42 Stats about BPO

It is the contracting out of specific needs to external properties by a business process outsourcing organization. BPO activities are included in the following figures, which include both domestic and offshore firms. The global market size of these services has been estimated at 88.9 billion dollars, but this number does not include the informal activities that freelance platforms like Fiverr facilitate.

 

At least one-third of the American workforce engages in some form of freelance work, with unofficial outsourcing figures sometimes double or even triple those recorded by governments.

 

It has been found that most BPO activities are actually internal business functions like human resources or front office tasks like customer service that get outsourced to third parties. The global activities within this segment were reported to have generated revenues of around $24.6 billion in 2017.

 

Stats on the BPO industry that are fascinating

#1. Over the period 2012-2016, the global business process outsourcing industry grew at a rate of 4.4% per annum. Right now in the United States, there are more than 160,000 companies operating in the telecommunications industry. (IBIS World)

 

#2. 2016 was the first year for the business process outsourcing industry to have revenues of over $140 billion due to the high rate of growth it experienced. There are currently just under 1 million direct jobs being created thanks to business process outsourcing. (IBIS World)

 

#3. It is the region of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe that has the largest share of global outsourcing revenue. As of 2017, the total amount of contracts awarded to India from this area was $55 billion, and India ranked as the top recipient country during the year. (Statista)

 

#4. Outsourcing generated 19 billion dollars in revenue for Accenture in 2017, which makes it one of the largest outsourcing firms in the world. It is through this figure that the company managed to gain a net income of more than $4.85 billion over the course of the year. (Statista)

 

#5. Manpower Group generated $22 billion in revenue globally in 2017, of which about 25% was generated by the Americas segment of the company. (Statista)

 

#6. Business process outsourcing is currently used by 74% of businesses in order to provide them with information technology for business processes. (Statista)

 

#7. The percentage of owners of small and medium sized businesses familiar with human resource management solutions, such as WebHR, which are part of the business process outsourcing industry, is about 18%. (Statista)

 

#8. In order to reduce costs, companies cite outsourcing as one of the most important reasons for embracing the business process outsourcing industry. 57% of companies say this allows them to concentrate their attention on the core aspects of their business. Engaging with the industry presents other benefits such as the ability to resolve capacity issues (47%) and enhance service quality (31%), as well as the ability to access intellectual capital (28%). (Deloitte)

 

#9. Business process outsourcing continues to grow in popularity as offshore contracts become more common place. Globally, approximately 80% of businesses report that they are satisfied with their relationship with an outsourced service provider. (Deloitte)

 

#10. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the rise of automation have posed a threat to over 1 million jobs in the business process outsourcing industry in the United States, India, Poland, and the Philippines. (AT Kearney)

 

#11. It is estimated that one new management position will be created to oversee the technology for each four jobs that get lost in the business process outsourcing industry due to automation. (AT Kearney)

 

#12. Sixteen out of the top twenty offshore call center projects in 2016 were located in the Philippines, the country with the largest English-speaking population in the world. This country's literacy rate stands at 95% on the island nation. (AT Kearney)

 

#13. Approximately 54% of all organizations use a third-party support team to help them connect with According to that statistic, the United States outsources 300,000 jobs to other countries everynited States each year. (Fortunly)

 

#14. Business process outsourcing, which specializes in bringing business processes to the cloud, is a growing industry with a lot of concerns around data security. Sixty eight percent of compaThere are 45% of people who say the service might not be stable or reliable enough for them to use, while 35% report being anxious about losing their intellectual property in the process.ble enough for use, while 35% report anxiety about losing their intellectual property. (Fortunly)

 

#15. Software application development makes up 64% of the outsourced offshore technology functiMore than half of today's technology executives say that they outsource maintenance needs to a third-party, and 3 out of 5 say that their data centers are also outsourcing in this way.tion. (Fortunly)

 

 

#16. In comparison to 2013, 44% of Chief Intelligence Officers say they are more likely to use providers from the business process outsourcing industry today than they were in 2013. (Fortunly)

 

#17. Defense and government are the two most important sectors in the Americas that use outsourcing, in fact, they represent 81% of the annual contracting value that is available in the region. (KPMG)

 

#18. Since the economic collapse that happened in 2008, called center workers in the United States earn just 14% more than their counterparts in this same sector in India as a result of the economic collapse. (The Balance)

 

#19. It is estimated that 85% of the deals in the business process outsourcing industry are originated in the United States. A second-largest contributor to this statistic is the United Kingdom, which had a 5.2% contribution rate. (KPMG)

 

#20. As soon as the recession years of 2007-2009 came to an end, only 9% of U.S. companies decided to refrain from using business process outsourcing services. 57% of them have decided to increase their reliance on this service. (Deloitte)

 

#21. In the business process outsourcing industry, India is the leading recipient of contracts, leading with an index of 7.07 due to the combination of skill and value it brings to the table. China is ranked second with an index of 6.31, while Malaysia is ranked third with an index of 6.11. As for Sri Lanka, the country has the cheapest outsourcing value for BPO, but it is low on skill, as its index is only 3.42 (AT Kearney)

 

#22. Business Process Outsourcing is an industry that generates an average annualized contract of $32.6 million in 2017. This represents a 53% increase from the previous year. (KPMG)

 

#23. 65% of the companies who plan to enhance their investments in the business process outsourcing industry for application hosting within the next 12 months say that they intend to invest more in this area. (Computer Economics)

 

#24. One of the biggest concerns when it comes to BPO outsourcing is the quality of the service that companies receive, which represents 50% of concerns in general. The anxiety experienced by employers due to the inaction of outsourced workers to deal with problems is similar to the anxiety experienced by employers with their own employees. (Credit Donkey)

 

#25. In spite of all of the advantages that the BPO industry offers, 89 percent of companies say that they would "never" outsource their strategic planning functions to another firm. (Credit Donkey)

 

#26. Compared to other industries, the banking and financial services industry is known to rely more on business process outsourcing industry services than others. It is estimated that over 40% of the help desk positions in banks, credit unions, and similar institutions are outsourced today. (Credit Donkey)

 

#27. Compared to businesses that forego outsourcing their payroll processing to BPO industry providers, companies that outsource their management of payroll save an average of 18% more on this need than businesses that do every thing in-house. In fact, when an agency opts to contract multiple functions to a single vendor, then this figure goes up to 32%. (PwC)

 

#28. An entry-level IT worker in China can expect to earn about $7,000 a year on average. This amount rises to $8,400 when the worker is hired in India. In the United States, someone with the same level of education and experience could earn $45,000 in this position. It is precisely for that reason that the business process outsourcing industry is such a highly attractive prospect for many companies today. (The Balance)

 

#29. I find it rather surprising that the Ukrainian information technology sector is a hotbed of business process outsourcing activities. There are more than 200,000 people working in this country and that workforce is expected to reach over 200,000 by the end of 2020. The country has the highest number of professionals in Eastern and Central Europe. (Ukraine Digital News)

 

#30. According to the Indian Government, the BPO industry in the information technology sector generated an overall revenue of $154 billion in 2017. (NASSCOM)

 

#31. Approximately 40% of India's workforce involved in the business process outsourcing industry would have to upgrade their skills by 2025 to keep up with trends in emerging technologies. The opportunities for big data, artificial intelligence, and robotics contracts may not seem as plentiful without this improvement. (NASSCOM)

 

#32. In the Philippines, 34% of outsourcing deals involve contracts that are part of a knowledge process. In turn, this makes it a top destination for highly valuable services such as legal consultation, content production and animation. (EnterPH)

 

#33. There are 35% of companies enforcing contractual obligations regarding data security and data risk when addressing the cyber risks associated with outsourcing. The majority of companies (34%) say that they evaluate their partnerships on a periodic basis. There is a high expectation that vendors will determine the level of risk available to businesses (18%), and they expect that the provider will determine the level of risk available to the business (8%). (Deloitte)

 

 

#34. According to a recent survey, 76% of C-suite professionals indicated that regulations around data privacy and protection have an impact on their disruptive outsourcing decisions. (Deloitte)

 

#35. Almost 80% of companies plan to change their existing outsourcing processes so that they can take a more structured approach to outsourcing. According to 42% of respondents, they would like to spend more time on RFP in the future, whereas 39% plan to use competitive bidding in the future. (Deloitte)

 

#36. 8 percent of the agencies that have contracts with business process outsourcing companies do not know whether an audit of their partnership has been completed or if one has even been initiated at all. (Deloitte)

 

#37. It is estimated that only 2% of organizations with outsourcing initiatives that have been reviewed by a third party auditor, as well as those that have been evaluated by their internal audit teams, completed the process with a failure listed as the outcome. (Deloitte)

 

#38. Among the concerns executives have when approaching the BPO industry from an RPA point of view, data security is the top concern in 62% of cases. Among the top three anxiety points cited by these organizations are performance and resilience (48%), vendor compliance (42%), IP loss (39%), and the ability to terminate a contract without excessive penalties (38%). (Deloitte)

 

#39. More than half (62%) of executives surveyed say that one of their primary objectives when adopting RPA is to improve performance. More than half (59%) of respondents said that they wanted the time to market to be improved. On top of these points of emphasis, 55 percent of respondents cited error reduction (53%), 52 percent cited streamlining existing processes (52%), and 51 percent mentioned access to new technology. (Deloitte)

 

#40. RPA adoption is important from a cost-reducing point of view, but it is not one of the primary drivers for forming relationships in the business process outsourcing industry. Only 44% of companies believe that it is important from a cost-saving point of view. (Deloitte)

 

#41. Approximately 80% of the BPO industry's contracts are awarded to India's top three cities: Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi. Chennai comes in ninth, while Hyderabad ranks fifth. (AT Kearney)

 

#42. By increasing the number of unemployed domestically, the BPO industry has a negative impact on society. The number of jobs outsourced is more than double the number of unemployed Americans, with more than 14.3 million being outsourced in total. In short, bringing back those jobs would be enough to hire every full-time and part-time worker that wants a job. (The Balance)

 

by Costi

Outsourcing eCommerce Customer Service: A Guide

There is no alternative to excellent customer service. If you want to succeed in your business, it should be at the heart of everything you do. A customer experience that is positive can lead to 77% of the consumers recommending a company to their friends. In fact, 86% of customers who have experienced a bad brand experience have stopped buying from that brand in the future.

It's more than just fixing problems when it comes to delivering quality customer service. Your brand will grow, you will retain current customers, you will upsell products to existing customers, and you will increase sales. As a result of eCommerce's fast-paced and competitive nature, these points are only accentuated further, and they create unique demands on your customer service strategy.

Ultimately, it is wise to outsource your customer service function to a third party as an eCommerce business. Due to the continued boom in the retail industry, it has become more and more clear that the development, management, and scalability of a customer service offering are tasks that are best outsourced. Our objective here is to show you how to set up an outsourced customer service function that is tailored to the needs of e-commerce companies. It's time to get started.

eCommerce has the following unique features:
What is the purpose of outsourcing for an eCommerce business?
Effective customer service has to be geared towards the specific needs of a business in order for it to be successful. There are a number of unique factors that need to be considered when it comes to eCommerce businesses that should be taken into consideration:

The hours of operation for brick-and-mortar retail stores are usually posted, however eCommerce businesses are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Your customers are going to expect the same 24/7 availability from your customer service teams as well. The customer support team must work 24 hours a day so that they can provide full service capabilities to your customers.
With eCommerce, you are probably selling products to a variety of geographies. These customers may speak different languages, and they may operate within different cultural frameworks.

In other words, you would need to have a customer service function that is capable of accommodating these differences in language and culture. You should therefore have a flexible team of skilled professionals who can match your customer demographics to your products and services.
Digital-first: eCommerce customers are already using their computers to interact with your brand, and they will likely go directly to your website when something goes wrong.

Although it is not possible to ignore traditional phone support, you should make sure that you also provide live chat and email support options (or even a chatbot) for customers to get answers to immediate questions online.
If you have a customer that buys online, they haven't had any face-to-face interactions with your brand and are paying for something that they haven't seen and haven't yet experienced.

It means that in most cases, engagement with a customer service representative is the only human interaction your customers will have with your brand. Ensure that their concerns are taken seriously and that their experience is seamless, positive, and quick.
In both eCommerce and brick-and-mortar retail, there will be plenty of overlap between the customer service functions. In order to build a successful outsourcing strategy, it is important to keep these unique factors in mind and build your strategy accordingly. I will elaborate on four key points that you should know about before moving forward. They are as follows:

1. The importance of omnichannel customer service cannot be overstated
In the world of online shopping, there is no such thing as one size fits all. Each customer and each inquiry is different. Having a wide range of channel options is essential to providing high quality customer service (live chat, chatbots, email, phone support, social media) - especially when engaging with clients who have already been in contact with your brand online.

It does not come as a surprise, then, that establishing a customer service function in-house that is capable of operating across an omnichannel strategy is not only expensive, but time-consuming as well. For example, you have to hire the appropriate staff, train them and provide them with the necessary materials in order for them to provide exceptional customer service across email, phone, live chat and chatbots (for example). When you outsource your customer service function, you gain access to a group of experts that has extensive experience working across many different channels and can be accessed quickly, scalable and flexible. Basically, you can focus on growing your e-commerce business while they focus on serving your customers in an exceptional way.

However, it is still important to know your customer so that you can offer them the best service. In general, older customers prefer phone support (51% of Baby Boomers jump straight on the phone when they have a problem), while younger audiences are looking for text-based support and quick response times. As a result, phone support remains to be the number one choice for overall support.

Customers' preferred channels of communication are shown in the following graph
The most important thing is to make sure that communication between these channels is as easy as possible. Multi-channel options shouldn't be the end of flexibility. It is expected that 71% of customers will be able to transition seamlessly between a chatbot and a phone call without having to repeat themselves. It is important to note that outsourcing omnichannel customer service offers that continuity - and allows customers to switch seamlessly from one channel to another.

It is possible to resolve small problems, such as checking a delivery schedule or resetting a password, using online channels. The truth is, even an online store needs phone support for more serious issues, or for customers who prefer that method of contact.

