Why Omni-Channel Contact Center Services Should Be Diversified?
‘Don't put all your eggs in one basket’ is an age-old English proverb that still applies to many business practices of the modern world. Its dictionary meaning is ‘don't risk everything on the success of one venture’. Omni-channel contact center services are amongst one of such business ventures that should not be run by a single entity. Although there are some advantages of contact center outsourcing to a single vendor, the disadvantages are far more prominent if the vendor is not up to the mark.
The main reason why companies outsource their Omni-channel contact center (a contact center that makes use of all communication channels) is because they find it hard to cover the scope of services associated with a full-fledged contact center. Providing support via chat, e-mail, voice, social media and all other conceivable mediums is simply too much for most businesses. Hence, they outsource their services. Some find it convenient to outsource to a single vendor, which can be hazardous, in case the vendor selection is wrong.
The Biggest Con of Outsourcing Contact Center to a Single Company
The biggest con of outsourcing contact center to a single company is that you can actually be conned by your vendor. Generally, when you start a new service, let’s say contact center service, the initial effort is considerably high.
Firstly, one has to get familiar with the CRM, train his employees on the call center software, create the right infrastructure to fulfill everyone’s requirements and then he can probably start entertaining customers. In most of the cases, even a contact center vendor (generally a new entrant) does not know the effort it will take to deliver the services on a consistent basis. Hence, he quotes a higher price (based on his current efforts) than the actual price of the service in the longer run. And as you do not have a reference point to compare the price of his services (for your project), you actually agree to his offerings. Things would have been quite different if you were previously running the same process yourself or had another trusted vendor like Vcare looking after your contact center operations.
Apart from the above mentioned disadvantage, there are other cons of outsourcing contact center as listed below:
1. Lack of Control Over Services: If you outsource all contact center operations, then you will lose control over them. You will have no idea of how the support services are carried out and your dependence on the contact center outsourcing for you will increase considerably.
2. Loss of Personal Touch: Providing personal touch to your services is part of the deal in customer support domain. A single outsourcing contact center may keep the levels of your services high, but it will struggle to wow the customers.
Complementary Approach for Omni-Channel Contact Center Outsourcing
The best way to reap maximum rewards in your outsourcing venture is by using a complementary approach. It is best to run a part of your support operations in-house and outsource the remaining operation to another company. To eliminate the possibility of losing control over your operations, you should hire a liaison manager with the sole task of monitoring operations taking place in the call center outsourcing company. This way, you will get timely updates and insights about customers’ inclinations and you will learn about their satisfaction levels from a reliable source.
Another way to get around this problem is by outsourcing to a single vendor with a flawless record (like Vcare) of imparting contact center services. Such companies are hard to find, but if you will try hard enough, you will get what you seek.