An outsourced customer service team is responsible for processing customers’ requests. We have described almost everything you should know about outsourced customer service and how it works in our alphabetical list.
A
A customer support agent is a critical person that provides communication between the customer and the company. Outsourced customer support agents should have enough information to handle all requests, transfer them to responsible team members when needed, etc. Also, customer support agents should be polite and calm even if the customer behaves differently.
B
The Brand is one of the main and most important things customer support works with. The way how customers treat the brand depends on the way customer support agents work.
C
Building strong communications is an essential skill of each customer support team. According to research, 90% of users highly appreciate a good customer service level and consider the provider of goods and services.
D
Sometimes call centers may experience so-called downtimes. It means that customers can’t reach the call center due to some technical or other problems. In this case, outsourced customer service should inform the company about occurred issues ASAP and solve them. When the connection works again, customer service agents have to call all the customers who tried to reach them during the downtime back.
E
An outsourced customer service team contacts different people every day. And without empathy, it would just not be possible. Search for customer agents ready to hear people who reach them, understand their problems, and try to solve them. Companies with engaged customer support teams may expect up to 140% better results than the competitors.
F
Frequently asked questions or FAQs are helpful not only for customers but for an outsourced customer support team. Good knowledge of crucial answers may increase a vital FCRR (First Contact Resolution Rate) index . It shows how many requests a customer support team resolves during a single conversation.
G
In companies that practice a creative approach, customer support is even more interesting. To motivate customer support agents to perform better, they offer different bonuses and marks. For example, a medal for the happiest customer or certificate to the most productive agent. When you choose an outsourced customer service team, ask whether they use gamification in their processes. If yes, this is a good sign.
H
The main advantage of collaboration with an outsourced customer support team is an opportunity to save money. You may be charged according to different systems and schedules. But it will be, with high possibility, a “pay for hours” approach.
I
A customer support team may work in-house or inside a particular company as a separate department. The company has to organize all processes, pay compensation, and check the results. An outsourced customer service team takes over these tasks and involves the company only when it comes to reports, issues, or exchanging information.
J
Sometimes customer support agents, as other technical specialists, use professional jargon in their conversations. But for customers such words are unacceptable. All information a customer support agent shares with a customer has to be clear and understandable.
K
A knowledge base is information that customer support agents should use in their work. It’s useful when a customer needs some specific or step-by-step guidance. If you collaborate with an outsourced customer support team, you should provide it with a detailed knowledge base regarding your product or service.
L
The company and supplier should discuss legal aspects of collaboration beforehand. Study the contract carefully and don’t hesitate to ask any questions. Clarify the possibility of the trial period, NDA (Non-disclosure agreement).
M
Outsourced customer support means receiving calls and responding to emails, messages, chats, etc. It’s called multi-channel support.
N
The effectiveness of customer support should be measured and estimated. That helps avoid severe mistakes and identify whether customers are satisfied with the service or not. It is essential in outsourced customer support when the client company can not influence all the processes. Check your Net Promoter Score (NPS) constantly. This index shows a general level of customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.
O
An outsourced customer support team gets a lot of calls and messages every day. It’s easy to get lost in the data. Not to lose anything crucial, customer support agents add all info in CRM and tickets. Open tickets mean that the customer’s problem is not yet solved and needs attention.
P
The main task of customer support is to respond to customers’ requests. So just wait until customers contact the agents. But during the last few years, it has become popular to use proactive customer support. That means that call center agents reach customers themselves and help them deal with problems even before they occur. It will surprise the customers but provide them with the feeling that the company cares about them.
Q
Outsourced customer support needs quality assurance (QA). This process should be fulfilled by the provider of the customer support services. It includes checking the quality of work, responding speed, and other parameters.
R
One of the main reasons why companies outsource customer support is increasing revenue. And it works. Companies that actively implement customer support in their processes have 4-8% higher income than other businesses on the market.
S
Quality support is another reason why companies prefer to outsource these functionalities. A customer support department inside the company may be expensive and unproductive. A professional outsourced customer support team will, with high possibility, provide better results.
T
Telemarketing is one of the services offered by an outsourced customer support team. Customer support agents call potential customers and attract their attention to the products or services of the particular company.
U
User error is one of the top requests an outsourced customer service team has to deal with. The majority of these errors may be fixed easily with a couple of steps, and others need special attention.
V
A customer service team is the voice of the brand. It has to be friendly and polite. Customer support agents should communicate with customers in a business manner but use particular positive words that may help slow down the conversation when needed or avoid customers’ aggressive reactions.
W
A company website should include complete customer support contact information. It should be reachable and understandable. If you have multiple channels of support (calls, emails, chats, etc.), mention them on the website.
Z
Customer support agents sometimes have to work in total stress due to a high amount of calls or other reasons. That’s why it’s necessary to rest after work, recharge the batteries and avoid burnout. Customer agents need a kind of zen for being positive and effective. That’s why their work is so important.
