Avoid Recessionary Cutbacks with This Strategy

Internal CX teams gain strength through BPO

According to research conducted by Zendesk, just over a third of companies predict that they’ll see a 25 percent increase in customer engagement volume over the next 2 years. 

Unfortunately, those same CX pros predict the budget to hire more agents, improve training or solve for the added volume with technology improvements, won’t keep pace, putting pressure on internal CX teams to get better and do more with fewer resources.  

Customers Expect Immediacy

As we’ve previously discussed, 90% of customers say an “immediate” response is important (HubSpot Research). That means making a customer who needs help wait longer isn’t the best solution.  

We get it, you and your team are good at what you do. You understand the needs of your customers and your team is performing well, given the circumstances. A deep dive into the data often reveals room for improvement, however. 

There is a way to adapt to recessionary budget constraints  that not only adds value to your program but also raises the bar on Customer Experience.  And it is as simple as reaching out to the experts. 

Retain your Best Team Members

What if you could offer key players on your current team a raise? How about sweetening the pot by offering better benefits, and true career path opportunities, too? Begin by promoting all-star agents to a Tier 2 role in escalations. Next,  the program’s best Team Lead moves over to product SME.  And the operations manager who always gets stellar results is promoted to vendor manager. Key team members are happy and even get a raise!   

This is the way most BPO partnerships play out over time. It is no secret that BPOs exist because they are experts at supplying cost-efficient services. But what isn’t talked about much is how internal teams gain strength from the relationship. 

Expertise Improves Customer Outcomes

Outsourcers have Subject Matter Experts to support all key areas of your program. Whether it be recruiting, curriculum design, training, technology, innovation, workforce management, or operations, the right partner has the resources to improve outcomes for your customers. Would your program would benefit from a conversational bot? How about an automated Where is My Order solution that deflects call volume? The right BPO partner will be able to implement either or both without the need for weeks of research.  

On the other hand, if a lengthy training cycle or cumbersome knowledge base is problematic, the right BPO partner will collaborate with you to solve either problem. Last but not least, if you are looking in the rearview mirror at a peak season that didn’t go as planned due to staffing difficulties, we can help there too. With domestic, nearshore, and offshore service locations, mature BPOs like ClearSource can scale to meet most requirements. 

The end result is typically a partnership where the BPO handles Tier 1 interactions and the brand’s internal team handles Tier-2 and Tier 3 lines of business. 

Gain Strength with Right Sized BPO

Remember, it is also important for brands considering a BPO partnership to find the right size company to work with. Boutique BPOs often lack expertise. Large players focus on enterprise clients with hundreds or even thousands of seats. We have found that most brands who haven’t outsourced before would be well served to consider a mid-sized company for several reasons: 

    Larry Ruehlen is Vice President of Marketing for ClearSource BPO.