PROS AND CONS OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT OUTSOURCING

1. PROS AND CONS OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT OUTSOURCING Outsourcing is a partnership between a company and a third-party organization, often called a business process outsourcer or BPO, assigned to work on a specific task one of which is managing customer service operations. This type of business dates way back to the 1950s. Throughout the years, it has continuously been recognized thanks to the innovation of e-commerce platforms and tools that make outsourcing more flexible and productive. What is Customer Support Outsourcing? Customer support outsourcingis the strategy of acquiring an external service provider to manage and operate customer support. The external service provider takes care of agents’ hiring and training process, keeps the infrastructure, maintains the call center software, and handles the operations. Businesses outsource a segment of their operations such as marketing, engineering, sales and customer support, or even the entire call center. Once the needed division is outsourced, many companies trust that the service provider will supervise the whole department as they go for a hands-off approach to organizing operations. One of the most popular branches to outsource is customer service. In recent years, large enterprises have shared their experience with customer support outsourcing. Below are the pros and cons every business must learn before outsourcing their customer service. The opposing sides verify that outsourcing any operation in your company is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly.

2. Pros of Customer Support Outsourcing Keeping More Resources Running a business is rather expensive. A full price list includes the overwhelming costs of build-up overhead, infrastructure, labor, training, etc. However, these expenditures can be reduced by placing your investments on outsourcing. If you make the proper research, you can hire a trained staff or team with ready-to-use equipment and an accurate price list to guarantee an increase in sales and production. Outsourcing services can be cost-effective. If you put in the time to sort out different companies, you can find one with quality services for a fraction of a price. Keep in mind that costs can vary because other counties have different wages. Maintaining Better Coverage 24/7 call center customer support is a must-have, especially for larger enterprises. However, you will need to allot time and money to train someone to work and brave the extra hours. With outsourcing services, you can mitigate this problem by hiring people from different time zones. If your business operates globally, it will be much easier to hire a local call center department instead of spending an in-house team to learn a foreign language. Eliminating the Staffing Department Supervising employees can be a rewarding endeavor. If an employee sees that the company or the spearheading member values them, it makes them want to invest more years in the company and help the brand improve. However, it requires money, time, and effort to build rapport with employees. If it doesn’t solve any concern or develop your production, it is much better to tweak the responsibility. With customer support outsourcing, you still have supervision over the team you hire but don’t need to control minor issues like new hires and training. You Can Commit to the Core Goals To support the previous point, if some tasks can wait, you can commit to your main core goals instead. Although you will still have to communicate and manage your remote team, the weight does not compare to the attention and money you will need to pour in an in-house team. So, outsourcing is the best solution if you need to focus more on bigger goals while maintaining quality customer service.

3. Cons of Customer Support Outsourcing Plausible Inadequate Quality Control Every company has to follow specific standards to stay relevant in the industry’s competitive setting. However, if a customer service department works remotely, there is no way of knowing that they will follow every guideline. Client service creates a vital role in keeping a reputation for your brand. Outsourcing can either make it or break it for you. No Brand Loyalty and Possible Security Risks In-house employees are much more invested in the company’s development. If a few customer service companies serve multiple businesses at once, it can be difficult for a team to support each brand’s success. Lack of loyalty can lead to negligence and a complete disregard of quality. Employees will have the most sensitive information about your company at their disposal. Without brand loyalty, you also risk unwanted security breaches. Miscommunication Between Departments Getting feedback from your customers can usher the improvement and development of your company. To gather the customer response effectively, your client service must know the best questions to ask. Moreover, they must learn to maximize the feedback and where to start addressing concerns. And with a remote team, it can be challenging to link different departments. Outsourcing Collaboration Issues Top Call Center in the Philippines can assure your company the most benefits, though it comes with some challenges you might not expect. Time differences and language barriers are still detrimental to the entire operations and can impede your productivity. Also, the difference in in-laws can be another problem. To protect your company, you

4. must reach out or even hire an international law expert to understand your rights before dealing with outsourcing companies. Conclusion The pros and cons listed above are what every business must learn to consider in order to have more realistic expectations. Furthermore, like everything else, outsourcing has its risks. But these risks can’t outweigh the obligations you have of giving your customers the best support services.