2. A priority should be given to self-service
I am a big fan of the self-service options. The advantages of these are that you are able to keep costs under control and cater to the needs of customers who would prefer not to speak to a live person directly. The nature of e-commerce makes self-service a particularly useful option, as a customer service option that is self-service, apart from being more cost-effective and easier to set up, is also easier to scale. Regardless of how much of your customer service offerings you outsource to a third party, establishing essential self-service options is a key step to building a comprehensive and exhaustive customer service offering.

There are a number of things that every online shop should provide, at least in part:

There is a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on the website. It is the expectation of customers to be able to find simple answers to questions such as order status, returning products, and requesting a price themselves.
Documents pertaining to onboarding complex products. As a result, customers will no longer need to call our customer service team for help.

A proactive approach that attempts to prevent problems before they arise. A good example of this would be if you are setting up your website to automatically offer a live chat or phone call option to your customers once they have searched through the FAQ for some time.
The steps outlined above can be taken as a series of simple, easy steps that you can implement with your outsourced customer service efforts in order to guarantee your customers have a seamless and enjoyable purchasing experience, from prospect to purchase to review.

3. Make sure you are prepared to scale
It is important for online businesses to be aware that demand can change rapidly. Ensure that you analyze your previous sales statistics from previous years to determine what is causing the demand to change - for example, is the demand seasonal or due to other factors that you can track? Outsourcing your fulfilment and customer service will provide you with flexibility with regards to fulfillment and customer service.

How to scale up a business
The growth of an eCommerce business can often be very rapid. You will need to consider how you will assemble an in-house team of customer service representatives who can handle increased demand without slowing down the response time. It's not realistic to expect this to be the case. It would be unlikely for your business to be able to fluctuate the level of staff directly in response to fluctuations in demand.

Imagine that you have built your own Customer Service team and you have 5 permanent employees. What happens when demand triples around Christmas and you cannot afford, both time-wise and financially, to lose one of the agents while the 3 new agents are being trained.

The good news is that if you deploy an outsourced customer service strategy, your chosen provider will be able to augment your team with extra members within hours, sometimes even within minutes.

Many eCommerce businesses are looking to outsource to customer service partners because they want to scale and be flexible, these are just two of the reasons why they are doing this. In the next section, we will be discussing the pros and cons of outsourcing vs. in-house customer service.

4. Don't forget that customer service isn't just about solving problems
A great customer experience is the key to providing great customer service. In order to achieve a great customer experience, we have a user-friendly website and high quality products. The quality of our products and timely delivery are also at the top of our list. You might, for example, inform the customer in advance if you realize that you will be late or that the product will not be as anticipated.

This already important element of customer service is elevated by the "trust factor" in eCommerce (the fact that the customer pays for items that they haven't even seen yet in person). You may want to consider offering generous return policies, investing in quick delivery, and ensuring that you deliver on your promises. A good customer service experience is detrimental to the growth of your business. There is a high probability that your customers will continue to use your products, and they will recommend your brand to others.

Stats and insights on ToF's essential customer service trends

In order to find a good outsourcing partner, you need to look at the following:
Can you tell me a little bit about how you work out what is right for you and your business?
In order to implement an outsourced customer service strategy, eCommerce businesses have a variety of options to choose from. The right choice may not exist, nor will there be a one-size-fits-all solution. However, you should take this decision seriously.

Outsourcing on-demand versus outsourcing on a fixed contract
It can be argued that both of these options stem from an outsourced approach to customer service.

This refers to the ultimate scalable customer service offered by the most on-demand outsourcing system available
Outsourcing contracts with strict terms and conditions: These refer to contracts that do not vary with regard to the number and specialization of the customer service representatives, the number and combination of the channels covered and more.

In the end, fixed contract outsourcing is as restrictive as it seems on the surface. In fact, from a flexibility standpoint, it offers you nothing more than using an in-house customer service operating model. The point is that neither offers flexibility or scalability in the real world. You will find that in both cases, your customer service function will be linked to the way you predict demand. Regardless whether you take your customer service in-house or outsource it but on a fixed contract basis, you can be assured that your CS requirements will be unmatched. There are several reasons why in-house teams and fixed contract outsourced teams are unable to deliver the kind of flexible capacity that is needed to match the resources to the requirements of the business.

We typically see the highest levels of customer inquiries during the holiday season, when we see up to a 75% increase in customer queries. You cannot expect the same level of customer service all year round, so you do not need to rely on it. You can scale your customer service on a demand-based basis to match demand and cultivate customer satisfaction by outsourcing your customer service on an on-demand basis.

You need to invest in quality - onshore vs. offshore
In order to answer the “offshore question,” both in-house and outsourced options have to provide solutions. There is often a confusion between outsourcing and offshoring, yet the two are actually quite different, and offshoring is a cost-saving move that can be implemented inside (or outside) of the outsourcing context.

The benefits of outsourcing to an offshore location include:
Despite the fact that having your customer service function off-shore will certainly reduce your operating costs (by taking advantage of lower overseas wages), we do not consider it to be a wise choice. In general, cutting corners in eCommerce comes at the expense of quality, and the importance of good customer service means that cutting corners can be a mistake.

An example of this is that the inability to understand a customer service representative is rated as one of the most frustrating parts of dealing with customer services. It will result in longer-term value if you choose a quality onshore provider.

Among the advantages of outsourcing onshore are:
Economies of scale and specialisation enable offshore outsourcing providers to offer excellent customer experiences on demand, taking advantage of economies of scale and specialisation. Even if onshore outsourcing is more expensive than offshore outsourcing, it is generally less expensive than the cost of building your own infrastructure. We recommend that if you are considering outsourcing, you do so with a partner that is located onshore.

The following information is being made public: Odondo is an onshore customer service provider. If you would like advice tailored to your specific needs, please contact us.

Service centers distributed throughout the country
In this digital age, we are living through a revolution of "work-from-home" work, therefore agility and flexibility have never been more important. However, in the field of customer service, this shift had already begun a long time ago. As a result of moving away from the traditional call center and service center, the adoption of a distributed network of WFH agents brings with it a number of significant benefits:

There is no doubt that 70% of workers would prefer to work from home rather than in an office. By allowing employees to work from home, the company is not limited by geographical location, and the distributed service centres can recruit higher quality agents with more experience, allowing them to provide better customer service.
It is possible to hire a broader range of agents with WFH's flexibility since it allows a variety of agents to work in the call centre who might not have considered it in the past. It includes retired people, people with disabilities, and parents who are staying at home with their children. Therefore, you will be able to engage with the right skills and demographics that are in a position to meet your customers' needs in a more flexible manner.

Reduced costs: A distributed approach to call centers removes a number of overheads (rent, office amenities, etc.), helping you to reduce your overall cost. On top of that, it becomes much easier to scale and dynamically dialup and dialdown resources according to requirements.
Flexible on-demand service: By redistributing your CS reps and embracing the WFH environment, you are able to operate with agility. Your reps will be able to work from the comfort of their own homes and set their own hours to suit both their needs and yours.

It is possible to operate a distributed call centre either within the organization or through an outsourced partner - but both scenarios bring benefits.

It's also important to note that there are a number of operational challenges to overcome when implementing a distributed call center. Quality control, management, training, security, and infrastructure support are just a few examples. It would be a mistake to underestimate the importance of these aspects when building a capability in-house.

Don't forget to put your customers' needs first
The purpose of customer service is not just to solve a problem, but to take care of the entire journey of the customer. Excellent customer service should permeate every aspect of a company's business model. You should remember that 86% of customers expect good customer service when doing business with you. Excellent customer service can be used by a brand to attract and retain loyal customers by providing them with exceptional customer service.

A customer may only have one human interaction with your eCommerce brand when they talk to a customer service agent. So make sure it's a good one.

by Costi

The 5 Reasons Why Every Ecommerce Store Needs Live Chat

When you're shopping at your favorite shoe store, you want to find your size in a pair of boots that caught your attention, but you're not able to find it. You wonder: do they have them in stock at the moment? And if they don't, are they going to make half-sizes available as well?

 

Trying to find a helpful member of staff isn't working, since there is no one around. You only find a plaque on the wall that says you can reach a representative by calling a phone number on the wall. While you could do that, it seems to be a lot of effort for a simple question to be asked.

 

As a result, you begin to wonder, “Do I really want these boots?””””

 

As a result, eventually you decide that it wasn't meant to be and leave without buying anything.

 

If you don't have live chat on your ecommerce website, this is exactly what will happen to your website. In most cases, customers are not going to wait around for an email response or in a phone queue to ask a question about the product that they are considering. Customers will leave your store if they are unable to get a quick answer to their questions.

 

Live chat has five major advantages for ecommerce stores when it comes to customer service

You don't need live chat for your ecommerce site, but if you're still not convinced, take a look at these five ways live chat helps your store drive sales.

 

  1. You can save both you and your customers a lot of time by using live chat

It has been reported that 73% of customers feel that a company that values their time is the most important part of good customer service. That's right: good customer service isn't about providing a free shipping service, making returns quick and easy, or being nice – it's about not wasting the customers' time.

 

It is one of the most efficient ways to respect your customers' time by offering them live chat support. It enables your customers to get answers without ever leaving their shopping experience, and it does not require them to get on the phone or wait for someone to respond to an email.

 

In addition to saving time for your company, live chat can save you money as well. By using the system, customer service representatives can serve multiple customers at the same time, making their work more efficient.

 

  1. Live chat gives customers the opportunity to ask questions before they become hesitant

Customers who are looking for an answer to a question but are unable to find it right away are likely to hesitate before making a purchase. The questions quickly turn into doubts once they cannot find the answer.

 

Let's say your customers have a question about shipping costs to their city, but there is nowhere for them to get an answer while they are on your website. Whether or not the shopper feels confident that the shipping costs will be reasonable, the shopper may start to doubt if the purchase is worth the cost of shipping.

 

When will my order for an item be delivered if I order it today?

Is there a special deal I can get if I buy more than one item at a time?

Can I get a free sample from you?

Live chat can also be used to address other common types of questions such as:

 

Is the information about my credit card secure?

Can you tell me how true to size this item is?

In the event that I am not satisfied with this product, will I be able to return it?

A customer may lose momentum within the purchasing process, even if a team member responds to an email query within a few hours of receiving it. If you had been able to answer those queries in real-time, it would have taken a lot less effort to get that shopper to want to come back to your store.

 

Live chat gives customers a chance to get answers as soon as possible, so they can continue shopping in confidence.

 

  1. Customers' communications are kept on brand with live chat

When your ecommerce website features live chat, the customer experience is seamless since it is incorporated directly into your website.

 

As live chat is a written communication, it allows you to continue the conversation you started on your website without requiring your customers to change their mindset. You can instruct your live chat representatives to respond in the same tone of voice as your website as a whole.

 

The other forms of customer service entail customers making a phone call or sending an email from a separate "contact us" page, which takes them out of the careful customer experience you've created through your website.

 

  1. With live chat, you can gain valuable insights into how your customers behave

Live chat allows you to ask customers for feedback immediately after they have solved their problem within the chat - this is more convenient for the customers than a follow-up phone call or email survey.

 

Furthermore, since it happens in real-time, there is no delay - which is why positive feelings from a helpful phone or email support interaction can decay over time. This way, you are capitalizing on the momentum of a good interaction that has just happened.

 

  1. You can humanize your ecommerce store by using live chat

There is a friendly chat window that offers instant support from a real person, which makes it feel more like being in a physical store than just having a number customers can call or an email address they can use to contact someone.

 

Live chat can also be programmed to appear in the form of a friendly “How may I be of assistance?””” query, mimicking the experience in traditional stores. (Bonus tip: You should take advantage of the opportunity to be human by instructing your representatives to have genuine conversations - for example, make sure they do not sound like robots.)

by Costi

8 Strategies To Skyrocket Customer Loyalty In The E-commerce Sector

 

Then you have built your ecommerce store using some of the best tools on the market. You have uploaded some products, and you have even managed to make some sales.

 

You probably know this, but here's some news to let you know: Your work is far from over.

 

In the midst of those initial sales, you are actually at a critical point in your business in terms of making sure those customers make repeat purchases at your online store.

 

Several studies and trend reports have shown, after all, that up to 80% of your business' profits can be attributed to 20% of repeat customers and/or returning customers. A surprising fact is that only 32% of business owners admit they place a priority on retaining their customers.

 

It is not necessary for you to be the same. It is possible to keep your customers for a long time if you are serious about doing so. The purpose of this blog post is to provide you with the eight most effective strategies you can use to build loyalty among ecommerce customers.

 

The following are eight effective ways to reward your customers for their loyalty in ecommerce

Have you decided to take the first step in getting more loyal customers for your business? Here are eight strategies that can help you do just that.

 

  1. Put customer service at the top of the list

As a way to meet customers halfway, businesses should invest in customer service as a way to ensure that they are meeting their needs. In order to have a successful customer service team, you'll need to develop a few different skills, including patience, empathy, clear communication, among others.

 

The power of a customer's interaction with your company shouldn't be underestimated. We know for sure that a little more than half of customers say they aren't likely to do business with a merchant after having a bad experience, ensuring that we are dealing with people who are willing to talk about their experience online.

 

Despite the fact that you may not be able to prevent every negative brand encounter that occurs in your business, good customer service can be the point of intervention that can help you placate customers or fix any problems that might have arisen.

 

  1. Personalize the content and recommend products based on the customer's preferences

A personalized experience shows that your brand is relevant to your customers' lives and aims, so it makes sense that customers pay attention to brands who seem to provide the best content and products for them.

 

A study by Tolleson Business reveals that a majority of consumers were willing to pay a premium if they were offered personalized services, and more than half have expressed that they did not mind trading personal information such as names and emails as long as they received personalized content.

 

You should be able to recommend products to your customers based on what you know about them: their tastes, their preferences, their previous purchases, etc. Using this information you can also use it to send them free resources and content - such as blog posts and videos - that show that you have knowledge of what they are looking for.

