04 May Call Centre Outsourcing: A Customer Service Perspective
Call Centre Outsourcing: A Customer Service Perspective
Call centre outsourcing has the potential to transform a business and be an engine that drives business growth. For outsourcing to have a positive impact on a business, there are many aspects to consider and investing the time and resources to find a great customer service outsourcing partner is very worthwhile. Your business will be looking for a call centre with the right experience and expertise to provide world-class customer service and choosing the right customer service contact centre will have a transformative impact on your customer service delivery. If the business gets it right, it will continue to pay dividends for many years to come.
In this article, we look at call centre outsourcing from a customer service perspective including why businesses consider outsourcing, the qualities of a great outsourced customer service call centre and how you can measure customer service success.
Why Businesses Consider Outsourcing Customer Service
Many businesses consider outsourcing customer service at some stage, whether it is as a startup/new company or as an established business considering new options. The key driver to why a business should outsource is individual to each business, but many follow a common theme. We explore the key reasons why customer service outsourcing is considered.
Have A Growing Business With Limited/No Customer Service Resource
Business growth is fantastic and positive for everyone involved. However, it does present a number of challenges for a business in many different areas, not least in its day-to-day operations. Growing a business with limited or no customer service resource and finding the time and expertise needed to deliver exceptional customer service can be impossible. Do you try to setup an in-house call centre or explore customer service outsourcing?
This is a very common dilemma for many businesses and each option has its merits. Unfortunately, in some cases, businesses will wait and not put the required customer service resource in place. This results in inferior customer service and a poor overall customer experience and, worse still, reputational damage. Whichever option is chosen, it is best to act before the customer experience is impacted and this is reflected in customer satisfaction and sales.
Need To Focus On Running The Business And Overall Strategy
Customer service is a fast-paced and sometimes all-consuming aspect of a business. If customer service operations are taking too many employees away from the running of the business, other business areas can suffer. Employees may also become too engaged with customer service and be unable to focus on the overall strategy of the business. If you are not able to take the time to set a strategic direction, the potential for the business to coast and for key functional areas to be neglected is heightened, often to the detriment of the business’s overall success.
When either the day-to-day management or strategic direction of a business are impacted by customer service, it is clear that something has to change. It is critically important to either setup an in-house call centre or outsource.
The Increased Costs Of Setting Up & Maintaining An In-House Call Centre
Setting up a new in-house call centre or indeed maintaining an existing one can be expensive, even for a well-established business. Significant costs include employing trained customer service contact centre agents, setting up infrastructure and establishing technology and IT systems. Employing trained call centre agents alone is a significant cost for many businesses. The investment in infrastructure and technology can also be significant with the expenditure of off the shelf systems, IT hardware and bespoke systems (if required) further increasing the cost base. Unfortunately, in an in-house call centre setup, almost all of these costs are fixed with the business having to shoulder the entire cost irrespective of usage.
If the initial outlay of establishing an in-house call centre is proving to be too expensive, outsourcing can be an attractive alternative. Some businesses will also find that as they grow, the maintenance charges for an in-house based solution can spiral. In this case, they may reach a point at which it is more cost effective to outsource rather than continuing to expand their existing call centre.
Dissatisfaction With An Incumbent Call Centre
Not all call centres deliver good customer service consistently, or in some cases, at all. Businesses that are dissatisfied with an incumbent call centre, whether it is in-house or outsourced will look to explore other options. It could be the case that the end of the contract is reached, and the service is poor or that service quality has deteriorated over a period of time.
It could be that a customer service-related problem has been identified and the contact centre informed but no proactive steps have been taken to resolve the problem. This can continue cyclically until the communication starts to break down and the partnership is damaged. It may be that the call centre has onboarded a client that it cannot handle, is not established or experienced enough to handle requests, may not be focused on quality, or have staffing issues that impact service delivery.
In both cases, the risks of continuing with the current customer service contact centre setup to the sales, profitability and growth of the business will drive the decision to either consider outsourcing for the first time or switch to an alternative outsourced customer service partner.
Be Unable To Provide Out Of Hours Coverage
Customer expectations are constantly evolving and many now expect customer service outside of usual working/office hours. Some businesses also have a need to provide customer service support to clients at weekends. If a business has an in-house call centre, it might not be setup to provide an out of hours service. In many cases employees might not want to work outside normal working hours or at weekends.
An outsourced customer service contact centre can sometimes provide resource at these times and help a business deliver out of hours customer service. This can sometimes even extend to a full 24/7 service where necessary. By meeting increased customer expectations and delighting customers, businesses can gain a significant competitive advantage. This can result in improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and sales.
