subject: Call Centers - How To Make An Informed Choice And Judiciously Manage Outsourced Services [print this page] Most companies would agree that buying services is not as easy as acquiring products. While outsourcing helps one to focus on core business and offers numerous other benefits, it may become a liability if the process is not managed judiciously.
Many businesses, these days, are turning to call centers that carry out both incoming and outgoing calls for businesses round the clock. But, without proper checks, the process of buying and using outsourced call centers can turn out to be a real dampener, fraught with difficulties.
Following are some of the problems and a few guidelines on how to better manage the process of outsourcing your call center.
1. Invest time and resource while choosing your vendor
Take your time to choose a service and zero in on a vendor only after properly examining their level of expertise and areas of experience. Many companies do not give much time and attention to browsing and purchasing services. It would be a good idea to nominate a team-member for the purpose and devote the time to arrive at the best decision for your company regarding an outsourced call center.
2. Keep track of the profitability of the service to your company
Many a time businesses hasten up to invest in a service when needed but realize at a later stage that purchasing the service has not been profitable to them. One may go grossly wrong in estimating the measure and parameters of call center services required for the company. You might, for example, miscalculate the number of representatives needed for a campaign and hire substantially more that what would otherwise be sufficient. Analyze your business decisions at every step and keep in mind that outsourcing is supposed to help you make more money by increasing your revenue and lowering your costs.
3. Try to optimize your resources while outsourcing
Outsourcing should be in commensuration with the resources available at the service provider. Heavy dependence on one call center may give them a free hand in unduly increasing your costs. Appoint an in-house representative who can keep an eye on the process and accomplish some peripheral duties himself rather than depending on the vendor to resolve them.
4. Do your homework on call centers well
The chances of you going wrong can be minimized by some well-informed research. Get an idea about what to expect from a service and the advantages of hiring a service provider. You can also get quotes from several sources to estimate the pricing. Fully understand why you are purchasing services to ascertain if you are making the right business move. Allocate the smartest people in your company to do the research, to analyze costs and possible savings, to choose the right vendor and to maintain a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with the vendor.
Outsourcing your call center is a judicious move that can bring greater efficiency to your business while it lowers your costs. Make sure you spend the time to understand your needs and pick the right partner.
