Outsourcing contact center is an effective way for small and medium-sized companies to keep up with the rapidly changing trends in customer service technology. As online platforms become a central part of many business models, especially in contact centers, the ways in which consumers and brands interact with each other are radically transforming. In the realm of technical support, for instance, traditional phone calls are giving way to alternative channels such as email, social media, and instant messaging.
A recent study conducted by Forrester, a global business research firm, found customers switch to alternative communication platforms 75% of the time when they find one channel to be ineffective in solving their problems. Despite this trend, however, the Forrester survey also found businesses are struggling to offer quality customer service across a sufficient number of channels.
“Successful customer service strategies require alignment across people, process, and technology,” James Norwood, Chief Marketing Officer for KANA Software, said in a statement.
There is no doubt that technology has radically changed the way consumers expect to interact with companies. As a result, small businesses with limited time and resources run the risk of losing valuable customers because they are unable to devote long hours to monitoring social media and other digital platforms. Contact center outsourcing is one way for these firms to provide robust technical support services while preserving the long-term opportunity for growth.
How does an outsourced contact center enhance the multichannel customer service experience?
Follow customers to their preferences
A recent report from Contact Babel, a contact center research group, found 77%of consumers utilize more than one channel when seeking customer service. Last year, a study from Angel, a customer experience management business, revealed that 51% of the respondents still prefer landline telephones when speaking with companies, while only 34% of prefer doing it via email. A technical support outsourcing firm comes to the table with the resources and expertise necessary for meeting customers at these new preferred channels.
Provide quality market research and industry knowledge
Implementing a multi-platform experience into the contact center only makes sense if it’s what your customers prefer, according to Business 2 Community. Not only do businesses need to identify customer behaviors, they also need to train themselves to properly use these technologies. An outsourced contact center, on the other hand, can take control of market research by monitoring certain channels and utilizing them accordingly. The right contact center can utilize multiple platforms if needed, but it must still remain highly skilled in traditional customer service tools because not every consumer prefers to use such technologies. In the end, it’s still the consumer who matters most.
