As a company that develops various technologies, applications, and other digital products, there is simply no way around your need to provide technical support to your customers, and how you choose to provide that support matters.
As a business owner, you’re constantly searching for ways to reduce spending and increase your bottom line. While hiring an in-house IT support team is certainly an option, there is another highly beneficial way to ensure your customers have what they need to be successful with your products: making use of outsourced tech support. In the following guide, you’ll learn how to do so without sacrificing your brand’s reputation for excellent service by using technical support call center outsourcing.
What Is Technical Support Call Center Outsourcing?
The concept of technical support outsourcing is quite simple. It involves tapping into a third-party business to provide service and assistance to your customers on your behalf. Though most outsourcing companies refer to themselves as “call centers,” it is possible to find partners who provide omnichannel support, capable of handling phone, email, chat, and SMS tickets.
Gone are the days when call centers paid low wages for many unskilled workers who answered the phone to talk to customers. Modern call centers can provide exceptional, 24/7 outsourced tech support to customers via trained agents who have extensive enterprise backgrounds.
Why Is Outsourcing Technical Support Important?: Seven Benefits You Can Reap Right Now
Outsourced tech support is beneficial for both business owners and their customers. Your customers will receive the support they need to maximize their product, while your business gets the opportunity to bolster not only trust but revenue.
Nevertheless, if you’re currently wondering, “Why is tech support outsourced?” here are seven reasons business owners are saying yes to third-party support:
1. Reduce Hiring and Operating Costs
On average, businesses spend $4,700 to recruit and hire one employee, even before salary and benefits are determined. Some experts believe that the ultimate cost is around four times the position’s salary. If the new hire doesn’t work out, businesses may spend as much as one-third of the position’s salary to hire someone else. Factor in the extra office space and equipment needed for each new employee, and costs increase quickly.
With technical support outsourcing, you’ll pay none of these costs, as the contact center takes on the financial burden of recruiting, determining salaries and benefits, and managing real estate and equipment, saving you a great deal of money.
2. Take Advantage of Additional Features
Many contact centers invest in new equipment and technologies to stay competitive in the ever-evolving business landscape. As a business owner relying on tech support process outsourcing, that means you get to take advantage of these investments by providing your customers with world-class features you may not be able to offer otherwise.
For example, some contact centers provide omnichannel support, allowing customers to contact agents through the method in which they feel most comfortable. Other providers have invested in self-service solutions that help customers quickly access the information they need without waiting for an agent. These features allow your business to spend less while offering better customer service.
3. Flexibility in Scaling Both Ways
If you’ve hired full-time employees to staff a technical support department, you have likely found that it isn’t easy to tailor the size of your workforce to the company’s current needs, especially if those needs change seasonally. Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to repeatedly hire and lay off employees, as doing so will eventually affect your reputation and bottom line.
Outsourcing your technical support to a third-party contact center solves that issue by placing the responsibility on the outsourcing company to make sizing adjustments. They have the flexibility to move team members around whenever needed, ensuring you only spend what you must on staffing.
4. Meet Service Level Agreements
What are the major drivers of IT outsourcing? One of them is, of course, providing excellent customer service. Suppose you sell a technological product or service. In that case, you have likely created a service level agreement (SLA) for your customers: a documented arrangement that tells the customer what specific actions and level of service they can expect from you when they face an issue following their purchase.
When you outsource IT support, your business can transfer the duty of meeting those SLAs to the agents of the contact center, meaning you can pull reports to ensure stated response times and resolutions are being met, make necessary adjustments, and offer additional training material as needed.
5. Focus on Other Business Goals
The more tasks you have on your plate, the more challenging it is to meet your business goals. Outsourcing technical support responsibilities can help you refocus your efforts on pursuing your core objectives.
Instead of chasing down candidates or trying to retain a fully-staffed IT service department, you can spend time on revenue-generating activities, such as analyzing business intelligence reports to pursue new opportunities in the market.
6. Provide Around the Clock Support
Your customers lead busy lives and may not always have the time or opportunity to call for technical support during typical business hours as a result. With that in mind, over 50% of customers expect companies to provide 24/7 support, but that’s difficult to accomplish without hiring more staff or overwhelming their current teams.
Here is yet another instance in which outsourcing your technical support department can save the day. Instead of hiring a separate night shift team, you can lean on the contact center’s agents, who are available 24/7/365. In doing so, your customers can get the support they need when it’s needed most, and your brand can continue to deliver on its promises.
7. Get Insight with Reporting and Analytics
Your ability to provide exceptional products and services hinges on knowing what your customers need and want. When you outsource technical support services, the contact center collects, compiles, and reports critical customer data.
Not only will you get to keep tabs on your outsourced team’s progress on key performance indicators, but you’ll have access to all of the business intelligence they gather, which can prove valuable for uncovering trends, filling gaps in your product or service offerings, or ensuring that every aspect of your business offers a high-quality experience.
A Few Considerations for Successful Tech Support Call Center Outsourcing
Do companies outsource tech support? By now, we know the answer is a resounding “yes,” but even with all of the upsides, business owners must realize that there are still some pitfalls to be aware of, and conducting due diligence on a potential outsourcing partner is vital to avoiding problems and making the most of the opportunity.
Read on to discover what you need to look for when you select an outsourcing company and a few best practices that will set you up for success.
Common Outsourcing Pitfalls
Despite its clear benefits, many business owners hesitate to outsource technical support due to concerns over how little control they feel they’ll have over the process. Some companies may do the following instead:
- Hire unskilled agents who lack the industry knowledge to truly deliver excellent customer service, causing a loss of customer trust and damaging your reputation
- Employ agents with little understanding of your company’s goals, values, and standards, resulting in an inconsistent customer experience across channels
- Avoid updating their tech, making it impossible to deliver the omnichannel support customers need via phone calls, emails, SMS messages, and other avenues
To avoid these issues, and others, thoroughly investigate any company you work with. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their hiring processes, the criteria they have in place for their agents, and the training they receive. It’s also important that you ask about their support channels and ensure they align with your company’s needs.
Outsourcing your technical support can only yield great results when you work with a contact center that is just as committed to your success as you are. Ask the right questions to increase your likelihood of obtaining the outcome you expect.
Call Center Outsourcing Best Practices
As you take steps to outsource tech support for your business, you should be aware of and adhere to the following best practices:
- Take the time to map out your business’s needs and goals so that you can negotiate a contract that covers everything required for success
- Discuss the selection criteria for agents that will be working on your accounts, ensuring they have experience providing service at the enterprise level
- Partner with your contact center services provider to create a custom program that specifies the service model, call flow, escalation process, and quality control
- Create agent training materials that include in-depth information about your values and processes to create a seamless experience for your customers
- Ensure the contact center or service provider you choose to work with offers robust reporting and analytics to monitor progress and request changes as needed
Keeping these best practices in mind can enhance your results and ensure that you can take full advantage of the benefits that outsourcing can bring.
Outsourcing Can Be the Key to Achieving Your Business Goals
What is the most commonly outsourced IT service? With the proliferation of tech products on the market, technical support has to be at the top of the list.
Only your team can determine whether outsourcing its technical support duties will suit your brand, but the undeniable benefits certainly make it worth considering. If you commit to employing best practices to avoid common pitfalls, outsourcing technical support can be a viable way to improve your customer service, garner trust and loyalty, and keep your customers coming back for more.
If your business has decided to outsource computer support, you must partner with the right third-party contact center service provider. When done correctly, outsourcing can be the key that unlocks the door to greater revenue and an impeccable brand reputation.