Saturday, July 16, 2011

Customer Service Outsourcing Texas As Part Of Customer Relationship Management

By Elise Clayton


Many businesses today are looking for the best ways to cope with increased demand for client support. Businesses want to save money, while sustaining their brand value, and increasing client satisfaction. Customer service outsourcing Texas may be an attractive option, particularly when strategies for outsourcing fit into an existing customer relationship management (CRM) framework.

Research has specified the top ingredients for successful CRM strategy. High-quality strategies provide a clearly delineated program, with widely-understood ways to measure success. Also, high-quality strategies grow naturally from current sales and marketing practices, and make client feedback a major source of information on what works, and what does not.

Good call centers tie seamlessly into good CRM. The best centers incorporate technology which is easy for customers to understand, while providing quick access to human associates. Also, the best centers explain information in a clear, concise fashion, and resolve customer complaints quickly, without the need for repeated calls.

Companies reap many advantages from outsourced call centers. The most touted advantage is decreased costs, and cost savings are undeniably highest, when companies outsource to other countries. Sending work overseas saves money because overseas employees tend to work for lower wages, and companies do not have to provide benefits, or deal with union-influenced allowances.

Companies will still reap benefits if they outsource domestically. Hiring an outside call center allows companies to save on overhead costs, and provides 24-hour, 365-day accessibility to customers. Companies with high seasonal call volume save money, when hiring an outside service, because they do not have to employ their own year-round workforce. In addition, centers tend to employ the latest technologies, and may be able to provide customer research, in addition to service recovery.

Outsourcing does have its disadvantages, particularly when done overseas. Language and cultural barriers may negatively affect the communication process, and may reflect poorly on the business. Also, distant call centers may not have a good understanding of a client's business, or company culture. Data confidentiality is an additional concern, particularly when distant centers are changed with handling customers' sensitive financial information.

To guarantee client satisfaction, customer service outsourcing Texas strategies should fit into a company's established CRM framework. Oversight must be strict, to guarantee the confidentiality of client information, and quality of service. Every call center associate should be fluent in company culture and customs, as well as being fluent in the customers' primary language.




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