Customer service is one of the most important parts of your business. It is not the reason for your business, of course, that is to make a profit by providing your core product. However, without happy customers, your business could not exist, and that’s why it’s vital to ensure your customers can get the help and attention they need, when they need it.
The importance of customer satisfaction has been one of the reasons some businesses have been hesitant when it comes to outsourcing, and especially when considering options like offshore outsourcing to the Philippines. However, when done well, outsourcing is a win-win. Customers will benefit from better service, and the business will benefit from lower costs and additional capacity to focus on their core product rather than ancillary services. But how is this possible?
“There are several factors that make outsourcing a sensible decision. One of the first, and most important, is the specialism that an outsourcing provider in the Philippines can offer. In the same way a business will specialise in what it provides, whether it’s manufacture, sales, or services, so too will an outsourcing company,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, an award-winning customer experience outsourcing provider in the Philippines
This, when combined with their scale, means they can offer a better level of customer service. Since it is their specialism, they will invest in it, recruiting the best staff and training them. As they tend to be larger, most third-party outsourcing providers in the Philippines will provide services for several large clients, they can offer better prospects for staff. When there are development opportunities it results in better staff retention and better staff overall.
The investment is also evident in their infrastructure. Many BPO services in the Philippines will operate from custom-built facilities. Most in-house provision tends to be in the space that can be spared. This is not just about providing a good working environment for staff — important as that is — but also about ensuring that the facilities are at the standard required for the purposes they serve.
Modern service delivery centres will integrate security into their design, as well as an ability to ensure the latest and best technology is available. This ranges from ensuring the best possible connectivity, enabling them to serve hundreds or thousands of customers simultaneously, while also providing agents with the best possible resources. Outsourcing was one of the earliest adopters of AI, where it is frequently used to provide a digital assistant to human agents, suggesting resolutions to customer problems, so the call agent can focus on the communication and relationship.
But how can all this be cheaper? The specialism and scale of outsourcing is one fact that helps keep costs low. However, a major factor is the lower labour costs that outsourcing providers in the Philippines have to pay. Despite being an attractive career for educated Filipinos, the low cost of living means that outsourcing can be up to half the cost of in-house or domestic providers.
Outsourcing has become a well-trodden path, and the Philippines has a proven track record in delivering high-quality service. The reason the nation has succeeded in a competitive industry is simple: they have helped endless other businesses succeed with their customer service.
