Small or large, established or debuting; if you are a business or an organization that is providing products or services to a set of clients; take it for granted that the latter has the right to expect 100% uncompromised customer service at any given time. This basically includes quick response to queries, quicker anticipation of customer needs and, quickest possible resolution of issues, preferably at first contact (75% customer preference).


Fact Bites – 81% companies have named CX as a key competitive differentiator! Are you among these leaders yet?


Customer experience (CX) matters all the more for smaller debuting companies that need to make a foothold among seasoned players in an already overcrowded market. In fact, with research indicating that investing in CX can actually double revenues within the next few years, hundreds of small organizations have started prioritizing this as a potential growth strategy.
However, CX is nothing like how it was even a decade ago. With transforming market / e-commerce landscape, advent of technology, evolving customer behavior and ever rising customer expectations; the trends of CX management has literally metamorphosed, placing it strictly outside the capacity of in-house talents. This is perhaps, one of the key reasons why outsourcing customer care to professional call center service providers is a raging trend in 2024.

 

Fact Bites – Believe it or not, it has been predicted that by 2026, 75% customers will make voice calls to call centers not to resolve real issues but out of loneliness!

 

The Cost Connection – Dialing Excellence Sans Expense Burden 

While the advantages of professional customer care call centers are outstanding, the only hurdle in the path of small enterprises in engaging the full potential of their expertise, is the matter of cost. Even though cost cutting is a glaring advantage of professional customer care services, it does invite reasonable investments at the onset; an action that makes hundreds of promising enterprises step back, and thus get catapulted out of the profit-radar.
With possible costs per month, per seat ranging as much as 10gms of gold if not more (as charged by large established BPOs); small companies often find themselves grappling the graphs for breaking even.

The good news is; it takes only a few strategic steps to reduce professional call center costs to uncompromised suitability.

Here are a few tried and tested ways small enterprises can get the best of professional CX expertise at surprisingly agreeable costs 


1. Opting for Strategic Outsourcing - 

Professional call centers bill their client companies on the basis of the range of tasks handled by them on behalf of the latter. Therefore, instead of handing out the entirety of non-core functions, small businesses can strategically outsource only certain specific non-core functions to their chosen service providers, that require immediate attention. This is perhaps, the easiest strategy to optimize costs without compromising on quality.

 

2. Asking for Flexible Contracts - 

The days of one-size-fits-all is on its way out. Service providers these days, offer flexible contract terms that leave ample room for scalable solutions with pay-as-you-go or month-to-month contracts, enabling small businesses to adjust their service levels based on their fluctuating needs. This flexibility ensures that
businesses only pay for the services they use, thereby helping them manage costs more effectively.

 

3. Choosing Providers Using Cloud-Based Platforms - 

Service providers that use cloud-based technologies can offer extensive scalability without having to rely on elaborate infrastructure. This naturally brings down the cost of services allowing smaller businesses to access professional expertise at significantly lesser costs. Additionally, cloud-based services often follow a subscription-based model, enabling small businesses to access services without incurring high capital expenses.

 

4.  Considering Shared Resource Models - 

Some professional customer care BPOs offer shared resource models, where the same pool of resources like customer service agents or technical support staff is shared by multiple clients. This shared approach impacts cost-reduction enormously, making outsourced services more affordable while maintaining high service standards.

 

5. Negotiating Performance-Based Contracts - 

Call it Service Level Agreements (SLA), this strategy involves unification of pricing with specific performance metrics and outcomes.

For example, a contract could be structured to reward the service provider for achieving high customer satisfaction rates or meeting specific service level agreements. This alignment of incentives ensures that businesses only pay for the value delivered.

 

6. Continuous Process Improvement - 

Regular assessments of performance metrics, identifying areas of improvement and actively collaborating with the professional service provider to implement efficiency-boosting measures can help optimize processes over time, resulting in tangible cost savings while facilitating continuous improvement in service quality.

 

7. Stress on Customization - 

Professional customer care service providers often have room for negotiation, especially when it comes to long-term partnerships. Never hesitate to make the most of personalization and final cost negotiation to align with your specific business goals in the short and long term.

 

Final Thoughts

Professional customer care service providers these days, are thoughtful. Many boutique companies are seen actively working with their client companies to minimize costs with calculated actions like - 


Crafting ideal CX with professional care is therefore, well within reach; size no bar!

 

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