A 2009 Gartner industry review report claims that recession aftershocks will force many organizations to reduce expenses on customer care services. This indicates loss of business for contact centers. According to industry experts, contact centers can avoid a slump in business by providing high quality services at lowers costs. This is possible by focusing on the following three areas:
• Personalized customer services: The customer relationship matrix is always different for different businesses. Thus, a contact center has to consider the specific business requirements of each client to serve their customers in a better way.
• Technology support: By employing integrated technology systems, it is possible enhance the calling experience of every customer. Once a technology is installed it can be used for successive projects. Thus, smart technology investment can bring good returns.
• Adhering to the basics: Speedy and accurate information is the core elements of customer care services. A contact center should focus on these basics while devising a marketing plan for its clients.
According to Gartner predictions, managing online interactions will dominate customer relationship management (CRM) in the near future. This means that it is important for a contact center to focus on developing web-based customer service skills as well.
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Modernized Contact Centers To Ensure Higher Impact and Lowers Costs
eRevolution in the Call Center Industry
In the latest wave of technology evolution, the call center industry is advancing at a fast pace. Although this is in part due to new concepts and business initiatives within the industry, it is largely influenced by dynamic technology growth. A call center that boasted state-of-the-art infrastructure a year ago can no longer make such claims until it has re-invested in technology procurement. Thus, many organizations are reviewing their call center service providers for technology infrastructure and performance.
Call Center Technology
Advancements in technology have enabled a large scale convergence in the field of voice communication. It is now possible to make and receive calls through internet-based applications. Digital technology convergence has offered two benefits. Firstly, it ensures high quality communication, as compared to error-prone telephone lines. Secondly, it allows a greater degree of cost-effectiveness in the industry. However, the initial cost of installing digital voice communication technology is high. Thus, many call centers continue with their old infrastructure.
Human Resource
Advanced technology calls for greater operational skills. Today, call center executives have to multitask and be tech-savvy. They should be able to make and receive calls, reply to emails, launch voice broadcasts, manage customer data and generate customer data reports.
As the call center industry is mushrooming, clients are demanding for high quality and cost effective services. Thus, it is essential for call centers to invest in technology and human resource development in order to remain profitable.
The Growing Popularity of Inbound Telemarketing
In contrast to the basic concept of telemarketing, inbound telemarketing is not initiated by call center executives. Here, the company encourages users to make calls as a part of the customer relation or query resolution program. The call center number is distributed through company advertisements in newspapers, magazines or the television. When the consumers initiate communication, the call center executives resolve their queries, while promoting the company’s products.
Reasons for the Popularity of Inbound Telemarketing
Inbound telemarketing offers dual benefits. Firstly, it acts as an inbound contact center where customers can call to resolve their queries. Secondly, it leverages on the consumers’ contact calls to promote other products of the company. Thus, inbound telemarketing offers cost-effective customer care solutions.
The success of inbound telemarketing services depends on the communication skills of the call center executives. If they can resolve customer queries effectively, there stands a large probability that the customer shows an interest in the product promotion that will follow. Thus, inbound telemarketing agents should have an essential mix of communication and marketing skills. They should be smart enough to understand which customer would be interested in what product.
Inbound telemarketing is a fairly new concept in the industry. With this innovative approach, businesses can expect to achieve both customer communication as well as their marketing objectives.
Benefits of Outsourcing Email Support Services
In the era of online communication, email is one of the most significant customer relationship management (CRM) tools. It is a low-cost and non-intrusive tool that can be effectively used for brand building.
How Does Email Support Services Work?
Email support services include both inbound and outbound services. In an inbound email support service, customer-initiated emails are answered according to the requirement. Alternatively, call center executives can use email services to follow up on a client after cold calling. Conventional calling is the best way to provide essential information to the client and seek instant responses. However, during a call, the executive is limited by time and medium spaces. Following up on a call with standardized and well documented information through an email will definitely enhance customer satisfaction. Also, the customer can save such emails for future reference.
