|
Contact center outsourcing, whether domestic or overseas, has been an ongoing trend for several years. One of the key drivers for this trend has been anticipated cost savings as a result of outsourcing certain functions of the call center. In fact, according to a study completed by ICMI, 65.1 percent of all call centers surveyed cited cost reduction as the most common driver of outsourcing decisions.
While anticipated cost reduction helps to determine the viability of the outsourcing option, many organizations are realizing added benefits as well. Those companies surveyed by ICMI revealed that the top five benefits included lowering operating costs, extended hours, better handling of peak traffic, improved staffing flexibility and higher productivity.
Respondents of this same study also indicated significant satisfaction with the outsourcing services they were receiving. The majority of respondents reported that they were either somewhat satisfied at 49.2 percent or very satisfied at 39.7 percent. Only 1.6 percent of respondents were very dissatisfied with their outsourcer.
The cost savings element is an intriguing one as it can be deceptive when investigating a potential outsourcing vendor. The organization may be under the impression that outsourcing always delivers the service for a lower cost, but certain criteria must be met in order for this to be a reality.
The outsourcer must be able to meet the organization’s expectations on service levels, be knowledgeable about the company and the product or service offerings and must be able to handle the anticipated contact volume efficiently. If the outsourcer cannot mirror the activities of the current call center functions or improve upon them, it is likely that cost savings will either be slow to materialize or non-existent as customer loyalty can be impacted.
Lowering operating costs can have a significant impact on the organization. The call center is typically a drain on capital and any option that can maintain or improve service deliverables for a fraction of the cost is worth consideration. The organization that does not have its own call center operations and is considering an outsourcer has the ability to achieve its customer service goals at significantly lower cost than establishing its own center.
Outsourcing is also a great option for those organizations that are running limited time promotions or campaigns that will produce a peak in customer interactions. The call center can benefit greatly from utilizing the services of an outsourcer instead of taking on the cost of extended hours and hiring additional staff.
The organization deciding whether or not to seek out the support of a call center outsourcing vendor must take into consideration its expectations and its goals and how this vendor can meet these expectations and help the organization to achieve its goals. If these two elements cannot be effectively addressed by the outsourcer, they are not the right fit for the organization. If they cannot be effectively addressed by the organization, they are not in a position to effectively select an outsourcing vendor.
|
INDUSTRIES
Activate Email 
