There are two categories of companies: those which have their own Support team and those which go for customer service Outsourcing. If you’re at the beginning of your business journey, you may have asked yourself in which category you want to be part of. Both options have their strong and weak points and choosing each represents an important decision as a business owner.

Whether you go for forming your own customer support team or for outsourcing this service, your choice needs to align with your overall business objectives and future plans. This means you need to carefully analyze both cases and see which is the most suitable for you.

Kind of a hard decision, right? It’s not the easiest one, but, with proper research, it becomes less difficult. As we’ve spoken about different aspects related to having your own support team, now we will focus on customer service outsourcing.

Outsourced customer support services

When you are thinking about outsourcing your customer service, one of the first things you think about is the services you will be providing. Some companies offer multiple support services, while others concentrate on one or two. Here are a few examples of customer support services outsourcing companies deliver.

Email

Email has remained one of the most used means of communication in customer service. 34% of customers still prefer to use it when contacting a representative. It can also bring some great benefits to your business. Email gives support representatives time to look for the answer customers need. After they received the inquiry, they can send a follow up message and then look properly for the solution of the problem.

Phone

When speaking of customer service, one of the first things that may come into our minds are call centers. Phone is the most used communication channel, exceeding email. When going for this service, you need to choose a company with experience in communicating directly with customers and taking great numbers of calls.

Social media

Nowadays, social media has become more than just a place for socializing. It’s used in the communication between consumers and businesses. What you need to look for is a company which knows to work with different social media platforms.   

Live chat

Just like social media, this is a rather new tool. It implies to respond in a really short time to customers, as they see it as a fast way of communicating with businesses and finding out answers.

Advantages of customer service outsourcing

Cost-efficient

Which costs more: having your own support team or outsourcing it? The first options means you will invest time in finding the right people to be part of it, in training them and money in paying their salaries, taxes, vacations and so on. The second one implies spending time in finding the company which offers the services you need and (most of the times) paying a monthly fee. It’s clear that outsourcing is cost-efficient and can save you precious resources.

Experienced teams

Outsourcing companies generally already have experience in the domain. Working with such people can bring benefits to your business and pleasant experiences to your customers. Support representatives know how to deal with different situations and offer customers what they need.

Concentrate on your business objectives

When you have another party taking care of your customers’ requests, you can fully concentrate on your business objectives. You can work on strategies of growing your business, can study the market, your competitors and see what you can improve in your business. It helps you become more efficient.

Disadvantages of customer service outsourcing

May take time to know your offerings

Every company is different. From its policies to the products and services it offers. When you start working with an outsourcing company, it may take some time until they become accustomed with your offerings. This includes features, how they work, FAQ.

May not know how to solve a problem

We know customers can discover new issues with your offerings. In the case of outsourcing companies, support representatives may not know your products well enough in order to find a solution. So the problem is passed on to your side.

Don’t know your company as well as an employee

There’s one thing outsourcing can hardly beat: knowledge about your company. Your employees have valuable insights, as they understand your offerings better, they know your values and policies.

Tips on choosing the best outsourcing company for you

• Pay attention to the services they offer
• Look for reviews on forums and blogs posted by customers who have contacted those support representatives
• Test the company you are thinking of working with (send an email or make a call and see how they treat you and how fast they give you an answer)
• If they meet your expectations, contact them, discuss the service prices and get everything started

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