Contact center outsourcing can be a fantastic strategy for cost-savings and flexibility. But it can also be difficult to execute, especially if you’ve never outsourced part of your business before.
We’ve created this article to help you recognize and avoid the most common mistakes companies make when outsourcing their call centers. So, without further delay, let’s get into it.
Common Outsourcing Mistakes
Choosing a Call Center Based on Price Alone
One of the biggest and most common outsourcing mistakes that we see companies making is focusing too heavily on price.
Of course, costs matter, and there are good deals available through companies like ours. But you get what you pay for. If you go with the lowest-priced provider out there, you may get the worst service as well.
That’s not something you want to risk, as 67% of customers cite poor customer service as the reason for switching businesses. The bottom line is that pricing is just one factor to consider, alongside others like experience and communication.
Inadequate Training
It’s easy to rush through training when you just want to get your call center up and running as quickly as possible. But spending too little time on it could lead to poor customer service outcomes.
There’s no exact answer for how long your training program should take. It will vary based on your company and the complexity of its customer service needs. The key is to be as thorough as possible to avoid having untrained and ineffective agents working for you.
Not Being Clear Enough with User and Vendor Requirements
It’s important to make all of your expectations for the call center clear. If you want the team to hit certain KPIs, let them know.
Even if those metrics are lofty, the outsourced team will at least know what they’re working towards. If the goals you set are too vague, it’ll be tough to progress toward them efficiently.
Lack of Communication
Communication is a major part of running an effective outsourced call center. You and the leader of the call center should be talking as often as you need to in order to reach your performance goals.
What we often see is a company setting up an outsourced contact center and then gradually communicating less and less with them as time goes on. When communication dips like this, performance typically comes next.
So, make sure that you’re in constant communication with your outsourced team to avoid this unwanted outcome.
Failing to Conduct Due Diligence
We also sometimes see companies fail to conduct their due diligence before choosing an outsourcing provider. There are a fair number of scam artists in this industry, but there are also just companies that aren’t actually able to do what they say they can do to win your business.
That’s why it’s important to focus on outsourcing companies that have a proven track record doing the kinds of things you want them to do for you. To find those businesses, you need to do your research, ask for references, and talk to previous clients to make sure you’re making a good decision.
Ignoring the Outsourcing Contract
Another common outsourcing mistake we see is a failure to really dig into the outsourcing contract. This contract sets the terms of your agreement. If you miss provisions or performance modifiers, you could end up with a vastly different outcome than what you expected going into it.
That’s why it’s super important to really take your time reviewing the contract. Try to think about what would happen in the worst-case scenario. Would the contract offer you protection? If you can honestly say yes, it would. That’s a good sign that you’re on the right track.
Not Making Data Analysis a Priority
Not making data analysis a priority is a common outsourcing mistake. One of the challenges of using an outsourced contact center is that you won’t be there to watch over the team. That can leave gaps in your understanding that lead to performance declines.
However, the data that your team generates can help to fill these gaps and give you the information you need to make more effective decisions.
That’s why it’s important to continuously analyze the data that your outsourced contact center creates. Looking at metrics like average call time, customer service ratings, and others will help you make the best possible decisions and get as much out of your outsourced team as you can.
Forgetting to Think of the Customer
Another common outsourcing mistake is focusing too heavily on your interests and neglecting those of your customers.
What you really want to ask yourself is how your customers will feel about the contact center. Will they be able to get support when they need it? Will the agents be knowledgeable enough to answer their questions?
If your customers have a poor experience with your outsourced call center, it could damage your brand standing in their eyes. They may even abandon your company for a competitor.
That’s why, even if you can find a call center that offers the best pricing and contractual terms possible, it’ll only be a good idea to pick them if you know they’ll deliver great experiences to your customers as well.
Tips for Avoiding Common Outsourcing Mistakes
So – now that we’ve covered some of the most common contact center outsourcing mistakes let’s consider some strategies for avoiding them.
Being aware of the potential pitfalls of using an outsourced call center is important, as we covered throughout the previous section. But here are some more tips you can use to improve your contact center outsourcing experience.
Don’t Rush
Once you’ve made the decision to outsource your contact center, it’s tempting to rush through the hiring process to get the team up and running as quickly as possible. But that’s when mistakes happen.
When you’re in a rush, you may fail to consider all of your contact center outsourcing options. You may also speed through your training program and miss big opportunities for improvement in the process.
These are all reasons why it’s critical to take your time while setting up your contact center outsourcing operation. The process will take as long as it takes. If you go into it with that mindset, you’ll be much less likely to make errors.
Consider More Than One Provider
While choosing your contact center outsourcing team, make sure you’re looking at more than one company.
Even if the first company that you look at seems to have everything you want, there’s no telling if the next company could be even better.
Plus, one of the ways to make a better decision is to compare and contrast the pros and cons of different options. If you only look at one provider, you won’t be able to do that. And this could actually lead to a poor experience, even if the provider seems perfect during the hiring process.
Make Communication a Priority
Once you’ve selected your provider, make sure that you’re communicating with them on a regular basis. Even when things seem to be going well, it’s important to keep this line of communication open.
The challenge of using an outsourced contact center is that you’re not there to assess how the team is working on a daily basis. But the leader of that contact center is, and you can get their opinion if you remain in contact with them regularly.
Plus, when challenges come up, you want to already have these strong communication lines established. That way, it’ll be easier to talk your way through a problem and resolve it without having to first figure out how to talk to your counterpart in the contact center.
Track More Than One Performance Metric
Finally, another tip that’s worth following is making sure that you track more than one performance metric. Doing so will help you identify problem areas and improve more efficiently when you need to.
If you only track one performance metric, like customer satisfaction ratings, you miss a lot. And when that overarching metric starts to decline, it becomes difficult to suss out the reason for it.
For example, let’s say you only look at customer service ratings, and those numbers start to go down. Is that happening because your team is taking too long on each phone call? Or do they not know enough about your products to answer questions?
You need to track multiple metrics to get the whole picture and to find your best opportunities for quick improvement.
The Cattalyst Can Help You Execute Your Contact Center Outsourcing Strategy More Effectively
Are you thinking about setting up an outsourced contact center? If so, having an expert on your side throughout the process can make it much easier to get a strong team up and running quickly.
That’s what The Cattalyst offers. We have decades of experience in contact center outsourcing and can leverage that to make sure you find the best solution for your business.
So why wait? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help.
