Customers nowadays have an unprecedented level of control over their purchasing decisions. They are also more open to sharing their experiences with others. With this, companies must prioritize providing exceptional customer support to stay ahead of the competition. Else, organizations would suffer from a negative reputation due to overall service.
One way to achieve this is by outsourcing customer support, which can provide a cost-effective and efficient way to handle a high volume of customer inquiries.
However, this begs the question — does your business need to embrace this solution?
Here are 8 Questions Businesses Need to Ask Before Outsourcing Customer Support
All business leaders should carefully consider the potential implications and consequences of outsourcing customer support.
1) What are the company’s primary goals for outsourcing customer support?
Is the organization looking to reduce costs, increase efficiency, or free up internal resources to focus on other business areas? Understanding the motivations behind outsourcing can help businesses make a more informed decision about whether outsourcing is right for the!
For example, if the primary goal is to reduce costs, businesses may need to carefully evaluate the cost savings against any potential risks or losses in quality. You need to do your due diligence to ensure that the business will, in fact, thrive once they outsource.
2) What is the company’s current customer service strategy?
How can you improve something you are not familiar with? It is important to determine the current goal. Is it to improve customer satisfaction, increase customer retention, or reduce churn rate? Businesses should consider whether their current strategy is aligned with their goals and whether outsourcing will help them achieve those goals.
For example — if a company’s current strategy is focused on providing high-touch, personalized support to customers, outsourcing may not be the best fit. Outsourced providers may not have the same level of understanding of the company’s products or services. Additionally, they may not be able to provide the same level of personalized support. On the other hand, if the company’s current strategy is focused on providing quick and efficient solutions to customer inquiries, outsourcing may be a good fit. At the end of the day, this is not set in stone because the business also needs to carefully evaluate the capabilities of the outsourcing partner.
3) What is the company’s current infrastructure and technology setup?
Are you using outdated software or systems that may not be compatible with an outsourced provider? Businesses should consider whether their current infrastructure is sufficient to support an outsourced customer support team. To deliver the best service, you need to ensure that any necessary upgrades are put into place. Additionally, businesses should evaluate whether the outsourcing partner’s technology is scalable and able to handle increased volumes of customer inquiries.
The risk of partnering with an outsourcing agency with a technology setup that is not compatible with your company’s existing systems or processes is significant. This can lead to integration issues, data quality problems, and difficulties in tracking and reporting on customer service metrics. You don’t want to disrupt your existing operations, do you?
4) What is the company’s current staffing and training situation?
Try to evaluate if the outsourcing partner is supported by sufficient staff to handle an increase in customer inquiries or issues. Are their employees trained to handle complex customer support situations? Businesses should consider whether their current staff can handle the increased workload and whether any additional training or resources are needed.
5) What are the company’s expectations for communication and transparency with the outsourced provider?
Communication and collaboration are key to outsourcing. Do you require regular reporting and updates on customer inquiries, issues, and resolutions? Have clear communication channels in place and check the plan for handling conflicts or issues that may arise. Lastly, check if the outsourcing partner will have access to sensitive customer information and develop a plan for ensuring confidentiality.
6) What are the company’s security and compliance requirements?
If your business involves handling sensitive customer data or ensuring strict compliance protocols, check first if the outsourcing partner is up to your data privacy standards. This is a legal aspect and would have a big consequence on your business. The business should also evaluate whether the provider has a history of data breaches or compliance issues.
7) What are the company’s plans for integrating the outsourced provider with their existing team?
Will they be working together as a single team or operating separately? Businesses should consider whether they have a plan in place for integrating the outsourced provider and whether they have a strategy for ensuring communication and collaboration. You need to ensure that both parties are working seamlessly to succeed!
8) What are the company’s plans for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the outsourced provider?
In customer support, there are metrics such as first-call resolution rates, customer satisfaction scores, and average handling time. Identify which is beneficial for the business, and use that to have clear criteria for measuring success. Lastly, evaluate whether the outsourcing provider will be held accountable for meeting these metrics.
There are many advantages to outsourcing customer support. However, there are also potential risks and consequences should the business ignore proper evaluation.
Can your business handle potential disruptions to service or data breaches? Are there any potential legal or regulatory implications that need to be considered? By carefully evaluating all these risks and consequences, you will be backed with a more informed decision as to whether to pursue outsourcing or not.
KamelBPO is a reliable and trusted outsourcing partner based in the Philippines, known for working with various companies. We’ve worked with various sectors to improve customer support, all the while ensuring that it is in line with the company’s goals and values.
We follow a careful approach to all our partnerships to be able to deliver high-quality customer support that meets every company’s needs. Talk to us today for a tailor-fit outsourcing solution on customer support!