Outsourced customer care - your success in good hands.

Exceptional customer service has become a non-negotiable factor in the success of any business. However, providing top-tier support often comes with a hefty price tag. Staffing, training, and maintaining the necessary infrastructure can quickly strain resources, leaving companies searching for alternative solutions. 

Outsourcing customer care offers a lifeline, alleviating the financial burden and allowing businesses to redirect their focus towards core competencies. This strategic move not only addresses budgetary concerns but also unlocks the potential for improved service quality, streamlined operations, and ultimately, a more satisfied customer base. By partnering with experienced providers like Transcom, companies can tap into specialized expertise, advanced technologies, and scalable solutions, all while ensuring that their customers receive the care and attention they deserve. Read on to find out how you can have your cake and eat it too.

What is outsourced customer care?

Picture this. You’re decorating your home and the time comes to have the kitchen installed. Now, can you do it yourself? Of course you can. Will it be easy? Most definitely not. Before you even begin assembly, you need to source the materials, make blueprints, measure twice, cut once - a lot of work. The materials will cost you more because you’re not buying bulk, the blueprints are guesswork at best because you’ve never done this before. Then comes the time of assembly. You may or may not know how to use the tools, etc. Problems pile on top of one another.

The other option is to hire a professional. Someone with connections and contacts to get the best material at the right price, has decades of experience in planning and building furniture. What took you months is done in weeks or even days, at a fraction of the cost.

This same principle applies to outsourced customer care.

It is a business strategy where a company hires an external service provider to handle customer interactions and support functions. BPOs like Transcom specialize in customer service and have the expertise, infrastructure, and technology to manage inquiries, complaints, and other customer-related tasks efficiently.

Outsourced customer care can encompass various channels, including phone calls, emails, live chats, social media, and more. By leveraging external resources, businesses can focus on their core competencies while ensuring that their customers receive timely and professional assistance.

It might be scary to entrust part of your business to outside help, but in the end you, your clients, and your customers will thank you. 

The benefits of outsourced customer care.

In the quest for exceptional customer service, outsourcing has emerged as a game-changer, offering businesses a strategic advantage that goes beyond cost savings. By entrusting customer interactions to external experts, companies can unlock a range of benefits that not only streamline operations but also elevate the overall customer experience. From improved efficiency and scalability to enhanced expertise and focus on core competencies, outsourcing customer care presents a compelling solution for organizations seeking to provide top-notch support without breaking the bank – or their backs.

Flexibility.

Outsourcing customer care introduces a significant boost in flexibility for businesses. With an external team handling customer inquiries, companies can effortlessly scale their support operations up or down in response to fluctuating demand. This eliminates the need for rushed hiring or layoffs during peak seasons or unexpected surges in customer inquiries. 

BPOs often operate across multiple time zones, ensuring round-the-clock coverage and eliminating the constraints of traditional business hours. Moreover, we can adapt to changing customer preferences by offering support across various channels like phone, email, chat, or social media. This dynamic approach empowers businesses to be more agile and responsive to customer needs, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience while maintaining efficient operations.

Reduced TCO.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is always a pain point, but it is heavily mitigated by outsourced customer care. By relying on an external provider, companies can eliminate or drastically reduce expenses associated with hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house customer service team. This includes salaries, benefits, office space, hardware, software, and ongoing training costs - not to mention eliminating costs due to inefficiencies. 

Outsourcing also eliminates the need for investing in expensive call center infrastructure and technology, as these are typically provided by the service provider. Additionally, outsourced teams often operate in competitive hiring markets, further reducing expenses. By avoiding these substantial upfront and ongoing costs, businesses can achieve a notable decrease in their overall TCO, allowing them to allocate resources more strategically and invest in other critical areas of their operations.

Better service.

Outsourced customer care often results in improved service quality for several reasons. First, companies like Transcom focus specifically on customer service, investing heavily in training their agents on best practices and industry-specific knowledge. These agents are equipped with the latest tools and technologies to efficiently handle inquiries and resolve issues, ensuring prompt and accurate responses. 

Additionally, many outsourced call centers operate 24/7, providing customers with round-the-clock access to support, which can significantly enhance their overall experience. Outsourcing companies also have robust quality assurance processes in place, regularly monitoring and evaluating agent performance to maintain high standards. With their focus on customer satisfaction, outsourced providers are incentivized to deliver excellent service, as their reputation and continued business depend on it. By partnering with such providers, businesses can tap into this expertise and dedication, ultimately offering their customers a superior level of support.

