased its space requirements. Some businesses required additional staff to support customer service operations. However, the current structure might not permit this.
Outsourcing could be the solution.
4. What regulations are you required to follow?
You may need to follow different rules depending on your business. A single mistake could lead to a data breach that can result in severe penalties for your company and cause many customers to look elsewhere for their services.
Before you contract with another company, make sure to review the requirements regarding data privacy. You can rest assured that the government has regulations regarding how you or a third party must handle the private information of another person.
What are the criteria for evaluating outsourcing companies?
Your evaluation should be centered on the ability of your outsourcing partner in meeting your requirements. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Establish Industry Knowledge
You can determine whether an outsourcing company has the experience and depth of knowledge in your industry to handle the tasks and processes that you are looking to outsource. You can inquire about the number and scope of the company's projects to determine the outsourcing vendor's expertise.
You should also have exceptional credentials and extensive experience in implementing business goals.
Get technical expertise
BPO providers should be able to describe the processes they use to manage projects, track progress, and resolve problems.
The outsourcing provider should excel in key areas like project management and quality control. A strategy that is ongoing will ensure that your company can receive the support it requires to continue providing customer service without interruption.
Ask about Testimonials and Vendor References
You will be able to better understand the capabilities of the outsourcing partner by knowing their past. Ask former clients and current clients for information about the quality and difficulties experienced during the collaboration.
You might also look at case studies on the company website to learn more about the company's operation. Request examples of completed projects or marketing prototypes if you are interested to see what output is possible after signing a service contract.
Inspect Communication and Client Management Systems
Communicate your expectations to your partner in advance to ensure that communication is smooth. You should also ensure that you have a complete contact list so that all members of the outsourced team can be reached via email, phone, or other messaging software at the set times.
To avoid communication gaps, your outsourcing provider should ensure that you work in the same time zone as you.
You must also agree to a single point for all your questions, comments, and concerns. This will ensure that there is an adequate flow between you and your outsourcing workforce.
Take a look at Infrastructure and Technologies
Technology-savvy service providers are better equipped to fulfill your business's needs and expectations. The following should be included in the IT infrastructure of your outsourcing partner:
- High-quality hardware and software components
- A strong network of internet and phone lines.
- Interaction with your technology
Your vendor might also need to purchase and implement additional technologies that are specific to your company.
Calculate the Costs
You might be able to save significant money on fixed project costs. This option should be discussed with your potential partner whenever possible. You should also investigate hidden costs related to project execution, employee training, or similar activities that may add extra charges to your operations.
Conduct a Personnel Evaluation
Your outsourcing partnership's success is dependent on the quality of your team and other factors. To help you emphasize the knowledge, discipline, technical and soft skills needed by your company, it might be helpful to review your vendor's recruitment rules and procedures.
It may also be beneficial for your company if your partner understands and embraces the corporate culture. This includes your values, beliefs, or mission statement and your communication style.
Assess your financial viability
Consider whether the partner is financially sound and capable of long-term sustainability. This will ensure that the firm is available as an outsourcing partner throughout your project.
This article will help you find the best offshore, nearshore, or onshore outsourcing partner for your company.
Email marketing is hard work
If you don't have a marketing team that is specialized in email marketing, it can be expensive.
It is possible to send a monthly or weekly email. If you only send one email per week, you're missing out on huge opportunities to increase your email conversions and revenue.
It takes hours of effort and many touchpoints to create a good email marketing strategy. More critically, it demands unique talents.
Marketing emails today may contain HTML, GIFs, and exceptional graphics. Even the most essential emails might require complex assets such as bespoke CTA buttons and automated procedures.
Analytics should be included in any email marketing plan that includes inbound marketing. It takes specific skills to understand your analytics. You might want to determine why one email was opened and another not.
Email marketing campaigns require the following skills:
- Graphic Design Coding
- Data Mining
- Marketing A/B Testing
A successful email marketing campaign may require three to five people. Additional tools may be required to send automated email messages.
Email Marketing Automation Tools
Instead of sending one-time emails to contacts, automated emails can be sent in response to data and user activity. If a contact fills out a form on your site asking for a guide, they can be given the information instantly.
Automation allows you to nurture leads more creatively. You can add a subscriber to your newsletter to a special workflow by adding them with content. A free consultation, demo or other bottom-funnel information, such as a comparative whitepaper, might be offered.
There are many email automation options available. Some are expensive and some have steep learning curves. Automating procedures can be time-consuming and difficult. Email outsourcing can help you succeed because many outsourced marketing teams have access to email marketing tools like CRM.
Data gives you an advantage
Data-driven email marketing is key to success.
It may be helpful to know how many people open or click on your emails in order to create more powerful campaigns. You might change the subject, preview text, or sender name if your last email received a low open rate.
If your click-through rates are low, it may be necessary to revise the content of your previous email. What is the ultimate goal of your email?
It is not a good idea to link to your blog entries on a webinar sign-up page. If you are offering it to existing customers, you won't want to share it with all your blog followers.
The following are some of the most important metrics to be aware of:
- Click-through Rate
- Unsubscribe Rate
- Bounces and Hard Bouts
- Churn Rate Delivery (Contact list Growth Over Time).
You may be losing more connections than you are replacing them. It's time for you to restructure your email marketing strategy and find new contacts.
Last Thoughts
Online businesses have been turning to outsource email support services for their business, especially marketing companies and eCommerce businesses. A wide range of tools is available making it easy for agencies with real competence to outsource all work. Organizations with limited resources will not be overwhelmed by the benefits of outsourcing.
It is important to remember that you must verify the reliability and trustworthiness of a BPO provider when outsourcing your email support. You can do this by researching their past campaigns and asking questions.
You can concentrate on your core competencies without sacrificing the customer experience by choosing a reliable BPO partner.
