Happy and smiling call center agents can help improve customer loyalty. To some, the title of this blog seems like a contradiction. Many have complained about their negative experiences when calling companies and getting poor service from call center agents. However, a big reason for this is often that companies have not selected the outsource call center that aligns best with their culture or can meet their service requirements and quality objectives.
Outsourcing can improve customer loyalty, but companies need to ensure they’re properly vetting their potential partners before making a call center selection. While this process is complicated and not something easily summed up in a short blog, there are a few key search criteria that apply to most vetting situations. The following are six key call center search criteria that can help companies improve their customer experience, which will ultimately boost customer loyalty:
1) Specialization
If your industry has very specific needs, make sure the call center has experience in your industry or a related industry. It’s also crucial to learn the focus of their services, including types of calls (inbound/outbound, location, onshore or off-shore markets served), and their language capabilities.
2) Technology
Whatever call center provider that you choose they need to have the right technology that meets your multichannel campaign parameters to help customers on any channel at any time of the day. Some of these technologies include interactive voice response (IVR), email support, live chat capabilities, social media services. Utilizing multichannel technology can help improve efficiency and provide service to more customers, and the call centers that provide leading-edge strategies and solutions will stand out as the best options.
3) Compliance and Certifications
Depending on your industry, be sure to check the outsource call center certifications, including whether they are compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI), HIPAA certified or IS0900.
4) Years in Business and Company Culture
Matching cultures is essential when starting an important partnership with a call center. Check to see how long the call center has been in business and determine if it has had a financially stable history. Talk with them and interview their references to find out if their culture fits with your culture. The call center needs to be able to present themselves as an extension of your brand and not an independent entity, so it’s important to ensure their agent hiring and training methods align with yours. Also, understand how they treat their agents to make them happy and motivated to come to work every day. Explore pay rates, benefits, training practices, company incentives, fun events and career paths.
5) Capacity
When you are seeking an outsource call center to manage the excess call volume you cannot manage in-house, it is critical that the partner you choose has the capacity and scalability to meet your requirements regardless of call volume or seasonality.
6) Performance and Quality Metrics
Evaluate the outsource call center’s practices used to maximize performance. The call center should be able to provide detailed reporting based on KPIs that best suit your goals. Analyze their training, management, quality monitoring, attrition rates, incentives, and agent CSAT and motivational practices to ensure they can perform as promised. In addition, ensure the call center agents can offer bilingual and multilingual service.
Need an outsource call center to improve your customer experience? We can help!
Outsource Consultants are call center experts with over 25 years of outsourcing industry experience who have spent thousands of hours vetting and analyzing the strengths and specializations of the industry-leading nearshore outsource call center vendors. If you’re considering nearshore call center outsourcing, simply call 888-766-4482 or request a free call center cost proposal today and we’ll help you find the solution that best fits your exact requirements.
