The modern customer is far more demanding than ever before. They understand how important they are to companies and expect to receive their due respect. Today’s consumer expects an almost instantaneous response to their queries.
88% of customers emailing your business, for example, expect you to reply to them within an hour. 30% of clients only give you 15 minutes or less. Can your team meet those pressurized standards and remain productive?
If not, it might be time to consider outsourcing your customer service to strengthen your startup’s position.
In this post, we’ll look at how outsourcing client support sharpens your competitive advantage.
How Outsourcing Sharpens Your Competitive Edge
In this section, we could list all the standard benefits of partnering with a third-party provider. Most regular readers will know the basics already, however. To recap:
- 24/7 support
- Access to trained consultants
- Reduced costs in respect of training, infrastructure, and wages
- Access to multi-lingual support
- A cohesive multi-channel approach to service.
If you’d like to see an example of what a professional service provider offers, click here. For this article, however, we’ll go beyond the primary benefits and discuss how the partnership improves your competitive edge.
Reduces Average Response Time
Consider the average customer journey when they interact with your company currently. If they call in, do your employees transfer them from one agent to another? Are they told that someone will call them back but never hear anything further? Do the people who field the calls have the time or skill to do so adequately?
A startup, by its nature, must run a very lean operation. In most cases, consultants fulfill several roles. If you’re developing software, for example, your development team might need to field calls.
While they understand the technical side of the software, they may not know anything about the delivery process or the return policies. They’ll find out, but this will take valuable time away from their core function.
A specialist team focuses solely on customer service and technical support. They have the time to learn every detail about the product. They’re bound to hear the same questions over and over again and so can solve most queries promptly.
Client queries are resolved faster, improving the efficiency of the help desk.
Increases First Contact Resolution Rate
Clients contact support for query resolution. Businesses that prioritize a high first contact resolution rate generally see a significant increase in customer satisfaction.
Why?
It’s simply human nature. Fair or not, the client expects your firm’s representatives to have all the answers. They may understand having to wait for a response with complex queries, but they still want that answer as soon as possible.
An outsourced becomes accustomed to dealing with both simple and complex queries. A specialist service consultant is, therefore, better prepared to deal with a broader range of issues. Your skilled outsourced team can significantly improve your first contact resolution rate.
Lowers Customer Effort Score
The customer effort score refers to how difficult it is for a client to resolve their query. It’s essential to keep this rating as low as possible. If a client must expend a great deal of effort to solve a question, they’re bound to look elsewhere.
To explain this concept, let’s look at two examples. In both cases, a client, Joe Soap, wants to find out if a store stocks black sweatshirts.
- Store A: Joe calls in and encounters an automated menu. He has to indicate whether or not he’s an account holder. He has to choose the department he wishes to speak to. He then has to confirm that he wishes to buy a new item. You know the drill; it’s an endless series of options.
- Store B: Joe calls the switchboard. The operator transfers him to the relevant department. No one picks up, so the call bounces back to the board. The operator redirects the call to an adjacent department so they can take a message.
- Store C: Joe calls the help desk. He gets through to a human consultant who simply checks the system to see if they stock the trainers Joe requires. The agent then offers to ship them to Joe.
In the three scenarios above, only one makes it as easy for the client as possible. With Store A, Joe may select the wrong button or get sick of the seemingly endless choices. With Store B, Joe does a little better because he doesn’t have to work out who to speak to, but he still didn’t get the answer he required.
In both cases, there’s a good chance that Joe would simply give up and try another retailer. With Store C, however, Joe gets what he wants quickly and efficiently. It’s easy to guess which store he’ll purchase from in the future.
Improves Customer Satisfaction Score
Ten years ago, the customer helpline was viewed as an entry-level job. Companies saved their best and brightest for more critical tasks. That concept is fast becoming outdated because consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
They expect excellent service as standard, and delivering anything less will decrease your customer satisfaction score.
Partnering with a professional service team means that your clients get the service that they deserve. The consultants understand how to deal with several client types and develop relationships with all of them.
The customer leaves having had a pleasant experience, and customer satisfaction improves.
Improves Net Promoter Rating
Consistently delivering excellent customer service and an outstanding customer experience is the best way to improve your net promoter rating. By outsourcing your support, you provide your customers with a fantastic experience every time.
They’ll learn to trust the company and be willing to recommend your services to friends and family. Nett promoters are the most valuable form of advertising for your company.
Final Notes
There are several financial and organizational benefits to outsourcing your client support. It’s the slightly less tangible benefits that will give your company a professional edge, however. Partnering with a top service team may improve customer satisfaction, lower the customer effort score, and convert clients to net promoters.
