Contact Center Outsourcing Myths #2 and #3

Hi all, its been a while since my last post, I am going to try and make a regular post going forward at least once per week.

This week I was interviewed for Internet Retailer magazine regarding what goes into a successful relationship between a outsourced contact center and their clients.  I found myself explaining that one of the key factors to success is not being tempted by one of several "myths" many clients believe when outsourcing.

Two common myths I have come across are:

If I outsource, I wont need to spend any time managing the contact center.”

The truth of the matter is that without at least some client involvement, many contact center outsourcing arrangements can be doomed from the beginning.  It amazes me how the majority of clients we onboard are surprised when we request they attend a weekly operations meeting as well as QA calibration sessions (weekly or monthly depending on the complexity of the account).  We also ask that the client visit us as much as possible, at least once per quarter, to view the operation and give feedback.  Even with some of our smaller clients, who dont have the weekly meetings etc, they are speaking with our client services team as often as once per week and need to have a firm grasp on the contact center needs for their organization.  The bottom line is that even when outsourcing, it is imperative that you have resources available to work with the outsourcer in making your campaign a success.  Clearly, you will need to invest less time than if you were to manage the contact center in house, but it would be a mistake to think you are going to hand over the keys to an outsourcer and never have a worry again.

Contact Center Outsourcers that have experience in my industry will be better prepared to handle my account.”

I couldnt begin to tell you how many prospects that ask us for references in their industry.  In reality, having industry experience can mean very little to the success of the outsourcer.  I would suggest the most important experience comes in the function the contact center will be playing.  For example, if a retail/apparel company was looking to outsource customer care including refunds and exchanges, I would suggest the contact center outsourcer with experince in refunds and exchanges will have a leg up on the contact center outsourcer who has experience with the retail/apparel industry performing other functions.  Also, experience with client requirements, such as enhanced reporting or workforce management, can be far more crucial than any industry related experience. 

Cheers,

GF