| We have all heard cliches like "think big" and "fake it till | | | | 5. You expect significant growth in business |
| you make it"; now you can act upon them. As a small | | | | If you are expecting significant growth in call volume |
| business owner, you have one good reason to think | | | | following a new product launch or other major events |
| big. Outsourcing handling of your incoming calls allows | | | | and do not want to spend resources on hiring new |
| you to act like a big business with access to expertise, | | | | employees and equipment upgrades, you can |
| efficiency and economies of scale that most big | | | | outsource your incoming calls to a customer service |
| companies enjoy. | | | | provider. |
| There are no "set in stone" guidelines regarding the | | | | 6. You have variable call volume |
| time and suitability of outsourcing your incoming calls to | | | | Businesses often experience seasonality and |
| a call center service. You can consider hiring a service | | | | unpredictable changes in call volumes that are difficult |
| when faced with one or more of the following | | | | to access and plan. In such situations, a call center |
| situations: | | | | service can help you to handle spikes and call |
| 1. You want to save money | | | | overflows. Either you can opt for seasonal assistance |
| If your business' call volume demands heavy | | | | or spot overflow where the provider takes care of |
| investment in infrastructure, customer relationship | | | | sudden increases in call volumes. |
| management software and in-house personnel, then a | | | | 7. You consider phone based customer service a non |
| call center service can be quite useful. By spreading | | | | core function |
| their employee and technology costs over many | | | | If providing customer service through telephone is not |
| customers, these services keep their costs | | | | one of the key objectives of you current business |
| considerably low and allow you to obtain significant | | | | plan, you can outsource incoming calls. |
| cost savings. You may enjoy additional savings if you | | | | 8. You want to change your business model |
| outsource to an offshore service center since they | | | | Major decisions such as shift to a 24x7 tech-support |
| are cheaper than those based in developed countries | | | | service or support in multiple languages can also trigger |
| like Canada, UK or US. | | | | the need for hiring an outsourced call answering |
| 2. You do not have the customer service expertise | | | | service. |
| If you do not have sufficient experience and expertise | | | | 9. You want to handle many types of calls |
| in the customer service field and are currently unable | | | | You can hire a call answering service to take orders, |
| to develop it, you should consider outsourcing your call | | | | provide customer and tech support, answer messages |
| volume to a call center service. | | | | and qualify inbound leads. |
| 3. You want to test new programs | | | | 10. You have straightforward sales, service and |
| Call centers provide your business an inexpensive and | | | | support requirements |
| easy way to test new products and programs before | | | | If your sales and service requirements are simple and |
| you invest money and resources in training your | | | | easy to meet, they can be economically and |
| in-house employees. | | | | effectively handled by a call center service. These |
| 4. You want to learn how to run a call center | | | | services are seldom suitable for complex sales cycles |
| If you do not have enough experience and knowledge | | | | and tech support that requires in-depth troubleshooting. |
| about call center operation and want to learn how to | | | | Hiring a call center service is a major decision for your |
| run it and build intellectual capital, then a call center | | | | business. Carefully assess your needs, business plans |
| partner can be a good starting point for you. | | | | and available resources before making a decision. |