Call Center Outsourcing: The Buzz, Basics, and Benefits

Businesses regularly deal with the sudden influx of calls, inquiries, and complaints from their growing customer base, sometimes multiplied by various lines of business, channels, languages, and geographies. Handling this incorrectly, or at a level below customer expectations, may lead to lower customer satisfaction scores, decreased employee morale, and a stressful work environment—ultimately harming the brand as a whole. Addressing these pain points is beneficial to businesses and it may require assistance from third parties.

This is where call center outsourcing services come into play. Companies opt to outsource their in-house activities to ensure that they can accommodate their needs accordingly. With the help of these BPO call centers, businesses can now focus on their growth without having to worry about subpar services, additional expenses, and costs.

Many companies are contracting with contact center BPOs to handle customer interaction, often in the most efficient way possible. In the US alone, more than 300,000 jobs are outsourced annually, valuing the global industry at $92.5 billion.¹

Call center outsourcing is a strategic way to cut costs and grow your business – all while leveraging on the expertise of third party whose core purpose is the maximization of a customer’s experience. If you’re considering outsourcing, you might have questions about the service: How does it work? What are the benefits of outsourcing? What do I need to know about outsourcing my call center?

What Exactly Is Call Center Outsourcing?

At its most fundamental level, call center outsourcing is a business decision in which a company commissions its customer service to a third-party provider and handles customer inquiries, transactions, and other services.

They are often considered to be one of the most considerable cost-saving opportunities in any company's operation. The average in-house call center spends millions of dollars each year on employee salaries and benefits, as well as office space and equipment leasing expenses—all of which can be reduced when you start outsourcing call center responsibilities.²

Why Should You Outsource Your Business Call Center?

While many small companies have relied on in-house dial services for years, call center outsourcing has become an intriguing opportunity for even larger enterprises looking for cost savings.

Contact center outsourcing has become the backbone of many large organizations. This is when a contact center BPO acts as an extension of the company's customer service teams and is constantly working on responding to calls, resolving issues, and keeping customers happy and satisfied.

There are many reasons contact center outsourcing is an optimal way to grow your business promptly:

• Reduce costs
  • Choosing a BPO call center will relieve your company of rent, utilities, technology, human resources, and other expenses. Call center outsourcing allows you to reduce these recurring costs while increasing efficiency and productivity in your business and its operations overall.
  • Call center outsourcing costs are significantly lower than keeping in-house services, mostly because the client doesn’t need to calculate the expenses that come with expanding their workforce.

• Improve customer service levels
  • Outsourcing companies generally hire and train agents to specialize in customer service. Because of this, the resolution of issues and queries can be addressed quickly and efficiently.
  • Research has shown that customer satisfaction rises when issues are solved within the first call.³ BPO call center jobs are known to have extensive training to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.

• Reach new customers
  • While call center outsourcing services can save you money on payroll, benefits, and training, it can also mean having the ability to reach new markets. With more people on deck, you could potentially open a bilingual or multilingual contact center BPO, providing 24/7 services to new customers.

• Improve employee satisfaction levels
  • In a call center environment, all employees work together toward common goals, have open communication, and have a manageable workload. With more hands on deck, in-house employees tend to lead more productive and more efficient work days.
  • With a contact center BPO’s help, employees will feel confident in their jobs and the overall value proposition for the business as a whole. Allowing employees to use their skills outside the office environment so they learn something new can boost morale and allow workers to grow.

• Connect with industry leaders and pioneers
  • There’s no surprise that within the offshore outsourcing industry, connections play a big role in partnering with the best BPO service provider. By partnering with a major BPO call center, there’s a chance that your business will be easier to grow and manage.

Tips for Choosing a Call Center Partner

Choosing a contact center outsourcing partner for your business can be a daunting task. There are plenty of options, each one promising to bring you the best in quality and efficiency.

Whether you’re looking to outsource your call center because you need more hands on deck or because you want to save on costs, call center outsourcing can be an effective solution for many businesses.

You must choose the right BPO call center from the beginning so that they can protect what matters most to you—keeping your customers happy.

• Look for a partner that can provide you with the ideal level of support.
  • To truly develop a win-win relationship with your customers, you have to be able to support them in every channel. A strong customer service process is a critical part of business success, especially in today’s market. When your customers are satisfied, it results in improved relationships and stronger brand recognition and retention. Your call center outsourcing partner should be equipped with the tools, flexibility, resources, and expertise to meet your customer service requirements.
• Look for a goal-oriented outsourcing call center partner.
  • A contact center BPO partnership is a good fit when both parties have similar goals and objectives, rather than just one party's needs. Partner with a BPO call center company that can help you achieve your customer satisfaction goals and call volume reduction metrics. Learn how they handle your cost reduction requests and create strategies to make worthwhile investments.
• Look for a partner with a proven track record.
  • Choose a BPO call center partner who can guarantee high-quality call center outsourcing services. In addition, learn about their culture, environment, and how they handle and provide training to your potential agents. Make sure that your company values align with theirs. Check their partners, current milestones, and projects they constantly develop to help their clients.

Ultimately, no matter what you consider for a BPO call center partner, take the time to choose well.

Outsourcing Reimagined

Here at TaskUs, we invest in our people so we can work together to achieve Ridiculously Good customer service. As a global leader in customer experience innovation, we’re committed to the betterment of our customers, employees, and clients.

We believe in making a difference through cutting-edge technology partnered with the human touch—with these two combined, our CX solutions and services are more efficient than ever. Together with the most disruptive brands, we will continue to push the boundaries of technology to help you achieve your goals.