To start and run a company, you need to know how to balance strategies and priorities, and one of the most critical areas to manage is customer service. After all, the customer is at the heart of the business and their journey with a company has several challenging stages. So the question arises: is it worth outsourcing customer service to a specialized BPO?
In companies undergoing expansion, it is very common for the growth in demands and the quest to improve the customer experience to result in the choice of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as a strategic solution. In this article, you’ll understand the benefits and challenges of BPO in customer service and we’ll help you answer a decisive question: to outsource or not to outsource?
In this article, you’ll read about:
- What is BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)?
- What is customer service BPO?
- What are the advantages of a BPO?
- To outsource or not to outsource?
- BPO solution: meet Scooto
What is BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)?
The term BPO, or Business Process Outsourcing, refers to the outsourcing of business processes to specialized companies. This practice aims to optimize operations, reduce costs and allow the contracting company to focus on its core business.
In various areas, such as finance, technology, HR and customer service, BPO offers specialized solutions that increase process efficiency. This is why companies that choose to outsource entire sectors or even certain functions are able to access expertise, technology and optimized processes in their business.
What’s more, BPO solutions tend to be low-cost compared to the cost of structuring in-house operations. This is because implementing and managing an internal sector requires investment in recruitment, training, work tools and other important aspects for it to function properly.
In the business world, time is money, and BPO allows managers to devote more time to what really matters to their companies.
What is customer service BPO?
In customer service, BPO applies the same principle: delegating the management of this process to a specialized company. The aim is to guarantee agile, effective and personalized service, regardless of the channel used – telephone, chat, email or social media.
It’s common to see small and medium-sized companies where the customer service and sales sectors are one and the same. In other words, the person responsible for closing sales is the same person who has to resolve customer complaints. The result of this is undoubtedly poor quality in both services.
In this sense, BPO becomes a strategy for guaranteeing quality service and a much more satisfactory customer experience. For the company, outsourcing also means lower costs and greater operational efficiency.
In addition, many companies specializing in customer service outsourcing offer full-time operations, as is the case with Scooto. This means that, with a customer service BPO, your company can always be available to customers through 24/7 service, providing an even better experience.
What are the advantages of a BPO?
So far, you’ve understood what a BPO is and how it applies to customer service. Now let’s talk about the advantages of outsourcing. Some of the main advantages of outsourcing services are:
- Reducing operating costs: hiring and training in-house teams can be costly. With BPO, you eliminate infrastructure and training costs, and summarize all costs in just one: the contract with the supplier.
- Focus on core business: while the BPO partner takes care of customer service or any other function that your company has decided to outsource, internal teams can focus on core business areas, such as product development, innovation, etc.
- Scalability: this is one of the biggest advantages of BPO. If you need to expand your service capacity during periods of high demand, such as Black Friday, for example, a specialized partner can make it happen quickly (and with quality).
- Multichannel service: most BPO companies also offer service on all the communication channels your business needs to be present on. Offering multichannel service in-house would require a very high cost in terms of equipment, systems and employees. With outsourcing, this cost is lower and efficiency tends to be higher.
- Advanced technology: another great advantage of a BPO is that your company can rely on modern software, artificial intelligence and analysis technologies to improve the customer experience, without you having to pay more for it.
- Access to specialists: outsourcing allows experienced and qualified professionals to represent your company, optimize your processes and perform tasks to a high standard, as they are dedicated to this alone.
To outsource or not to outsource?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions among entrepreneurs and managers. After all, deciding to outsource customer service involves considering various strategic factors for the success of the business.
According to Marina Vaz, CEO of Scooto, before choosing to outsource, it is essential to evaluate some fundamental points, such as:
- Business momentum: understand if your company is ready for this change. BPO can be more effective at times of expansion, when there is an increase in demand for service. If your company is still in its infancy, outsourcing may not be the best choice.
- Culture alignment: make sure that the BPO partner’s values and practices are aligned with your company’s culture and mission. This ensures that the service reflects the identity of your brand, and is essential if the culture is to be propagated to your clients.
- Size of business and supplier: it’s important to assess whether the supplier has enough structure to meet your demand. Choose a partner that is prepared to handle your company’s volume of clients, offering the scalability needed to keep up with your growth.
“We end up piling up tasks simply because we avoid outsourcing.”
Marina Vaz, CEO of Scooto.
When and how to outsource?
Check out the tips from Marina Vaz, CEO of Scooto, on the decision to outsource. Watch the video:
BPO solution: meet Scooto
Scooto is an ecosystem of BPO solutions for end-to-end customer relationships . We help companies sell and build relationships throughout the customer journey.
If you need to reduce costs, optimize processes and improve the customer experience, Scooto can help. With qualified, experienced professionals and flexible internal processes, we provide your business with all the support you need to offer quality customer service, agility and resolution.