customer service outsourcing

customer-service-agent

Essential Customer Service Outsourcing Trends for 2022 and Beyond

The customer service outsourcing landscape is constantly evolving. And since the pandemic lockdowns have drastically changed how we work, it’s more important than ever to keep abreast of global trends. With this knowledge, organisations can adapt quickly if and when the next disruption arrives.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and autonomous Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

While A.I. has been a trendy topic in customer service outsourcing for quite a while, RPA is slowly but surely following in its footsteps. RPA is a technology that allows software bots to mimic human actions to complete specific tasks such as data entry and simple complaint resolution.

RPA reduces the customer service staff’s workload and minimises the risks of human error. In an industry where even the slightest mistake can cause considerable work disruptions, having an RPA is a highly desirable feature for businesses looking for customer service outsourcing partners.

Chatbots and Niche Talent Acquisition

One of the products of A.I. technology is the now ubiquitous chatbot. They’re computer programs designed to simulate human conversation and are on almost every platform these days. They are becoming increasingly popular in customer service outsourcing because they can handle simple customer queries quickly and efficiently.

However, customers can easily pick up on whether they’re talking to bots or a real person and prefer the latter. This is why customer service outsourcing providers are now turning to niche talent acquisition to find customer service reps with the right skill set in working with A.I. bots to find custom solutions to complaints.

Rising Demand for Tighter Cybersecurity Systems

It’s no secret that the customer service outsourcing industry has been hit hard by data breaches in recent years, leading to a massive rise in demand for customer service providers that can offer tighter cybersecurity systems.

Data breaches often occur because customer service reps have access to sensitive customer data, such as credit card numbers and contact information. This data can then be sold on the black market or used to commit identity theft.

To protect their customers, customer service outsourcing providers are now investing in advanced cybersecurity systems, such as two-factor authentication and encryption. They are also conducting regular training sessions for their staff on identifying and preventing potential cyber threats.

Shift to Omnichannel Customer Service

Customers are everywhere, making it challenging to keep up with customer service tasks across multiple platforms. To help manage these challenges, omnichannel customer service has become the new standard. It’s a customer service strategy that utilises multiple channels, such as phone, email, live chat, and social media to provide customer support.

The goal of omnichannel customer service is to provide a seamless customer experience regardless of the channel that the customer is using. Going omnichannel for customer service has become essential because customers now expect to be able to reach customer service reps through multiple channels, and they get frustrated when they have to repeat their query numerous times.

Utilising Data Analytics to Personalise Customer Service

Data analytics has been a boon for customer service outsourcing providers for a long time now. It allows them to see customer behaviour patterns and trends, which helps them to provide a more personalised customer experience.

For example, organisations can use data analytics to identify customer pain points and develop solutions to these issues. They can also be used to create targeted marketing campaigns and upsell/cross-sell products and services.

It’s quite apparent that data analytics will only become more prevalent in the industry as it provides customer service providers with a competitive edge.

As the world slowly learns how to resume work in a world where a pandemic can disrupt everything, customer service outsourcing providers need to be on the lookout for new trends to offer their clients the best possible service. These are some of the most important global market trends in the industry that providers should be aware of.

What other customer service outsourcing trends do you think we’ll see in the coming months?

customer service outsourcing

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Improving Your Customer Service

Consumers today are always drawn to businesses that offer above-average customer service. Your customers’ needs are crucial throughout the buyer’s journey, and for long term success in your industry, it’s vital to prioritise customer service.

Good customer service not only grows your business but gives customers confidence that you will always be available to solve their problems. Consumers now have many options and won’t want to stay with a company that doesn’t provide the service they seek. So if you are wondering why you should make more investments in your customer service, here are five reasons:

  • Get More Referrals

Happy customers will always be willing to spread the word to their family, friends, and work colleagues. Think about the last time you had a positive experience with a brand, how excited were you to tell others. It’s natural to share your positive brand experience because you want others to commit to a trusted brand. Word of mouth marketing doesn’t require spending money on advertising. As long as you give your customers the right reason, they have the potential to be your biggest supporters.

  • Retain More Customers

It costs more to attract a new customer than to keep existing ones and this shows it’s more cost-efficient to retain customers than to get a new one. In fact, only a 5% increase in your retention rate can cause an increase in profit by at least 25%. The reason is that repeat customers are more likely to spend more with your brand. Excellent customer service is crucial to building these kinds of loyal relationships.

  • Boost Brand Image and Reputation

While you may have an idea of what your brand should represent, there could be a disconnect between what you want your brand to represent and how customers view it. Customers will typically judge and make assumptions about your brand based on your social media, advertisements, and other content from your brand.

However, your customer service team connects to your customers, and it can be difficult to establish direct communication without them. This is why your customer service team is crucial to building your brand image. They are your customer’s front line of support and if done properly, customers will trust you and see how much you value them. Keep in mind that every successful business is built on trust.

  • Customers Aren’t Hindered by Price

A survey reveals that up to 85% of consumers will pay 25% more for a better customer service experience. This indicates the importance of customer service so much that some customers are willing to pay more just to interact with a business that does it well.

Many companies today are prioritising customer service and any company that doesn’t won’t survive. One experience can be the deciding factor for a customer and if it’s negative, that could send them right into the arms of your competitor. But if you give your customers a positive experience, that could make them loyal to you for life.

  • Your Business Will Grow

The major reason for investing in your customer service is to grow your business. However, every business, whether it is a small startup or a large company needs to have professionals to handle customer problems and a great way to do is through customer service outsourcing.