 

  1. Give exclusive perks, such as discounts and free shipping, to your customers

The best way to reward your customers is by offering them exciting perks like coupon codes or free shipping vouchers. This tactic also helps to encourage repeat purchases or to increase the average order value of online store shoppers by encouraging repeat purchases.

 

You are going to want to take care not to give away these perks too frequently; in the event that they do receive them, you want them to be extremely excited about it.

 

You might be able to offer these discounts several times a year, depending on what you sell, to encourage repeat purchases, as doing so is common in the case of retail stores.

 

If you sell subscription-based services, you might be able to entice existing customers by offering them perks such as discounts on early renewals.

 

  1. Give them an insight into your business that they will not be able to get anywhere else

There is nothing more enjoyable than getting to know a brand beyond the products or services that it offers. If you show customers different sides of your business and brand, you can effectively let them know that your business is not just about making sales.

 

This is where a great content marketing strategy can come in handy. You can use this platform to give value to your customers in various ways, including high-value educational posts and exclusive sneak peeks inside the day-to-day operations of your business.

 

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  1. Design a customer loyalty program that is irresistible to customers

If you have an incentivized customer loyalty program, then you can kick start the process of obtaining customer loyalty. You can first encourage new customers to visit your store again, then give them an irresistible gift or perk that they can work toward.

 

As part of their e-commerce strategy, several brands utilize a point-based system as part of their marketing strategy. From every purchase they make on their account, the customer earns points, which she or he can use later as credit for her next purchase or for exclusive products from the brand.

 

  1. Create a retargeting ad campaign in order to retarget potential customers

It may be useful to give a gentle nudge to a customer who was browsing your site and spending time looking at a few products on other platforms, including social media.

 

Occasionally, users are simply unable to check out items from your store or plan to return at a later time.

 

Advertising online using this method also keeps up with the trend of personalizing content and campaigns: By the very fact that customers are already looking at these products, you know that they are showing some level of interest in them.

 

  1. Send abandoned cart emails to them to follow up with them

The average abandonment rate in ecommerce stores is estimated to be up to 79% according to current reports.

 

Even though there can be several reasons why a user may decide to abandon a cart - from losing interest in the products or simply forgetting to check out - it does not hurt to remind them of what they had been about to purchase.

 

A gentle reminder to your customers in the form of an email can be an excellent way to let them know that you would not want them to miss out on a great product they were considering.

 

  1. Provide multiple communication channels

You make it easier for customers to send feedback, comments, or queries by providing them with a variety of ways to contact you.

 

Ensure that you are accessible via email, phone, or social media. Take advantage of live chat as a customer service touchpoint if you have the resources.

 

It's important to remember: Customers will have a better experience with your brand if they are able to reach you easily. You will need to provide your customers with as many positive brand experiences as you can if you want to increase their loyalty.

 

Loyalty programs for online retailers

Sales and marketing are never-ending processes for business owners, but it helps if your customers remain loyal to you for a long time.

 

To help you keep, nurture, and even equip customers to be lifelong fans of your brand, combine the strategies above with your other marketing efforts like social media campaigns and outreach campaigns.

by Costi

Ecommerce merchants: 7 retention marketing strategies 

 

 

The goal of retention marketing is to engage current customers so that they are more likely to buy from you again and tell others about your business. In contrast, acquisition marketing involves acquiring new leads and converting them into customers.

 

SuperOffice surveyed customers to find out the top three reasons why they leave companies:

 

The company isn't interested in them, they believe.

They are unhappy with the service provided by the company.

A competitor lures them away.

It's easy to understand why an effective customer service strategy as well as a nurturing process are essential to retention marketing.

 

Here are some key tactics you can use to increase your online store's customer retention rates.

 

7 key retention marketing tactics for ecommerce merchants

Adopt these seven effective retention marketing tactics to create a customer retention strategy and increase customer loyalty.

 

  1. Plan your communication schedule

Communication calendars differ from editorial calendars in that they tell you when and what to do to keep in touch with customers.

 

Sending postcards or surprises to loyal customers may be within your reach according to your company's budget, but emailing is often the most cost-efficient way to communicate.

 

After a customer's first purchase, it is imperative that they remain in touch with the company. People who shop online check their email inboxes frequently to see if any new discounts or specials have been announced by their favorite stores.

 

Your ecommerce store needs to build a list and use email marketing to stay competitive. Email marketing has yet to prove it can outperform other platforms when it comes to making a sale, particularly.

 

Beyond allowing you to encourage repeat purchases, email marketing can improve your relationship with your customers.

 

According to a study by Accenture, 33 percent of customers who abandoned a business relationship last year did so due to a lack of personalization. Thus, please segment customers according to their demographics, preferences, and interests.

 

You can send the following types of email to your list to keep customers engaged:

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Business updates.

Creating campaigns and promos they'll love.

Content available only to subscribers.

Your upcoming launches: a behind-the-scenes look.

Lookbooks, inspiration, and product showcases.

  1. Track the right metrics

Your retention marketing efforts will be more successful if you monitor the right metrics. The following metrics are worth paying attention to:

 

The repeat purchase rate tells you how many customers have bought from your brand more than once.

The customer lifetime value (CLV) reveals how much revenue your company earns from one loyal customer after they become a repeat buyer, similar to the repeat purchase rate.

Visitors who return to your website - Knowing the number of returning visitors can help you determine how often your brand is being engaged with. A return visitor may indicate a non-customer who is likely to make a purchase - or a returning customer who wishes to make another purchase.

 

  1. Prioritize customer service

According to a study by Aberdeen group, businesses that provide consistent customer service quality across multiple channels stand a better chance of retaining 89% of their customers. A customer who failed to provide consistent customer service quality could only retain about 33% of customers.

 

Creating a customer service guidebook or playbook that explains how to handle a variety of scenarios will help you keep customer service high-performing. In addition to frequently asked questions, this playbook may include recurring requests, such as refunds and exchanges.

 

Additionally, it is of utmost importance that your customers are able to contact you easily. When needed, this might mean being accessible through email, social media, or even by phone.

 

Make sure all your social media profiles, website, and product pages clearly display your contact information. Make sure it's in a prominent place so it's easy to find.

 

  1. Mobile-optimize your website

It might be impossible for your customers to buy from you if your ecommerce store isn't mobile-friendly. The mobile experience plays an important role in retaining customers, so be sure to use themes and tools that allow you to customize it for mobile.

 

Consider making your online store available as a mobile app. Your customers can be met where they are with a dedicated app that gives them a seamless experience.

 

  1. Make return options flexible

It might not be possible for your online store to have pop-up stores or physical locations your customers can visit. As a result, customers cannot try on or handle your products to determine their quality or texture.

 

Make sure you have a flexible return policy so your customers feel comfortable purchasing from you. Give them as many options as possible. Make these policies easily accessible so that customers can review them before making a purchase.

 

  1. With an irresistible lead magnet, you can convince non-clients to join your list

You can keep users engaged and make them return to your site over and over again if you provide a unique way to register and create an account on your site.

 

If you want them to sign up and sign in, consider offering them some exclusive, high-value perks. Could you offer them member-only virtual meetups or webinars - or perhaps additional features such as wishlist items or access to lookbooks for members only?

 

  1. Let your customers know what you're doing

Does your business have a cause that's close to your heart? Perhaps your customers do as well.

 

We've noticed a shift in customers' expectations of brands in the past few years. Just having great products isn't enough anymore. We must do good as well as have great products.

 

When you support causes you are passionate about as an ecommerce merchant, your brand becomes more meaningful to consumers.

 

Let your customers know how you're supporting the causes that you believe in as a company.

 

This is exactly what Patagonia does. In their corporate mission statement, they state that they aim to create long-lasting, sustainable products that consumers can use for years on end. Fast fashion and consumerism commonly blamed for wastefulness and environmental decay are not what their business is all about.

 

Their Don't Buy The Jacket campaign was their most successful campaign, which encouraged consumers to think twice about buying their products - a bold move, but rooted in a cause to reduce wasteful fashion purchases.

 

Retaining customers for the long haul

It is common for many businesses to treat customer retention as an afterthought, but this shouldn't be the case for you. Utilize the steps above to develop an effective retention marketing strategy for your ecommerce store, and watch your business grow for years to come.

by Costi

What Are The 10 Most Important Benefits Of Live Chat You Should Know

Furthermore, you may be familiar with the fact that even though live chat and instant messenger applications (such as Facebook and Twitter) do share some similarities - for example, they both allow you to chat and transfer files - these platforms have distinct differences as well.

However, what you may not know is that live chat can provide significant benefits to your business in comparison to other communication methods, such as email, phone support, instant messenger services, etc.

The purpose of this blog post is to explore the reasons why live chat is a must-have tool for your business, as well as the key benefits of live chat software. This article will take a quick look at some of the biggest advantages that live chat has to offer:

Reduced the company's operating costs

In the past, companies have traditionally offered phone support to their customers as a means of reaching out to them. However, this can be incredibly costly, both in terms of toll charges and man hours.

A live chat service costs about the same as a quality email provider. In addition, it is much cheaper than phone support. In fact, studies conducted by Forrester Research show that live chat customer service is 17-30% cheaper than a phone call.

There are many reasons for this, but most importantly, live chat enables your agents or team members to multitask and assist several visitors at the same time. The average live chat agent, with proper training, is able to handle three to five simultaneous chats at any one time.

Chat concurrency, a benefit of live chat, is a way for companies to cut their personnel costs, by allowing small teams of live chat agents to serve the same number of customers as a large team of customer service agents.

Increase in sales

A series of studies has repeatedly shown that live chat increases sales - and companies are reaping the rewards as a result. It has been shown that live chat can drive between 3x and 5x more conversion and deliver as much as 6000% return on investment. The report also mentions that customers that use live chat are three times more likely to make a purchase than those that don't.

It is clear from these numbers that live chat is a very effective tool to make sales and generate leads. Due to the fact that visitors can instantly access your support staff and your sales team (and vice versa) when using live chat, your team has many more opportunities to turn your visitors into paying clients or customers.

Increased customer loyalty and improved customer service

Consider the eDigital Customer Service Benchmark survey of 2000 consumers as a way of getting a better understanding of how much customers appreciate being able to access live chat. The study found that live chat had the highest satisfaction levels with 73% of customers, as opposed to only 61% for email support and only 44% for traditional phone support.

Benefits of live chat - high satisfaction rate

When you see statistics like these, it's easy to see why customers return to businesses that offer live chat. When a company makes support easy, seamless, and instantaneous, customers can feel more confident about doing business with them. Oracle conducted a study of its customers, and the results showed 90% of them said the "Live Chat" button gives them confidence that they can get help is they require it.

You can use live chat to give your customers quick answers to questions about your products, solve problems faster, and show them you are ready to assist them at any time. This is a simple, but very effective, way of improving both customer service and loyalty to your company.

Finding out what the customer's pain points are

Several new business terms have evolved as a result of the Internet Revolution and digital marketing, one of them being "pain points". In this context, a pain point is a problem that a customer is experiencing that has not been addressed, or a need that has not been met.

 

The problem with traditional support systems, such as email or phone calls, is that it can sometimes be difficult to identify the pain points of your customers, since the issues may only come into the ears of one specific team or individual.

 

With live chat, however, administrators and supervisors have full access to all history of all chats, which can be sorted, searched, and filtered, so they can understand what the customers' pain points are.

 

So management can easily discover the problems or needs of their customers and come up with ways of addressing and resolving these problems. Using live chat as a tool is one of the most valuable solutions available today.

 

Faster Resolutions to Problems

Knowledge bases and help articles are excellent ways for companies to offer support to their customers and to solve problems for them. There is a possibility, however, that if you have many of these documents or help articles online, your clients may have a difficult time finding and using them.

 

With live chat, agents have the option of providing users with links to help and training documents quickly via the chat window. The purpose therefore is to reduce the time spent by agents on troubleshooting and resolution procedures by speaking directly with visitors instead of having them walk through step-by-step procedures.

 

As a result, even the most difficult of problems to troubleshoot can be solved in an efficient way and on the spot with screen-sharing capabilities.

 

There is nothing you can do with phone support in this regard. This is a set of features that can be extremely helpful to agents and businesses in helping resolve customer problems in a very efficient fashion.

 

Live chat software with powerful features

Your customers and agents will love the real-time, personalized, efficient support you will provide them at 1/3 the cost of voice support.

 

Convenience for the customer

It's important to keep in mind that at the end of the day, whether or not your business is successful will be determined by the overall quality of your product or service. However, how easy and convenient is it for your customer service to get in touch with you? This might be a close second.

 

You can provide your visitors with instant access to salespeople and support staff through live chat on your website. Your visitors will be more satisfied with your company as a vendor and a reliable source of valuable knowledge and support if they can easily contact you with any questions or problems that they may have.

 

Compared to other methods of communication, live chat has clearly been rated as the preferred method of communicating for online shoppers according to a report by Aberdeen Group.

 

You can find out more about the report by downloading it here. In the report, you'll discover that live chat makes it easy for your customers to do business with you, which typically leads to them increasing their loyalty and spending. It also results in better reviews being posted on the likes of Amazon, Yelp, and other sites, all of which can help you attract new customers as well.

 

As a result of another study conducted by Econsultancy, it reveals that customers value being able to use live chat without having to invest a lot of time and attention into doing it. The report states that over half of the customers prefer live chat for multitasking purposes, with another 21% preferring it so they can browse and shop at the same time. With the advancement of technology, people are becoming more accustomed to convenience, and what is convenient is in many ways what drives us as consumers and as individuals.

 

Advantages and competitiveness of the company

What are the competitive advantages of live chat in terms of customer service?

 

There is a recent report published by TELUS International that found that many major companies still do not have live chat systems available on their website. The reality is that a recent study of 1,000 websites found that only 9% of the sites use live chat for customer support in real-time to provide them with help in real-time.

