Call Center Services
Customer care has long remained an integral part of business operations across the globe. In the beginning, customer care was mostly run as an in-house process with companies making huge investments in their in-house department. However, over a period of time, companies realized that spending huge sums of money on their in-house venture was simply too much. Hence, with the emergence of India and other developing countries as the hub of call center outsourcing services, companies in the developed world began outsourcing to these parts of the world. But there are still many business owners who tread the line of outsourcing with trepidation. There concerns come from an apprehension about customer fallout along with a fear of losing customer information.
In the beginning call center services were run by newbies with absolutely no experience in the field. However, in the last few decades, these services have evolved considerably. Outsourcing vendors in countries like India have built state-of-the-art offices and provide world-class services to clients from all over the world. These vendors know that their reputation and business is at stake every time they link up with a new client. Therefore, these new call center outsourcing services vendors are systematic and extremely careful about how they deal with the customers and how they store vital customer information.
In this modern-age of extreme competition, it makes good business sense to partner with a capable customer service outsourcing company. Below are 3 big reasons why you should outsource customer care instead of running an in-house operation:
When you run an in-house operation, you need to splurge on infrastructure and also vital resources like manpower. The cost of buying new real-estate, procuring software solutions as well as hiring employees on company payroll can be debilitating for any business. It hurts the bottom-line of your organization as you have to bear the expense regardless of how good or bad your in-house department is running. On the other hand, when you outsource customer care to a capable vendor, you do not have to make heavy investments on resources. All you have to do is pay as per contract. If you like the services and customer response, you can go ahead with the vendor. If not, you can always change the vendor at any time you want.
Your core process is what defines you as an entrepreneur. With auxiliary services like customer care out of the way, you can focus completely on your core product and leave the burden of management of your customers on the call center outsourcing services that you have hired.
While it is still possible to hire decent agents (with some effort), it is almost impossible to hire proficient managers at an average salary, especially in a developed country like the USA. Unless you are ready to offer high salaries on your payroll, it is best to outsource your customer care department to developing countries like India. Here, you will get access to companies like Bluechip Call Centers, which have veteran managers with long-term experience in handling call center operations.
The scope of call center operations is always widening and it is required that you scale accordingly. Outsourcing provides you a way to meet the emerging requirements head on without actually making any additional effort. A reputed vendor in the call center industry forms its reputation because of its past experience of running several call center projects. It has access to a vast pool of agents and managers who can undertake a project of any magnitude. An outsourcing vendor like Blue Chip Call center is served by a perennial supply of call center talent that can be trained for any call center process. Also, if there is any need to ramp up or downsize the call center department, it can be done quite easily.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool plays a crucial role in a call center outsourcing operation. When you outsource call center to an accomplished vendor, you get access to the most relevant CRM tool that can bring in a new efficiency into the overall operation. The CRM can be integrated with your databases, so as to provide call center agents with relevant information when a call arrives. Also, a cutting-edge CRM comes with AI functionality that provides invaluable insights to the agents taking the calls. These insights can help them maintain a tight grip over the call. For example, if an agent knows exactly how many times a customer has made contact and which contact channels he has used; he/she can provide a more personalized experience. Letting the customer know that you are aware of his every action and requirement helps you build trust and rapport.
Networking and hardware equipment is integral to a call center operation. The agents can only work to the best of their abilities if they have work stations and VoIP phones that work flawlessly. At Bluechip call center, we use a Cisco network that offers the best sound quality and call routing, which allows agents to provide world-class support.
Running an in-house call center requires you to maintain the service level all by yourself. This is a hassle-filled task that is quite difficult to perform. On the other hand, when you outsource call center, you get the option to devise SLAs before handing over the project. Jotting down SLAs carefully allows you to specify exactly how you would like the work delivery. You can mention the deadlines, turnaround time etc. beforehand and get the work delivered accordingly. In case, there is any discrepancy as per SLAs, you can always ask for compensation. The fact that SLAs remove the burden on your shoulders to keep up the quality, makes call center outsourcing a worthwhile option for your business.
Treating agents like machines and expecting them to deliver work without providing them the right infrastructure will not do you any good, at least not in the long run. As an in-house operation may already be short on space, it won’t be able to provide the necessary seating and other important facilities to the agents. Therefore, the quality of a call center operation over the long-term will be compromised. In contrast, when you outsource call center to a capable partner like Bluechip, you get ready-made infrastructure that is world-class. The agents get the best facilities like cabs, food, seating, sanitation etc. Thus, they are able to perform their work better.
In the modern age, call centers have become vital for the rightful operation of a company. To ensure that you get best returns from your customer care department, it is best to outsource the call center to a company that has long-term experience in the field. Always look at their capabilities in terms of infrastructure, call center software, scalability and quality of workforce before you to decide to offload your work.
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