Where a lead is the lifeblood of a business, customer service can be considered the heart and for many industries, customer service becomes a department of its own. One of the best ways to centralize certain customer service functions such as after-sale support is by creating a call centre. Not all businesses can afford to keep a call centre in-house due to property constraints, high wages for that particular area, or event the lack of infrastructure. But keeping the cost low isn’t the only reason why businesses should consider an outsourced call centre.

It Ups the Service Availability

One of the benefits of outsourcing a call centre is that this particular department can work on a completely different timeline than in-house staff. This opens up the possibility of having staff available 24/7 as shift work becomes more flexible. For businesses, this allows them to broaden the scope of their service offering or technical support without having to complicate their staff contracts, as the outsourcing provides for different contract parameters.

Trained and Skilled Agents

Call centre agents have unique skills that allow them to make a difference in the service side of things. While customer-facing staff can take a leaf from call centre agents, patience and the ability to problem-solve telephonically is a valuable asset. By separating this division from the main business operations, it frees businesses up to develop skills in the areas where they need to be developed to maximize potential. For a business, to add in the infrastructure to house their call centre, would mean being responsible for all the overheads associated with the move. By outsourcing, businesses cut through all the admin and are only responsible for paying the agent’s hourly rate.

You’re Simply Too Big

While it may have been okay to have a servicing agent or two in the office when it was just you and a handful of people, this all changes when you expand so far that you’re unable to meet, let alone know, all your staff members. A call centre becomes an important component of your business, as mass expansion usually results in setting up centres to support the four following servicing areas: queries, complaints, technical support, and sales. It’s unlikely that a business that’s no longer classified as a medium enterprise will not need to initiate one of them, if not all.

You’re Dipping Your Toes in Foreign Waters

When an expansion is on the cards, it might not be necessary to move the entire operation across border as much as it is to set up a support system instead. This is because your new customer base will need to build trust with your brand and one of the ways to do this, is to speak to someone that understands their language and culture. It’s far easier to communicate your needs when you know you’re understood. It also helps the local communities in terms of job creation, which is a major boon to reputation.

An outsourced call centre makes sense when you don’t have the cash or infrastructure to house the entire operation. It also helps build rapport with foreign markets.