For companies that plan to outsource services to a technical support call center, choosing the right partner may prove to be one of the trickiest tasks. The biggest challenge is to choose an outsourcing partner that has the level of expertise demanded by your customer base.
Before choosing an offshore partner, it is important that you set your main goal first. By outlining your outsourcing expectations and targets, you will have an idea what qualities your call center needs to possess. Here are some tips for choosing a suitable outsourcing partner:
1. Study the call center's track record
Do some research on the outsourcing experiences of your tech support call center prospects, the types of clients they have partnered with, their years in the industry, and the kind and scale of campaigns they have completed.
Assess if all of these qualifications are satisfactorily met by your prospect. An outsourcing firm may be good in advertising its services, but its past achievements are still your best yardstick in gauging their credibility.
Assess if all of these qualifications are satisfactorily met by your prospect. An outsourcing firm may be good in advertising its services, but its past achievements are still your best yardstick in gauging their credibility.
2. Ask for references or testimonials
Ask your prospective partner for references that can serve as source of information about the call center's quality of technical support services. With first hand testimonials from previous or current clients, you can know more about the capabilities of the technical support call center and the level of satisfaction it can guarantee its potential partners. References can also give you some valuable tips on how you can maximize your outsourcing relationship with the call center.
3. Assess the prospect's client portfolio
Just because a call center has successfully catered to the needs of several businesses doesn't mean that it will be a perfect match for you as well.
Aside from checking if their portfolio or range of services is varied, make sure that the technical support package they provide suits the needs of your company. Has the call center worked with another company from the same industry sector as yours? Does it have the level of expertise needed in troubleshooting user issues?
Aside from checking if their portfolio or range of services is varied, make sure that the technical support package they provide suits the needs of your company. Has the call center worked with another company from the same industry sector as yours? Does it have the level of expertise needed in troubleshooting user issues?
4. Learn about specific technical support tools and processes
Evaluate the different technologies used by the call center to deliver technical support. Make sure that the call center's assets—including workforce, processes, and equipment—can meet the scale of your needs. For example, a technical support call center with little or no multilingual support capacity can be a weak partner for a company with a diverse customer base. Lastly, make sure that the call center has effective quality assurance practices that can maintain the standard of services provided even with minimal supervision from you.
5. Look beyond the actual project implementation
Anticipate possible situations that may arise once the outsourcing project has started.
Envision what kind of relationship you and your provider will have in the entire duration of the project. Does the call center guarantee open communication channels with its clients all the time? Will you be able to easily reach out to your eventual outsourced team? Lastly, do you see the call center contributing to the growth of your business? Can this partnership help you in reaching your long-term business goals?
Envision what kind of relationship you and your provider will have in the entire duration of the project. Does the call center guarantee open communication channels with its clients all the time? Will you be able to easily reach out to your eventual outsourced team? Lastly, do you see the call center contributing to the growth of your business? Can this partnership help you in reaching your long-term business goals?
The effort you exert in assessing your prospective technical support call center can later merit you a fruitful outsourcing experience. You need to be wise in choosing the best provider of your business process needs. Take your time in finding the perfect outsourcing partner that will help you on your journey to success.
Open Access BPO specializes in providing voice and non-voice technical support solutions to clients worldwide. With our top-of-the-line technical support, you are guaranteed with a level of expertise that can bring your business success. Know more about our service by visiting our website and Google+ page.
