If you’re seeking the most cost-effective and highest quality results on your contact center program, you want your outsourced delivery team to reside in the United States. Telecom’s employees speak fluent English, are expertly trained, and have advanced computer skills. Contrary to popular belief, working with the right domestic call center can actually save you money and make you more money – while providing a higher quality customer experience than you would receive from an offshore provider.
While companies with offshore and nearshore agents may seem compelling when comparing rates, Telecom believes that the net cost and quality of services provided by U.S.-based contact centers are far superior. Your customers should not have to settle or try to make the best of an often frustrating situation, when, for example, their call is answered by an agent who cannot fully understand their problem, concern, request, or question, and these negative experiences can snowball into a negative impact on your brand. While you can accomplish wonderful things with the right call center partner, you can also cause serious damage by choosing the wrong one.
Comparing Outsourcing Costs
On the surface, it may appear that an offshore or nearshore center is more cost-effective than a domestic option. Once you begin reviewing the details of the program, this perception begins to break down.
The hourly rate or per minute rate typically charged by an off/nearshore provider is often less than a domestic provider’s rate. However, companies quickly realize that this value differentiator is one of the least important costs to evaluate. Consider a scenario where an off/nearshore provider charges half of what a domestic call center charges. Reports show that handle times for off/nearshore centers consistently exceed domestic handle times, due to language barriers, cultural disconnects, or technological inefficiencies. These increased handle times and communication difficulties increase costs and customer frustration, resulting in decreased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
There are other important factors to consider when determining net cost. Does your program call for agents to sell your product/service? If so, you must consider the conversion rate. Does your program require up- and/or cross-selling additional products or services? If so, the additional revenue from such efforts must also be factored into the net cost equation.
Quality of Domestic Call Center Results
In any outbound program (telesales, lead generation, appointment setting) the quality of results is paramount to your bottom line. Telecom’s three decades of experience paired with our exceptional management and inbound/outbound teams has led us to consistently outperform our competitors.
Additional factors to consider when deciding between an off/nearshore or domestic provider are reliability and compliance. Off/nearshore providers are challenged to replicate the redundancy offered in the U.S. The electric grids may be inconsistent and infrastructure unreliable. Many off/nearshore providers are not governed by the same laws and do not put importance on the complexities of data security or compliance policies. Telecom is consistently reviewing and updating compliance procedures in accordance with the most current rules and regulations.
There are certainly some applications where partnering with an off/nearshore provider makes sense, such as supporting products with low price points and nonrecurring orders. The vast majority of the time, however, you will save money while providing a superior experience for your customers by partnering with a domestic call center like Telecom.