Offshore Customer Support is 2x Better and Half the Cost
It’s no secret that one of the main reasons companies consider outsourcing, and outsourcing their call centre services specifically, is because of costs. Of course, costs aren’t the only thing to consider when looking for an outsourcing provider. Culture fit, reliability, and the customer experience are also important aspects to think about. Any offshore customer support provider you choose should fit your company culture and brand reputation – not just your price point.
Benefits of Outsourcing Customer Support
Obviously, it’s not just the monetary savings that have caused outsourced client service departments to become so popular. Offshore, near-shore, and onshore customer support all share a few advantages:
Save Money and Resources
The cost and resource-saving aspects of outsourcing are worth repeating. Customer support centers are expensive – both to set up and to run. Setting up the infrastructure, the costs of labor, training expenses and overheads can all add-up. Luckily, each of these costs can be significantly reduced through outsourcing. With the right provider, you can hire a fully-fledged customer support team complete with ready-to-use equipment and a guarantee of success.
The Right Platforms and Technology for Your Needs
Customer support is about more than just answering calls – it’s about making sure clients are met at their level. Top-notch telephone service means nothing if consumers can’t reach out through social media or via email. Outsourcing to the right provider means that they can tailor your customer support technology to suit the platforms you and your customers need.
Less Training Required
While it’s true that anyone can answer a phone call or an email, it’s a completely different story to be inviting, personable, and helpful when dealing with an unhappy customer. By outsourcing your customer support, you can be assured that your managers and representatives will have the right skills and characteristics to represent your company favorably.
Less Pressure on Your Administrative Staff
One of the main concerns that business owners have when it comes to outsourcing, especially with offshore customer support, is that they will lose the personal touch that comes with in-house service. One thing to consider is how personal this touch could possibly be when it’s carried out by overworked in-house staff who have to balance many other other tasks. Relying on in-house administrative staff to handle customer support can often prevent them from fulfilling their other duties effectively.
The claim that outsourced support will not accurately reflect a company’s culture or pleasant demeanor is exaggerated. The right provider will be able to capture your company’s personality while relieving your administrators of the strain of customer service.
More Control than “Unsourcing”
In recent years, larger organizations have turned to “unsourcing” as a strategy to cut customer service costs. This strategy relies on customers’ prior expertise to help inexperienced users troubleshoot difficulties, but it can have unforeseen implications. It can’t be utilized for any issue involving a customer’s personal information, and if information is incorrect, unhappy customers might resort to complaints on social media – damaging your reputation.
Your Customer Support Can Scale With You
If your company expands quickly, you’ll need front-line employees to meet the demands of your new clients. In-house customer service departments are difficult to scale, but outsourcing eliminates this problem. Because outsourcing providers typically have more staff, you can use their resources to keep your momentum going.
Why Choose Offshore Customer Support?
The benefits we’ve covered above apply to all outsourced client services, but why should you choose offshore customer support specifically? India and the Philippines are the most prominent countries for offshore call centers, but what are the benefits of choosing an offshore vendor?
Lower Wage Costs
Not to belabor the point, but one of the main reasons that companies choose offshore customer support over near-shore or onshore, is that wages are typically lower in these countries. As a result, hiring an offshore call center is often less expensive than hiring an in-house customer care team.
Lower Technology Costs
Implementing and managing technology such as customer relationship management (CRM) software and other infrastructure is a major component of in-house customer service. These technical expenditures are eliminated when customer support is outsourced to an overseas call center.
More Customer Service Availability
In an ideal world, your customer support line would be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In reality, your staff most likely works the traditional 9-to-5 weekday schedule, which is often all that small firms can afford. However, because of the cost and time differences, 24/7 customer service is a possibility with offshore customer support.
Bilingual Services
There are offshore call centers all around the world. Customer support workers in these countries are frequently bilingual, and in some cases speak three or four languages. If you have a large number of clients that speak a different language, it may be very helpful to find an offshore customer support center that can easily communicate with them in their native language.
Afford a Wider Range of Services
Because offshore call centers are frequently less expensive than their onshore counterparts, businesses may be able to afford to use them for a broader range of services. A company that hired an onshore call center to handle calls during business hours, for example, may be able to afford 24/7 customer support with an offshore call center.
Getting the Most Out of Your Outsourcing Experience
Now that you are aware of all the benefits of outsourcing and offshore customer support, you can evaluate the risks for your company and decide whether or not it is worthwhile for your business. There are also strategies to assure that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Among them are:
- Do your due diligence:
Make sure that you are outsourcing to a trusted provider. Check reviews, read testimonials, and contact references if possible. You’re trusting them with the reputation of your business, so you owe it to yourself to ensure their reliability. - Hire intermediary managers:
To get more control over the remote workforce, make sure that there is someone monitoring performance without affecting the team’s workflow or productivity. - Using the most technologically advanced solutions:
Cutting-edge hardware and software technologies provide simple and detailed quality control and feedback accumulation. It is also beneficial for supplementary training and general performance enhancement.
Despite its growing popularity, many organizations are hesitant about outsourcing due to the perceived risk of losing control of the workflow process, a potential loss in quality, and an increase in prices. However, when dealing with the correct outsourcing agency, these concerns are unjustified. Outsourcing to an offshore customer support agency can save costs, save resources, and help your business thrive.
Noon Dalton is your dedicated resource to provide remote teams. Contact us today for more information.
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