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Outsourcing Customer Service Pros and Cons: Is It Right For Your Company?

Outsourcing Customer Service Pros and Cons

When it comes to customer service, most companies know that outsourcing is the way to go. Outsourcing has created a whole new market for employment and can help provide customers with instant assistance in their hour of need. However, the decision to turn the customer service department over to another company can come with some unintended consequences. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean that it should be done.

Outsourcing can be a good thing for your company if you manage it properly. It may not be one size fits all solution, but understanding what are the pros and cons will help you make an informed decision about whether outsourcing customer service is right for your business model.

Outsourcing customer service is a major decision and should be weighed carefully. Companies need to be aware of the potential benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing their customer service department to a third party. The decision to outsource customer service should only be undertaken when the business has considered all of the pros and cons.

To make a thorough decision, companies should first examine the pros and cons of outsourcing customer service.

What is outsourced customer service?

Outsourced customer service is the process of contracting with a company to provide customer service for your business. The outsourcing company usually handles phone calls, emails, and live chat requests on behalf of the company. In addition, the outsourcing company may also provide data entry services and customer service training for your staff.

Outsourcing is often used when a company has too much work to handle, or simply cannot afford the time and resources to take on every project in-house.

pros of outsourcing customer service

Pros of outsourcing customer service

Here are the pros of outsourcing customer service:

  1. Cost savings
  2. Better trained agents
  3. More time to focus on business operations
  4. Mitigate staffing concern
  5. Better coverage – 24/7/365
  6. Better technology and equipment
  7. Expertise in customer support
  8. A larger talent pool

1. Cost Savings

One of the main reasons companies choose to offshore is to save costs. By outsourcing customer service and other functions in areas like the Philippines, companies can save up to 70% in labor costs. Businesses can save time and money that would otherwise be spent on hiring, training, and managing a customer support team.

Every business has customers, and every business wants to retain customers. The best way to do that is to give them great service. But great service can be costly — especially if you have a large customer base. Hiring staff to handle your customer service may seem like the best option, but it’s also the most expensive option — especially if you have to hire an army of people to handle the workload. If you’re looking for cost-saving customer service alternatives, outsourcing to a third party can be just what you need.

2. Better Trained Agents

Many companies have been outsourcing customer service for a while now, and the trend is still on the rise. Because of this trend, there are outsourcing companies that specialize in customer service. They are more experienced, reliable, and can provide more benefits to your company. The customer service representatives they provide are better trained and able to answer more difficult questions without feeling overwhelmed.

3. More time to focus on business operations

Another benefit of outsourcing customer support services is the ability to focus on core business functions. Outsourcing can free up time for small businesses or entrepreneurs who are trying to grow their organizations by freeing them from customer service and administrative tasks.

The idea of outsourcing customer service could be an excellent opportunity for many companies. By hiring a third-party company to take over the majority of the workload, these businesses can focus their efforts on what matters most.

By hiring an outside company to handle your customer service, you are able to have your in-house staff focus on the primary aspects of your business. Allowing you to see an increase in productivity and efficiency. This is a great way to increase your customer base and profits. 

4. Mitigates Staffing Concerns

Outsourcing customer service mitigates staffing concerns because it does not require the hiring of new staff or increased training. This is an excellent option for companies that are in need of additional employees but are not able to find qualified candidates.

Outsourcing your customer service can help you build an efficient team and meet the needs of your customers quickly. With outsourcing, you aren’t just filling a single position, rather you’re filling a department and that can save you a lot of time and effort. That’s because you’re delegating the entire process and not just a step under it. With outsourcing, you’re also able to scale quickly. When you’re the only person taking care of your customers, chances are you’re going to get extremely busy really fast. If you’re expanding your business, you need to ensure that your customer service is able to scale at the same pace as your business or you’ll lose customers quickly.

5. Better coverage – 24/7/365

Many companies can provide customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is an important factor when outsourcing to be sure that there are no interruptions in the availability of customer service.

The company that is providing the customer service can also provide better coverage of their languages. They might be able to understand and speak a language you don’t, such as French or Arabic.

6. Better Technology and Equipment

Outsource companies can offer better technology and equipment because they specialize in customer service. They know the best ways to handle the massive amount of calls, emails, and social media messages that can come into a business daily. They also employ knowledgeable customer service representatives that are trained in the latest trends in the industry. Finally, workforce management software makes it easy for these companies to recruit qualified employees who can help small businesses grow.

7. Expertise in customer support

There is a lot that goes into a support desk besides resolving customers’ complaints and queries. You need a workforce that is professionally trained, has a good record of customer support, and can work with your existing infrastructure. Service providers have a lot of experience in customer service and have a wealth of knowledge to share with clients that will help them improve their service to their customers. They have a dedicated team that works with a customer to provide a great experience.

