If you are considering outsourcing these activities, you should spend sufficient time acquiring background information on the industry, including its regulations and best practices. Be sure you receive value from the contact centre you hire and protect yourself from malpractice. You should be aware that as the client, it is your responsibility to ensure that the activities you outsource are compliant with the laws in the countries the call center is calling to and from.
The benefits of call center outsourcing are numerous. By contracting out sales or customer service activities, you can free up your time and energy to focus on your core competencies. Even though you will need to invest initially in finding the right call centre or telemarketing company, outsourcing can save you money in the long run. In the beginning of your contract, you will most likely negotiate a trial period which gives both companies time and space to ascertain if it's a good partnership or not. If the trial is a success and an ongoing relationship will ensue, you should be able to arrange a lower cost or hourly rate.
If you find a call center or telemarketing company that has been in business for many years, it's a good sign that they have a strong reputation of measurable results and reliability. Feel free to ask them for references, case studies and testimonials that prove their success claims.
One of the other call center outsourcing requirements you should consider is industry knowledge and experience. Is it necessary to use a company that knows your markets inside and out, or will a few brief training sessions suffice? Chances are, if you are looking for an inbound customer care center to answer highly technical IT support questions, you'll need to be sure the place of business you outsource to specialises in this industry. However, if you are a clothing catalogue, the customer inquiries are probably going to be much less complicated.
Due to the rising popularity of call center outsourcing in India and the Philippines, call centres in Europe and America must be even more competitive than in previous years. In order to compensate for their higher rates, they must stress other factors such as quality, cultural understanding, language skills, staff training and expertise, and employee loyalty (time with the company). After all, you should not choose a call centre simply on the basis of cheaper rates. If you do, you run the risk of getting started with a company that has over-promised on their capabilities and subsequently under-delivers on their results.
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