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Why Outsourcing Doesn’t Always Mean Cheap Agents Overseas

Written by Amanda M. | Oct 5, 2020 1:46:00 PM

Hint: Modern Outsourcing is About the Customer Experience!

Customer service agents are the frontlines of your business and the window into your customers’ experience with your brand. If your business uses customer support agents, you might have considered outsourcing using a business processing outsourcer (BPOs), a third party vendor that takes on a functional responsibility for your company.

Although outsourcing can be cheaper than hiring and equipping internal support agents, some companies do not choose to do so because they have a preconceived notion that outsourcing means hiring non-native English speakers located offshore in poor quality centers who would deliver robotic responses to their customers. This was even echoed in a Forbes article from 2016 referring to outsourcing as “the worst customer service mistake you can make” due to BPOs’ language barriers and their lack of understanding of your company’s culture. 

This stereotype is outdated. In reality, outsourcing has improved tremendously over the years and external contact centers have the same quality standards as internal contact centers.

Now, trends like skill-based routing, multiple self-service channels, and AI combined with better BPO training have drastically improved modern outsourcing. Customers demand quick service which can often be handled through self-service channels and AI. Other tickets can easily be routed to an agent that has been trained to solve the specific problem.

All of ArenaCX’s BPO partners are thoroughly vetted by the ArenaCX team. They have proven their ability to scale without compromising quality. Above all, these service providers are empathetic customer service partners who want what’s best for you and your customers.

For example, Jon Keane, the CEO of CustomerHD, one of our boutique BPO partners, gives white-glove service to all of his customers. He enthusiastically answers any customer problems directly. His Raleigh-based team of one hundred all live by CustomerHD’s motto: people helping people. They are driven by finding innovative ways to provide excellent service to their customers and partners, including helping their partners with customer service strategy like working with the partner to ensure they are getting the maximum ROI from their tool suite investments. 

ArenaCX partners with a wide variety of BPOs: from boutique teams like CustomerHD to multinational operations with agents located across the globe and will work with you to find the right partners for your business. We have agents who are skilled in troubleshooting even the most complex of technical issues (software, hardware, network, application, etc.). If you’re concerned that your tickets are too technical to outsource, read our blog post on the topic. 

 

You can outsource with confidence using ArenaCX. Agents in our network are scored on their performance (how satisfied the customer is and how satisfied the business is) and their scores affect the volume of your business they will get in subsequent weeks.

 

It’s this feedback loop that makes ArenaCX different: No other platform aligns BPO’s incentives with your business goals. 

 

 

If you’re looking to streamline your internal operations and want a safe and low-risk way to explore outsourcing, give us a call or email us. We’d love to learn about your customer service goals and find the partner for your business. We strive to be a strategic partner and be with you for every step of your customer service journey.

 

Learn more about ArenaCX here.