Written by Dion Jay Tality
Contents
Businesses should prioritize their most important stakeholders: customers. Why? Robust customer service and support translate into a boost in profits.
Unfortunately, some companies lack the necessary expertise and technology to improve customer service. Sure, they can start investing in the best talent, but this is costly. Outsourcing is a cost-efficient solution that can provide the type of customer support that maintains customer loyalty.
Whether you look for outsourced ecommerce customer service or healthcare customer support through a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, your business will benefit from outsourcing.
Still unconvinced? Let’s talk about 13 proven advantages of outsourcing customer support.
What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Customer Support?
What is business process outsourcing (BPO) in the first place? BPO entails hiring a third-party service provider to handle customer-facing or back-end tasks for your business.
Customer support is one business function commonly outsourced. Your outside contractors provide technical assistance with a business’s products or services to customers.
Outsourcing customer support comes with a handful of benefits, including:
1. 24/7 Customer Support
According to Hiver, 76% of service teams offer customer support outside of business hours. About 34% of them offer round-the-clock service. Today, customers expect companies to be immediately available to assist them. They reach out to brands whenever they are free or have a pressing concern.
Outsourcing proves beneficial if your customer support team works only on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM or 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So consider that customers demand availability, which is crucial to your overall business success, and make your decisions accordingly.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider usually has a round-the-clock operation. |
2. Multilingual Capabilities
People in the United States speak at least 300 languages. It’s a melting pot of different cultures and, consequently, vastly diverse consumers. About 68% of consumers will switch to brands with customer support available in their native language. In turn, 57% will consider companies biased if they don’t offer support for multiple languages. Thus, businesses with multilingual capabilities have a competitive advantage.
Most BPO companies hire a pool of global talent. They employ agents who can speak and write in different languages. Outsourcing gives you access to multilingual customer support representatives who will serve your customers better without a language barrier.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider hires employees who use different languages. |
3. Omnichannel Customer Contact
Customers now demand more platforms when doing business. They look for robust interactions and personalized experiences. As a result, according to the same Hiver report, omnichannel solutions have become the norm. About 64% of service teams offer customer support using more than three communication channels.
Hiring a BPO vendor allows you to capitalize on omnichannel support. But make sure your vendor uses a contact center as a service (CCaaS) to get this feature. With CCaaS, you can outsource email support, live chat, and phone support. These are the top three channels preferred by most customers.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider offers more than one communication channel. |
4. Skilled and Trained Workforce
About 90% of small businesses plan to outsource business functions this year. Over a quarter of them want to work with experts. This number shows how valuable expertise is as a commodity in business.
Outsourcing gives you access to a robust workforce. Most BPO companies have a stringent recruitment process to hire suitable candidates. They also train new employees for success before they are deployed. Working with a BPO partner gives you skilled and trained agents for your customer support team.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider hires and trains skilled people. |
5. Advanced Technology and Resources
The pandemic accelerated businesses’ need for technological advancement and digital transformation. Deloitte cites automation, single-instance enterprise resource planning (ERP), and cloud technology as the top digital enablers.
Outsourcing gives you access to the latest technology. Most BPO companies invest in advanced resources because they cater to a variety of businesses. Hiring a BPO partner lets you capitalize on advanced tools for your customer support. Maximize your business with computer telephony integration (CTI), customer relationship management (CRM), and CCaaS.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider employs the latest technology and has various resources. |
6. Enhanced Security and Privacy
Security risk reduction is not only the biggest information technology (IT) challenge among businesses; it is also the top reason to outsource. About 32% of businesses hire a service provider primarily for security reasons. They want to protect the privacy of their business and customers.
Outsourcing strengthens data protection and network security. The right partner secures your business network and safeguards customer information.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider secures your network and protects customer data. |
7. Full Regulatory Compliance
Every business is subject to the laws of the land. Adherence to federal, state, or local regulations ensures continuous operation. Noncompliance leads to legal implications and business closure. Thus, companies should ensure 100% compliance.
Outsourcing is ideal if you lack legal knowledge. Whether you outsource data entry services or customer support, your BPO partner can help you stay on top of all legal and documentation requirements.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider strictly follows laws and regulations for full compliance. |
8. Improved Service Efficiency
According to the Clutch report, small businesses outsource to realize potential benefits. Among the top benefits are using flexible resources (33%) and improving efficiency (27%). So here’s a tip for outsourcing customer service: make sure to focus on service efficiency, too.
Outsourcing lets you have the best crew and the latest technology. Both these factors help improve your customer support. For instance, automation reduces manual work and automates workflow. It assists your agents, speeds up your process, and increases overall efficiency.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO vendor can speed up your process using skilled workers and cutting-edge technology. |
9. Quality Customer Service
According to HubSpot, customers have higher expectations than ever, with nine out of 10 service teams surveyed agreed. Customers have become wiser and more critical because they have more options. Hence, they expect quality service from companies.
Most BPO service providers focus on quality service. It is a key performance indicator (KPI) besides service efficiency and customer satisfaction. To ensure you provide the best experience, have a team of quality analysts (QAs) if you outsource your customer support. These QAs will monitor your agents to ensure adherence to standard workflow and business policies.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider improves agent performance and ensures quality service. |
10. Real Customer Satisfaction
As mentioned above, every business uses three KPIs. We have already discussed the first two: service efficiency and quality. But the third KPI is the most important: customer satisfaction (CSAT).
CSAT measures how satisfied customers are with the services they receive. You encounter this KPI in every BPO company because the end goal of front-office functions is 100% customer satisfaction. When outsourcing customer support, your BPO partner helps you meet this metric.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider has a customer-centric operation to ensure satisfaction. |
11. High Business Profits
Companies exist to make profits. But offering valuable products and services is also their role. They should provide customers with the utmost support and the best experience. That is the only way to win new customers and gain their loyalty.
Outsourcing improves your operation, which resonates with your customers. If customers are happy, they will continue to patronize your brand. You gain high returns when customers consistently buy your products and hire your services.
Thus, profit starts with your customer support. The BPO industry is expected to grow from almost $246 billion in 2021 to $525.2 billion in 2030. Your business grows along with this global market.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider helps your business improve its bottom line. |
12. Optimized Operations and Scalable Business
Every business aspires to grow and expand, especially small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs). But scaling your business is difficult if you lack expertise and experience. Fortunately, BPO can help you with this.
A third-party vendor can optimize your functions, whether they be customer support, sales, or inventory management outsourcing. It has the industry experience and expertise to scale your business as needed. Ultimately, your contracted service provider helps you grow and succeed.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider is capable of scaling your business up and down. |
13. Significant Cost Reduction
According to Deloitte, cost reduction remains the top reason for outsourcing. This idea makes absolute sense, especially if you offshore your operations.
Building your in-house customer support team is more expensive than outsourcing. You have to hire and train employees. You also have to build infrastructure and invest in technology.
But if you outsource, you will pay only for a service package, and the BPO provider handles the employee and material resources necessary. Service packages help you save money in the long term.
| What are the benefits of outsourcing customer support? A BPO service provider helps reduce your operating costs. |
The Bottom Line
Customers should always be the top priority of companies of all sizes. After all, they are the most important stakeholders. Remember: happy customers help provide your business with greater revenue.
That said, start with your front-office functions. Optimize customer support by hiring a reliable BPO service provider. It will give you access to an expert workforce and the latest technology.
Consider outsourcing to reap the benefits discussed above. The right BPO partner will provide your customers with the best support.