By outsourcing your customer service, you will get access to experts that can handle both small or major issues efficiently. This also allows your management to devote more time to other aspects of the company and use human capital better. If you want to run an organisation that is effective and successful, you don’t want to have your resources spread too thin. Hiring an outside team of customer service professionals will ensure your customers get what they need when they need it and through the mediums they need it. 

Related article: 8 Pointers to Fuel Customer Service Growth in 2020 and Beyond

Conclusion

Out of every 100 businesses, only 5 last up to the 10-year mark- a 95% failure rate. If you are serious about achieving success with your business, you have to focus on what is most important: your customers. Without them, your business would cease to exist. The importance of customer service to any business cannot be overemphasised. This is why you should ensure your customers can effectively communicate with your business. If you give your customers the service they seek and deserve, they will always remain loyal to you.

customer service growth

8 Pointers to Fuel Customer Service Growth in 2020 and Beyond

Today’s customer service growth goes beyond the traditional approach that we are extremely familiar with. As we have entered the age where many different channels of communication are made available, more effective customer support is expected to be implemented.

Customer service agents nowadays have full access to e-mail, live chat, social media, text messages and more. So companies that want to boost their sales and improve reputation has been conceptualizing the future of customer service growth.

See the infographic below and know the 8 lessons about customer service outsourcing to fuel growth in 2020 and beyond.

customer service growth

Customer support satisfaction

As customers highly value consistency, authenticity, and knowledge, gaining a better understanding of their expectations can boost their satisfaction. Ensuring it is the utmost priority of most businesses today. Check out our previous blog on how to improve the quality of your customer support services.

Customer support channels

The digital age enables customers to experience the omnichannel support that provides easier and faster service. This includes the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which they use on a daily basis.

Customer support agents

More than the know-how and professional experience, attitude is also a very important factor in picking the right customer support agents. While skills are learned and practised, friendliness, confidence, and a positive attitude are hard to teach. To be a great customer support agent, you have to have both.

Good customer experiences

Providing good customer service is what all companies aim to achieve, and so as their competitors. But, how would you get ahead of them? Making your customers happy is one thing, but providing a service that creates a huge impact on them could turn them into advocates.

Bad customer experiences

Unhappy customers only either complain or silently leave. And when they do, it’ll be hard to win their favour again. So it is always better to focus on providing a great service from the get-go to avoid the need for damage-control after.

Finances of support and service

According to a PWC survey, 86% of consumers are willing to pay up to 25% more for better customer experience. That means companies who invest in good customer support agents and was able to retain them has more chances of successful upsells and gain more new customers.

Customer self-service

Most customers nowadays enjoy discovering and exploring the answers themselves as they are also learning in the process. In the next years to come, the customers’ preference for chat support and messaging will only keep on growing. So adding self-service support can mean huge wins for your business in the future.

Future of Customer Experience

As technology continues to evolve, the quality of customer service also remains developing. The trends are changing and customer expectations keep on growing. Companies that continuously seek the trend and is never afraid of changes are most likely to go far in the business.

Located in the Philippines, DBOS is an Australian-owned offshore staffing company that caters to back-office services, digital marketing, IT outsourcing, and customer service outsourcing. Reduce your wage costs up to 70% and get a free consultation with our very own CEO/Founder!

customer service outsourcing

A Deeper Insight Into Customer Service Outsourcing

When people mention about customer service outsourcing, the idea that comes to mind is a huge building packed with employees wearing headphones while simultaneously talking. Most often than not, they are generalized as people working on 12-hour shifts and are all fluent in English. But what if there’s more than just that?

Read on this blog and get a deeper insight into customer service outsourcing.

Outsourcing is not customer service outsourcing

Up until this day, a lot of people still confuse the whole concept of outsourcing to call centre agents. While a part of it, the idea of outsourcing does not exactly end with customer services alone.

On a closer look, outsourcing is anything. It could be delegating your non-core services to foreign countries or partnering with an offshore company to help your business get the best talent for cost-effective prices.

Now as a widely utilised business strategy, outsourcing entirely caters to different back-office services, IT solutions, digital marketing tasks and customer support. To simplify, customer service outsourcing is a popular service that falls under the general business strategy called outsourcing.

Why do foreign companies outsource their customer services?

Businesses from all over the world make use of outsourcing to lessen their labour costs, get access to international talents, improve output, tap the most skilled individuals, and a lot more. Out of all those benefits, most companies choose to outsource their customer services to free up time.

Numerous foreign companies prefer to outsource their customer support services also because countries such as the Philippines has a reputation of having good customer service skills. One proof is the neverending demand for call centre agents in the country. As of today, the outsourcing industry in the Philippines remains to be a huge contributor to the economy.

The on-demand economy

Nowadays, customer service outsourcing is a vital part of any business, regardless of the industry. And, the products or services a company offer is no longer the selling point for customers, rather the overall experience. So businesses today focus more on employing experienced, pro-active, and passionate customer-centric agents with absolute know-how.

Every day, outsourcing companies are dealing with a lot of competitors that pose a challenge to the efficiency of services that they provide. And though it has changed customer service in many ways, it still is one of the most effective ways.

Takeaway

The emergence of AI and automation was a threat to customer service outsourcing companies for a little while. However, it does not last for long as these companies thought of ways to increase their efficiency and further strengthen the level of services they provide.

One of these companies that kept on strengthening their customer services is DBOS. Located in the Philippines, DBOS is an Australian-owned offshore staffing company that caters to back-office services, digital marketing, IT outsourcing, and outsourced customer support services. Reduce your wage costs up to 70% and get a free consultation with our very own CEO/Founder!