October 3, 2014
Many companies today find it challenging to handle incoming customer communications. The nature of business today means that customers are reaching out to a company through multiple channels—the telephone, the website, email, SMS, mobile apps, in person, and more. These customers expect quick resolution and a personalized customer support experience regardless of which channel they choose, even if they use multiple channels for a single transaction.
There’s a lot to juggle if you want to get inbound customer support right. For this reason, many companies struggle when tasked with building an outbound customer support and sales program. Outbound skills are very different from inbound skills, and not many agents will be able to handle both effectively. Smart companies often outsource their outbound campaigns to professionals who have the right equipment, the right infrastructure, the right skills, and the right experience.
There is no shortage of companies that will offer to provide outbound services for your company. While many organizations focus solely on the price ( – ), there’s much more to it than that. A poorly executed outbound campaign will cost you customers, revenue, and opportunities, so it’s important to make a wise choice during the decision-making process, according to an article by Flavio Martins on the website WinTheCustomer. Some tips to consider when selecting an outbound provider include:
The right infrastructure. While the focus is often on people and price, it is critical to evaluate the outsourcer's technological capabilities to ensure they will integrate well with your own.
“Outbound call center services should have the necessary infrastructure and facilities to carry out their business operations,” wrote Martins. “This includes excellent telephone and internet connections, provisions for data storage and backup, data mining capabilities, and dedicated data centers from which data can be restored in the event of a system crash.”.
The ability to monitor. If an outsourcer doesn’t want you to monitor the outbound campaign in real time, ask yourself what the organization is hiding. You should be able to monitor performance and metrics and listen in on calls, just as you would in an in-house contact center.
How do you pay? Different outsourced service providers charge in different ways. Are you paying per agent hour? Per lead? Are you paying a premium for performance standards that exceed the baseline? It’s important to ask about these details up front and compare your options.
Their English skills. Many companies use overseas providers to keep costs down. While the provider will undoubtedly highlight the best English speaker in the call center as an example, it’s important that you listen to a cross-section of calls from all agents to ensure you’re not paying for service provided by agents who will be incomprehensible to your customers.
Their outbound agent skills. Outbound teams often have high turnover rates, but your business will benefit most if the agents calling your customers have the necessary skills and experience. Before signing a contract, check the outsourcer’s turnover rates to ensure you won’t have a bunch of rookies reaching out to your customers. Ask the potential outsourcing provider about its training processes.
Systems integration. A successful relationship with an outsourced services provider may involve sharing information and processes, such as workforce management or your CRM database. Make sure this can be done easily, or you’ll be creating new problems for yourself.
Good managers. This is the key to success. If you don’t feel confident that the service provider has managers on staff who are skilled, knowledgeable, and willing to collaborate with you, look elsewhere.
While outsourced outbound contact center services are a good option for many companies that want to entrust their outbound campaigns to professionals, it’s critical to examine the details. There are vast differences in quality among different outsourced service providers. Before you start looking, know what you want.
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