Making the decision to outsource your call centre requirements can be a tough one, considering that the call centre is your interface into your customer base. This, however, needs to be seen in context of the full approach of an outsourcing solution, including both the critical success factors and the potential pitfalls of taking this route.
Outsourcing your customer interaction to a call centre requires a long-term commitment.
Long-term
The nature of the working relationship between your organisation and your call centre outsourcing service provider (OSP) is crucial. Your customer relationships are your most valuable asset and you need to entrust these relationships to a partner, not a supplier.
Make sure that both sides of the partnership have a clear picture of the expectations and responsibilities of each party. This must be officially agreed and documented using service level agreements. The performance of both sides of the team can then be measured clearly against the agreed standards.
Outsourcing your customer interaction to a call centre requires a long-term commitment. Thorough evaluation of the business requirements and building a comprehensive business case will ensure that your solution is not a knee-jerk reaction to short-term issues. Ensure that your business case enables you to show tangible and measurable benefit in the long-term, as well as some quick wins to build internal confidence and support.
Spend the money and take the time to do this properly - it will be of huge benefit in the long run.
Align your call centre strategy with other strategic programs. Doing this in isolation will only add costs and complications - ensure that your call centre strategy is integrated with your other business strategies to achieve the efficiencies and improvements you expect.
As with any initiative that will fundamentally change your business, make sure you have the right level of executive support to make this work.
Don`t look at the outsourcing route as an opportunity to hand over your problems. Outsourcing your points of pain in isolation will result in an unintegrated customer approach.
How to ensure success?
In the initial stages, you need to work together with your outsourcing partner to plan and design the best solution for your organisation. Take a long-term view of the project and make allowances for a steep learning curve.
Ensure that you have the right skills in-house to manage the outsourced partner, to build and develop the relationship to mutual benefit. This resource must be firmly in touch with your business and through effective management and communication processes, should work with the OSP as an extension of their team.
The call centre business is all about people. Integrate your dedicated call centre agents - make them part of the your culture and vision. This requires an aggressive investment in ongoing and comprehensive training. They are your interface to your customer base and therefore your most valuable resource.
Choose the right partner. Ensure you have full confidence in your partner`s approach, people, technologies and processes. Make sure it is on the forefront of technological advances and best practices in the call centre industry, and make sure it cares about its people as much as you care about yours.
(Critical Success Factors sourced from Ken Wheeler, business development manager, Merchants SA)
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