Diversity fosters innovation and helps organizations outperform their competitors. Read on to learn more about the benefits of encouraging Supplier Diversity in call centers.

Information age has opened up the business borders. Furthermore, it is now connecting organizations with partners and customers from diverse geographies. By building global relationships with their partners and customers, organizations can remain competitive. As a result, many companies are realizing the need for fostering a diverse workforce. Thus, Supplier diversity helps to manage the challenges involved in dealing with diverse stakeholders. Here, it refers to handling the stakeholders from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Call centers are one of the most competitive industries. The challenges faced by companies can range from employee retention to performance. Hence, diversity in the business model can bring many benefits to a call center. With the penetration of social media and the internet in every nook and corner, the consumer segment is growing into an informed group. Moreover, the consumers can now scrutinize companies based on their core values. Hence, an organization’s commitment to diversity increases the brand value and serves to influence the customer base. Again, the real benefits of call center outsourcing happen when you partner with a company that follows supplier diversity programs.

What is supplier diversity?

We can define a supplier diversity program as a strategic business plan that invites suppliers from diverse backgrounds to partner with the business. Here, the supplier base can include different kinds of businesses. Generally, it can be minority-owned business, veteran-owned business, and women-owned business and so on.

It is essential for companies to have a diverse supplier base. While selecting a vendor, use a supplier diversity checklist to identify potential partners. This will ensure that the firm you are considering is diverse and has a culture of inclusion. How can you determine if your customers have a diverse supplier base? The best way is to ask them about their hiring practices. Do they usually interview people of color? Is it a majority- or minority-run company? Are there any training programs for underrepresented minorities?

Your call center can engage with a varied network of suppliers, when you practice a supplier diversity program. Furthermore, this will help to improve the bottom line.

Why should you encourage supplier diversity in call centers?

Starting from gaining access to diverse talent to serving a diverse set of customers, the benefits of supplier diversity are huge.

● Builds customer loyalty 

Today’s consumers are socially-conscious. Hence, they choose brands that stand for social issues. Diversity and inclusion are at the top of the list for the customers. Supplier diversity in the call center conveys the message of supporting diverse vendors. This also helps to serve the customers better. Supplier diversity ensures that the workforce can handle a varied set of customers. This boosts customer loyalty and thereby increases revenue.

● Brings fresh ideas to problem-solving 

Diversity has proven capability to bring unique approaches and solve problems. It helps to arrive at best solutions. Moreover, a diverse group encourages open discussions and promotes thinking from many angles. Problem-solving becomes faster. Hence, call centers can attend customer queries in a shorter time. It also sparks out of the box thinking and supports better process optimization.

● Access to diverse talent 

A call center can partner with a diverse set of suppliers and can access talent from all countries. Hence, they can use strong employees provided by the suppliers. These employees are well-trained in handling the unique customer issues of their geography. The employees come with strategic skill sets to meet the challenges of dealing with customers across the globe.

● Promotes innovation 

In most cases, companies that partner with a diverse supplier base are innovators. Call centers can partner with suppliers whose demographics match the diversity of the customer base. Moreover, this helps the business to align with the customer needs and pain points and move closer to the consumer. Diversity also enables call centers to identify the market trends and adapt. This allows them to maintain a competitive advantage.

Conclusion

Supplier diversity in call centers will offer benefits that go beyond building a responsible brand image. Furthermore, it can support the organization to serve a diverse customer base and improve its bottom line. Again, diversity also helps to understand the customers better. Hence, the business can come up with products and solutions that align with the customer needs. Remember, when you partner with diverse call center outsourcing vendors, you can gain from the creativity of a mixed group. This allows to reap the benefits of supplier diversity.

Diversity is a core value at SBL. If you are looking for a partner in BPO industry that believes in promoting diversity, SBL is your right choice. For us, diversity is a social responsibility and something that we care about.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you define supplier diversity?

A diverse supplier will be an organization in which at least 51% of its ownership and operating staff comes from a racial, ethnic, or religious group that is different from the majority. Businesses gain from adhering to a supplier diversity policy. Having diverse suppliers can provide unique perspectives that can lead to innovative solutions.

Why is supplier diversity important?

A diverse supplier base can provide a variety of benefits to an organization. This includes collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Furthermore, vendor diversity can create a stronger supplier base that brings new ideas and more innovative products. The result is immense benefit for the buyers from better user experience.

What is supplier diversity and inclusion?

An organization has a responsibility to maintain a diverse supplier base. Hence, supplier diversity is rooted in the diversity of social and economic backgrounds of suppliers. This strategy will create a diverse and inclusive supplier base.

Why is vendor diversity important?

Companies with supplier diversity programs enjoy innumerable benefits. Diversity is the presence of people from different groups, cultures, and genders. Furthermore, it encourages employers and suppliers to hire without considering social and economic backgrounds. This will help them find the best talent for their respective industries. Increasing the vendor diversity means including all people, no matter their age or gender identity.