Email support services have other advantages as well, such as:
• High lead qualification ratio
• Cost efficiency
• Acts as an authorized form of communication
Email support services are also ideal for instruction-based query resolution or sophisticated information. It adds another effective layer to your customer support initiatives. By outsourcing email services to an offshore provider, you can ensure 24×7 support for your customers.
The Case Against Multisourcing
The concept of multisourcing is a derivative of the outsourcing industry. It refers to an arrangement where a company outsources different aspects of a service to different external providers. Unlike single sourcing, multisourcing is based on the use of the ‘best of the breed’ philosophy.
Multisourcing basked in the headlines as a possible solution to the discrepancies in the single sourcing formula. Organizations are engaging in multisourcing activities in order to maximize vendor efficiency, induce competition and enjoy competitive prices. It is believed that by creating a dynamic environment, organizations can reap the best from the outsourcing contracts.
The Flip Side of Multisourcing
Breaking the outsourcing contract among multiple vendors poses several challenges for the organization. In the single source arrangement, the vendor performs a range of tasks that are beyond the scope of outsourced services but are essential for consistent output. With multisourcing, no vendor will be motivated to perform those management tasks. Ultimately, the organization has to employ resources to coordinate between multiple vendors.
Service integration across multiple vendors will also make the system vulnerable to potential errors. This is particularly important as most of the companies lack the necessary skills to manage multiple service providers for the same service segments.
One cannot completely reject multisourcing as a potential alternative to single sourcing. However, organizations have to develop the skills to maximize the benefits from such an arrangement.
Top Tips for Selecting the Right BPO Call Center
BPO or Business Process Outsourcing means outsourcing of certain non-core functions to an outsourcing partner for the long term. The BPO or call center manages the outsourced work and may be assessed on certain definable and measurable criteria.
By outsourcing such work, companies can cut down on their operational costs which in turn increase their shareholder value. Major companies operating in developed nations find it advantageous to outsource work to countries like India and the Philippines. This explains why call centers and business process outsourcing are becoming a huge industry in their own right.
The right BPO call center services can bring your company a number of advantages.
- 1. Firstly, BPOs provide round the clock service. This is very useful in the internet age where companies have to cater to a global audience and downtime is frowned upon.
- 2. The services provided by call centers are cost effective since their charges come up to only a fraction of the cost of hiring highly skilled local workers.
- 3. Reputed call centers offer high quality customer service. Often, they offer specialized skills at incredibly low prices. So, if you have tied up with the right BPO or call center, your chances of enjoying superb service are very high.
But, how can you go about hiring the right BPO or call center?
Call centers these days provide a gamut of services, including but not limited to customer service, CRM, technical help desk services, web support, email support and so on. So, the first step in selecting the right outsourcing partner is to define your expectations from outsourcing partners.
The next step is to assess the quality of the professionals employed by the BPO.
- 1. Do they have the necessary expertise in the service you desire?
- 2. Do they employ experienced and trained professionals for the same?
- 3. Do they make use of the best when it comes to technology, software and infrastructure?
Many BPOs have contact centers in major countries. It pays to check out these contact centers. Lastly, find out what other customers have to say about the call center and its staff. If the call center has a bulk of positive testimonials, you can rest assured that you’re using the right partner for your outsourcing needs.
Employing the services of a highly reputed call center or BPO service is not a joke, even though the World Wide Web is littered with thousands of outsourcing partners. The skill of your R&D department lies in assessing your needs and identifying a call center that has the expertise, the bandwidth and the desire to offer their best.
InSO provides world class outbound & inbound call center outsourcing services, offshore BPO & technical support, international telephone order taking & business answering services.
Understanding Inbound and Outbound Call Center Services
A call center is an arrangement of people that is used to provide customer care solutions and support functions. Within these two sub-domains, a call center offers a range of services, of which inbound and outbound call center services are the most important.
Inbound Call Center
At an inbound call center, customer calls are received by the call center executives. When a customer initiates a call, he is transferred to a pre-recorded answering machine terminal. Here, the customer is asked to select the query type from a list of options. Based on specific customer requirements, the call is later transferred to a call center executive for query resolution.
