Business process outsourcing has become a common practice with most companies, whether it is a startup or a Fortune 500 brand, whether it is a financial services provider or an ecommerce company. Business in every sector can now outsource non-core BPO services, while leveraging more resources for core business operations. And, as the year 2020 has been a learning phase for many businesses as well as business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, we should be expecting a number of interesting trends to surface in the year 2021.
Whether you need a professional team for financial services outsourcing or want your brand to be represented in the most professional way, there are a few things you should know before outsourcing. In this blog we will highlight 10 important things and commonly asked questions before deciding to partner with a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Company.
1. What does a BPO service provider do?
The primary task of BPO companies is to answer phones on behalf of your organization. When your organization gets an incoming call, your partnered call center is responsible for responding to that, answering accurately and as precisely as possible. This will ensure a higher customer satisfaction rate. In the case of B2B clients, most agents are provided with a script or set of guidelines that comprise FAQs and information relevant to your business. Any good inbound/outbound call center services are workable beyond scripts and in constant synchronization with your in-house departments so that everyone remains on the same page and customers feel they have contacted the business itself and not any third party agency.
2. What does core inbound and outbound call center services mean?
Core inbound services in a call center include call taking, message recording, call forwarding, answering to queries, helping customers with frequently asked questions, and also order taking and processing. Call centers usually offer services more than just these basic inbound services. Many inbound/outbound call center services include email marketing, social media monitoring and online reputation management, 24-hour live answering services, accounting and payroll management and some other latest inclusions like contact tracing services, work from home support services and remote quality assurance service. Some outbound services are industry-specific and are handled by dedicated call centers. For example, ecommerce call center services are specifically meant for supporting ecommerce businesses. Companies require outbound support when they struggle with lead generation and they are looking to drum up sales. Irrespective of the BPO services you require, contact centers, like Fusion CX, are transparent, communicative and stick to SLAs. You also get easy access to performance reports and follow up on teams as and when required.
3. How to improve hyperlocal marketing with call center services?
Hyperlocal marketing is expected to gain more importance in 2021. It is a type of super targeted niche marketing adopted by most companies. It can be a campaign targeting a specific city and customers within that city, or it can be about a specific product or service. Apart from that, hyperlocal marketing is about creating buzz because businesses benefit from local or time-sensitive promotions and sales activities. However, the major challenge with hyperlocal marketing is demographic and cultural barrier. When you partner with a global BPO provider for inbound call center services, you can overcome these challenges easily. The multilingual teams and agents operating from different locations are ideal for local processes, whether it’s voice or non-voice.
4. What is the difference between answering services and BPO services?
Answering services and BPO Services are similar in various ways, with overlapping services. However, there are differences in ways the answering services take care of certain and more particular subjects. On the other hand, call centers provide more like a go-to choice for a broader category. Answering services that mostly comprise BPO voice process services can be considered as a smaller segment of processes, often working in fields with more domain-centric needs. For example, a hospital often needs answering services from healthcare BPO Companies to take care of medical insurance processing and verifications, telemedicine, etc.
Call center services, on the other hand, are supposed to be more general and have the ability to manage high volume of calls. Call centers provide outbound services, telecommunication call center services, lead generation and remarketing campaigns.
5. How much does outsourcing cost?
Usually, in a call center sector, rates vary depending on the time an agent spends taking care of your accounts and processes. Most BPO providers charge per minute, sometimes, the rates are also based on monthly requirements. Some healthcare BPO companies may charge more than general contact center services because it involves a meticulous approach in accordance to the domain. Some also provide “pay as you go” plans which are mostly feasible for businesses with small budgets. There are several other factors that vary from company to company, services requested for and expected call volumes to be handled.
6. Why do you need call center assistance?
Any organization in need of a customer service team but without any in-house resources to assign the job can hire a call center. This comprises B2B and B2C companies, regardless of their different customer service requirements. For example: For financial service providers and BFSI companies, leaving inbound calls unattended means losing valuable customers. Hence, by financial services outsourcing, financial service firms can bolster their customer service resources.
7. Is call center outsourcing beneficial for all business sizes and types?
Companies of all sizes employ answering services and back office services to manage their customer service, incoming phone calls, sales and marketing in a professional way. They partner with call center providers in a number of ways. Some businesses team up only when the call volume spikes, especially during the peak seasons. Ecommerce call center services are mostly season-based. While an emergency service provider like Hospital or Utility needs 24-hour live answering services. Many corporate offices want BPO services to represent their business in a more professional way and maintain excellent customer satisfaction. Constant customer support is the key service to consider in order to boost sales and overall business growth.
8. Can BPO benefit startups?
Many BPO firms offer services like back office support and non-voice that startups might find helpful. Apart from core competencies, a startup company has many activities to take care of – from back office to sales and marketing. A startup has limited staff and resources. Hiring an outsourced service provider will help take off the burden and support internal staff.
9. What are the cons of hiring a call center?
We mostly talk about the benefits. But, it has drawbacks as well. Standing in 2021, the intersection of digital channels can often cause decreased customer satisfaction. BPO services often create a layer between the customers and you. So, the chances of confusion, unfiltered information remains. Secondly, usage of BPO non voice process services without encrypted connection can cause data security issues. Thus, it is imperative that you choose a call center that comply with PCI DSS regulations and have requisite licenses to carry out the activities with utmost data security.
10. Why should you hire an experienced call center like Fusion CX?
Fusion CX has evolved through time and adopted latest technologies, strategies and trends that can cater changing needs of your growing brand. Outsourcing BPO services is a very common practice today. But, make sure you choose the right outsourcing partner like Fusion CX to fetch the benefits and discover opportunities for business growth. Call us now to know who we can help!
Also Read : 25 Non-Core Activities That A Business Can Outsource
