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Killer Customer Support: The New Onshore Option

It’s no secret that bad customer service is a primary reason telecoms and ISPs lose subscribers. A 16-country survey conducted last year by Datamonitor/Ovum (News - Alert) found that wireless carriers and Internet service providers experience $36 billion per year in lost revenue due to unsatisfactory service experiences. The CFI Group, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based research firm, confirmed that poor customer service, along with high rates, were the two biggest reasons customers switch providers. And, according to industry researcher Arthur Middleton Hughes (News - Alert), telecom customers create churn rates averaging between 10 and 67 percent, based largely on dissatisfaction with the way they’re being treated.

Customers Demand Killer Support

Providing killer customer service is a must in today’s economy. With the cost of acquiring a new customer running six to seven times that of retaining a current customer, profitability can hinge on reducing churn through satisfying customer service experiences.

In a recent study by call center service provider Teleperformance (News - Alert), 68 percent of respondents said a single negative experience with a customer call center could cause them to take their business elsewhere. Almost half of the respondents said poor customer service is a major reason for dissatisfaction with a company as a whole. And, the problem appears to be even worse with younger consumers, particularly when it comes to technology providers.

Change Challenges Resources

Given how quickly services and technologies change in the ISP and Internet telephony fields, it can be challenging at best to maintain a sufficiently staffed and trained customer service/tech support infrastructure. Engagement bottlenecks, less than proficient call center personnel, and “black hole” automated self-service systems are simply not tolerated by customers.

Until recently, most service providers have considered only two alternatives to meet the twin demands of a growing customer base and constantly changing service lineup: spend more and more to add and train in-house call center personnel, or send customers to offshore support providers. Adding staff and capability in house is incredibly expensive; and offshore support options are not attractive to most customers, who have grown intolerant of marginally-skilled problem solvers with non-native language skills.

While the cost savings prompted by offshore call centers may be tempting, CSAT and Net Promoter scores — the two most popular customer loyalty metrics used by telcos — inevitably suffer. A new pathway to customer satisfaction was sorely needed — and thankfully, is now available.




The Recipe for Killer Support

For customers to be happy with the quality of support care they receive, four components must be in place:

  • broad expertise to resolve the customer’s service question on the first contact;
  • tools that help resolve tech support issues quickly;
  • comprehensive security that ensures customer peace-of-mind; and
  • domestic communication skills that ease customer frustration.

Sound impossible? Actually, third-party domestic customer support options are now available that effectively — and affordably — meet these requirements. Service providers can rely on these local alternatives to retain customers and build loyalty. Perhaps most exciting of all, the best outsourced U.S. support providers even have the ability to generate additional revenue streams through value-added service offerings.

This new breed of customer service/tech support center uses live chat, remote computer support, innovative tools, and online knowledge bases to deliver fast, competent and customer-friendly solutions. In addition to 24/7/365 availability, these highly trained domestic sources can typically route individual calls instantly to the most knowledgeable support representative based on location, availability and expertise. This streamlined process improves response time, facilitates customer/representative rapport, and ensures maximum quality of service.

In addition to the cost savings of outsourced onshore support, ISPs and wireless service providers can leverage the opportunity to open new revenue streams. By offering concierge-quality support to preferred customers at a premium price, support can go from a costly, necessary evil to a valuable revenue generator that supplements the telco’s primary service offerings.

Onshore call center/tech support providers, due to a business model that focuses on the needs of telcos and ISPs, often become full business partners, helping to bring new services to market and cross-selling services. Their offerings are suitable to both corporate and consumer customers, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and creating a competitive advantage.

By raising customer service levels, increasing average revenue per user, and reducing support costs, U.S.-based third-party support programs can provide a better, more affordable and easier way to reduce churn. With killer customer support more important than ever, onshore support is the solution ISPs and telecoms have been searching for. IT

Ted Werth is CEO and founder of PlumChoice (http://plumchoice.com), a remote services company for the consumer and small business markets.

» Internet Telephony Magazine Table of Contents



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