A multilingual approach.

Companies can easily cater to a diverse, global customer base by partnering with external providers who have access to a wider talent pool. These providers often operate in various regions and can readily staff their teams with agents fluent in multiple languages. This eliminates the need for companies to invest in extensive language training for their in-house staff or limit their customer base to regions where their employees' language skills are sufficient. 

By offering support in the customer's native language, businesses can enhance communication, build stronger relationships, and improve overall customer satisfaction. This multilingual capability is particularly valuable for companies operating in international markets or those with a diverse customer base, enabling them to provide seamless and personalized support to everyone, regardless of their linguistic background.

The possible cons and how to deal with them.

Outsourcing, while a strategic tool for growth and efficiency, is not without its potential pitfalls. A misstep in choosing the wrong partner or failing to address potential risks can lead to unforeseen complications, impacting both your bottom line and brand reputation. However, with a vigilant approach and a reliable partner like Transcom, these challenges can be effectively mitigated, ensuring a seamless and successful outsourcing experience. 

In this part, we delve into the possible drawbacks of outsourcing and offer actionable strategies to navigate them, empowering you to make informed decisions and leverage the benefits of outsourcing while minimizing potential risks.

Different levels of knowledge access.

Varying levels of knowledge access among outsourced agents can pose a significant challenge. If some agents have limited access to critical information or training, it can lead to inconsistencies in service delivery, miscommunication with customers, and ultimately, customer dissatisfaction. This disparity can also create bottlenecks in workflows, as less informed agents may require more support and supervision, slowing down processes and impacting overall efficiency. 

Additionally, inconsistent knowledge levels can hinder problem-solving capabilities, as agents with limited access may struggle to address complex customer inquiries or troubleshoot technical issues effectively. This can lead to prolonged resolution times and potentially escalate customer frustration

At Transcom, we overcome this by using Agent Assist. If our aim is to create superhero agents, then Agent Assist is the trusty sidekick. Connected to knowledge bases, generating real-time automated responses with crucial pieces of information connected to the call, offering next best steps towards resolutions or potential upsells - there’s little that Agent Assist can’t do. All of this means that agents can operate on the same level wherever they are.

Different training standards.

A potential challenge in outsourcing lies in the varying training standards that can exist between your organization and your chosen partner. This disparity can lead to inconsistencies in the quality of service, potentially impacting customer satisfaction and brand perception. Mismatched training methodologies and content can also hinder effective communication and collaboration between your internal teams and the outsourced workforce.

We focus on this problem in many ways, but the two most prominent ones are by using experienced staff for training, and by using training tools. The first part is self-explanatory. By using our best and brightest from different sites around the world we ensure that every location is up to snuff - no matter how spread out or diverse.

The other route is by using tools like ADA - the Agent Development Accelerator. This AI powered tool produces tried and tested agents before they have even talked to their first customer. How? By simulating realistic customer interactions, ADA offers a safe, controlled environment for agents to practice and hone their skills. 

This personalized approach accelerates learning, boosts performance, and enhances agent satisfaction, leading to superior customer experiences and lower attrition. ADA's analytics and feedback tools provide valuable insights for targeted coaching and continuous improvement. By leveraging ADA, businesses can optimize training, empower agents, and deliver outstanding outsourced customer care.

Reduced CSAT due to language and accent.

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) can be significantly affected by language and accent differences when outsourcing customer service. When customers struggle to understand or be understood by agents due to language barriers, it can lead to frustration, miscommunication, and ultimately, a negative perception of the brand. This can manifest in decreased CSAT scores, increased call durations, and even customer churn. In short, language barriers can turn even the best agent possible inefficient and ineffective.

How do you battle this? Do you hire exclusively native speakers? Nope, usually too costly. Do you only hire speakers that speak at a C1 or C2 level? Nope, that narrows the talent pool too much. Choose the lesser evil? Not with Transcom’s Automated Translation.

Transcom's Automated Translation is an AI-powered solution that seamlessly translates voice and text interactions in real time, breaking down language barriers and enabling effective communication between agents and customers, regardless of their native languages. This innovative tool integrates effortlessly with existing platforms, empowering agents to handle multilingual interactions without requiring additional language skills. It also doesn’t have to be used solely for translation. Due to its accent neutralization capabilities, it has proven to be an effective tool in markets, like the US, that have a stronger sentiment towards accents.