 

The bottom line is that if you opt to install live chat software on your site(s) - and you should - chances are good that you will stand out from your competition in terms of accessibility to a friendly, real-time support representative. It is also going to be easier for you to interact with your website visitors proactively and make more sales, capturing customers before your competitors do.

 

The number of U.S. online shoppers using live chat has increased from 38% to 58% over the past five years (Forrester), which indicates that every year, more and more companies are implementing this solution in order to meet this growing demand. Additionally, millennials prefer live chat, and as this group of people gains spending power, many companies are scrambling to gain their favor.

 

For that reason, if you want to fully differentiate your business from that of your competitors - and the opportunity to grow your business as a result - the time to implement live chat on your site is now and not in the future. Check out some of the best practices you can implement when you add live chat to your website.

 

Expand the market reach of your products and services

In case you are like most business owners, your shop or office is probably not flooded with visitors who drive or fly from great distances to make purchases or request services. Customers and clients like to do business with companies that they have quick and easy access to, as this is what consumers and clients prefer.

 

There is no doubt that the Internet helps you reach a far wider audience that extends beyond your local area, but just having a website does not necessarily mean your visitors will feel comfortable placing an order there. With the help of a live chat function on your website, even customers who are located thousands of miles away from your physical location can make inquiries or arrange purchases as soon as they get to your site. Among them are international customers, who may not be able to reach your company over the phone because of the high international dialing rates.

 

With live chat, you are able to expand your market reach in areas you might not have thought were possible. Therefore, in the event you receive an inquiry from a person on the other side of the world, you can be sure that you will greet the person with the same warmth and consideration that you would someone who pays a visit to your office or shop.

 

Outreach that takes a proactive approach

It cannot be overstated how important it is that your visitors and customers have the ability to reach you instantly through live chat. But what makes live chat the most powerful tool for your business is the proactive outreach capabilities that it provides.

 

It is true that your website visitors are able to contact you by clicking the chat button on your website at any time, but better live chat systems allow your agents to do the same thing.

 

Live chat systems in today's market not only allow agents to receive chat requests, but also to initiate them if they so desire. In addition to sophisticated monitoring and tracking features, live chat platforms can send agents alerts when visitors arrive on their websites and provide valuable information that they can use to initiate conversations.

 

A chat request from a customer service agent can be sent either manually or automatically based on pre-defined rules. Taking advantage of proactive chat initiations like this can help visitors find the information they need faster and potentially convert more browsers into customers.

 

Data and Analytics Reports

 

You have an audit trail of all the emails sent between you and your customers or individuals who make inquiries, and that provides you with a limited level of accountability and the capability to evaluate the performance of your staff.

 

However, you may find it difficult to review staff performance if you do not have enough time to record all the calls and listen to at least some of the conversations when it comes to phone support.

 

In addition to the ability to view all kinds of custom reports, you also have the ability to view the chat histories of your agents through quality live chat providers.

 

You have the opportunity to keep track of a wide range of visitor metrics, such as the number of visitors to your site, the number of chat requests accepted or ignored, and an array of other metrics that will allow you to better implement marketing strategies to draw more traffic to your site.

 

You can also get valuable insights into the performance of your agents by using live chat analytics. If you combine visitor data with chat history, agent performance reports, wait time reports, and even more, you have a powerful combination that allows you to monitor agent performance, adjust staffing, and adjust training as necessary.

by Costi

Customer Service Checklist: 50 Things Every Business Should Do When It Comes To Customer Service

Whether you are planning to build an online business or an offline business, you will need some elbow grease. In order to get an edge on your competitors, you will need to focus more on one aspect of your business than any other: customer service. Keeping your customers happy is the key to keeping them as loyal customers.

In this article, we will talk about 50 things that you can do to make sure your customers have the best ecommerce experience possible.

  1. Ensure that communication is as easy as possible. It will likely make them think that you do not care about what your customers have to say if they have to work hard to work out how to contact you if they have a problem or concern. Make it a point to list your email address, fax number, and phone number where shoppers are sure to find them, or you can even devote a whole page to contact information.
  2. Developing a rating system is a good start. A common mistake many online businesses make is ignoring the importance of customer follow-up. Provide customers with a way to rate their purchases and write reviews for other potential customers if you have the budget for that. There is often enough assurance in hearing that other customers are happy with a product to encourage an undecided buyer to add the item to their shopping basket. Please keep in mind that even negative feedback can be of help to you if you use it in order to improve your products.
  3. Make sure that your policies are clear. The best way to prevent future headaches is to be clear about your company's policies regarding purchases, returns, privacy, and whatever else might concern your customers. So, in the event of a conflict in the future, the rules will be clear, so there will not be any confusion. The rules will protect you as well as your customers.
  4. Always maintain an attitude of professionalism while caring for others. Whenever you are dealing with your customers, you want to appear professional, but you do not want to appear detached. You should ensure that your customers feel as if you genuinely care about their issues and concerns.
  5. Send a confirmation email as soon as possible. It is very important that, when you receive an order from a customer, you let him or her know that you have received it and that you will be processing it. You should send them an email to let them know if you are going to ship it, so that they are aware of the progress of their purchase at all times. As a result, your customers will feel confident in placing an order with you, and there will be no surprises.
  6. Set up a live chat so that you can communicate with each other. Setting up a live chat program on your site is one way for you to provide your customers with easy access to customer service. With this feature, customers can ask questions about their purchases and find out more information without having to spend time calling or writing to the company.
  7. Keep track of your orders carefully. Make sure, before going live with your e-commerce site, that you have an effective means of tracking orders from your storeroom to your customers' homes. In the event that your products are great, you will find that your customers will be eagerly awaiting their arrival, and will want a way to find out when they will arrive, so make sure you are able to provide tracking information to them.
  8. Make sure that you know everything about your products. Whenever you are selling something, you should make sure you know as much as you possibly can about it or know how to direct your customers to someone who does. By doing this, when customers call, you will be able to answer questions quickly and easily.
  9. You should always deliver on the promises you make. It is important to make sure you keep your commitments, whether it is a fast delivery, or a replacement item, if you promise them something. The only thing that screams poor customer service is backing out on promises, so don't ever commit to something you won't be able to keep.
  10. Make the process of purchasing the product as simple as possible. There are a number of reasons why people choose to shop online. One of these reasons is because it is much easier and simpler than driving to a physical store and waiting in line. You should make it as easy as possible for your customers to shop on your site if you want them to keep coming back. We encourage you to keep the shopping experience as simple as possible by requiring the customer to make as few clicks as possible. Less time spent checking out means less time for customers to change their minds.
  11. Involve your customers as much as possible. Making sure that you can consistently let your clients know what's happening, even if there is going to be a delay, is a big part of creating customer confidence. It is important for your customers to be informed about the status of their order at all times, so send them emails, call them if there is anything unusual going on, and provide easy options when it comes to making a change to their order.
  12. You should trust your customers. There are some people who will take advantage of any opportunity to milk the company for all they are worth, but most people are reluctant to complain. Hence, you need to believe your customers when they tell you there is a problem. Most of the time they will tell you the truth and if you help them to solve their problem, you will turn them into a loyal customer.
  13. Please provide as much information as you can. It is important that you provide your customers with as much information about what you are selling as possible so that they can make informed decisions. Provide customers with information such as size, color, weight, and any special features the item comes with so they know exactly what they're getting when they purchase something from your website.
  14. Make sure you have a FAQ section. Your customers are most likely to have some common questions that they may need your help with at some point. You do not have to spend a lot of time answering these kinds of questions individually - you can create a special FAQ page so that your customers can find easy answers right away.
  15. Take a look at your usability as a whole. In order to make sure that your e-commerce site is as easy to use as possible before you launch it, make sure you set it up properly. Have even the least computer-savvy person you know take a look at your site and see where you can improve. You may save yourself some lost sales later on.
  16. Make sure that all personal information is kept secure. One of the major fears many people have when they order online is that their personal information would not be secure when they place the order. By making sure that your site is secure, you can calm their fears and let them know that you have taken the necessary steps to protect their privacy.
  17. It may be a good idea to add some incentives. There are many ways to bring in more customers, one of them being incentive programs. It can be anything from providing free shipping on certain items to giving discounts to the customer who refers others to the business. Basically, you must do everything that you can to set yourself apart from your competition.
  18. Keep in touch with your customers. Once a customer's order has been completed, you should not simply let them fall by the wayside. Make sure that you follow up with customers to find out how their experience was and that any problems have been resolved satisfactorily.
  19. Design and develop email templates. This does not mean that you should not personalize your emails; however, templates can help you to make sure that you are providing all your customers with the same information and the same level of service. Creating basic templates will allow you to add in individual responses to each customer as you need them as you go.
  20. Set up a system that allows you to respond to emails in a timely manner. You are going to have to figure out how to handle the emails that you get from customers so they can get timely responses to their questions and orders unless you have a department in your company dedicated solely to customer service. Make it a habit to check your email at set times and to answer straightforward questions first rather than those that require you to do some research, so you do not have to worry about anyone waiting too long to hear from you.
  21. Ensure that your employees are properly trained. The first thing you should do if you have a customer service support staff is to ensure they are well trained and knowledgeable about your business and what you are selling. Make sure everyone involved has a positive experience since this may be their only direct encounter with your company. Make sure it's a positive experience for everyone involved. They will be able to help customers better if they have more knowledge.
  22. Make sure you go the extra mile. By going the extra mile to make a customer happy, you will set your business apart from others. The initial investment may seem high, but it can pay off greatly with repeat business and evangelistic customers in the long run.
  23. Make sure you end on a high note. You should make sure that you don't end the call with a negative tone when a customer calls with a problem or concern. Rather than ending your call or sending an email with an apology, you might be able to put a positive spin on things by telling the customer what you are doing right now to resolve the problem and how they can look forward to a satisfactory resolution.
  24. Be careful when writing emails. Even the simplest of statements can be very tricky to understand when you are dealing with an email, as it is very difficult to determine the tone and meaning behind them, which can be a real problem when trying to diffuse a situation with a customer. If you are writing an email, you should try to keep your tone polite so that there is no chance of misunderstanding what you are trying to communicate.
  25. Give customers a choice of solutions to choose from. There are times when it turns out that what you think your customer wants as a solution to a problem is not what they actually want. If you want to make your customers happy, you should provide them with options so that they feel that you care about their needs and about resolving any issues they may be experiencing. The best way to find out what the best solution is in case of doubt is to just ask-it is the easiest way.
  26. Respond to emails and phone calls as quickly as possible. Make sure your customers are not left waiting. You need to answer inquiries as fast as you can. You never know, if you are especially quick, you may impress customers enough to get them to return.
  27. Being able to apologize is an important skill. Sometimes the best solution to a problem is one that is as simple as possible. Please apologize to your customers if any mistakes were made on your part. Apologizing is a simple thing to do, and customers will appreciate it.
  28. Listen well and learn how to do so. It's sometimes necessary to be quiet and really listen to what your customers tell you if you want to know what will make them happy. It is important to listen to the tone of voice, the choice of words and most importantly, how they feel about their experience.
  29. Make sure that you are not overcompensating. I believe it's perfectly fine to give unhappy customers a little extra to ensure they leave satisfied. However, make sure not to overdo it. In spite of the fact that you may have the best intentions, you will appear unprofessional.
  30. Keep in mind the little details. You can set yourself apart from the sea of other online retailers by giving customers the little things that they will remember when making a purchase from you. To thank those who make large purchases, offer free gift wrapping services or send handwritten thank you notes.
  31. Be responsible for your actions. Occasionally, everyone makes mistakes, so you should take responsibility for any mistakes your company makes, even if the error is not directly your fault. The customer's problem will not be solved by passing blame off onto someone else, so take charge yourself and make sure that the situation is rectified.
  32. Names should be used. In the age of the internet and automated business processes, it can be easy for a customer to feel like little more than a number and a dollar sign to organizations. You can make your customers' experiences even more personalized if you refer to them by name. You will make the customers feel more appreciated and you will be able to get to know whom you are selling to a little better.
  33. It is not a good idea to pitch to unhappy customers. Several business guides will advise that you should make the most of every opportunity to upsell your customers, but I urge you to step into your customers' shoes and think from their perspective. If you have ever had a negative experience with a purchase, wouldn't you be annoyed if the same company tried to sell you something else in the process of solving your problem? You should save the sales pitch and focus on keeping your customers happy, rather than focusing on a few extra dollars.
  34. Give your customers the feeling that they are important. You need to make sure you make your customers feel as if they really matter to you, and that their orders, no matter how small, are important to you in order to keep them coming back to you. It is important to listen to what they have to say and to show sincere appreciation for what they do.

