Outsourcing your call centre services is an important decision, and it is crucial that, to your customers, it offers a seamless experience. This can only be achieved by ensuring that the contact centre company understands your values.

We look at ten ways to convey them to your outsourcer.

1. Provide a clear brief

In order to be able to deliver what you expect, your outsourcer needs to know what it is, so it is essential that you communicate it clearly. You can do so by engaging with your company’s stakeholders to make sure that you are all singing from the same song sheet and appointing a dedicated member of staff to liaise with your outsourcer. There is nothing more counter-productive or confusing than multiple contacts giving varying messages.

2. Share your brand values

Sounds obvious? Well, it is often the simplest things that are overlooked. In the same way that a clear brief is crucial, so is sharing your business’s ethos and history. The more your outsourcer knows about your company, the better they will be able to apply your values to their services.

3. Beware false economies

We shared in another blog how spending more can save you money long term. It is undeniable that costs are always a consideration when buying services, but if an outsourcer is too cheap, it is likely that corners are cut somewhere, and, ultimately, it is your business who will suffer from it as it will affect the quality of your customer service.

But it isn’t all about money. Invest your time, too, in your outsourcer; it is a partnership which will yield best results if you work together.

4. Facilitate consistent functionality

To keep your customers happy and provide them with a seamless experience whether they contact you directly or through your outsourced contact centre requires the call agents to have access to the same information and tools as your in-house staff, so make sure that your outsourcer has what they need to do this.

Good communication with your outsourcers’ IT department is particularly important, as contact centres rely heavily on technology to function.

5. Meet the team

At the end of the day, we are all wired to respond to human contact. By meeting the team rather than just your account manager, you will be able to engage with the call agents who will look after your customers, and make them feel that they are a valued extension of your team.

6. Reward them

We all need to feel appreciated, and there is nothing like rewards to keep staff invested and motivated. Depending on the nature of your business, you could offer discounts on your products or services, gift vouchers, or light-hearted prizes. It will do wonders for team morale.

Another way to reward them is to let them know when you receive positive feedback from your customers about them, so forward any compliments. The contact centre staff will want to do their best for you and knowing that they are doing things right will encourage them.

7. Keep your brand present in the team’s mind

Working in a branded environment will help the call centre staff to feel involved in your goals so provide your outsourcer with branded displays and material. If you make products, send samples to the team so that they have a first-hand experience of what you do. It will contribute to the level of service they can deliver.

8. Don’t micromanage

The quality of the service provided by the out-of-house contact centre is so vital to the success of your business that you will want to keep a close eye on it, especially at the beginning, and you should indeed. But there is a fine line between that and micro-managing.

Micro-managing is counter-productive in many ways. Not only will you have to spend time doing something that you are paying someone else to do, but you may also end up demotivating the team working for you by interfering.

You outsourced your contact centre after doing your research, talking with the outsourcer and feeling confident that they can provide the services you need, so now is the time to let go.

9. Monitor calls

However, it doesn’t mean that you should keep your hands off altogether. Monitoring the call centre on a regular basis is important to ensure that the quality you expect is being delivered. The call centre should provide you with reports and statistics, but do do spot checks of phone calls to make sure that your brand and values are reflected in the way staff handles customers and their queries.

10. Ask for feedback

Call agents are the first point of contact with your customers and they can provide you with invaluable feedback, so talk to them regularly to find out about any suggestions they may have been given by customers, or their own thoughts about your products and services. Listening to them and taking their suggestions on board can only improve your customer service.

The beginning of a New Year is an ideal time to review your business’s objectives and invest in your company. If you are considering outsourcing your contact centre, Contact Corporate Connect on 0800 230 000 to discuss your requirements.

In the meanwhile, CorporateConnect would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!