Qualities Of A Great Outsourced Customer Service Call Centre
Now that we have explored why a business may consider call centre outsourcing, it is just as important, if not more important, to consider the stage and process involved in finding a great customer service contact centre. Most businesses will want to discuss requirements with multiple call centres and assess their response and proposals provided. It is often possible to review performance metrics and find out more about the existing clients that a call centre serves. However, it is also important to consider the qualities that a great outsourced call centre should have.
If you identify most of the following qualities in a prospective call centre, you might have found a great partner for your business. It is also important to consider the culture of the call centre and assess whether it aligns with the culture of your business.
Honest
When you partner with an outsourced call centre, you want to be confident that they will always be honest. If your partnership is going to be successful, they will need to be transparent in all areas of your working relationship. It is just as important to be trustworthy when there are issues and improvements to be discussed as it is when things are going well.
At Impact, we place honesty at the heart of our culture and encourage everyone to communicate clearly and openly. By working closely with our clients and openly addressing challenges, we deliver sustainable results that exceed expectations.
Passionate
Working with a call centre that has passionate call centre agents makes all the difference. A passionate call centre has a positive culture that supports its agents to achieve the best results for clients. The enthusiasm of each individual call centre agent is conveyed during every customer service interaction that they manage for clients. Customers that require support will respond far better to an eager and helpful call centre agent than they will to a disengaged and disinterested one. Customer service is a problem solving and troubleshooting role that can involve helping frustrated or dissatisfied customers. Customers need to be engaged with the right approach and agents that are passionate about their work and the clients they represent are best placed to deliver resolutions that satisfy customers.
Proactive
Great call centres are proactive and seek out improvements that can be made for the benefit of their clients. Call centres that are proactive in the area of service improvement tend to outperform most others. At Impact, whether we are on-boarding a new client or reviewing call centre activity for an existing one, we gather information and make specific recommendations based on our experience and expertise. This proactivity delivers exceptional customer service outcomes and great business results.
Professional
Professionalism is a key facet of many roles, but it features prominently in the area of customer service. When you are outsourcing customer service for your business to a call centre, you will want to be assured that their call centre agents are professional. They will be interacting with your customers, resolving issues, and representing your brand. Anything less than highly proficient will not do for the majority of companies who quite rightly have high expectations for customer service delivery.
At Impact, we recruit and regularly train our call centre agents to act professionally and follow proven policies and procedures for every interaction that they manage. Our culture of care ensures that agents feel supported and equipped to handle all customer services scenarios for the clients that they look after. By outsourcing to us, you will benefit from the wealth of experience that our customer service specialists have. Our specialists work diligently to enhance the customer experience that we deliver on behalf of our clients.
Trustworthy
When an outsourced call centre is trustworthy, you will have the confidence to trust them to look after your customers. They will do what they say, when they say it to a high standard. The key benefit of outsourcing is that you are able to entrust your customer service operations to your chosen call centre and free up valuable resources to concentrate on your core business. Great call centres earn trust based on their reputation and quality of their results. You should have confidence in your call centre, otherwise you will not benefit from outsourcing as much as you should do.
Impact Call Centre establishes trust from the very first contact with a prospective client. Our experience and expertise is evident in the quality of our service and the many satisfied clients that we have supported across a wide range of sectors.
Deliver Omnichannel Customer Service
Delivering great customer service is not limited to providing a good service over the phone. Some customers will prefer to contact companies via alternative channels including email, social media or live chat. Being able to offer consistently great customer service across a range of channels is key. Businesses that offer a unified experience where their customers can choose their favourite channel and communicate through it have a significant advantage over those that do not. If customers are not able to communicate via their preferred channel it will be to the detriment of their customer experience. It can sometimes mean that issues may go unresolved resulting in increased customer frustration and even lower customer satisfaction.
At Impact our trained call centre agents have the experience and skillset required to deliver omnichannel customer service for our clients. We love making customer service accessible to all and helping our clients’ customers to get in touch with us using their preferred channel. This helps us to provide a great customer experience to clients across a wide range of sectors with differing customer demographics.
Financially Stable
Financial stability is not always discussed or considered by many companies that are looking to outsource, but it is critical nevertheless. Every business wants to work with a company that is established and financially secure with a proven track record. By choosing a UK call centre that is financially stable, you can rest assured that the risk to your business is minimised and service delivery is unlikely to be impacted. No business wants to be left without customer service cover should the unthinkable happen and a call centre goes out of business leaving its clients without cover.
