The Criteria to Judge a Customer Service Outsourcing Company

Quality and performance are two important parameters for measuring the efficacy of any operation. But, when it comes to call center operations, these two parameters are not as easily discernible as in other processes. The biggest reason why it is hard to categorize a call center operation in any of these two brackets is because the dynamics that control such an operation are not always tangible. Although there are metrics like QA scores and CSAT against which the effectiveness of a customer service outsourcing company is measured; they are not – as any seasoned veteran will tell you – its true reflection.

Limitation of Call Center Statistics

There are many call center statistics like First Call Resolution (FCR), Average Handling Time (AHT), CSAT, QA score, hold time, wait time etc. Each call center statistic points to a certain trend, but never truly paints an accurate picture. Below is an example that will clarify this point:

A call center agent that is proficient in expediting resolutions on calls receives instructions from his manager that he needs to improve his CSAT score. To achieve a high CSAT score, he starts building good rapport with the customer, for which, he starts spending some extra time on each of his calls. And, because of this new approach his CSAT score becomes better than before but at the cost of waning QA scores, AHT and FCR. In short, for the sake of CSAT (which represents quality), he has diminished his performance stats i.e. AHT and FCR along with an important quality stat i.e. QA score. Clearly, here we can see the fickle nature of performance and quality metrics that were turned on their head because of an instruction by the manager. Similarly, there can be other factors as well (like mood of the agent, high call volume) that may influence the seesawing of performance and quality parameters. Therefore, it becomes necessary to have a call center process that is not influenced by external factors but has inherent quality and high performance.

Characteristics of Quality and Performance-Oriented Customer Service Outsourcing Company

Partnering with a customer service outsourcing company that employs a 360-degree approach encompassing all the requirements of a process is essential for obtaining quality and performance in work. Always outsourcing call center to a seasoned veteran that has a vision to put customers and clients first before everything else to achieve maximum success in an outsourcing venture. Below are some important criteria to judge an outsourcing vendor:

1.      Experienced agents and managers – When you handover your work to newbies, you do not get consistent quality because the staff does not have the vision to shape the fortunes of your business. It is important to scour the Internet to check the image of the company as well as people working there to gauge an estimate of its credentials. Experienced workforce does not play seesaw with stats like greenhorns, which means it operates for the welfare of your business. You always get real quality and true performance, which is a byproduct of earnest and zealous work.

2.      Prioritize call center software as a basic requisite – Nearly all modern-day call center operations are run with the use of software solutions i.e. IVR, CRM and ACD etc. So, just like you pay attention to the workforce you are employing, it is important to consider the efficacy of the software solutions deployed by the vendor. A better CRM can help you maintain better relationships with your customers. A quality IVR can streamline queue management and educate customers before a call lands on an agent’s workstation. And, a high-quality ACD can distribute calls correctly to the concerned agents, minimizing misrouted calls and hassles that come with it.