Why Do it Yourself? How Outsourced Customer Service Can Help Grow Your Business
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Introduction
The concept of outsourced customer service may go against the instincts of many small business owners. After all, customer service is a key aspect of any business, and it can be tempting to want to handle it in-house in order to maintain control and ensure a high level of quality. Despite this, outsourcing customer service can bring numerous advantages to businesses of any size, fostering growth and expansion.
In this article, we’ll examine why employing outsourced customer service can be a strategic move for businesses, and we’ll highlight some of the specific perks it provides.
What is Outsourced Customer Service?
Outsourced customer service involves hiring an external company to manage customer inquiries, complaints, and interactions for a business. This can include tasks such as answering phone calls, responding to emails and social media messages, and providing support through live chat. Typically, outsourced customer service companies employ competent professionals who possess the necessary skills to handle a diverse range of customer problems and queries. Additionally, they offer round-the-clock support, guaranteeing customers receive assistance at any hour.
Benefits of Outsourcing Customer Service
There are several key benefits to consider outsourced customer service for businesses. Here are just a few examples:
Cost Savings
One of the most obvious benefits of outsourcing customer service is the potential for significant cost savings. Recruiting and training in-house customer service staff can be a costly investment, compounded by the ongoing challenge of retaining top performers. With outsourced customer service, your businesses can save on hiring and training costs, while accessing a pool of experienced professionals.
Improved Efficiency
With outsourced customer service, businesses can access faster and more efficient service than they could achieve on their own. This is because outsourced customer service companies typically have dedicated teams of trained professionals who can handle a high volume of customer interactions, and they also often have access to advanced technologies and systems that streamline handling customer inquiries. As a result, outsourcing customer service can help your businesses reduce response times and improve the overall efficiency of your customer service operations.
Increased Flexibility
Outsourcing customer service offers businesses more flexibility. If a business gets a sudden influx of customer inquiries, scaling up in-house customer service may be challenging. However, by outsourcing customer service, businesses can easily and quickly access the additional resources they need to handle increased volume without having to invest in additional staff or infrastructure.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
Providing high-quality customer service is essential for building customer loyalty and maintaining a positive reputation. By outsourcing customer service, businesses can ensure that their customers receive timely and effective support, which can help to improve overall satisfaction and build brand loyalty. In fact, a study by American Express found that customers who had a positive customer service experience were significantly more likely to do business with a company again and to recommend it to others.
Increased Focus on Core Business Operations
Additionally, outsourcing customer service can free up time and resources for businesses to focus on other important tasks, such as developing new products, improving internal processes, and expanding into new markets. With outsourced customer service, your company can reduce (or remove entirely) the burden of handling customer inquiries and complaints with your own staff, allowing your team to focus on handling other day-to-day business activities.
Outsourced Customer Service Provides Access to Specialized Expertise
Outsourcing customer service can also provide businesses with access to specialized expertise that they may not have in-house. For example, an outsourced customer service company may provide staff who are fluent in multiple languages, which can be especially helpful if your businesses serves a diverse customer base. Similarly, an outsourced customer service company may have staff who are knowledgeable about specific industries or products, which can be beneficial for businesses that sell complex or technical products.
Greater Scalability
Outsourcing customer service can also help businesses scale their operations up or down quickly and easily when needed. For example, if a business experiences a seasonal increase in customer inquiries, it may be difficult to quickly hire and train enough in-house staff to meet the increased volume. By outsourcing customer service, though, businesses can quickly access the additional resources they need without having to invest in additional staff or infrastructure. Conversely, if a business experiences a decrease in customer inquiries, it can easily scale down its outsourced customer service operations to match the lower demand.
Improved Data Security
Finally, outsourcing customer service can also provide businesses with improved data security. Businesses that handle customer inquiries and complaints internally face the possibility of data breaches and other security concerns. By using outsourced customer service, though, businesses can utilize the advanced security measures and protocols usually in place with these security-conscious third-party outsourced companies, ensuring the protection of customer data.
Examples of Successful Outsourced Customer Service
Several examples exist of businesses that have outsourced customer service and witnessed notable benefits. Here are just a few examples:
Amazon
Amazon contracts with multiple third-party companies in several countries to manage its customer service operations. Thanks to this model, Amazon has experienced immense success and its customer service is renowned for its effectiveness and responsiveness. As a matter of fact, Amazon is often mentioned as a prime illustration of how outsourced customer service can drive success and distinguish businesses in the market.
Procter & Gamble
With a history spanning nearly 200 years, Procter & Gamble is a global leader in consumer goods and has a presence in almost every country. P&G relies on outsourced customer service to maintain their large market presence, offering round-the-clock support, enhancing responsiveness, and fostering brand loyalty. Outsourcing customer service helps P&G save money and provide targeted and effective customer support in diverse markets.
Demand for Outsourced Customer Service Is Higher Than Ever
According to an article from Forbes, the demand for outsourced customer service is higher than ever and growing more year by year. According to the article, 58% of large companies and enterprises report using at least some measure of outsourced customer service and support. Likewise, the same report states that number will rise to nearly 65% by 2025. These numbers highlight the importance of taking advantage of the many benefits of outsourced customer service and the need for businesses to follow suit – if they wish to remain competitive.
Conclusion
To conclude, outsourcing customer service can bring many benefits to your business, regardless of its size. It has the potential to save costs, improve efficiency, increase flexibility, and enhance customer satisfaction, among others.
By outsourcing customer service, your business can prioritize its core operations, tap into specialized expertise, and manage operations more flexibly. Additionally, outsourcing customer service can provide improved data security, help your business achieve success, and differentiate yourself in the market. In short, outsourcing customer service is a smart choice for your business – if you want to grow and succeed.
Grow Your Business with Insta Answer’s Outsourced Customer Service Solutions
Insta Answer has been helping companies (big and small and just like yours) improve their customer service and support for over 50 years. With our wide range of outsourced customer service options, Insta Answer surely has a plan that provides better support for your customers, improves customer loyalty, and increases your bottom line.
If you would like to learn more about our outsourced customer service solutions, please contact us for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. You can reach us by phone toll free at 1-877-631-9711 or by email at [email protected]. You will be glad you did and we look forward to hearing from you.