An inbound call center usually offers a wide range of services, which includes:
* Answering service
* Order taking service
* Customer service
* Inquiry handling
* Technical support service
* Help desk support
The inbound call center process involves a range of sophisticated technology, such as call routing, live answering machine and dedicated software.
Outbound Call Center
Executives at an outbound call center are responsible for initiating communication with existing or prospective customers. The interactions with the customers are mostly recorded through a specialized software program. Outbound call center services are used for lead generation, telemarketing and collections. However, they also offer the following services:
* Appointment setting services
* Sales & email marketing
* Email follow up
* Voice broadcasting services
* Direct response services
Since both inbound and outbound call center services involves customer interaction, they should be dealt with great care and efficiency.
Low Outsourcing Prices – Not Necessarily a Recession Effect
As an aftereffect of the global recession, the outsourcing industry is passing through a lean phase. Industry experts predict that the outsourcing prices will continue to remain low in 2010. But, here lies a Catch-22 situation. Due to severe competition and soaring business, many call center service providers are quoting low prices. The excessively low outsourcing prices can simply mean limited or low quality services.
What Do Experts Say?
According to CIO.com, it is essential to occasionally verify the price quoted by your call center service provider against the industry average. A slight variance in pricing may occur due to differences in infrastructure and service rates. However, if the prices are below 20% of the international market average, it should be treated as an indicator of low quality standards.
Under-pricing gets reflected at every stage of the business process. At low prices, the call center service providers tend to reduce the scope of the service level agreement. Thus, fresh agreements will be required for add-on services. This also encourages the vendor to employ incompetent or trainee staff for your project, thus affecting the overall quality.
Pricing is always a dominant factor while choosing a call center service provider. However, one should ensure that the price quotes are logical and market driven, rather than being merely a sales offering.
Top Industry Associations Form Alliance to Organize Indian Outsourcing Market
The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has joined hands with the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) to promote the outsourcing industry in India. As per the agreement, the new Indian chapter of IAOP will soon commence operations to leverage a high growth rate in the sector.
Dr. Ganesh Natrajan, Chairman, CII National Committee on IT, ITeS & eCommerce said, “This is an exciting opportunity for global best practices in outsourcing to be brought to the entire services sector in India. There is a $3 trillion opportunity in services outsourcing and we hope to see at least $500 billion dollars of this happening in India in the next 10 years.”
The joint association is planning out to conduct seminars, workshops and certification programs for professionals working in the Indian outsourcing industry. These programs will focus mainly on promoting outsourcing services and incorporating best management practices. Thus, certified professionals will be better equipped for business development, operational capabilities and leadership.
It is expected that the CII and IAOP agreement will fortify India’s position as one of the major outsourcing destinations. “This strategic alliance will bring added insights and better outsourcing outcomes to these companies and enhance our global thought leadership and network to the benefit of the industry,” said Michael Corbett, Chairman, IAOP.
Real-Time Analytical Matching for Call Center Services
Understanding and resolving customer query in the most efficient manner are determining factors for the success of an inbound call center. To this end, having a smart call routing process is essential. Every customer call should directly reach the most eligible executive available to answer the query. This has been made possible by the revolutionary Real-Time Analytics Matching Program (RAMP).
What is RAMP?
Conventionally, in an inbound call center setup, every call is routed to an executive based on certain specifications, such as the language of the caller and the product type. However, sometimes a wrong algorithm can lead to flaws in the call routing process. This results in a bad reputation for the company and unsatisfied customers.
RAMP is a real-time analytics engine with enhanced call routing capabilities. It considers the history of the caller, average wait time and query type. Based on this information, the system creates a profile and matches it with the individual profiles of the call center executives. As and when the executive is available, the call is transferred to him/her. One can also include psychographic details of the caller based on previous call records. Thus, RAMP offers a smart solution to handling customer queries in a better managed way.
The RAMP system is developed by IBM. Although the technology is optimized for IBM hardware and software, the company is planning to make it work with other systems as well.