October 29, 2013

The Pros and Cons of Offshore Call Center Outsourcing

By Susan J. Campbell. TMCnet Contributing Editor

The outsourcing debate its one that continues to concentrate its force in a number of industries, especially the call center arena. For a number of years, the favored strategy was to outsource the customer service division to an outsourcer overseas to greatly reduce the cost of customer interactions. When 3rd party remote call monitoring was applied to check for quality performance the desired outcome was not always there.

A recent Sound Telecom blog highlighted the top reasons why a U.S. company should not outsource call center agents overseas. Before we get into their list, lets take a look at the some of the pros that exist that lead many companies to outsource this important division in the first place. Yes, its often about the cost savings, but there are other benefits.

Pros of outsourcing the call center overseas:

1. Streamlined Operations Outsourcing the call center to a provider whose only focus is call center operations could actually improve performance and deliver a better customer experience.
2. 24 Hour Service Outsourcing the call center to an offshore provider to take those calls that happen in the middle of the night is a great way to deliver seamless care to customers throughout the world.
3. Multiple Languages Supported A number of offshore providers employ skilled and educated individuals who speak multiple languages. If you have a customer who needs help in French, this is the perfect opportunity to make the best connection.
4. Cost It has to be said; call center agents overseas can produce quality care at a much lower rate. This is only holds if the customer base doesnt mind interacting with someone from another country.

Cons of outsourcing the call center overseas:

1. Cultural Barriers Whether its the language, the culture or both, the differences can separate the customer from the agent in such a way that they are unable to have a meeting of the minds that produces the desired results.
2. Security / Privacy Issues Not all customers are comfortable sharing their private information with a call center agent located on the other side of the world. Likewise, that organization may not have the proper protections in place to keep that information safe.
3. Regulatory / Training Issues In the U.S. 3rd party remote call monitoring is conducted as required by specific industries to ensure proper protocols are followed. It is also used in the proper training of the agent base. If both of these concepts are lacking, the overseas investment could go wrong very quickly.
4. Separation of the Team If part of the customer care team is located in-house, while others are contracted through a third party, the concept of the team is lacking. Therefore, delivering the seamless experience for the customer could be out of reach.

While this is just a shortlist of pros and cons surrounding the outsourcing of call center operations, the point is to evaluate these options according to the goals of the organization. That means the decision has to be based on more than just price alone. Only then is the decision in the best interest of all involved.