Nobody ever said it was easy running a business process outsourcing (BPO) company in the contact center space. In many ways, a call center BPOs' operation is mission critical, as there is no rest and no room for error.
If a client is depending on your business to handle its inbound communications, that client trusts that every interaction is handled professionally and in accordance with the expectations outlined in the service level agreement.
Unfortunately, many contact center BPOs are now finding out the hard way that, when that trust is broken, clients are slow to forgive and forget. Research shows that up to one-third of all call center deals that come up for renewal are terminated each year.
That being said, here are some ways to earn the trust of your clients and avoid running into trouble:
Keep call times low: The last thing you want is customers complaining about long wait times before speaking with operators, so reducing wait times should be one of your biggest priorities. Low wait times mean fewer call abandonment rates and happier customers. Another bonus: call times will also be reduced as a result, meaning you will pay less for your monthly toll-free telephone bills.
Offer more than just phone service: The vast majority of customers will go to a company’s website or social channels, or use email before they place a phone call. So if you want to stay competitive, it’s vital to offer multichannel customer service options as well as in-app support and video chat. Try to be one step ahead of the game—don’t wait for your client to come to you and say “Why aren’t we offering Web service?” Chances are good that your competitors already are.
Follow the customer journey: The key to pleasing customers is to offer personalized service using data pulled from each subsequent interaction. Greeting a customer by name when he or she calls, recalling something from a previous conversation or mentioning an upcoming birthday are all ways of providing stellar customer service—and will make customers feel appreciated.
It takes a lot to earn repeat business and a strong reputation as a contact center BPO in today’s competitive market. Using Bright Pattern’s advanced, user-friendly and comprehensive cloud-based contact center software, however, the process is a breeze.
Blog: Call Center Outsourcing Best Practices
Why Bright Pattern is Quickly Becoming the #1 Multichannel Vendor for BPOs
