Telegenisys

Only a decade ago, outsourcing firms that managed back office services outsourcing projects had to deal with voluminous amounts of data and information, most of it manually. Things however have changed dramatically over the years with the growing realization within the back office services outsourcing industry that a lot more can be achieved by replacing labor intensive tasks with advanced technology tools and systems. Almost all back office services outsourcing firms have now made way for newer technology implementations, something that is helping them improve their productivity. With technology on their side, back office services outsourcing firms are now able to offer more value-added services to their clients and that too in a cost-effective manner.

As of now, the presence of newer technology implementations can be seen in almost all spheres of back office functions that include everything from accounting to financial account preparation, market research, data entry, customer service, telemarketing and many more. The best part is that most of these technology implementations have turned out to be hugely successful. Some good examples would include IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems that are being used for customer service functions; OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tools for data entry functions; automated software tools for accounting & financial processes and VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) communication tools for call center and telemarketing functions.

Business needs and requirements and expectations of clients have evolved with time, something that implies that back offices services outsourcing firms cannot afford to rest on past laurels and will instead have to work harder in the years to come. Newer technology implementations are currently the best available alternative that back office services outsourcing firms can use for achieving high-end objectives such as cost savings, efficiency improvements and accuracy maximization. By passing on these benefits to their clients, back office services outsourcing firms can thus easily improve their brand image and increase their client retention rates.

There is no denying the effectiveness of outbound call center services outsourcing, but since the overall success rate of outbound call center services outsourcing project has still not reached the desired 99% mark, businesses cannot afford to take things lightly. Right from the time when outbound call center services outsourcing plans are being finalized to the time when the outsourcing service provider starts delivering desired results, businesses need to tread with care and avoid taking unnecessary risks. Here are some things that businesses need to avoid for ensuring the success of outbound call center services outsourcing projects.

Tall claims and promises can be fake

There are plenty of outbound call center services outsourcing providers in the market and it’s amazing to see that each one of them promises the most benefits. Reputable outbound call center services outsourcing providers may have a verifiable track record to support their claims, but the same cannot be expected from all outbound call center services outsourcing providers. Businesses need to differentiate between the real and the fake, especially if desired goals and objectives are to be achieved.

Long-term contracts can breed complacency

Long-term business contracts certainly have their benefits, but when it comes to outsourcing, they just don’t fit within the basic framework. That’s because outbound call center services outsourcing is a dynamic sector, where changes occur so fast that it is all but impossible to make long-term commitments. Call volumes, nature of calls, targeted customers, etc., are variables that can never be expected to remain the same for the long-term. Long-term outbound call center services outsourcing contracts thus need to be avoided.

Focusing solely on reducing costs can backfire

The need to reduce operational costs cannot be denied, but it is recommended that businesses do not ignore other essentials just for the sake of reducing costs. Doing so can easily backfire since it is bound to affect customer satisfaction levels in an adverse manner. Taking the middle path instead will prove more profitable for businesses planning to hire an outbound call center services outsourcing provider.

Every business process has some waste component attached to it and in that context, call center processes are certainly not an exception. Exact definitions may vary, but in most cases, call center processes lead to the wastage of essential organizational resources such as manpower, time and working capital. This is precisely where the need is felt for call center services outsourcing. Here’s how call center services outsourcing helps reduce call center waste.

By optimizing human resource usage

Not all call center agents have the same skills and knowledge and when calls are routed randomly to the first available call center agent, there is always the possibility that the caller would fail to get the desired response. The total number of call-backs and call transfers then increase, which reduces the overall efficiency of the call center. Call center services outsourcing firms understand this very well and that’s why they have installed automated, intelligent systems that can scan incoming calls, identify their basic nature and reroute them to the most appropriate call center agent. First-call resolution rates increase as a result, which is evidence of the optimal utilization of available human resources in most of the successful call center services outsourcing firms.

By optimizing working capital usage

Call center processes follow a predetermined cost structure and are deemed successful only when they are able to achieve desired results within that stated cost structure. Call center services outsourcing makes this easier by reducing operational costs and improving customer satisfaction. Locational advantages available to call center services outsourcing firms are fully utilized and when the same is combined with the efficiency of advanced IT and telecommunications systems, it helps optimize working capital usage.

For reducing call center waste and for achieving other targeted goals and objectives, it is necessary that businesses choose the right call center services outsourcing firm. Starting with small, pilot projects would be a good way to assess the expertise and competence of shortlisted call center services outsourcing firms.

Most businesses provide toll-free service numbers to make it easier for their customers to seek solutions for their problems and issues. In reality however, things do not work exactly as planned. Speaking in the context of customer service outsourcing, it would be worth mentioning that customer service numbers are often found inaccessible due to network congestion. With thousands of customers trying to access customer services, all at the same time, it’s not all that difficult to visualize the basic problem that affects customer service outsourcing. Call-wait times get extended as a result, something that starts affecting customer satisfaction levels.

So, what are the options? Well, if the primary objective is to reduce call-wait time, customer service outsourcing firms should start with making assessments about existing call support capabilities. If an increase in call-wait time is found to be a seasonal event, then outsourcing firms can choose to hire temporary staff, but if the same occurs all year round, then the customer service outsourcing firm may have to increase the number of support lines and customer service agents. In both cases, additional investments will be required.

However, due to the generally low cost-structure of customer service outsourcing projects, both businesses and customer service outsourcing firms prefer not to make additional investments. It’s also because other cost-effective alternatives are readily available, which can be used for reducing call-wait times. For example, automated systems such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response) can be used for diverting a significant percentage of the overall traffic, away from manually-operated customer service phone lines. Similar benefits are available through the use of self-service avenues like online knowledgebase, FAQs, forums, etc.

Using these, customer service outsourcing firms can significantly reduce call-wait times and pave the way for increased customer satisfaction. Thus helping to ensure the success of the ongoing customer service outsourcing project.

Having made the critical decision to choose B2B telemarketing services outsourcing, businesses often assume that they have done their part and can afford to sit back and relax. In reality, however, that does not always work in favor of businesses because there are many variables that require constant attention from both the business and the B2B telemarketing services outsourcing firms. Problems and issues surface even when the best outsourcing plan is implemented, something that makes it necessary that businesses and B2B telemarketing services outsourcing firms work together and consistently share data, information and insights, all throughout the outsourcing contract period. Here are some do’s and don’ts that will make it easier for businesses to achieve desired results from their B2B telemarketing services outsourcing project.

First the Do’s

Complacency occurs naturally and the probability of its occurrence increases dramatically when a business fails to shoulder critical responsibilities such as keeping track of ongoing B2B telemarketing services outsourcing projects. It thus necessitates that businesses choose performance-based incentives plans for their B2B telemarketing services outsourcing projects.

Even the best B2B telemarketing services outsourcing firm cannot do much without proper project sponsorship support and that’s precisely what businesses should never forget. Sponsorships and top-management support should thus be made available at every stage of the ongoing B2B telemarketing services outsourcing project.

The don’ts

Even with the best B2B telemarketing services outsourcing firm, businesses should never venture out without proper SLAs (Service Level Agreements). B2B telemarketing services outsourcing is mostly done from offshore locations, something that makes it necessary that local legal and technical issues be properly analyzed, compiled and converted as terms and conditions in SLAs.

Businesses should never choose long-term B2B telemarketing services outsourcing contracts. Such a contract will severely restrict the ability to choose from the best available avenues. It will also make it difficult for businesses to penalize the service provider in case of sub-par services. In most cases, a B2B telemarketing services outsourcing contract not exceeding 18 months should be preferred.