subject: Guide to Call Center Outsourcing [print this page] Guide to Call Center Outsourcing Guide to Call Center Outsourcing
I. Is Call Center Outsourcing Right For You?Call Center Outsourcing is the use of a Telesales or Telemarketing vendor to handle an inbound or outbound call center project that normally draws on internal resources. Using outside resources allows you to concentrate, cost effectively, on your core competencies.Outsourced Inbound Call Centers and Outbound Call Centers offer:- Skilled Telemarketing professionals - Improved market coverage - Faster ramp-up, launch, and roll-out of campaigns - Experience with programs similar to yours - Rapid response to market conditions - Account management expertise - Enhanced reporting capabilities - Market testing capabilities - Remote call monitoringThe Benefits of Outsourcing Call Center Services - Increased Sales and profits - Reduced costs per sale - Maximum phone productivity - Increased number of appointments - Increased customer baseIncreased lead generation - Higher number of qualified leads- Higher number of closed sales - Better customer retention - More immediate feedback - Better results through test marketing - Increased local, regional, or national market share II. The Telesales and Telemarketing Proposal Process- The proposal process can be a complex and challenging task - Key items need to be identified and addressed in the proposal - The proposal then needs to be evaluated - It is recommended that you use a weighted average assessment model - The following steps will help guide you through the process.Proposal Items- Qualifications - Request background information on the company- Capabilities - Describe your technology requirements- Capacity - Define your requirements to reach your goals- Geography - Indicate if location is a factor- Experience - Request like-kind or same industry sector experience- Staff - Establish guidelines for the required skill sets- Financial - Request pricing for setup, training, programming account management and miscellaneous fees along with payment terms.III. The Site Visit and AssessmentThe site visit is a critical phase of the call center selection process. A number of factors need to be considered while doing the assessment.1. How is the chemistry?2. How is the interaction between your staff and theirs?3. Do they seem attentive to your needs?4. Is the corporate culture similar to yours, which may allow for a smoother transition through the ramp-up and rollout phases?5. Does the employee morale seem positive?6. How is the interaction between employees? Are they working as a team?7. How is the training handled?8. Do they have a training facility?9. Are training modules available for inspection?10. How is the coaching handled for motivational and formative feedback?11. What is the ratio of supervisors to agents?12. Request a demo for a monitoring session.13. Request a demo on the process of developing and rolling out a campaign.14. How is the program developed?15. How is the initiative implemented?16. How is the initiative executed?17. How are the results reported?18. How is the quality control maintained throughout the process?IV. Weighted Average AssessmentCreate a weighted average assessment table based on the proposal items in item II above. Assign a weight from 1-5 (5 being the best). Score each vendor on how they perform on that factor. Then multiply that score by the weight for their weighted score. Add up the weighted scores for their final score. The vendor with the highest score wins.This method allows the items from the proposal to be weighted based on their value to the company. This method should facilitate the decision making process. I wish you much success with your call center outsourcing initiative.