As an established and successful call centre established in 2013, Impact has the financial credibility to serve some of the UK’s leading businesses. Our clients can rest assured that we will be there to serve them for the long-term.
Great Existing Clients
The existing clients that a customer service outsourcing partner has are a good indicator as to whether they would be a good fit for your business. If they have great clients, some of which are recognisable names, it is easier to have confidence in their expertise and ability to deliver. It is often worth seeking out a customer service call centre with experience in your sector or a similar sector. They might be best placed to understand your specific customer service challenges and offer solutions that have worked for companies that are similar to yours.
Businesses that decide to partner with us are in great company with some of the UK’s leading brands, charities and independent businesses. Our client list, past and present, includes the Department for Education, Cox & Cox, Mars, iChoosr, Red Bull, Pepsi, Tomy, BUPA, GSK and Warner Music Group to name but a few. Our case studies provide a helpful snapshot of some of the successful partnerships that we have formed over the years.
How You Can Measure Customer Service Success
Customer service success can be measured using a wide range of success metrics. From the traditional call centre metrics such as the answer rate or time to answer through to the more qualitative but no less important metrics including conversation quality and customer satisfaction.
Answer Rate
The answer rate is a traditional yet common call centre metric that can be part of your success measurement. For many businesses, an answer rate in excess of 90% would be targeted to ensure that the majority of calls are answered and that customers are able to speak to a call centre agent to discuss their question/query.
First Call Resolution (FCR)
First call resolution is an important customer service metric that measures how many customer service issues are resolved during the first call or interaction with a customer services team. All customers want their customer service issue to be resolved as soon as possible. If it is not and multiple interactions are required, customer frustration can build to the detriment of overall customer satisfaction. When a customer issue is resolved during their first interaction, they are more likely to report higher customer satisfaction.
Time To Answer
Time to answer remains a key metric across many sectors, particularly among those that need to provide a time critical response. The precise time to answer varies from company to company. However, a good guide is that calls should be answered within a timeframe that is acceptable to the customer and in a way that is beneficial to the overall customer experience. It is equally important that calls are answered by a call centre agent that can help with the query.
Quality
Quality interactions deliver the best results for everyone involved, with the customer being happy with an answer/resolution and the client achieving a good business outcome. If most of your customers’ interactions are of a high quality this will lead to positive results in many other areas including customer satisfaction, loyalty and also sales. Quality is often an underused metric and is sometimes overlooked in favour of more traditional metrics that may not provide an accurate assessment of customer service success.
Efficiency
The efficiency at which calls are handled both while speaking to the customer and performing back-office functions such as note taking or recording next actions is crucial. Good quality calls have as much potential to be inefficient as poor-quality calls, so ensuring that calls are concluded within an acceptable timeframe can be a key priority. At the same time, no calls should be rushed or concluded early if it would be to the detriment of customer satisfaction. Adopting an approach that supports completing the right tasks at the right time will deliver the best value for clients.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is critical to businesses that want to have positive long-term relationships with their customers. Improving customer satisfaction will engender loyalty, which also results in sales and ultimately business growth. If your business is committed to building and maintaining customer satisfaction, it is important to measure customer happiness and assess the customer experience. Key metrics including Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) are effective ways to measure customer satisfaction. The results from these metrics can be used to inform continuous customer service improvement in your business.
Choosing A Call Centre Outsourcing Partner For Customer Service
Choosing a call centre outsourcing partner can be a challenge. However, by understanding why you want to outsource customer service, the qualities you are looking for with an outsourcing partner and knowing the metrics you want to use to measure customer service success, the decision can be based on all the key factors. This will help you find the right call centre for your business.
At Impact Call Centre, we pride ourselves on the quality of our service, right from an initial enquiry through to customer service delivery. We have perfected our on-boarding process to ensure that we can facilitate a smooth transition to our services. If you are looking for a call centre outsourcing partner for your business with the experience and expertise to deliver great results, why not consider Impact as your next customer service contact centre outsourcing partner?
Contact Our Customer Service Outsourcing Specialists
Our professional team of over 250 call centre agents are ready to help your business deliver world-class customer service. We relish a challenge and are geared towards operating at scale and handling high call volumes for leading UK organisations. Impact stands out from other UK call centres due to our commitment to exceptional quality and security standards. Why not find out how we have helped other businesses outsource their call centre with confidence? Our case studies offer a snapshot of the exceptional results that we have delivered for clients.
Contact our team of specialists to arrange a consultation where we will get to know your business and discover your customer service challenges. Call us on 01794 230 230 or complete our enquiry form.