For any business whether big or small, a happy market is the most important measure of your success. Looking after your customers means they’ll be back for more and recommend your product or service to their friends. Building a great reputation is especially important when you’re just starting out as even a slight mistake can cripple you before you’ve even begun.
Outsourcing your customer support to a dedicated well-trained team can make the world of difference. It means you have a 24/7 customer support staff whose job is to ensure that your customers every need is met. It also frees up your own staff to focus on the business itself and doing what you do best. But with so many different call centers offering to take care of your customers, how do you choose between them? Well here are a few of the most important factors to consider.
Services
First and foremost you should be thinking about what you need from your call center and whether it is something they offer. Look through their services and shop around the market, if everyone else is offering 24/7 chat support and one call center that you like is not, ask them why not? It may be for a good reason. Knowing what is on offer and what you cannot do without is integral to finding a good match.
The second thing to consider is who else they offer their services too; if as a relatively small business you are going to be afforded less time, staff, and resources with a call center that primarily deals with a huge clientele, perhaps you’d be better off with a call center that specializes in start-ups?
Cost
Cheapest isn’t always good value and the most expensive isn’t always the best. Outsourcing your customer support to a call center should be something that saves you money and gives you peace of mind. It will always be cheaper than training, installing, and maintaining an in house team. This doesn’t mean however that you should be throwing that money away. Compare the market and what is on offer and choose carefully who it is that is going to give you the best bang for your buck.
Experience
A good call center should have a proven track record and be able to provide you with testimonials and other clients that have used their services for an extended period of time. Talking to other businesses that have made use of a potential call center is a great way to get a feel for how they handle things. Customers who have had to wait over 5 minutes on hold are almost certain to be disappointed in the service provided, make sure this is something that will not and could never happen to yours.
Another thing to consider is whether your call center has experience specifically with smaller businesses or start-ups. The needs and services they would provide should be tailored to your own and so if they have that experience it will make for a much more streamlined and beneficial relationship.