Call Center Outsourcing is Getting New Attention

As the United States economy experiences its most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, an increasing number of companies are recognizing the benefits of outsourcing all, or at least some of their call center operations.

While the primary value propositions for outsourcing call center operations have typically focused on decreasing costs, taking advantage of new technologies, reducing capital investments, employing scalable infrastructures and gaining access to best practices; the revenue side is emerging as a prime consideration. Also, despite the stressful environment in which many companies are operating in, the decision making process on whether to outsource is being conducted in more methodical and strategic ways compared to previous periods where a singular justification such as projected costs savings carried overwhelming weight.

In order to take advantage of a fertile market, call center service providers face several challenges. They need to address concerns such as performance quality measurements, customer data security and even government regulations. New delivery models must be developed that recognize the increasing complex nature of customer interactions and integration with a multitude of business processes. This requires providers to move from a transaction mentality to a strategic partnership mindset driven by continuous improvements in business processes for both the call center and the client.

The benefit most often cited about outsourcing call center services is that it enables companies to better focus on their core competencies. However, this is a very incomplete, if not flawed assessment as it suggests that customer interactions do not have strategic implications. Today, a customer interaction in all its forms, whether an inbound phone call, web chat or email exchange, can have a profound multiplier effect and bottom line impact when these experiences good or bad instantly traverse online media and social networking spaces and pick up a life of their own.

Traditionally call centers have primarily been used in a reactive role. In today’s world there’s much greater emphasis on developing new personalized and proactive applications including:

o Lead generation, surveys and customer retention
o Cross channel communication marketing and sales campaigns
o Health and medical support
o Providing emergency assistance
o Industry-specific solutions

Cultural idioms often created uncomfortable communication barriers and prevented agents from admitting they misunderstood something or even worse offended the caller. Plus, conversations were often conducted over less than stellar voice networks.

From a company’s perspective, when problems arise in the operation of an off-shore call center, not only does the company face the same cultural barriers their customers confront, the geographical distance makes problem resolution in real-time, even with video conferencing, a considerable challenge.

A growing number of U.S. based companies that shifted call center operations overseas have come to the realization that the projected cost savings is diluted by significant customer dissatisfaction, outright defections and many other hidden costs that negatively impact the bottom line. These experiences don’t mean that in every instance foreign outsourcing creates a problem, but what it does illustrate is that outsourcing is an involved undertaking.

Outsourcing call center operations to foreign countries will continue to be a reasonable option especially since we live in a global economy.

Businesses with call center outsourcing gets better especially when the practice of customer handling processes is performed by the acumen professionals. The calling agents that you normally hire in your organization mighty not judge the feedback of the customers which may turn out to be wrong for some reasons. But the call center follows a great tactic to handle them with a special attention to their demands.

Outsourcing attains a better attention when your organization is losing control of your present business operations and your staff becomes inadequate to meet the rising demands. As business rises with the customer list it is equally important to track the customers even after the sales process is successfully finished.

Call centers are the only resources that consist of huge databases of the customers and their detailed choice. To deliver the commitment the call centers follows the basics through outbound and inbound telemarketing campaigns which can easily develop the process of lead generation, order taking, appointment setting and sales telemarketing and many others. Customers are benefited and so as your organization in an indirect way. Al that matters is the relations that are being carried out with extreme excellence, dedication and trust.