Frequently Asked Questions
Back office outsourcing happens when you let a third-party provider handle your ‘back office’ tasks like admin and non-client-facing support. This could be everything from record-keeping to IT. A BPO organization runs these on your behalf, leaving you free to focus on primary income-generating activities.
Some of the advantages of back office outsourcing include freeing you to focus on core income generation, improving cost efficiency, and improved productivity. There’s also access to specialists and quality talent without keeping them on permanent payroll. Add the ability to scale your business as needed, and access to assets without the need to maintain them yourself. Lastly, they allow managed business risk.
Nearshore outsourcing involves outsourcing to countries close to you geographically. Generally for US based companies, nearshore outsourcing is considered to include the Mexico, The Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This makes shared business functionality easier to run. You still have all the benefits of global outsourcing, including cost-effectiveness and access to a wider talent pool.
There are many benefits to nearshore outsourcing. These include similar time zones, shared business culture, easier communication, streamlined business integrations, and close proximity to make oversight easier. They also share the typical outsourcing benefits, including greater affordability, access to a broad talent pool, and freedom to concentrate on income-generating activities.
You can easily outsource your business’s customer service by using a nearshore outsourcing company. Look for experienced outsourcing companies that have excellent customer service records. Ideally,go ‘nearshore’, in your geography, for matching locales and business culture. Help them onboard seamlessly by creating training material that matches your company culture.
The benefits of outsourcing customer service include saving money on staffing, infrastructure, and resources, increasing access to talented professionals, and increased quality control and oversight. It also reduces operating costs, negates the need for staff training, and places less pressure on existing staff members. All this while ensuring customers’ needs are professionally met.
You should outsource your customer support if you’re looking to find a cost-effective solution to customer satisfaction. Customer service outsourcing suits growing companies who want to keep staff and infrastructure costs lower while simultaneously maintaining/improving service. Customer Service BPOs are up-to-date in customer care best practices and optimization strategies, ensuring high quality while helping you focus on your primary business.
Outsourcing customer service can cost between $25-$45 per hour in the US, or $12-$20 for nearshore solutions. The cost will vary considerably by the location of the outsourced customer service, the quality of services offered, and the needs of the hiring company. It’s a cost-effective alternative to on-site staff. Offshore outsourcing generally runs $8-14/hr depending on the skillsets required.
Distributed customer service occurs when you outsource your call center and chat center needs to professionals who do not work onsite at your company. This is a cost-effective customer service solution that allows you to leverage professional skills without needing them to work onsite in a traditional role.
You can maintain quality while outsourcing by being selective about your outsourcing partners. Make sure to onboard them thoroughly, and be open about your expectations. Ensure that you invest in your outsourced team, and that you regularly manage the outsourced relationship, to get the best results possible.
Outsourcing helps you reduce costs by leveraging skilled, expert personnel and the specialist assets of another company. This is done without needing to create them onsite or maintain extra salaries. Instead, you have a flexible and cost-effective solution that can grow and downsize with your needs.
Outsourcing helps you reduce costs by leveraging skilled, expert personnel and the specialist assets of another company. This is done without needing to create them onsite or maintain extra salaries. Instead, you have a flexible and cost-effective solution that can grow and downsize with your needs.
You know it’s time to outsource when you find your back office efforts are taking too much attention from core business activities. This includes scaling in-season, adding staff in other timezones, and bolstering current staff in stressful times or where normal facilities aren’t operational. Outsourcing can be an efficient choice for small and large enterprises.
Offshore staff you work with through a BPO partner are easy to pay. The company will give you an invoice monthly to settle. Independent offshore staff are trickier. You will need to add them to payroll, use a third-party payroll processor, or pay them as an independent contractor.
Good outsourcing partners will always take feedback and engage with you meaningfully around your expectations. You should always choose a quality outsourcing partner who is happy to help you develop the corporate tone and service level your clients require from their services. Don’t be afraid to be upfront with expectations.
Reputable offshore BPO companies have systems, policies and infrastructure in place to ensure staff are working. You should receive a regular (often monthly) summary of work done that includes timesheets. Maintain regular communication with your BPO company and insist on timely and accurate reporting of work.
Outsourcing improves your business in several ways. First, outsourcing enables you to off-board menial tasks thus enabling you to focus on other more important tasks requiring greater proficiency (innovation, core activities, etc.). Second, outsourcing provides a cost-effective way to scale your business by connecting you with quality workers at greatly reduced cost.
Training offshore staff is relatively easy. Offshore outsourcing companies will have an on-boarding process to follow, during which you can discuss your company’s needs and objectives. Generally, an outsourcing partner will use a train-the-trainer methodology to learn the material and can then perform all future trainings.
While outsourcing is generally a positive experience, there can be some potential pitfalls to avoid. It can cause issues like softening of customer service or lack of clear brand identity (if several competitors outsource to the same firm). You also have less control- and more steps- in your customer service process. Choosing the right partner, however, will remove these risks.
You will not need to train outsourcing partners. They should already be skilled in the fields you are outsourcing. You should, however, have an opportunity to engage meaningfully with the company and help them create a service experience that is fully in line with your corporate culture and expectations.
Call centers are outsourced to streamline costs and boost efficiency. With a specialized firm handling your call center needs, you can focus on core business activities. This means you can leverage their experience to complement your business, while reducing staffing costs. Your customers generally receive the same (or better) experience.
There are many benefits related to outsourcing. These benefits include reducing operational costs and increased efficiency. Reduced risk and staffing flexibility are also benefits. You also gain access to expertise in the field you may not otherwise have.
Call center outsourcing costs vary, depending on the location of the call center and skills required to perform the work. Continental US averages are $25-$45 an hour per agent. Nearshore call centers for the U.S cost about $12-$20. Offshore outsourcing will range from $10-18, dependant on services.