Seven Tips for Hiring a Call Center Supplier
Making an external call center selection can be a great move for your business or a painful mistake if done incorrectly. Therefore, here are some tips to make sure that call center outsourcing is successful for your company:
1.) Get Out In Front
Don’t wait until you need help. Your call center supplier can often setup very quickly, but give yourself a little breathing room. A few weeks to a month or so is a nice cushion to choose the top call centers and launch the application.
2.) Communication is Key!
Be clear about what you want outsourcing to accomplish. Communicate projects, expectations, costs, and timelines to your vendor. When outsourcing to an external call center, you are essentially choosing a partner for your business. The agency should work in harmony with your employees and have the same type of work ethic and dedication to success.
3.) Make 1+1 = 3
Use a company that will expand your “talent base”. Hire a call center supplier in a different location with agents that have a different skill set than your current employees.
4.) Upgrade Your Technology
Outsourcing to the best call centers is a great opportunity to upgrade your technology without spending a dime of capital. Hire an agency that already has the advances technology in place and can help leverage this infrastructure to enhance your profitability.
5.) Choosing a Low Cost Agency
Call centers in low cost, developing countries like The Philippines, India, Latin America & Eastern Europe are often great choices for the following applications:
a. Outbound Lead Generation or Sales with very large targets/lists
b. High Volume Inbound Customer Support
c. Back Office Functions like Transcription, Chat, and Online Research
d. Functions that involve low margin products or services
Offshore agencies aren’t a fit for everything, but the cost savings are substantial and worth considering in the proper situation.
6.) Choosing a Higher Cost Agency
Top call centers in expensive, developed countries like the US, UK, Australia, & Germany are often great choices for the following applications:
a. Outbound Sales or Lead Generation with a finite database
b. High Value Inbound Support
c. Low Volume Inbound or Outbound
d. Functions that involve high margin products/services
Higher priced call centers are still thriving because certain applications simply require the BEST agents possible.
7.) Don’t just hire the Low Bidder
Contact Center Services are the ultimate “non-Commodity”. You are hiring an agency to manage thousands of individual conversations with your customers on a daily basis. Look for a cost competitive agency that also has the experience and infrastructure to deliver day in and day out!
Outsourcing is no longer about cutting costs and saving money. It is about how to do things quicker, more efficiently, getting to the market faster than your competitors, maximizing workforce flexibility and gaining access to highly qualified employees.
Call Center Outsourcing is becoming one of the most significant business trends of this decade and we can help you ride the wave! If you are ready to make an outsourced call center selection, please contact us here or call +1.719.368.8393 for a free consultation.
