One of the biggest concerns with the labor shortage in the contact center industry is that it will negatively impact customer experience. However, the opposite is often true, as an increase in customer experience can result from efforts to address the labor shortage.
Contact center leaders are among the hardest working people on the planet, what we know is that so much time is spent working in the business it can be hard to work on the business. So, things like strategy, vision, operational efficiency, and much more give way to ensuring customers’ needs are being met here and now.
While the day-to-day needs of the business are met, technology continues to evolve, and the number of options also continues to grow. These technologies also enable and empower Business Process Outsourcing companies (BPO) to grow and rise to the level needed to meet the expectations of their US counterparts.
To answer the question of how to solve the labor shortage in the contact center, the answer is not as simple as hiring more people or automating processes. It is a combination of both. Here we dive into how utilizing outsourcing can solve your labor issues while improving your customer experience.
Finding the Right BPO Fit
The biggest concern with outsourcing is finding the right fit for what your company provides. Here are some of the criteria to consider:
- Industry
- Culture fit
- Technology stack
- Languages spoken
- Hours of operation
- Flexibility of overflow
With all the options available finding the right fit using a combination of criteria is possible. There is no need to “settle” or force a fit that is not available. If your company uses Salesforce for your CRM, there are many companies well versed in multiple technologies.
Three Things You Need for A Successful Outsourcing Partnership
#1 Ensuring that the BPO Partner Understands Your Industry
From financial to healthcare to e-commerce there are companies that specialize by industry. Over the past decade, this is where BPO has done well in catering to industry-specific needs, and chances are your industry is one that a BPO understands.
#2 Technology Stack Alignment
Does your company use Salesforce? Maybe Genesys is your platform of choice integrated with Salesforce? Hubspot with Five9? The list of combinations is endless, and so is the list of companies, in your industry that you can partner with. If by chance the combination is obscure, then a little training can go a long way as outsourcing contact center partners are flexible in their offerings.
#3 Cultural Alignment
This is the biggest factor and one that is often overlooked in selecting the right partner. Customer experience, mission & vision should play a big part in the selection process. Understanding the company’s macro-overlook on business and its people is critical when it comes to the right fit.
Getting the Most Out of Your Contact Center Outsourcing Partner
Now that you have found harmony with the BPO of your choosing, there are several ways to utilize their services. You can divert some of your traffic, all your traffic, emails, messages, or any combination of services. The possibilities are endless which can be overwhelming at times.
What most companies may not know is when you partner with a reputable BPO you are not just delegating customer contacts, you are delegating a lot of the administrative and operational work as well. There is, of course, an onboarding process, however, that burden is not completely on your company. Most outsourcing companies have their own onboarding team to ensure things go smoothly.
The onboarding team will act as a new agent and absorb all the proper information. This includes documentation, training processes and manuals, CRM integration, escalation procedures, metrics adherence, and more to make certain expectations are clearly defined.
Once onboarding is complete, you can decide what traffic to delegate. Some of the ways BPOs alleviate the pressure on contact centers are by handling:
- Seasonal calls
- Email messages
- Social messaging
- Tier 1 calls
- After hours
- Adding language options
The benefit of a BPO can be in a combination of these services. With the price of labor increasing and technology closing many of the learning gaps, the customer experience can improve.
The World Is Smaller Than Ever in The Contact Center World
To say we live in a global business world is truer now than ever. There are BPO companies across the globe, in your time zone, and the opposite of your time zone. Most of us are familiar with the term offshore, however, a term some may not have heard is “near-shore”. Referring to labor available in North, Central, or South America, it helps with workforce management in the contact center.
Outsourcing certainly can help solve issues related to handling call volumes, however, it can also help with business development. With all of the language possibilities, BPOs can help companies expand into new markets, reach new customers, and service current customers like never before. It is a great way to test new markets before opening an office or gauging customer appetite before diving in.
Now Is a Great Time to Explore Outsourcing for Your Contact Center
Outsourcing is everywhere and helps contact centers domestically and internationally. The efficiencies that you are looking for are also being found in our network of over 100 BPO partners. Finding a fit is more possible now than at any point in time.
If you are wondering where to start, contacting our team of experts is a great first step. Putting our decades of experience to work for you. Our team comes from the contact center world, which helps us to understand the most important piece of the equation: your business.