8. A Larger Talent Pool

A larger talent pool is one of the pros of outsourcing customer service. A company can access a greater variety in skills and expertise than they would be able to if they only hired people for in-house customer service.

good and excellent customer service

Cons of Outsourcing Customer Service

Here are the cons of outsourcing customer service:

  • Language & Cultural barriers
  • Unfamiliar with your brand
  • Lack of product knowledge
  • Concerns about data safety

1. Language & Cultural Barriers

Language and cultural barriers can be a huge disadvantage when outsourcing customer service. The first issue is language, as customers may not understand the native tongue of the outsourced company. This can lead to a poor customer experience, which will ultimately lead to a dissatisfied customer. In addition, cultural differences can also be a disadvantage when outsourcing services. The outsourced company may not have the same values as the company they are working for. These barriers make it challenging for companies to be able to fully understand the needs and wants of their customers.

2. Unfamiliar with your brand

Having a customer support team staffed by people who are not experienced with your brand can be risky. Customers may have questions about the company, your products, or services that they need to ask and only someone who has knowledge of the brand can give them the best answer. This lack of understanding can lead to mistakes in how they handle customers, which may cause them to lose faith in the company.

3. Lack of product knowledge

It is important for outsourced customer service representatives to have product knowledge. If they are not fully aware of the company’s policies and products, it can be frustrating for customers who need help with a problem.

An example of this is when an outsourced customer service representative was asked about a certain product and failed to provide any information, or that the person they were speaking with could not fully understand their accent.

4. Concerns about data safety

A common concern among consumers is the safety of their data. Businesses which use outsourced customer service providers are hesitant to advertise this fact, but they should be more transparent about it. Outsourcing customer service means that customers are interacting with a third-party company that has access to their data.

A number of big companies like Uber and Airbnb have made the shift to outsourcing customer service, which is raising some eyebrows.

There are also concerns about keeping data within the country, that all data is being transferred to a third party, and that it could lead to a security breach.

One of the biggest risks is that the outsourcing company may not have the same commitment to keeping your customers’ data private that your company does. Data security is an important part of running a business because you have to protect sensitive customer information to stay in business. This is especially true if you have very sensitive data, such as personal information, credit card numbers, or medical records. When you outsource customer service, you want to be sure that your outsourcer has the same commitment to data security that you have, or this can be a very big disadvantage in outsourcing.

How Much Does It Cost To Outsource A Call Center?

There are many factors that will determine how much it costs to outsource a call center. One factor is what skills the outsourcer has and what type of staffing model you want. The rates in your area also play a role. The most crucial of them is the level of difficulty of the task, i.e. the purpose or objective of the outsourcing project.

The cost of outsourcing can vary depending on what you’re looking for, but for example, basic answering services could cost around 70 cents to $1 per minute, and dedicated call center agents (someone who works exclusively for your company) costs from $6 to $12 per hour.

It is difficult to give a precise figure without knowing the exact details of an outsourcing project. Even then, the best way to get a ballpark idea of your call center outsourcing costs is to get in touch with a few companies specializing in call center outsourcing.

things to consider before hiring a call center provider

What To Consider Before Hiring Customer Service Providers?

There are many factors that should be considered before you hire customer service providers. These include the type of products and services you sell, your current needs for customer service, and how much you can afford to spend on customer service.

It’s also important to consider the different facets of a customer service provider before you decide on hiring them. For instance, what expertise do they have? What quality assurance can be expected from their services? Do these providers offer security and training as well as other resources that will contribute to your success in this endeavor?

In order for outsourcing companies like Digital Minds BPO to help with all aspects of your business needs, it is crucial that you provide them with adequate detail about what exactly it is you are trying to accomplish.

Their Expertise

The first thing to consider before hiring customer service providers is their expertise. If you need someone who speaks a certain language, or if your company has complicated and specific needs, it’s important that you hire someone who has the necessary skills and experience.

It’s crucial to choose an outsourcing center that has experience in your industry. Get recommendations from current customers for facilities they have used in the past and if they were fans of the experience or not.

Their Quality Assurance

Before you hire customer service providers, it’s important to consider their quality assurance. It is the responsibility of your outsourced company to provide a high level of service and deliver on your expectations.

In order to maintain a high standard of quality, customer service providers must be properly trained and educated. They should also have the tools needed for their job including a computer with internet access.

Every angry customer and every angry attitude gives your business a bad reputation. Interview call center companies to find out how they maintain quality control and keep angry customers from ruining your company’s reputation.

