Mastering Customer Service Outsourcing: Tips and Strategies
No matter the size of your organization, effective communication with your customers about your company, products, or services requires quality customer service. Outsourcing this service can take it to the next level, and partnering with a business process outsourcing (BPO) company can help you. Read on as this article highlights ten proven ways to outsource customer service to a BPO provider and guarantee superior customer service.
1. Establish your business strategy
It's important to establish a clear and concise customer service strategy from the start. Once you've reviewed essential tips for outsourcing customer service, take the time to consider why you're looking to outsource and set measurable goals for your team.
Before deciding to outsource, ask yourself and your team a series of questions to ensure you're making the right decision, such as:
Carefully weighing all factors before partnering with an external service provider is critical. Outsourcing is a significant decision, and moving forward without clear goals can result in high costs.
2. Evaluate the benefits of global outsourcing
International or offshore outsourcing refers to the practice of hiring a third-party vendor located in a foreign country to handle your customer service operations. Typically, these vendors employ local call center agents who possess language skills and expertise on par with those in developed nations but at lower labor costs.
One key advantage of outsourcing customer service overseas is the abundance of high-quality personnel available. This allows you to reduce your wage costs while maintaining excellent customer service.
Furthermore, offshore outsourcing can facilitate global expansion by providing access to sizable markets for your products and services. Your outsourcing partner can assist you in recruiting multilingual customer service professionals who can effortlessly engage with your new local customer base.
2. Find information about outsourcing customer service on the web
To find relevant information about potential BPO partners and the best practices for outsourcing customer service, turn to online sources. Check social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as blogs and forums, to read about others' experiences with your potential partners.
When evaluating BPO candidates, be sure to look for unbiased assessments from independent groups or third-party organizations that evaluate their performance, achievements, strengths, and weaknesses. This will help you make informed decisions.
You can also conduct your own assessments by instructing some of your employees to contact the potential partners' customer service teams. Use various communication channels to ask about products and services and interview your staff about their experience with the call or chat. This approach will provide valuable insight into how potential customer service partners interact with customers.
Once you've gathered enough data, reach out to your prospects and request their metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess their ability to deliver on their promises.
4. Consider implementing omnichannel customer service.
Ensure that your customers receive the best possible experience by asking your potential partner to provide you with omnichannel support. This support includes phone calls, messaging, social media, forums, webchats, online support portals, and short message services (SMS). This service integrates all customer information from various communication channels, providing your customers with a seamless customer experience regardless of the digital device or channel used.
For instance, a busy customer who initiates an interaction on your Facebook page, switches to SMS, and concludes with a phone call, your customer service representative can do so without repeating their concern on every channel.
Considering the prevalence of customers who are always on-the-go, omnichannel customer service is crucial for expanding your business and maintaining customer loyalty. Thus, it is essential to ensure that your potential partner can provide this service.
5. Make sure to maintain regular communication with your BPO partner?
Maintaining an open line of communication is crucial for any partnership, including when outsourcing customer service. It enhances productivity, facilitates the dissemination of strategies, and strengthens the business relationship with the outsourcing company.
Regular two-way communication allows you to stay informed about situations, particularly when they fall below your expectations. This enables you to respond to and resolve issues promptly, preventing them from escalating.
Consider assigning one of your regular employees to oversee communication between your business and the third-party vendor. This person will serve as your representative to keep you informed and updated.
To maintain effective communication, invest in proper communication tools. Instant messaging applications like Slack, Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Microsoft Teams provide real-time collaboration capabilities.
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6. Transform your customer service department into a revenue-generating machine.
Choose an outsourcing partner that considers customer service as a source of revenue rather than a cost center. According to Forbes, exceptional customer service improves customer loyalty and increases customer lifetime value, which refers to the total revenue that a customer is expected to generate for your business over time.
Furthermore, customer service bridges the gap between your brand and customers, who typically prefer self-service during the purchasing process. However, if a customer encounters issues, they are more likely to contact customer service, which presents an opportunity to establish a personal relationship with them and earn their loyalty.
If a customer is satisfied with the customer service they received, they are more likely to return for future business. Therefore, it's ideal to partner with a BPO company that can help you unlock sales opportunities.
7. Elevate your customer experience to new heights.
Outsourcing customer service can improve the customer experience in various ways. Consider the following:
24/7 availability
Many outsourcing providers can offer round-the-clock customer service using different communication channels, including weekends and holidays. This accessibility translates to better customer satisfaction.
Extensive knowledge and expertise
Outsourcing companies prioritize offering high-quality customer service. They dedicate their time, energy, and resources to ensure that they meet or exceed your expectations. With a cost-effective, experienced, and regularly trained workforce, they can fulfill your critical tasks.
Advanced communication technology
Outsourcing firms invest in the latest contact center technologies and sophisticated software to streamline customer interactions for an exceptional customer experience. Their platforms are secure, scalable, and upgradable.
Make sure that your potential outsourcing partner can provide you with all these benefits. Prioritizing the customer experience can help you maintain customer loyalty, gain a competitive advantage, and increase your market strength.
8. Overcome Common Obstacles in Growing Your Business
Business growth is a sign that you're on the right track, but it also comes with challenges. Here are some common issues you may encounter:
* Your overhead costs are increasing: While hiring permanent employees may seem dependable, it can become costly over time due to salary raises, paid vacations, sick leave, and other expenses.
* Your orders and sales are booming: Sales growth is great, but if it exceeds your ability to deliver on time and provide excellent customer service, it can lead to negative customer experiences and reputational damage.
* Focusing on your core competencies is crucial: You may not have the expertise or resources to provide top-notch customer service while also focusing on product innovation or market expansion. Outsourcing secondary functions like customer service can free up valuable resources for these critical activities.
9. Inform your partner about the tone and voice that represent your brand.
When considering outsourcing customer service, it's crucial to communicate your brand's voice and tone to your potential BPO partner from the beginning. This ensures that all communication channels reflect your brand's personality and language, and maintain consistency across different platforms.
Your brand's voice and tone play a crucial role in establishing a personal connection with your customers and helping them recognize your product or service quickly. To develop a solid brand image, you should create a customer persona by profiling your target consumer to determine the language, tone, and emotion you should use.
Your BPO provider should promote your brand to your target customers and help build a strong connection with them. They are a long-term strategic partner, not just a cost-effective and short-term support system. Advancing and strengthening your brand tone and voice can help you maintain customer loyalty, acquire new consumers, and boost your revenue.
10. Keep track of how well your customer service team is performing
To ensure that your outsourced customer support aligns with your overall objectives, it's essential to monitor their performance. You can use two methods to measure their efficiency: quantitative and qualitative measurements, which can help you analyze their performance from different perspectives.
Quantitative measurement involves exact and countable indicators such as net promoter scores, customer satisfaction scores, average resolution time, ticket volume, and average response time. These indicators can show how efficiently your customer service team addresses customer concerns, how satisfied customers are with your service, and how well you manage your costs.
Qualitative measurement of customer service involves assessing call center agents' communication skills, knowledge levels, and empathy, which are challenging to quantify. However, agents' abilities can be determined partly through interviews, surveys, and coaching.
The Bottom Line??
Outsourcing customer service is not a complex task, and the methods discussed above can assist you in getting started with outsourcing and achieving your desired results. Effective outsourcing can result in high-quality customer service, leading to excellent customer satisfaction, cost reduction, and improved financial flexibility. The great news is that there are several reliable BPO companies available to choose from, so you'll never run out of options. All you need to do is take your time and thoroughly evaluate each provider.