 

  1. Don't forget how important it is to say yes when the opportunity arises. If it's within reason, saying yes to customer requests can make a big difference to their perception of you and your business. You don't have to balk at every request your customers make of you, but if they are within reason, you should say yes to them.
  2. Honesty is the best policy. Even when you feel like you're protecting your reputation by lying to your customers, don't do it. It's important to be honest when making mistakes, so if you do make a mistake, be honest about it. Your customers will appreciate the gesture and might even think you're a more trustworthy business when you do it.
  3. Find the right people to work with. For some people, helping out others comes naturally and they excel at providing customer service. Make sure the employees you hire will enjoy working with your customers and will go the extra mile to make their experience as pleasant as possible.
  4. Make sure you know your customers well. When you don't know who you're dealing with, it's hard to provide a good level of customer service. Understand who you're selling your products to, both on a general as well as specific level. The better your knowledge about your customers, the more likely you are to be able to satisfy their needs.
  5. Be sure to go above and beyond what is expected. If you want your customers to be pleased with your customer service, then you have to exceed their expectations. Even if you are able to make sure that a package arrives on time or go the extra mile to get a special order, if you offer great customer service customers will remember you and come back for more.
  6. Display a prominent "help" link on the website. This will make it easier for customers to ask for help when they need it. Using that technique, you can quickly direct them to a competitor's site that is much easier to navigate. Make sure you always have a help button that customers can click on and get help with any step of their ordering process.
  7. Know when you need to give a customer over to the competition. The truth is that, as hard as it might be to accept, there are times when your business isn't always the best fit for a customer. Even though it might cost you a sale to send them away, you will also avoid having a dissatisfied customer.
  8. Make sure you use a good hosting service. What effect does your web host have on your customer service? In a nutshell, it increases your customer service by keeping your site fast and reliable. If your site won't load, you will not be able to make sales, so make sure that your host is capable of handling the traffic on your site.
  9. Multiple payment options should be available. You should not assume that a payment method is more convenient for potential customers because it is more convenient for you. If you only provide one payment method to your customers, you will lose sales.
  10. Remember to include the images as well. It is very important that your customers know what they are purchasing when they click on the link. Make sure that you post images of your products from every angle and in every color on your site so that your customers will not be surprised when they receive them.
  11. Make sure that the shopping cart software you are using is of the highest quality. If you are running an ecommerce website, the shopping cart feature is the meat and potatoes of your business, so you should not get a less expensive product. Make sure you purchase a solution that will be very easy and reliable for your customers to use, as well as one that has a great support team.
  12. Credibility must be established. There are many reasons why people are hesitant to trust an entirely online business, especially those who are still getting used to the concept of online shopping. Therefore, it is extremely important that you be as transparent as possible with your business. It is crucial to provide your customers with addresses, photos, as well as testimonials that will help you build trust among your clientele.
  13. Problems should be viewed as opportunities to learn. In order to improve your customer service skills, you have to simply change your attitude. Consider customer complaints as an opportunity to prove to your consumers how great of a business you run instead of seeing them as a negative.
  14. Your phone calls should not be scripted. You don't have to make the phone support a scripted affair, if you're going to offer it. The problem is that it annoys customers and it makes them feel as if they are not getting the right answer to their problem. Make sure you have some standard operating procedures on hand to handle common problems, but don't script out whole conversations.
  15. The best thing you can do for your customer is to never argue with them. As far as your business is concerned, the customer may not always be right, but they are right when it comes to the customer. Don't waste your time and energy arguing with customers; just try to fix whatever they are unhappy about and don't waste your time and energy.
  16. Make sure you are concentrating on making customers, not sales. As a new business owner it can be easy to get swept away by the numbers game, but the long term strategy for your business needs to be more focussed on building customer relationships rather than making individual sales. Remember, it takes a lot more time and energy to attract new customers than it does to keep existing ones. Happy customers will be your best source of business.

 

by Costi

100 Tasks You Can Outsource to Virtual Assistant Services

Here are 100 chores that virtual assistant services may help you with.

Providing virtual assistant services to help startups and early-stage organizations get off the ground is an important part of their success.

Entrepreneurs, I'm sure, are superheroes, or at least would like to believe they are. At the start of the entrepreneurial process, being a micromanager may be required.

However, as time passes, you must gradually begin to let go of the steering wheel.

You may focus on your primary business operations and build your firm by outsourcing part of your business's time-consuming chores to a virtual assistant.

The goal of this essay is to define virtual assistant services and aid you in determining what to outsource. We'll also go through 100 different chores that your virtual assistant can help you with.

What is the procedure for using Virtual Assistant Services?

Virtual assistants, often known as virtual assistants, are persons who work from a distant location to provide various services to entrepreneurs or enterprises.

Over the last several years, the number of virtual assistant services has exploded.

Working as a virtual assistant is appealing for a variety of reasons, including:

They should be able to work at their own speed.
Working from home is an advantage.
Salary that is competitive.
The capacity to spend more time with family and friends, for example.
If you're not sure how popular virtual assistants have grown, simply look at any website that lists contract listings. There are several job postings for virtual assistants.

What Can You Get From A Virtual Assistant Service?

You may expand your business while also shaving hours from your weekly schedule with the aid of a virtual assistant.

Small company owners can also profit from employing a virtual assistant because there are no employee-related costs, no separate office space, no downtime concerns, and so on. Paying the VAs for the work they did is as easy as paying them according to their contract.

A dependable and professional VA, according to business experts, becomes as valuable to the team as a permanent employee and should be regarded as such.

When you realize you have a diamond in your hand, when you trust and rely on the VAs, they become fundamental to the organization, and you know you have a diamond in your hand.

You may experience burnout if you're overburdened with chores and obligations, especially if your company is tiny and just has one or two people.

Hiring a virtual assistant or contacting a firm that can help you locate the proper virtual assistant for your requirements is a good idea.

Seven tedious and repetitive jobs that you may outsource to virtual assistant services for as little as $3 per hour are listed below:

Without a doubt, a VA service will lack the competence and capability to complete duties in all of the aforementioned disciplines. A small company owner should hire a virtual assistant with a certain skill set and then move on.

If a VA is good at writing, for example, you may pay them for content creation and digital marketing. You can engage an experienced virtual assistant or executive assistant in addition to a virtual assistant or executive assistant to perform data input, reminder services, and appointment scheduling.

Your virtual assistant will take care of the things that consume the bulk of your time as an entrepreneur, enabling you to concentrate on building your company.

Virtual assistants, in essence, are time savers, and time is a valuable asset in both work and life.

So how can you figure out which jobs to delegate to a virtual assistant?
Before the day is done, you will have hundreds of chores to complete as a small company owner. You'll have a lot on your plate every day, with everything from accountancy to social media management.

Three lists are provided below to assist you in more successfully delegating your time and increasing your productivity:

Make a list of the things you despise doing.
Things you can't accomplish on your own.
This is a list of things you should avoid doing.
On a daily basis, write down what you despise doing in your business. That's the first thing on your to-do list. It might be anything from bookkeeping to administrative chores, for example.

Additionally, there are daily components of the business that you are unfamiliar with, such as social media marketing and graphic design.

Finally, according to Ducker, the third placement will radically alter your business and even the direction you're on. So, honestly, ask yourself, "What shouldn't I be doing?" You're not a superhero, remember.

It's important to remember that this is essentially a guide to hiring a virtual assistant.

You Can Outsource 100 Tasks To A Virtual Assistant Currently
The following are some of the responsibilities you may delegate to a virtual assistant:

(1) Responsibilities: Virtual Assistance in General (2) Serve as a virtual assistant in general.
In addition to personnel expenditures, administrative support costs are a significant burden on small firms when examined from both a financial and operational standpoint.
Administrative responsibilities like email management, invoicing, customer service, and answering FAQs may drastically limit the amount of time a small company owner has to dedicate to other important work.
other necessary actions

A generic virtual assistant can be really useful in this situation. Account managers, marketers, project managers, and whatever else you need from them, they can handle it all.

A virtual assistant's role is comparable to that of a personal assistant, except that the virtual assistant works from home. As a result, you won't have to worry about overhead fees like renting an office facility or purchasing office equipment.

Here are some administrative responsibilities that your virtual personal assistant can take care of for you so that you can concentrate all of your efforts on building your small business:

1. Taking care of your bookkeeping and payroll responsibilities: calculate hours, add costs, and update salary information.

2. Incoming phone calls, voicemails, and message verification are all handled by an answering service and receptionist.

3. Database creation, input, and maintenance (sales, lead generation, contacts, CRM, etc.).

4. Manage banking demands such as bill payment and money transfer.

5. Prepare and submit customer invoices.

6. Create a weekly report on sales, deliverables, hours, and tasks that you can format, file, and show.

7. Manage emails, customer queries, and spam complaints.

8. Participate in customer service activities and manage technical support requests.

9. You must design and distribute greeting cards, invitations, newsletters, and thank-you notes.

Establish, update, and manage key events on your calendar.

11. Schedule meetings with prospective clients as well as other sales appointments.

12. Create and manage cloud computing accounts (DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive).

13. Converting, combining, and dividing PDF files are all options.

15. Create papers based on handwritten drafts, faxes, and dictations.

16. Create forms or surveys to collect client feedback.

17. Read, proofread, and edit papers and other office materials.

18. Create graphs using data from a spreadsheet.

19. Use spreadsheet data to write articles and blog entries.

20. Write guest pieces and blogs for others.

21. Write and send press releases and newsletters to news release directories.

22. Infographics, white papers, and ebooks should be created as content marketing materials.

23. Create brochures and the material that will go within them.

24. Write in-depth how-to instructions and book reviews about your field.

25. Translation of corporate marketing materials into foreign languages.

26. Write op-ed pieces for newspapers and internet outlets and submit them.

27. As part of your work responsibilities, create industry-related listicles (list articles).

28. Respond to any blog comments made by the company.

29. Talk to industry sources to do a thorough market study.

30. You will need to interview former customers in order to develop case studies.

31. For your organization, plan, build, update, and improve an SEO and e-marketing strategy.

32. Conduct website keyword research and a blog analysis for each website.

33. Creating and putting up a landing page

34. Conduct a detailed competitor analysis (targeted keywords, ranked content, position on SEMrush).

35. Oversee sitemap and webmaster submissions.

36. Launch a link-building effort for your website and develop a suitable number of backlinks.

37. Commenting on other blogs, engaging in forums and message boards, and replying to the public on YouTube and news websites are all examples of off-page SEO.

38. Examine your Google Analytics statistics on a weekly and monthly basis, as well as the traffic to your website.

39. Locate and create acceptable, high-traffic websites for your adverts (banners, side panel graphics, etc.).

40. Take on email marketing management tasks, including the establishment of new email contact lists, email newsletters, and promotional material.

41. Make sure that follow-up emails and auto-responders are set up and updated in accordance with the response rate.

42. For your ebook, create logos, ebook covers, headers, icons, and other visual components.

43. Hire a content marketing or copywriting service to help you post branded material.

44. Make contact with media outlets and influencers to let publications know about your brand.

45. Create Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram accounts.

46. Make extensive social media accounts and provide connections to the company's website.

Writing, editing, and posting pieces on social media are all part of the content development plan.

48. Analyze the traffic, shares, and mentions to your social media profiles thoroughly.

49. Check out how your rivals are performing on social media by looking at their ranks, online presence, and top keywords.

50. Make sure your small business has a mobile social media plan in place so that you can fully maximize it.

51. Determine which hashtags are trending on social media that day and assess if they align with the company's marketing objectives.

Respond to enquiries, give pertinent information, thank consumers for their mentions and purchases, and write about specials.

53. Keep all of your social media profiles up to date.

54. Check to see if your images may be pinned on Pinterest.

55. Hold a social media contest or challenge.

Upload photographs to Flickr, Pinterest, and Instagram as part of your marketing plan.

57. Web design, development, and planning, including WordPress sites (in the absence of a business website).

58. Provide coding help for the building of WordPress websites.

59. Install, configure, and update WordPress plug-ins and themes

60. Ensure that the website's integrity, functionality, security, and troubleshooting are all up to date on a regular basis.

Assist with the setup and maintenance of payment gateways and ticketing systems for eCommerce sites.

62. Using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, and APIs to integrate web applications and programming languages into a company's website.

63. Make the user interface (UI) and cross-browser interoperability better.

64. Including tags and photos in web pages and blog posts

65. Back up your data on a regular basis to avoid data loss.

66. Developing online forms for content submission, consumer feedback, and queries.

67. Begin affiliate marketing on behalf of the firm and begin affiliate marketing initiatives.

68. On behalf of the firm, monitor and manage other affiliates and their links.

Splicing intros and outros, as well as adding visuals and music, are all examples of basic video editing.

70. Your videos may be shared on YouTube, DailyMotion, and Vimeo.

71. Remove background noise from your audio files and boost the volume.

72. Audio and video equipment management (cameras and microphones), as well as equipment maintenance.

73. Prepare rough and final edits of the material by trimming and editing video parts.

74. Create, edit, and record podcasts, as well as embed them in a web page.

75. You'll be in charge of using Photoshop and other image editing tools to create and edit basic graphic design assignments.

76. Take notes throughout meetings and compile a complete paper.

78. Voicemail transcripts, video or audio files, podcasts, and meeting recordings

78. Hire potential team members, contractors, and freelancers.

79. You should investigate key data, figures, and facts for the conference using the data you acquired to make a Powerpoint presentation or blog post.

80. Running errands for the workplace, such as purchasing supplies online, scheduling meetings, hiring a cleaning service, and planning office celebrations.

81. Post job openings on job boards, examine resumes, and contact qualified individuals.

Conduct interviews with job candidates and check references.

83. Create training programs for on-site, virtual, or freelance staff.

84. Based on raw data, create a thorough report and presentation.

85. Create and deliver data-driven slideshow presentations.

86. You can plan your business trip by booking hotels, flights, and creating an itinerary.

87. Keep SBO up to speed on the most recent industry developments and trends.

88. Gather all required documentation for tax season.

89. Create a web-based project management system for the entire company.

90. Keeping in touch with subcontractors, sending out reports and reports, using online calendars, and updating team leaders about deadlines are all part of project management.

91. You can send a gift card or a thank you message to your clientele on holidays and anniversaries.

92. Request assistance from customer support representatives with technical issues, financial concerns, and so forth.

93. Conduct employee background checks, credit checks, and criminal history checks.

94. Hold an internal office or competition to award incentives to staff.

95. Create welcome and farewell packages for both clients and employees.

96. Find and contact industry experts or guests for podcast and webinar appearances.

When the firm fails to fulfill its monthly, quarterly, or yearly targets, provide comments and recommendations.

98. Keep track of consumer refunds.

99. Write customer service scripts in response to customer service inquiries.

100. Make contact with clients about past-due payments.

by Costi

How to Outsource BPO Work

As businesses increasingly outsource their office functions to outsourced BPO partners, so they can concentrate on their company's strategic development, they are entrusting more and more of their everyday tasks to the outsourced business process outsourcing companies.

 

There are companies of all sizes, from startups to multinational corporations, who have discovered that outsourcing is beneficial to both their front and back offices through outsourcing. Despite the BPO industry's advantages, the industry continues to grow, with the CAGR estimates for this year's forecast moving from 3.53% to 4% for the forthcoming years.