Additionally, you should be able to gauge the quality of their customer service through regular reports and recordings you can listen to. Ask companies what reports they offer and whether it includes recorded calls so you can evaluate the actual quality of their service.

Their Security Measures

A company can expect a few different types of security measures from the customer service outsourcing provider. They may require that all their employees pass background checks, or they might also use biometric scanning technology. Some of the best customer service providers will even go so far as to use facial recognition software, which is more advanced than biometric scanning.

To understand their safeguards, find out what measures they have for keeping your customer’s personal information secure. How are the network inbound and outbound connections set up? Who manages these systems? Make sure to ask if staff are required to use two-factor authentication before logging in!

Their Training Process

What kind of training do their employees undergo before they begin servicing your account? It’s important to know about your reps before you give them access to your customers, so make sure you find out how they handle new hires. How are they kept on board with new company developments? Do they train their new employees or do they send them to another training program? How might the business apply the newest technology as it evolves?

Other questions to ask are: Has this company been in business for a while? How long have they been providing their services? In order to determine what you get for your money, look into the provider’s history. Examine their previous work and get a sense of how trustworthy they might be from past customer reviews.

RELATED: The Top 10 Customer Service Outsourcing Companies

How To Have The Best Results From Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a great way to hire a team to work for you! However, it’s a lot easier to have a successful outsourcing team if you do it right. When you outsource customer service, you should find a team that is professional and understands your goals and objectives. You should give them a comprehensive scope of work to help them succeed in your goals. In addition, you should also have a plan for their success, so they have a good reason to work hard. As long as you have a clear plan and set goals, you will have a successful customer service team!

What you want to look for is a company that has an established track record of providing quality customer service.

Make sure you hire people that understand your business and that share your company culture. This will help ensure that you get the right results and that you are satisfied with the end result of your outsourcing.

It’s important to be sure to get the best results and communication so you and the outsourcing company can be on the same page.

First, you need to be clear on what you want your worker to do and if there are any deadlines you want to be sure to meet.

Next, you can outline what sort of communication you expect to get, whether that’s daily communication on the task assigned or overall communication on the task assigned on a monthly basis.

Lastly, it’s important to be on time with your communication and payments.

By following these steps you’ll be sure to get the best results from your outsourced team!

best results from outsourcing

Final Thoughts

In this blog post, we discuss the many benefits of using a customer service outsourcing agency. It is important to consider all of these factors before making a decision on if outsourcing is right for you. In the end, it is a good idea to consider outsourcing if you are finding it difficult to keep up with customer service requests or if you don’t have the resources or desire to maintain a large in-house support team.

It is a decision that needs to be made carefully. It should be done with the focus on the project, budget, and product type in mind.

We hope you enjoyed our post. Outsourcing customer service has become increasingly popular over the years because it provides businesses with the ability to reduce costs and save money. 

If you have any other questions or concerns about outsourcing customer service, please contact us anytime. Thank you for reading, we are always excited when one of our posts is able to provide useful information on a topic like this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country should I outsource to?

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors but If you’re looking for a good customer service outsourcing team, outsourcing to the Philippines has been known to provide great customer service!

How do you outsource customer service?

Outsourcing customer service can be done through a BPO, which is an acronym for business process outsourcing. It’s important to find a BPO company that will provide excellent quality, security, and training.

You should also consider what your specific needs are before choosing a call center service such as language options, payment plans, cancellation policies, and more.

You can then make a decision about which country to outsource to. The Philippines is the top call centers destination in the world. It is known for its highly productive workers and you do not need to worry about language barriers, because most Filipino people speak fluent English.

Outsource Customer Support Services to Digital Minds BPO

Digital Minds BPO offers a wide range of customer service outsourcing services to suit your needs.

We have been providing outsourced customer support and call center solutions for over 10 years, so we know what it takes for you to succeed.

Quality assurance is a vital part of our process, and we are continually refining the quality of the service that we provide. Whether your needs are specific or general, we can provide you with the service that best suits your needs.

We are committed to ensuring the security of our customer’s data by adhering to strict standards for information management.

Training is a vital part of ensuring your customers are taken care of, and Digital Minds BPO understands that. All employees go through extensive training before servicing any account to ensure the highest quality of service.

We offer a wide range of customer service outsourcing services, including phone support, technical support, email support, outsourced help desk, outsourced live chat support, and ticket support.

Our customer service representatives are trained to answer questions and resolve problems pertaining to products and services offered by our clients. We work with a variety of organizations, including universities, medical facilities, manufacturers, and e-commerce businesses.

Outsource your customer service to Digital Minds BPO. We can provide you with quality service at affordable prices. Contact us now!

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