Some companies believe the contact center connection with the customer is too vital a function to outsource – period. At the other end of the spectrum, companies outsource their entire contact center function as a way to control costs and free their resources to focus on other core areas of the company. Regardless of where you might fall on the spectrum, outsourcing at least some of your contact center functions can improve your business and bottom line in many ways.

Over the years, I have worked with many companies to find the balance that works best for them. Here are the top 9 considerations the companies I have worked with, decided to outsource their contact center functions.

Benefits of Contact Center Outsourcing

Lower Business Costs (Cost Reduction & Control)

• Outsourcing contact center functions reduces your overall cost of facilities, HR and technology. Outsourcing is a predictable cost, much easier to manage on a month-to-month basis. There are no surprises, you control the cost by the amount of work you request or use – monthly, weekly or hourly.

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Gaining Flexibility

• Outsourced contact centers have greater flexibility to add or subtract staff to manage your customer demand. Think of them as a resource spigot. Turn it up during peak times and slow it down in the valleys. Since outsource contact centers are working with multiple clients they have a large number of staff available 24/7.

Quality Improvement

• Outsourcers are able to provide peak services at a lower cost, because they are able to maximize the efficiencies of their phone agents, thus reducing idle time and maximizing talk time. Plus, they manage the scheduling and hiring headaches. Handle times, first call resolution and other measurements can be managed to maximize your targeted level of customer satisfaction.

Professional & Pleasing Interactions with Your Customers

• Contact center companies specialize in the art of communicating with your customers. Their agents make and take millions of calls each day, but each one is professional; an independent and personal interaction. You, and more importantly, your customer, immediately benefit from the outsourcer’s experienced team of agents. When you select the right contact center, your customer experience can improve. Our agents become very loyal to the brands they represent and their enthusiasm comes out in the conversations.

Get the Right Support for Your Program

• Contact center support staff are well versed in all the key areas needed to run effective programs. They provide you with all the information and reporting you need to feel confident in managing your results. They also consult & help with call guides, contact scripting, workflow improvement and training support. In addition, they can provide marketing ideas and product suggestions to grow additional revenue.

When You Need An Extra Hand…

• Our Client Service Directors are the liaison between our clients and all the resources of our organization. We challenge them to make each program better, each month. They become very proficient at understanding and contributing to the strategic business goals of their clients. Many of our clients like the Quarterly Business Review we provide to update them on all facets of their program and outline additional areas of opportunity.

Utilizing Technology

• Outsourcers are constantly investing in technology to support a wide range of needs. The growth of Social Media and the emergence of new communication channels require contact centers to keep up with the contact methods most preferred by the customer. You get the advantage of state-of-the-art technology to communicate with your customer, without the large capital investment.

Focusing On Your Core Business Processes

• By outsourcing contact center functions, companies can focus more resources on improving their core business. Sometimes that means outsourcing the non-core, contact center functions. For instance, several of our customers have kept Customer Service in house, but outsourced additional revenue opportunities (UpSell and Cross-Sell) to our professional sales agents. That way they can focus on the inbound customer service experience, while gaining more sales revenue with the help of our sales professionals.

Managing the Mundane

• A decade ago, it was a lot easier to turn to the internet for technology gains that cut cost. Now many companies are finding it harder to save money by shifting processes to the internet and many contact centers are being asked to contribute real revenue to the bottom line. Back office, routine and repetitive tasks can be done by outsourced contact centers for many of the reasons outlined above. Blending voice and non-voice activities, combining smaller tasks into a multi-client center and balancing domestic and off-shore resources are just a few of the options available for cost savings and revenue contribution.

If you are responsible for making a case to outsource at least part of your contact center or back office functions, feel free to contact me for some input and analysis of your situation. I will be glad to share my experiences and ideas to help you with your decision. The team I work with at Global Contact Services is one of the most respected in the U.S. We have centers located across the US and Philippines, provide English and bi-lingual agents, manage on-shore and off-shore programs, and deliver multi-channel communications capabilities (including inbound, outbound, email, chat & SMS customer interactions along with data entry, data validation/verification and other back-office processing services). In short, we have done many things you are probably considering. Let’s make a connection and I will be happy to share what I know.

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