Providing good customer service is important if you want your business to succeed. But there may be times where you struggle to maintain it at high standard. To combat this, you might want to look at an outsourced customer service approach to try and resolve the issues you’re having. There are lots of ways that going down this route can help, but if you’re unsure what it actually is, you may be a little apprehensive. So, keep reading and find out exactly what outsourced customer service is.
Outsource Customer Service Explained
Outsourced customer service is the method of moving parts or all of your customer service operations to a third party. Lots of companies do this when they have a call centre as it can make more sense for them to outsource it than to try and build it from the ground up. It will depend on the current state of your business on whether or not it’s a good idea for you, as different factors can play a part in the decision. For instance, if the majority of your customer use your self service options anyway, then it’s pointless spending more money on outsourcing your services as it won’t be used much.
Outsourcing your customer service can be extremely useful if you don’t have a large team or if you’re finding that your current workload is becoming too much. Having consistent high volumes of contact can show that you need to look at outsourcing, as it will help drive the numbers down immensely. A lot of outsourced customer service businesses operate in different countries, allowing you to cover all time zones for your customers. These businesses are also experts in their field, so will be able to provide the best customer service at all times.
Types Of Outsourced Customer Service
There are actually a few different types of outsourced customer service to consider. Inbound and outbound call centres is the most popular, as it can be hard to try and build up a team from scratch. Hiring a professional customer service team via a third party takes out all the hard work and allows you to focus on the bigger picture. One particularly useful type is overflow call handling. This is where you only have the separate team in place take action when your contact volume get’s too high. For instance, you might need to utilise them more during holiday seasons when you’ve got staff on holiday and higher than usual contact.
You can also use outsourced customer service to take process contact you receive outside of your business hours. This can create a much better service for your customers, as they’ll have access to support 24/7. Another great way to utilise these services is for telemarketing. If it’s something that you just don’t have time for, then asking the professionals to step in and do it for you can be a great solution. As well as increasing your brand awareness, you’ll see a positive increase in sales as well, making it definitely worthwhile.
The Benefits
There are lots of benefits to using outsourced customer service, and a lot of them can directly impact your profits. Apart from the obvious of taking care of the workload, these specialist teams can provide way better service than you might be able to. The team will be trained to the highest standards, ensuring that your customers are treated with respect. They’ll also be able to actively listen to their issues and feed back any problems that may need your attention too. By enlisting outsourced customer service, you’ll be giving your customers much more access to your business and supporting them with anything they need help with.
Other benefits include taking the strain off of your team when the volume gets too much and driving you towards success. You may find that you actually save money when using outsourced customer service as you aren’t employing them as part of your business; you’re using their services. This means you aren’t responsible for the worker’s salary, as you aren’t their employer. All you’re paying for is their services, so it takes the responsibility and costs away from you. A lot of outsourced customer service companies also offer their services in different languages. This can really help to show your customers that you care and are willing to go the extra mile to provide them with the best support.
The Drawbacks
There aren’t many drawbacks to using outsourced customer service, but one common issue that worries business owners is the outsourced team’s knowledge of your business and products. While you can hope that they’ll be prepared to answer any question thrown at them, it can be worrying that they won’t know as much as an in-house team. However, as long as you provide clear communication and this is fed through to them, you shouldn’t have any issues. You may also be concerned about handing over your customer’s private information to a third party, but all outsourced customer service teams are fully secure and prepped to process sensitive data. So, while there aren’t any real drawbacks to using them, you might have some concerns beforehand. If this is the case, make sure you speak to the company and ask them lots of questions. They’ll be more than happy to help settle your mind.
Outsourced customer service can be a blessing for businesses that are struggling to maintain a high level of service because of call volume or even lack of staff. There are many benefits to enlisting their help, and they can really make an enormous difference to your daily operations. You’ll have much more time to focus on more complicated tasks, and your employees will be grateful for the assistance. So, if you want to take your business’ customer service to the next level, make sure you seek out a outsourced customer service team. The amazing results you see will make it all worth it!
