Is customer service outsourcing right for you?

1 Overview

The digital world has increased modes of customer access. Customers have the flexibility to reach your business via emails, phone, chat and social media etc. As your business expands internationally, balancing the demands of this flexibility whilst focusing on day-to-day operations can be challenging. Outsourcing your customer service is a plausible solution to these time and resource deficiencies. But first, you’ll need to determine if outsourcing is the right option for you. Do you have sufficient customer service staff in house, or will you need to hire extra resources?

How to go about it

The below guidelines assess whether outsourcing is an appropriate solution for your business’ customer services function. Different levels of customer service are rated so that you know exactly how to pitch for the top.

2 Key questions to consider

Before choosing to outsource, align with your team on needs by considering these questions:

1. Are you in need of a new skill/ expertise to support your customer?

This is where outsourcing is the most effective. Lack of knowledge to execute could do long term harm and even prohibit growth to new markets, languages and customers. Outsourcing a specialized function or segment allows you to ensure that it is done correctly the first time.

2. Do you have disciplined processes?

Outsourcing won’t get rid of your responsibilities completely. You’ll still have to devote time communicating and aiding your outsourcer to develop a repeatable, measurable and lean process to outsource.

3. Is there scope to increase your efficiency and competitiveness?

Outsourcing your customer service ensures that your customers receive the help that they need when they need it. Top service providers also have the capacity to absorb dramatic demand shifts, enabling quicker ramp-ups and ramp-downs than in-house centers.