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6 Replies Last post: Jul 15, 2009 6:56 PM by DomainDiva

Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ?

Jun 4, 2009 1:53 AM

Click to view Cosoft's profile Professional Cosoft 3 posts since
May 27, 2009
What's your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing Versus Sourcing from within during Crisis Time?

In recent years, call center outsourcing had become a popular and viable way to deliver high quality service while lowering operating costs in the call center sector. Taking China as an example, the call center industry has been expanding with annual growth of 30% in 2008. And experts predict that there will be increasing demand in the following years, especially the Chinese & Asian language call center services as China and Asia's economic rise.

In the time of financial crisis, while some larger companies have the money, time and resources to put in place their own call center, most smaller and mid sized businesses opt for a streamline approach to call centers and choose to outsource their call center needs. As a service provider of Chinese or Asian language call center services or back office supports in China, we do encourage call center/contact center outsourcing. For many companies, especially many small, medium ones, outsourcing a call center is an excellent way to generate sales and help current customers with tech support and customer support issues. Meanwhile, they can improve productivity, save their cost, extend their service hours and place focus on their core competencies.

What's Your Opinion on call center outsourcing versus from within? Do you agree to have in-house call center in the time of financial crisis? If not, what you will consider when choosing call center? Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly at contact@co-soft.net.

Email: contact @co-soft.net
Website: http://www.co-soft.net
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Click to view Szarafin's profile Authority Szarafin 6 posts since
Jul 11, 2009
1. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 12, 2009 6:42 AM
In the crisis time outsourcing of different assets a company has (as the telecommunications infrastructure for instance) enables to improve the cash flows for a short period of time, see "sale and lease back" concept. However, before we outsource anything, we have to decide what is better to our business model: the in-house made solution or really outsourcing. There are also mixed solution, as shared service centers, available for groups consisting of two or more companies.

Magdalena Szarafin
http://www.szarafin.info
Click to view DomainDiva's profile Mogul DomainDiva 1,732 posts since
Oct 10, 2007
2. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 12, 2009 9:56 AM
The language barrier and cultural barrier make it impossible for me to have anything nice to say about foreign call centers. I have been treated rudely and harrassed when now defunct WAMU made misakes wtih my account balances and add ons. As a small business owner I cannot fathom outsourcing a call center to a foreign country.
Click to view Szarafin's profile Authority Szarafin 6 posts since
Jul 11, 2009
3. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 12, 2009 12:58 PM
in response to: DomainDiva
"Outsourcing" does not automatically mean "offshore outsourcing" or "nearshore outsourcing". Outsourcing is just about letting functions get done by a third party. This third party can reside in your country, they can also reside abroad.

The call centers (and other BPO companies) located abroad offer different service quality.There are those among them which employ professionals from many countries who are responsible for customers residing in their countries of origin.

Magdalena Szarafin
http://www.szarafin.info
Click to view DomainDiva's profile Mogul DomainDiva 1,732 posts since
Oct 10, 2007
4. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 13, 2009 3:46 PM
in response to: Szarafin
Still not sure on this one.

Does a customer service rep in an outsourced call center care about my customers? No they do not. Customer call centers are about making the customer with the question go away, not about being the first line of support for the business that pays them.

For our business...Can they be trained to handle the sometimes complex formula spreadsheet issues and explain to a customer how pro rates are being calculated in some of the workbooks? Probably not.
Click to view Szarafin's profile Authority Szarafin 6 posts since
Jul 11, 2009
5. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 15, 2009 6:43 PM
in response to: DomainDiva
I would see it as follows: as a business owner you have limited funds. You can invest them in your core business to grow and/or in financing of back-office and front-office activities. Each cent invested in non-core activities cannot be invested in the core ones.
While deciding: to outsource or to let the service be in-house made, the combination of three dimensions should be taken into consideration: time, quality and cost. If you decide that the combination is better while outsourced, then outsource the function in concern. If not, let it be done in-house.
If a foreign call center will be able to deal with your business... Well, for me it is a question of training the people who will be dealing with your company and their customers and telling them the most important things about the nature of your business.
Magdalena Szarafin
http://www.szarafin.info
Click to view DomainDiva's profile Mogul DomainDiva 1,732 posts since
Oct 10, 2007
6. Re: Your Opinion on Call Center Outsourcing VS Sourcing within ? Jul 15, 2009 7:16 PM
in response to: Szarafin
No, outsourcing customer service to a call center is not an option with us. Our company would consider aviation maintenance and records industry trained personnel to act as contractors (outsourcing such as airlines do for their reservations) for customer service calls but that would be about as 'outsourcing' as we would get. I cannot see our company contracting with a faceless entity to take care of our customers.

I can appreciate your telling me what you think I need to know, however, having taken this company from idea to first round, second round and now product, I know the value of allocating my funding. Our business customer service calls can not be handled by people that know the most important things about the nature of our business. Customers could care less about the nature of the business, they want software that works and when it does not, or there are issues with data input, they need help and guidance, not nurturing.

We do not view our activities are front office and back office. Our set up being virtual eliminates that 'baggage'.