 

As a result, the manufacturing industry has made significant progress, with a number of companies having been among the early adopters. BPO - Business Process Outsourcing - provides manufacturers with the opportunity to bring their products to market faster and at lower costs by outsourcing business operations to third parties.

 

In what ways does Business Process Outsourcing work?

 

A BPO strategy refers to the process of outsourcing business functions to a third party, and it is a strategy that many companies use in order to propel themselves forward. An example would be hiring third-parties, such as contractors, to perform less-critical business functions on behalf of a company.

 

You can choose to outsource either the company's back-office operations or its front-office functions if you would like to receive BPO services. The back-office of the company entails functional areas such as accounting, payroll, human resources, and quality assurance, while the front-office entails functional areas such as customer service, sales, marketing, and the like.

 

A business process outsourcing (BPO) service is designed to assist you in outsourcing one or more of your day-to-day business operations, namely those that are not core to your business model, but are still essential parts of your operation on a day-to-day basis. This approach has the advantage of allowing your organization to dedicate resources to activities and tasks that will have the greatest impact on the result.

 

Business Process Outsourcing: Advantages and Disadvantages

 

There are a number of reasons why outsourcing business process outsourcing could be beneficial, including financial aspects, marketing opportunities, and overall competitiveness for the business. Let us take a closer look at some of the ways in which outsourcing could enhance your business.

 

It has increased the level of efficiency in the organization

I believe it is a fact that BPOs make the management of operations much easier. The third-party providers are experts in business processes and, as a result, have specialized knowledge or skills that, otherwise, are not available on demand to you.

 

Experts with years of experience in the field

Generally, the BPO industry employs people who have excellent educational and professional backgrounds, so you can expect an industry workforce that is comprised of industry practitioners. It is our conviction that they possess the right mix of knowledge, skills, and values to satisfy your staffing needs, and we are confident that they will provide excellent service to you. 

 

Upgrading the technology to keep up with the times

In the field of business process outsourcing, a BPO company invests heavily in technologically advanced tools where they hire them to handle these processes, in order to enhance their services. With technology innovations, your business can in turn stay on top of market trends and be more prepared to deal with challenges that may arise in the future by implementing technology innovations.

 

The development of competitive advantages

By outsourcing less critical processes to BPO services, your company will be able to realize more sales opportunities since you will be able to take ideas from concept to product, and then later turn them into high-demand products and services.

 

Efficiencies and savings on costs

In an article published in Business Process Outsourcing Worldwide, it was noted that 70% of BPO clients partner with third-party service providers in order to reduce costs. Several BPO firms are based in developing countries where labour costs are lower, and because of that, outsourcing can help reduce overhead expenses in your business. In addition to BPO services, clients of these providers can also use their infrastructure and office space, and this can translate into significant cost savings for their businesses.

 

International expansion of the company's business

One of the benefits of business process outsourcing is that it eliminates the challenges that are commonly associated with setting up a business in a new location, market, or setting. In order to establish your company within a new community while adhering to all legal and professional requirements, you would benefit from using a BPO provider.

 

What are the different types of business process outsourcing?

 

Based on the type of services being provided by the contractor, there are generally four general types of business process outsourcing.

 

Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) is the process of outsourcing knowledge processes

A business process outsourcing (BPO) service is a method of outsourcing services that is purchased from a third-party provider with specialization in a particular field, such as education, finance, healthcare, insurance, or engineering that requires a significant amount of expertise.

 

It is a type of service that is provided by IT, which is made possible by the use of information technology.

 

As a part of business process outsourcing, is also referred to as information technology-enabled services (ITES) due to the fact that IT infrastructure plays a major role in the success of the outsourced services. In terms of its business process outsourcing services, its goal is to provide businesses with the support and services needed to work with large volumes of data and to take care of large volumes of data on their own. There are many prominent uses of ITES, some of which include help desks, customer support centers, and data warehouses.

 

LPO (Legal Process Outsourcing) is the process of outsourcing legal processes.

It can be said that, according to its name, this service is aimed at handling legal functions for clients such as the preparation of legal documents, legal research, and legal advice. It is highly likely that LPOs will come into play in the back office for tasks such as human resources, compliance with legislation, etc.

 

The outsourcing of the research process (RPO)

When a BPO specializes in research functions, it is known as a BPO specializing in research. For example, a BPO company might be contracted to provide Reverse Process Outsourcing (RPO) services for clients in the pharmaceutical, investment, and marketing industries.

 

How to Define Your Business Process Outsourcing Objectives

 

As with any business endeavor, you need to understand what you intend to accomplish before beginning the process of outsourcing and this applies to every business endeavor as well. Getting the right business process outsourcing company is the first step in making your project a success. The second step is to find out what you expect from the partnership. In order to communicate your expectations to your BPO provider effectively, you will need to be able to clearly explain what you expect them to do and what results you would like to see from them.

 

In this sense, you should set clear objectives so that you can clearly communicate to your BPO provider the responsibilities they are expected to take on and what you are looking for in them. In other words, your business process outsourcing partner can use these objectives as a guide to set appropriate targets and develop strategies for reaching those targets.

 

Taking into account just a few of the objectives that businesses consider when considering outsourcing, let's look at just a few of them:

 

To reduce operational and labor costs as much as possible

It has been noted that approximately 70% of businesses rank cost reduction as their primary objective when it comes to outsourcing, as reported by Deloitte in its 2020 Global Outsourcing Survey. In spite of the popular belief, however, the cost savings are not primarily due to tax breaks. PolitiFact, on the other hand, explains that while companies can benefit from tax exemptions if they relocate their headquarters to another state or country, the U.S. federal income tax code does not contain any specific exemptions related to outsourcing.

 

Outsourcing has the advantage that it allows you to optimize processes while saving money at the same time without the need to hire new personnel or spend more money on new infrastructure. In addition, you will have access to a team of professionals who have a wealth of experience with the processes that your internal team may not have any knowledge of. In essence, you will save time and resources on recruiting and training employees. Last but not least, out-sourcing processes to professionals who are familiar with them will enable you to ensure quality and efficiency at all times.

 

Focus our efforts on the products and services that are core to our business

It can be really difficult for business owners to think of expanding their business as a battle against hydras - as soon as one obstacle is overcome, two more will appear. The expansion of your organization can be both exciting and draining at the same time. On top of that, it cannot help but cause you as well as your employees stress to have to constantly keep up with new business requirements in addition to the needs of your customers.

 

There is a possibility to outsource some of these tasks so that you can concentrate on your core competencies and this will allow you to increase your efficiency. It is also important to note that this gives your employees the time, energy, and headspace necessary to think about improvements that can be made to critical processes, and in turn can lead to the development of new products and services, which can benefit your clients.

 

 

An increase in the number of staff

If your company runs a busy business at the busiest times of the year, especially if it has a peak season, your employees are likely to take on too much work. The number of employees can be increased to offset some of the load, but recruiting and training of new employees can be quite expensive. In the event you refuse to hire new employees, you might end up compromising customer service or productivity.

 

Through Business Process Outsourcing, scalability in staffing is made possible. As a result, you will be able to have experienced workers available when you need them. Consequently, you will be able to satisfy the needs of your clients and ensure the efficiency of your business operations without needing to hire new employees over the course of a prolonged period of time.

 

Enhancing the overall experience of the customer

There are many ways to develop wonderful products and offer stellar services, but not all of them translate into equally outstanding customer service. Thus, as a result, ensuring the customer experience - including handling queries, supporting them through the transaction and providing support after they have purchased - is a challenge.

 

If you find a BPO provider that can provide you with customer service, tech support, and similar services, you can ensure that your customers always have a pleasant time dealing with you. It will definitely improve your customer loyalty and help you increase sales.

 

Choose the Right BPO Outsourcing Company for Your Business

 

BPO companies act as an extension of your company, rather than just a service provider for your company. Furthermore, these services will not only be able to access some of your company's confidential data, but they will also play an integral role in helping you run your company effectively. Considering this, it is imperative that you carefully pick your partners.

 

The process of choosing a BPO company is not as straightforward as simply picking the top companies. There are many factors to consider before choosing one. In deciding on a BPO company, you need to consider the following:

 

  1. The ability to understand processes in-depth

The best choice is finding a provider with a specialization. If you need them to help you with customer service, you have to make sure that BPOs can provide support in multiple ways, such as multi-channel support. If you have experienced this before, then you can be sure that they are capable of completing the tasks with efficiency and consistency according to the industry standards.

 

  1. Being able to handle multiple types of business processes at the same time

The more your business grows, the more likely you are to need assistance with more and more processes. It is therefore necessary for you to hire a BPO company that can deal with a variety of business processes if you want to partner with one. With the help of a BPO partner, your business will be able to scale as you grow. You may want to verify with the provider you intend to outsource your customer support processes to if they offer multilingual support options, for example, if you intend to outsource your customer support processes. This avoids the need to switch companies if your company takes on customers from other countries as a result of this method.

 

  1. Have a team that is dedicated to the company

The BPO partner you choose should be capable of putting together a team that fits your specific business requirements as well as being able to handle their training as well. Moreover, I think it would also be great if they could provide you with a guarantee that the team they assign to you is dedicated to your project and does not bounce from job to job.

 

  1. Acknowledged for its close collaboration with its partners

In any BPO outsourcing process, you must keep in mind that your company will be represented by the BPO company. This is especially important if you are outsourcing BPO. In order for a seamless experience to be provided to customers, the customer service team should work closely with you to ensure their needs are met as one team.

 

  1. Developing a solid transition plan in case of changes in the future

There is always an element of change in the processes and the partnerships we work with. The process of switching providers may seem difficult, but your BPO provider should implement a protocol that will ease the transition for you, whether your business is restructuring, whether you are looking for a different provider, or if you are simply renegotiating your rates. In this way, it is possible to minimize the disruptions to the operations of your business that may arise as a result of the change.

 

Business Process Outsourcing: What It Is and How It Works

 

It's important to understand that business outsourcing involves a wealth of technical details that extend far beyond the basic concept that one company hires another to cut costs from their operations.

 

Due to these reasons, outsourcing business processes not only reduces costs, but also gives companies the possibility of acquiring more specialized talent for specific tasks, obtaining highly competent second opinions for no additional charge, and improving internal processes.

 

There has been considerable progress in the recent years, both in terms of the development of BPO service providers as well as in terms of how these services are sought by clients, leading to the provision of simplified solutions to a wide range of business challenges. There are a number of different types of outsourcing services that are accessed by companies. Examples include:

 

Offshore Outsourcing

It is one of the most drastic forms of the outsourcing of business processes, since it involves companies contracting the services of companies situated in another country or continent.

 

Onshore Outsourcing

The companies that choose to resort to offshore BPO, however, tend to limit their options to providers that are located in the same country as their company.

 

Nearshore Outsourcing

In terms of Nearshore Business Process Outsourcing, it is a method of using services that are exported by companies that are located closer to the recipients than the offshore options. For such a business to be described as outsourcing their customer support functions to a Mexican firm, the term US business outsourcing would be appropriate.

 

Despite the fact that Business Process Outsourcing can be done in a wide range of different ways depending on the industry, the functions, and the scope of the project, there are some simple concepts a company can apply to ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible. There are a wide variety of useful resources available to you to learn to benefit from BPO, and you can make the most of them by checking out the links below.

 

How to Outsource Business Processes: Tips for Success

 

Make sure that executives are involved in the process of creating a new product.

It is extremely important that executives from your organization participate in the decision-making process if you want to make sure that your outsourcing partnership will be successful. With outsourcing, the top management has a crucial role to play in effectively communicating ways to reduce costs for the company, as well as to achieve the strategic goals of the company and further enhance its competitive advantage. Outsourcing is seen as a true strategic advantage that can easily be purchased by executive management, as these individuals can clearly see the value of outsourcing partners in terms of increased productivity as well as significant overall cost reductions that can be achieved by the organization. In order to make the outsourcing process more effective, you should spend time explaining how outsourcing fits perfectly with your strategic vision and engaging your executive teams in the planning process.

 

Prepare a list of growth objectives ahead of time.

If you are seeking to outsource your business, it is imperative to align your company's long-term business and financial plans with your company's strategic objectives at the outset of the process and to identify possible outsourcing partners that have the kind of global presence that your company is looking for. An example of this is if a hotel chain anticipates growth and expansion in Eastern Europe over the next five years, a localized call center in Eastern Europe may be the best strategic location to deliver its services based on requisite infrastructure and language requirements.

 

A company's IT capabilities shouldn't be overlooked.

According to IDC, 75 percent of enterprise software vendors and independent software vendors will have included AI functionality in at least one application by the end of 2018. Due to this fact, BPO firms that adopt new technologies are likely to become more future-proof and to have a more stable outlook in the near future. The off-shore vendor should ensure that a senior engineer from the client site is regularly on-site during the design phase in order to ensure that he or she has a clear understanding of the project. Alternatively, if you are outsourcing, you might be able to benefit from visiting your outsourcing provider in person as a way to get a different point of view on your company.

 

As you consider outsourcing, do not forget that quality needs to be the most important factor in your decisions at all times.

While outsourcing certainly has a lot of advantages, the most important thing is that it is capable of delivering the quality that you expect from such a service. It would be a waste of money if anything less than what you expected from the outsourcing was delivered.

 

There is no reason why you should not be able to successfully outsource certain tasks, but I think the expectations for the quality of work should be discussed before you assign the work.

 

The implementation of your BPO strategy should not be rushed. Don't rush. It's important.

It is important to gradually expand the work you have outsourced once you have outsourced some of it. The first thing you should do before embarking on a huge outsourcing strategy is to take a step by step approach. By following this approach, you will have the flexibility to adjust as your company's needs change, as well as a flexible way to scale up or down as necessary.

 

It is advisable to seek out providers who do not require any babysitting service.

No matter what number of business requirements you may have, it is a given that an outsourcing company will handle everything from scratch when they are hired to work on your account.

 

In order to achieve the results, one should not allow sloppy or low quality work to exist, and the results should be achievable (There should be no room to tolerate shoddy work).

