When a company decides to outsource some of its business processes, the decision-makers often have a hard time determining if it’s worth it. Most people think that outsourcing means you’ll be sacrificing quality just for cheaper costs… But that’s not the case!
In all reality, BPO can be a highly effective way to grow your team quickly when the need arises but the budget doesn’t allow it.
To quell your fears, here are the top reasons why BPO is not a quality/cost tradeoff:
Agents go through rigorous training.
You’re not solely responsible for bringing your agents up to speed and getting them acquainted with your business and customers. Before they’re even considered able to be put on an account, agents go through in-depth internal communication, speaking, and writing training. Most BPO providers have training that ranges from a few days to two weeks – by the time the agents even meet you, they’ve already been put through a very rigorous training program. Add to that the training you give them on your product and customers, and these agents have all the bases covered!
Managers are highly involved in day-to-day activities.
Contrary to popular belief, most agents don’t work for themselves or remotely. Most BPO providers have a team of managers to oversee daily operations, provide weekly performance metrics, and be the primary point of contact between you and the staff. With managers in-house, the likelihood of mistakes decreases. And as much as we like to refute it, people work better under supervision. When you have someone there to hold you accountable and double-check your work, you’re more likely to produce better results.
Agents are devoted solely to your account.
One of the biggest problems people presume a BPO provider has is that agents are overloaded with multiple accounts and don’t have the time to put in an honest effort to each of them. This is remarkably false. At many companies, BPO agents are assigned to one and only one account. Because they can devote their full capacity to your account and yours alone, they become a deeply educated ambassador of your brand and a fully integrated part of your team. On top of that, because they are dedicated to your account, they have the ability to take other administrative tasks off your plate if they have extra time or call/chat volume is low.
You have the opportunity to interview agents before you hire them.
No, you aren’t just assigned a group of agents and expected to blindly bring them on board. You have the opportunity to fully interview and get to know your agents before you agree to hire them, just as you would any other employee. This allows you to understand their credentials and background, hear how they conduct themselves on the phone, and see if they meet your needs before you commit to anything.
With these points in mind, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing quality to suit your budget. BPO providers have ensured that they have transparent processes throughout to give you peace of mind and the most bang for your buck.