October 17, 2014
have become an integral part of every business as they have a dedicated team to handle customer requests and complaints. Many companies even prefer to outsource these customer-centric operations to specialized call center companies so that they can cut costs and can keep their focus on the core business. As a result, call center outsourcing has become the norm in today’s business world, with the bulk of this outsourcing going to companies in India, The Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
However, choosing the right call center partner is not easy because of geographical distance and cultural differences. The following are just some best practices that can make this choice easier for companies looking to outsource their operations:
Capabilities of the Chosen Vendor: Before outsourcing, it is important to thoroughly examine the chosen vendor company. Experience in call center operations; feedback from past clients; current workload and employee strength; the training and recruitment process of the vendor company; and its multilingual and multichannel capabilities are some of the factors that need to be considered.
Types of Services and Pricing Model: Companies should have a clear business plan as to what is expected from vendor companies. In general, outsourcing companies offer Inbound and Outbound Call Center Services. Based on the services needed, an appropriate pricing model should be chosen. There are many types of pricing models such as FTE, incidence-based, sales-based and transaction-based ones. Out of these different models, the “per transaction” model is the one adopted by most companies because clients get to play a single flat rate for every transaction, according to Sanyam Khurana of .
Political Stability: Another impact aspect that should be considered is the political climate of the country where the chosen vendor is located. This is an important to ensure that business is not interrupted by political upheavals and riots.
In short, outsourcing call center operations provides big benefits for companies, provided they choose the right partner.