 

In order to choose the best vendor, you should choose one that will handle the projects and be in charge of them from the start, so that you can devote a minimal amount of time to each of them and let them handle the rest.

 

By doing this, you will save time and be able to devote it to your core business functions. 

 

Ensure that the provider you choose possesses expertise in the field in which your business operates.

If you are planning to undertake a project such as the one that you are undertaking, I recommend that you select a provider who has previous experience managing such projects. When it comes to complicated technical projects, such as software development, it is best not to act as the guinea pig for somebody else. Especially when outsourcing operations such as these, such an attitude is vital. It is a good idea to make sure, for example, that the candidate you are considering has developed applications for the iPhone and has previously performed commercial projects on that platform for other clients who were satisfied. You should also follow the same advice in case you are working on other types of projects as well.

 

When it comes to putting together a business plan for opening a retail store, it is important to hire a consultant who has experience in the retail market. In terms of creating a business plan for a retail store, you will be able to produce the best results.

 

 The first thing we need to make clear is that the savings results are going to fall short of what we have projected.

The reason many businesses choose to outsource is that they expect to save money by doing so, but you should note that it is extremely rare for actual and projected savings to be the same. There is a good chance that you will lose some time and adjust to a new partner's lifestyle during the first few months of the new partnership. Because of these factors, it is a good idea to save about three quarters of your projected amount.

 

In order to begin an outsourcing relationship, there are a variety of costs you may not anticipate at first glance. Choosing the wrong vendor will, for example, require you to spend a lot of time searching and you may end up paying a lot of money from network websites or other sources if you choose the wrong one. Negotiating and drafting an agreement will take time, and there may even be travel expenses and legal fees that need to be paid in order to maintain the relationship. – 

 

The use of fixed-cost BPO arrangements should be avoided at all costs.

One of the good things about a fixed-cost project is that they can be planned out with a budget and you won't have to worry about going over the budget as you are on a fixed budget. In the process of establishing a fixed cost, you can face a number of other challenges as well.

 

In the case of fixed cost projects, vendors tend to charge up to 50% more in order to cover the possibility of project delays or risks. Also, do not forget that you will have to go through a lengthy and arduous negotiation process every time the scope of the project changes - which of course will happen. There is a third problem with the fixed budget method because once the budget has been established, your vendor will focus on hitting the set price instead of focusing on quality. Long term, fixed-price bids end up being more time-consuming and more expensive than negotiating on a variable price. 

 

It is very important for you to always be in control of your projects, products and services.

On the other hand, when you hand over your product to a large design firm, you can expect that you will no longer be in control of the end result. The concept you've come up with has been around for a while now, and you have spent a great deal of time on it, now you are ready to take the project to the next level. Oftentimes, many people do not realize that unless they remove themselves from the process at this critical moment, they will not get what they envisioned, and they will probably regret it later in life.

 

Leaders should be able to guide the project in the right direction, push it forward, and keep up-to-date on all of its progress. It is vital that you remember that you do not have to do everything yourself, but to remain in control of every step that you take. 

 

Look for opportunities to form long-term partnerships with your partners.

There are times when it is much more efficient to spend your time working with a company on an ongoing basis instead of continually posting new projects and comparing lots of bids for each one that you find a good quality company that does good quality work, works well with you, and is reasonably priced.  

 

A great deal of caution should be taken when choosing between individual BPO providers or organizations.

It is evident that outsourcing your IT services to an IT outsourcing company comes with many benefits. The good news is that if they don't meet your expectations, they can easily be replaced as they usually hire highly qualified individuals. In addition to offering 'checks and balances', some companies handle the entire process of developing their products in-house, thus minimizing any potential risks. A large number of engineers and managers are actually employed by this company and are responsible for making sure that everything is checked and that any issues are resolved when something goes wrong during the process.

 

There are two main risks associated with hiring a freelancer. There are two risks involved with hiring the work of just one engineer: the first risk stems from the lack of any means to check the work of this engineer, and the second risk arises from the fact that the contractor may not finish the project on schedule.

 

It is impossible to expect a 'jack of all trades' to be a good developer in all areas. Things just happen, don't they? Of course, there will be problems. One possibility is that an independent freelancer or a couple of independent freelancers may be able to act as a second opinion. You can save a lot of money by hiring a third party to review a contractor's work and lower the risk that the contractor will do a poor job. 

 

In order to find the greatest value from BPO, one needs to look beyond savings.

Comparing costs isn't enough since you may miss out on the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry if you outsource purely based on the price. There is no doubt that the fact that outsourcing is a strategic way for you to gain knowledge in the process of developing new products and technologies is something that should not be overlooked.

 

You should ensure that all the details regarding your partnership are documented in writing.

The business world recognizes the importance of putting every agreement on paper to avoid any misunderstandings in the future. And this is no different. However, in spite of the fact that I do believe you had already told freelancers or agencies what you wanted, there is no legal obligation for them to follow up, and you may encounter some difficulty at some point. Apart from ensuring that all information is documented, it is also important to make sure that all documents are signed and dated (which can be proved later on), so all parties have access to the information.

 

The importance of avoiding common pitfalls such as poorly designed incentive models and poor corporate governance cannot be overstated.

The following are some of the most common mistakes in outsourcing:

Whenever outsourcing is undertaken, it is vital to identify the motives, the goals, and the objectives before commencing

In comparison to concentrating on benefits or value additions, it is more important to focus on cost reductions

Having an outsourcing program that has substandard corporate governance over a long period of time

An inability to appoint someone who is responsible for managing the relationship and the contract

An inefficient management of communication with staff, clients, and other stakeholders

Incentivising models that fail as a result of insufficient incentives

 

Make use of the industry's continued growth to your advantage.

A variety of technological advancements in telecommunications and information technology have led to a rapid increase in outsourcing of human resources within the last 25 years. The economy has slowed down recently as a result of this growth slowing. There are many people who are concerned that the industry is going to experience negative growth owing to the lack of new enterprise clients, as well as the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). It is somewhat surprising to discover that outsourcing is growing at an astonishing rate contrary to what most people assume, which is driven mainly by small and medium-sized businesses that are often overlooked. 

 

Outsourcing offers much more than just lower costs. It also has a great number of competitive advantages that offer greater value to businesses.

There are several reasons behind implementing outsourced services and the primary reason is to be able to reduce the cost of delivery. Additionally, there are a number of valuable advantages that can be taken advantage of, including the availability of better quality resources, continual technological advancement, and moving from fixed to variable costs, as well as improving integration of systems among them.

 

BPO approaches have many positive aspects, including risk sharing and resource sharing, which are the two main components of BPO.

The Outsourcing Institute, a powerful voice in the outsourcing community, has carried out a survey in which they have come up with a list of the top 10 reasons why a company may have to use such services.

Management of costs and operations plays an important role in reducing costs in a company

Ensure that the company's performance is being improved

The ability to choose from a wide range of options is an advantage

Providing a way for internal resources to be freed up to be used for other purposes

The company does not have the resources required for the job

Accelerate the benefits of reengineering so that it becomes more effective

The cost of driving has been high for some time now

Employee equity becomes available upon the termination of employment

We all share the same criticisms

Injection of capital

 

Using tools such as the outsourcing decision matrix, one can assess the impact and importance of a specific task.

If you consider outsourcing a task, the following two most important factors should be taken into account. According to the [Outsourcing Decision Matrix], these are the two most important factors to consider.

 

I believe that the task has a great deal of strategic importance. Does this task provide your company with a competitive advantage? Is it possible that it may?

It is important that you consider how the task will affect the performance of your company in the long run. How does the task contribute to the smooth running of your organization? How do you assess the task's contribution? What is the potential impact of it if it is not carried out properly? Also, how big is the disruption? 

 

It is also possible for companies that use a method of offshore outsourcing at their own offices to benefit from the benefits of outsourcing.

It will come as no surprise to you that the partnership world is full of many types of partnerships aimed at improving captive performance while maintaining control in the hands of the buyers. When implementing a service chain model, one of the partners will provide complementary services from their own locations to the other partners in the chain. There are other models, such as hybrid or virtual captives, which rely on the integration of external service providers to handle some or all of the work required within the captive center. As a matter of fact, the challenge is to create a partnership that benefits from the expertise of local experts and the resources of the local community. This will create improvements in processes, and help to drive innovation, as well as reduce costs in the process. The result of this is that an organization's offshore delivery models tend to evolve over the course of time, i.e., there is seldom a clear line of demarcation between one model and another. 

In order to best utilize and profit from any company's growth strategy, it is always helpful to understand the details surrounding the outsourcing arrangement.

The four main aspects of an outsourcing process should be borne in mind: Here are four main aspects to take into account:

The program has been launched

Implementation of the services

Final Agreement

Closure of the program

 

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It is important to understand the various outsourcing models in order to select the most profitable one.

The term "Tactical Consulting" is a general term that refers to a range of value-added services. In this case, the client's main driver comes from having access to expertise that is not available in-house, such as UX design, Architecture and Technology advisory, Security assessment, etc. Outsourcing vendors normally provide this service as a fixed price, time bound activity. However, for the sort of work that is uncertain, such as R&D, a T&M basis can also be considered. 

 

BPOs can reduce obstacles through streamlining communication with the use of appropriate tools.

Diverse advantages can be gained by businesses through outsourcing. For many companies, however, managing multiple outsourcing teams can be a challenging task. In order to work effectively with outsourcing teams, companies must be able to communicate, collaborate, and share information effectively. Another challenge is engaging the outsourcing teams personally in order to improve their productivity.

 

Even if the necessary technology and skills are in place, it is important to keep a close eye on a project's progress and to keep track of the teams' tasks by using the right set of tools to manage them.

 

When you partner with a BPO provider, pay close attention to the legalities of risk management.

It is relatively easy to assume that outsourcing will transfer all risks and responsibilities to the supplier, and that the customer will be fully protected from all the consequences of failure if the outsourcing goes wrong. It is not possible for a customer, irrespective of the nature of the business area and regardless of the terms of the contract, to fully insulate itself against those risks and practical remedies are often insufficient to compensate for those losses. When a supplier fails to deliver outsourced services, the primary remedies are payment (whether this is in the form of indemnity claims, general damages, service credits, or liquidated damages) and termination. Despite the fact that other remedies may be specified in the contract (for example, stepping in) or are generally available as a matter of law (such as specific performance), in practice these additional remedies are rarely practical or effective.

 

Adopt a vested outsourcing model if you want to maximize the benefits of BPO.

Don't focus on transactions, but on outcomes. Traditionally, outsourcing agreements are focused on negotiating contracts at a detailed transactional level, paying either for a given task or dividing the cost based on the number of employees. In the case of simple transactions with abundant supply and low complexity, a transaction-based outsourcing business model would be the most efficient choice. Nevertheless, transaction-based approaches have a real weakness as soon as any level of complexity, variability, or mutual dependency is introduced into the transaction. The transactional approach cannot ensure a perfect equilibrium price based on the market in multidimensional or variable business contracts.

 

Make a list of your priorities and requirements

It is imperative that the company's objectives and operations are listed out, perhaps the most important step in the quest to find the perfect outsourcing partner. It gives clarity to help decide which processes and operations can be outsourced and more importantly, whether they should be outsourced. An additional advantage of doing this is that talent and resources can be relocated more efficiently. 

 

Research on partner companies 

Knowing your partner is crucial to a successful relationship. The next step is to make a list of the service providers in your desired field that are present in the market for your goals and objectives. Ensure that they have a track record, a list of clients that they have worked with, a list of successful projects that they have completed, and an estimate of delivery time.  

 

Don't just focus on the price 

It is a mistake to compromise on quality in order to save money, an error that can prove to be more costly than you even think. Finding the right partner that helps you optimize your goals while providing quality results may not be the most cost-effective option, but you will actually be more cost-effective in the long run if you choose the right partner. 

 

Think about the pros and cons before making a decision

The best approach would always be to compare providers and list out their advantages and disadvantages after you have done your research and understood the costs involved. It is through this process that you are able to clearly see who will be your best business partner.

 

 

Make sure you ask for a hands-on demonstration

There is no better way to analyze the capabilities of your outsourcing partner than with a hands-on demonstration that ensures both parties have a clear understanding of the task at hand. In addition, the highlighting of potential problems would also help you evaluate the solutions provided and where improvements can be made.

 

Ensure that you are aware of the legal requirements 

There are certain legal responsibilities that go along with finding an outsourcing partner. One of the most important documents is the Service Level Agreement. All details and responsibilities must be clearly defined in the document so that all parties understand their duties and responsibilities.  

 

Establish a clear scope of work for the project

In addition to defining your priorities, it is essential to draw up a scope of work that is well-defined and comprehensive. Scope of work specifies the division of work that will be performed under a contract or a subcontract in the completion of a project, and is usually broken down into specific tasks along with deadlines.

 

Make sure that you set realistic deadlines for your tasks

It is important to remember that outsourcing firms cannot be considered as magicians. Despite the fact that outsourcing can be beneficial to businesses, having a realistic timeline is vital to productivity. 

 

Review portfolios, samples, and other related documents 

Keep in mind that you are the best person to determine your priorities and projects. It is essential that you review the work produced by potential outsourcing partners that are similar to your project and your goals for the project. 

 

Don't be afraid to start small 

If you want to make sure that you find your perfect fit, you must start small. As you and your partner are comfortable with the pace, you should begin with smaller projects and then expand them at a rate that is comfortable for both of you. 

 

Establish the ownership of tasks from the outset 

As a way to avoid confusion between different parties, it is always a good idea to clearly define who is responsible for the task at hand. 

 

A project milestone should be tied to the payment of the project 

Payments based on milestones made by your partner may be a way to ensure timely delivery and the growth of the project, depending on the agreement that you reach with them

 

The communication process 

If you fail to maintain proper communication, you can severely damage your outsourcing partnership. If there is a lack of communication between your partners, it is likely you will lose the trust of your consumers. 

 

Choosing a Company over a Freelancer is a wise decision

There is no denying the value of freelancers in certain circumstances, nonetheless, when it comes to outsourcing, finding a partner who is motivated and long-term is crucial. 

