Customer service can be a game-changer for businesses seeking ways to stand apart in a cut-throat marketplace. Most businesses focus more on the quality or pricing of their offerings, but these factors can hardly give a winning edge.
With every brand chasing quality and pricing, there’s little scope for leveraging them as key differentiators for your business. Customer service can be your secret sauce for success in a hyper-competitive landscape.
According to Salesforce Research, 89% of buyers are more likely to return for repeat purchases after a positive customer service experience. Another survey shows that 68% are even willing to pay more to brands going the extra mile with it. They also spread the word when they are happy with their experiences.
But hiring a dedicated, in-house team to handle the function may not be feasible for all organizations. Did you know that the average cost of hiring and onboarding an employee is around $4000? Imagine the expense you will have to bear to bring an in-house team of service reps on board. But it shouldn’t be a reason to skimp on the process.
Fortunately, you can implement a viable customer service process without an in-house team. Here are a few tips to help.
Outsource Call Center Expertise
The simplest solution to achieve the customer service goal is to outsource call center expertise. With this model, you can gain trust and repeat business without doing the heavy lifting of repetitive tasks. These include answering questions, resolving issues, and providing support. The best part is that call center outsourcing costs are only a fraction of the costs of running an in-house team.
Blue Valley Marketing emphasizes the significance of collaborating with a provider offering relevant services. Besides providing the benefits of cost savings, call center outsourcing empowers your business with 24/7 availability, flexibility, and scalability. There is no capital investment and training cost, yet you have access to the best resources and tools.
Set Clear Goals for Outsourcing
Collaborating with the right call center service provider is a great start. The next step is to define clear goals for outsourcing. Knowing your goals in the first place helps you bring the provider on the same page.
Your outsourcing goals may vary from offering 24/7 support, improving your Net Promoter Score (NPS), getting better coverage across diverse marketing channels, or scaling up your support staff. Alternatively, you may try to achieve a combination of these goals by partnering with a call center provider.
Decide what success looks like for you and communicate it to your partner so that they can align with your objective. Also, ensure they understand and replicate the vision or values of your business.
Establish Guidelines for Brand Voice and Tone
Outsourcing call center expertise can save you tons of money, but you must ensure that the representatives you hire know your brand inside out. After all, they interact with your customers and create an image of your brand. They should talk exactly like your in-house employees, with the same voice and tone. Here are a few ways to achieve consistency:
- Create clear brand guidelines to specify what your representatives can and cannot say
- Communicate your customers’ expectations to bridge the gap
- Run through hypothetical scenarios they may face down the road
- Provide a knowledge base they can use when they get stuck
Ensure Multi-Channel Availability
Working without a dedicated, in-house team does not mean missing out on the best support. That’s something you cannot risk because customers are unforgiving. Statistics show that 50% of them will likely move to a competitor brand after a single bad service experience. When outsourcing, ensure availability across all marketing channels where buyers may contact you.
First things first, identify the channels they may use to get in touch, from phone calls to emails, live chat, or social media. Remember that all channels are crucial and deserve equal attention, so your representatives should cover them diligently.
Wrapping Up
A robust customer service process can strengthen your brand with healthy relationships and trust. But you need not burn a hole in your wallet to hire an in-house team to ace the process. You can do it without dedicated resources, provided you find a reliable outsourcing partner for the job.
Look for a provider with a solid track record, strong team, and versatile service portfolio. The right one will fit in just like a part of your team and fuel your business with top-notch customer service and support. That’s all you need to win the game.
