A major retailer based in the U.S. needed to make sales and deliver an outstanding customer experience (CX) during the holiday season. The company turned to one of our partners, a call center referral and advisory firm, to find a PCI-compliant business process outsourcing (BPO) partner located in the U.S. that could provide customer service via voice, chat and email and handle the surge in demand during the fourth quarter.
From a carefully vetted database of more than 500 potential BPO providers, our partner identified six high-quality call center service suppliers that met the retailer’s criteria. Each of them provided detailed information about their ability to scale up while still delivering high-quality customer service. The retailer selected their ideal call center outsourcing partner based on a side-by-side comparison of their options.
During the fourth quarter of that year, the call center service provider easily tackled the increase in inquiries during the holidays and achieved some of the year’s best service level and QA numbers in November and December.
That’s just one example of how business process outsourcing can prove beneficial in the business world. Turning to a third-party provider for call center services, in particular, makes a lot of sense: Your call center agents are on the front lines of customer relationship development and maintenance, and the CX they deliver can have a huge impact on your organization’s overall success. Seventeen percent of U.S. consumers will turn away from a product or company they love after just one bad customer experience, and 59 percent will abandon a brand after several off-putting encounters, according to PwC.
At the same time, maintaining a skilled and reliable call center staff is far from easy. Due to factors such as low pay rates and lack of room for advancement, turnover rates for the call center industry fall in the range of 30 to 45 percent, according to the Quality Assurance & Training Connection (QATC).
Subsequently, many companies have turned to third-party providers for call center services. Here are a few of the main advantages of outsourcing your call center instead of handling it internally.
1. Cost containment.
Working with an outsourcing partner is often significantly less expensive than maintaining an in-house call center. You won’t have to worry about spending associated with hiring, training, sick days, vacations and so on.
2. Better CX.
By working with an advisory firm to select a high-performing outsourcing partner focused on providing the best possible call center services, you can ensure clients have great experiences when they reach out to your company with questions and issues.
3. More time to focus on other aspects of running your business.
With an experienced partner providing customer service, you can turn your attention to other projects.
4. No more worries about accommodating remote call center agents.
As the pandemic illustrated, it can be a hassle ensuring that everyone on your staff has the technology and tools needed to work from home effectively. If you outsource, your BPO partner will take care of remote work arrangements and infrastructure for your call center agents.
5. Less stress about scaling in response to fluctuations in demand.
The right call center outsourcing partner can easily handle seasonal spikes in inquiries while still delivering excellent service (as illustrated by the story at the beginning of this article), so you’ll no longer have to worry about whether you can handle surges in demand.
6. Ensuring call center security and compliance.
A call center advisory firm can find you a service provider that’s well-versed in industry-specific regulations such as PCI and HIPAA.
At the end of the day, it’s not hard to see why many companies opt to outsource call center operations instead of maintaining them in-house.
Simplify Your Outsourcing Partner Selection Process
With so many call center service providers to choose from, shopping around on your own can prove incredibly labor-intensive and time-consuming. Our trusted advisors can save you a considerable amount of time and money with our call center advisory services.
With over 25 years of experience in call center outsourcing, we leverage extensive knowledge of the industry to find the ideal provider for your organization based on a thorough assessment of your requirements. We have a database of over 500 U.S.-based, nearshore and offshore suppliers of inbound and outbound call center services.
By working with us, you’ll obtain guidance from call center industry experts and ensure you only spend time evaluating suppliers that meet your needs in terms of language, location, budget, scalability and more.
Visit our Call Center Outsourcing Advisory Services page for details. Our team is also available to answer any questions you might have about the call center referral process. Just give us a call at 877-599-3999 or email sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