 

Find a provider of end-to-end solutions 

When it comes to completing tasks, make sure your partner can provide you with end-to-end solutions and a comprehensive process that can cover everything. When you do this, you will be able to improve your business's health and profitability.

 

Transfer of accountability

Outsourcing is a way to reduce your employees' workload by minimizing repetitive tasks that need to be monitored constantly. Ensure that the outsourcing service provider takes over full responsibility and accountability for the project after a certain period of time to eliminate the possibility of overlap of work.

 

Review of performance

To ensure that the project is resolved quickly if any complications arise during the project, it is necessary to conduct periodic reviews of the service provider. 

 

Technology and the ease of implementation 

In order to ensure that your employees and teams are supported during the transition process, you must find a partner that is technologically advanced and that uses easy-to-implement and use software. 

 

Support after the project has been completed 

It is easy to iron out any last-minute glitches that may arise if you ensure that your partner supports you after you complete specific tasks. 

 

Develop a set of operational guidelines

Create a document outlining the process in as much detail as possible. Unless you are able to describe your process in detail, you are not going to be able to outsource it. Known as Operational Guidelines, this document is a compilation of the various considerations one should make when trying to accomplish the task at hand.

 

You should also make sure to explain clearly what the goal of the process is, and why it matters, so that the outsourced reps feel like they are part of something bigger.

 

There are a few guidelines that will serve as a manual for reps to interiorize and refer to first when in doubt. Your document will be a living, evolving document which you will maintain and evolve as the reps and you find inconsistencies and gaps between your theory and reality.

 

Preparation of training examples

In the absence of practice, theory becomes meaningless. Having a proper set of guidelines is only half of the battle. You need to compliment it with examples that reps can use to practice what they have learned and self-evaluate their performance.

 

The examples should include an increasing level of difficulty, and show how the different dos and don'ts of the Operational Guidelines are put into practice. Perhaps you would like to do this in the same document or perhaps in a presentation.

 

Evaluation of firms based on their expertise

There are many BPO service providers around the world, but most of them tend to specialise in a certain range of tasks, based on the demographics and skillset of their workforce and the ease with which they can recruit.

 

The following are some aspects to consider:

 

The following verticals are represented: finance, social media moderating, computer vision, medical imaging, and translation services.

Language, country of residence, age, and other demographic information.

Education: literacy, highest level of education.

 

Trial more than one firm

You can engage in a pilot period with more than one BPO, with uniform pre-agreed criteria and a time-boxed launch. As part of the engagement, we should establish measurable factors for success evaluation - more about this below.

 

By assessing both the costs and benefits of successful pilots that meet the criteria, you can select one that will be most beneficial for you in the long run.

 

Measure

The following metrics should be measured on a systematic basis:

 

It is the Turnaround Time (TAT) that is generally used as the measure of latency.

The AHT (Average Handling Time) is the standard for efficiency.

Quality: Accuracy measured by the proportion of correct decisions as a percentage of all decisions.

If you would like to learn more about the subject of Operational KPIs and Quality Measurement, we have previously blogged about it.

 

A penalty system based on SLAs should be established

You will most likely fail to get your outsourced process up to par if you don't have 'skin in the game' with your BPO partner. In order to improve alignment between your incentives and the BPO's, it is standard practice to set SLAs on the above metrics and to impose penalties in case the metrics aren't met.

 

Normally, these penalties come in the form of a percentage discount on the cost of the billed service.

 

Make economic incentives a priority

In addition to 'skin in the game', reward-based incentives are also a viable form of 'skin in the game. A penalty for failure to meet SLAs helps avoid mediocre results; however, rewards could help move the needle from adequate to outstanding results.

 

Results of the audit

It will not be enough to put the outsourced process into operation without auditing a sample of the work conducted as a means of quality control. If you have implemented a Quality Assurance process internally, you can do this more formally, or you can simply review random examples of the code in a more informal manner.

 

It is essential to have an internal expert - this could be you or a colleague - audit this work to ensure that errors aren't being made. Make sure that you correct every error as soon as possible. There will be some instances where this will need to be corrected due to a gap or point of ambiguity in the Guidelines. Many will be related to a lack of examples in the training material and will need to be reported to the BPO so that they do not occur in the future.

 

Open dialog

Maintain a dialogue of communication with the BPO throughout the process. Allow questions, feedback and suggestions to flow both ways. It's in your best interest to make yourself and your team available to avoid blocking reps — if latency matters to you — and to help avoid errors.

 

If the software supporting the process offers a mechanism to make these comments, then you're all set. Otherwise you can set up a shared chat group with all stakeholders to also foster frequent communication and collaboration.

 

Align reps often

A common pitfall of fully operational outsourced processes is how little cross-pollination of knowledge exists between reps. As a result, each reps mental model of the process might diverge from everyone else's, resulting in increased inconsistencies.

 

This is especially true in a post-Covid world where everyone who can is working remotely, physically isolated from everyone else.

 

Hosting joint audit review sessions will help keep everyone aligned with your internal expertise. To make this most productive, everyone should prepare tricky cases they've encountered that they would like to discuss with the team.

 

By investing in business process outsourcing, you can get back to your core functions and focus on growth, development, and other areas of potential.

 

by Costi

The 13 Best Ways to Improve Customer Service for Ecommerce 

Increasingly, consumers are turning to online shopping as a means to purchase products and services, which has made ecommerce customer service a focal point for those in business.

Online customers have easy access to a myriad of social media platforms through which they can share their experiences with a business. Thousands of people can be immediately reached by tweeting, updating their status, or setting up blog posts in seconds.

You are at risk of destroying your brand image in one short negative review from a dissatisfied customer. In this respect, it is crucial that you provide the best customer service possible to your customers.

In order to ensure that your ecommerce business strategy is successful, customer service should be at the center of it because when you provide excellent service, you expand your customer base.

The following is a list of 13 best practices for your business that can help improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. Create an omnichannel marketing strategy

With an omnichannel strategy, you manage to reach, interact with, and build a relationship with your customers in a single place by blending and connecting different marketing and distribution channels. In order to implement a successful omnichannel strategy for retail, the end goal is often optimization for results - that's the thing we're after.

In terms of retail strategy, omnichannel retailing has become the norm

It seems that one of the greatest ways to improve ecommerce customer service is by switching to an omnichannel approach of retailing.

In the world of e-commerce, there is fierce competition throughout the world today, so when brands fail to determine what is the best channel to use in their customer service, they suffer.

Nonetheless, in order to achieve top-notch customer service, it is not enough to rely on just one channel. Customers are no longer limited to a few channels.

Can you find your customers on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp? Is it a matter of preferring to be contacted by email or phone? You're more than welcome. Please be sure to do so. When you create a multi-channel strategy, you make it possible to reach out to your customers wherever and whenever they need you.

According to a study conducted by Aberdeen Group, companies with the most effective multichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers.

Taking care of your customers is important, and you should not have to ask them for it - you should take care of it directly. Make their lives a lot easier by relieving them of the pain of waiting for a response for days on end.

As you set up these channels for customer service with your ecommerce business, make sure you let your customers know that they have options that they can choose from. And the most important thing to remember is to ensure that you are providing quality customer service across all your channels as well.

  1. Provide live chat services

The live chat application on a website is a fast way for customers to talk to customer service representatives as well as a convenient method of resolving problems quickly.

A live chat service can be beneficial to your ecommerce website for many reasons. Let me give you a few examples. First of all, customers love having live chat available. Econsultancy reports that live chats are amongst the most popular ways to assist customers.

The benefits of live chat solutions

With live chat in place, customers can quickly contact you to resolve any issues they encounter when they cannot complete a purchase on your website. If your customer faces challenges during this process, they may decide to leave your website. In addition to this, it acts as a perfect contact point for queries regarding the warranty, return policy, and the payment process for the product.

Obtain a live chat service

Having live chat as part of your customer service strategy is a no-brainer.

Check your ecommerce site's history periodically if you already use live chat to interact with your customers. You will notice if your chats are proving to be effective or not.

In this article we will explore some other strategies that can be used to improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. A proactive approach to customer service

The way in which customer relations are handled creates a positive impression on the customer. The best way to provide exceptional customer service is to approach customer service with a proactive approach, so that potential issues can be dealt with before they arise. This means that ecommerce firms operate in a way that their partners are not seen as abstract organizations, but as real-life partners.

An article states that 50% of customers consider it important to be able to resolve product or service issues on their own, and that 70% are expecting a company's website to provide them with a self-service option.

It provides customers with instant access to instant solutions if they are looking for answers to all the frequently asked questions without having to contact the customer support. The contact information on your website still needs to be clearly visible, however, so that customers can easily contact you if they cannot handle the issue themselves.

  1. Personalize your email campaigns

According to a study, 94% of business owners believe that personalization is the key to their success. Despite this, many ecommerce websites still send this type of email:

It is very easy for people to ignore emails that do not contain any personalization. In some cases, they do not directly address the customer - perhaps they even think it's an error, or simply that it has nothing to do with them. A personalized message that mentions your customer's name on the other hand, makes them feel appreciated, leading to a higher email open rate.

Here's a more technical way to improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. Predicting the amount of inventory that will be needed

You can fulfill customer demands on time if you forecast your inventory requirements in advance.

Calculate your reordering point - how much to order and at what time.

As a result of ordering excess quantities, we are obligated to carry the costs of inventory, whereas ordering less will encourage us to replenish our inventory more often.

  1. Automate and optimize the fulfillment of online orders

You should consider moving away from the manual order fulfillment system that you have been using to an automated order fulfillment system as soon as possible. Order fulfillment systems that are manually handled are prone to human error, slow, and inefficient. The use of an automated system that handles the entire process from the beginning to the end will pay off in the long run as it will improve productivity and customer satisfaction as well as save you time.

A perfect example of this is Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) - If you are using Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) for stocking and shipping, the service simplifies things by fulfilling orders on your behalf.

When using Amazon FBA, you can calculate the shipping costs from a variety of sources in real-time and choose the most cost-effective option that suits your needs.

The list of things we can do to improve e-commerce customer service is about half-done, so let's move on to the next item.

  1. Identify gaps in your order management process

The ecommerce industry faces this problem often. As soon as parts of the order management process system aren't stitched together properly, then issues can occur and there can be all kinds of errors.

An order fulfillment process that is transparent is the most important element of improving the success of an order fulfillment model. In the case of businesses that don't streamline their fulfillment processes, they can end up sending the wrong orders, or even miss out on deliveries entirely.

This issue can be avoided by automating the process as it eliminates the error caused by human error so often the cause of this kind of miscommunication.

  1. Tell a story to sell your brand

I am done with the sales emails, blog posts, and other marketing content you have been sending me. Make sure that you tell your brand's story in a manner that resonates with your customers so that they will want to buy from you.

It is not common for customers to be sold to, but engaging them with information that is relevant to them, while being consistent with your brand, will keep your brand fresh in their mind, turning them into advocates for your brand.

Instead of pushing your product or service on your customers, a content marketing campaign instead allows you to create value for them and encourage them to buy.

A great example of a company that tells a story is Dannijo, a jewelry brand started by sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder in 2008. Danielle and Jodie Snyder are firm believers that the key to building successful brands is telling authentic stories. Using Instagram, the sisters display photographs of their own lives, as well as lifestyle shots of their products and photos of celebrities or models wearing their products.

  1. Engage your mobile customers and stay connected to them

 

You need to make sure that you are as mobile-savvy as your customers are. To ensure that you accept payments on mobile devices, make sure your payment processor supports it. In fact, there are a number of ecommerce sites that don't offer mobile payment options, but it's a sure-fire way to lose out on sales. There is nothing more annoying than selecting what you wish to purchase, only to discover that you cannot checkout.

Providing your customers with a secure mobile payment system makes sense for your business. If you do not provide them with this service, you are doing your business a disservice.

  1. Provide a 24-hour phone support service

Customers prefer to talk to customer service representatives over the phone in some situations, especially when it comes to complaints. Develop a 24-hour phone support capability if possible to meet these needs and make sure customers remain engaged.

A number of products are available to take voicemails when you are not connected to the internet. By offering a live answering service that is available 24/7, however, you are enabling your customers to speak to a real person when they want.

An important aspect of the human experience is the human touch. Take the time to invest in this level of support, and you will see your ecommerce customer support inspire customers and drive more sales.

  1. Take advantage of e-commerce customer service software

Having a question from a customer spread across multiple representatives can be very frustrating. There is a real danger of customers not getting their questions answered properly if this is the case. In my opinion, it is not fair to force your customer to explain their issue over and over again.

Conversational customer experience software simplifies the process of resolving problems - the most common tool for handling problems is the use of tickets.

According to SalesForce, "CRMs are software programs that are used to manage all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and prospects. It enables you to stay connected to them, streamline processes, and maximize your profitability."

The best ecommerce customer service software will ease your life through automation and help you make informed decisions that will increase your return on investment as well.

  1. Assess the level of customer satisfaction

You should pay special attention to measuring your customer satisfaction since this is the most relevant metric for improving your overall customer service and marketing strategies.

As long as your company is using CRM software, after each customer support session you can ask customers to fill out a survey, indicating how happy they are with the service they received. You may even want to send a follow-up email asking for the client's experience or to write a brief review that you can place on your website or social media.

There is nothing complicated about it, but this type of feedback is extremely effective, as it provides insights into what you're doing well, and what you can do better in the future.

  1. Display billing history

Invoices, purchase histories, transactions, and inquiries are all items that customers expect to have access to. Their dashboards should show them all. Provide easy access to everything.

It's important to let them know why they can't access this data at some point so that they don't get unduly concerned.

A final word on ecommerce customer service

Your ecommerce business will grow if you provide an unrivaled experience for your customers. By using the ideas in this post, you can make your ecommerce business a success with proper planning, strategy, and implementation.

Have you improved ecommerce customer service through your online store? Which of these suggestions worked for you or did we miss something? Leave a comment!

by Costi