8 Tips To Make Your Offshore Call Center Operation A Success....

A lot of companies outsource their call center operations. Sometimes it is a good experience...but often times companies fail miserably in the implementation and discontinue the effort. I am in the business of providing  offshore call center services. (sales, marketing and customer service). I have been asked what makes the outsourcing effort a win...and how to make sure that the customer experience is good. Below are 8  key points I watch when implementing a solution for a client.

1. Consider the size of your Call Center Operation. Right size it from the start. Do not under staff.
2. Move only those services into you new call center which are appropriate. An example....keep high level customer service in house...at least until you have center reps who really know your business. Stars will emerge and you can promote those to Level II or Level III support/customer service.
3. Consider the location of your call center agents. I wrote an article as to why one should choose Philippine call center reps over India one's....I urge you to read it. Why Philippine Call Center Agents Are The Best
4. Call your new agents. Interview them, Engage them in a conversation. If possible...hire only the ones you like. A lot of BPO / outsourcing providers (like us) will let you hire your own agents out of a selection  they pre-screen.
5. Look at the website of your outsourcing provider. If they do not have a good web presence...big warning sign.
6. Be specific and allocate the time needed to develop the training program. (decision trees, conversation trees). This will pay off big time.  
7. Treat your center operations as an improvement...not just an exercise in cost cutting. (this of course is still the goal). Focus on how to create a better customer experience. 
8. Try to get call center reps which are accent neutral. Accent neutral  means that the center rep has been trained in pronunciation methods to eliminate as much as possible of the native language influence. 

If you follow the guidelines above your chances of success are greatly improved. In combination they will allow you to create a class A solution....improving the inner workings of your company as well as the customer and client experience.

At the end of the day the partner you chose is perhaps the single most import  aspect of why a call center succeeds or fails. A call center in Lahore. Pakistan  with very little western influence is much less likely to succeed than a center located in the Philippines  with a US management structure.  I am (obviously) touting my own horn here....but I truly believe it will make a huge difference to the success of setting up your offshore call center operations.