Satisfied customers through outsourced customer service

Nov 20, 2014SHORE Blog

Customer service is one of the most commonly outsourced services. Outsourced customer service is usually implemented through a call center provider where agents respond to inbound calls or email messages. The Philippines dominates in call center outsourcing services globally. This is because Filipinos have pleasant neutral accents and are skilled at handling customers.

Customer service is one of the components in the customer relationship management (CRM) continuum. Outsourced customer service is applied to campaigns to promote a company’s brand, increase its revenues and improve customer satisfaction. Customer service agents are tasked to listen to what the customers require or inquire about, and should be able to patiently provide customers with the proper level of customer support.

A good customer service outsourcing provider must have adequate experience and good technology since the customers’ calls are covered by monitoring and measurable KPI’s. The provider hires, trains and keeps top quality customer service agents who, in turn, become the company’s brand advocates who are able to improve response rates, upsell or cross sell products and services, and maintain loyalty programs that increase a business’ revenues and profits. These outsourced customer service providers are skilled at building relationships with customers, and try to solve any issues that may cause customer dissatisfaction. With the strict metrics involved, the provider strives for continuous process improvements.

The traditional outsourced customer service is handled via inbound calls because much of the CRM continuum requires a great degree of customer interaction. However, email and social media are other methods for handling outsourced customer service.

Outsourced email support is a method used when clients’ customers do not expect a quick turnaround. A response time of 24 hours is the industry standard during which the agents will be checking for answers to customers’ questions. Then because of other customers’ preference for social media, outsourced customer service has lately also been provided through Facebook or Twitter. For social media, customers require greater immediacy and quicker responses. But because of the nature of social media (such as Twitter’s 140-character limit), these answers are also not as thorough. Still, social media customer service is an available option.

With outsourced customer service, companies can save time and money and yet ensure customer satisfaction and better sales.