Customer Support

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

2022 Business Process Outsourcing Guide

Within the past two decades, business process outsourcing has become increasingly popular with companies ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups.

The vast majority of companies in every industry can now outsource their non-core processes while focusing their resources on core business functions. With the BPO industry continuing to grow, we can expect several interesting trends to emerge this year as well.

What is Outsourcing of Business Processes?

And why do it?

Types of BPO

BPO services

What to look for when choosing a BPO provider

What to expect in the BPO sector in 2021

How does business process outsourcing work?

As a result of the growth of the global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry from 2012 to 2016, total global revenues of $140.3 billion were generated in 2016. This number represents a compound annual growth rate of 4.4% since 2012.

Various business processes and responsibilities can be outsourced using a business process outsourcing model. Business process outsourcing involves contracting third-party service providers for these business-related functions. Although BPO was initially used by manufacturers, pretty much every industry in the world uses it as an integral part of their business model today, which is why the process has become so popular.

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Why?

Business process outsourcing solutions offer a diverse range of opportunities for cost reduction and business growth because they provide an array of benefits to all types of businesses.

Why Use BPO?

In today's environment of business process outsourcing (including payroll outsourcing, accounting outsourcing, and data analytics outsourcing), companies are able to allocate their time and resources to core business functions and operations.

If you are looking for more than BPO to optimize your process management, you might want to consider process mining as well.

Advantages of BPO

Cost Efficiency

In most cases, outsourcing operations results in higher savings than employing your own employees because of the following reasons:

Due to economies of scale, the specialized processes, the low cost of labor in low-cost countries, etc., companies that outsource services can complete business processes at lower costs.

The outsourcing of services by American companies can lead to tax savings for them.

Rather than being tied to fixed-cost models, organisations that choose to outsource their business processes can opt for variable-cost models, such as fee-for-service plans, as an alternative to fixed-cost models.

A BPO reduces the amount of office space required for employees, therefore saving the company money on real estate costs.

Flexible Work Environment

By outsourcing noncritical functions, organizations can use their internal resources to focus on their core competencies and essential business processes.

By adapting business processes as the market changes, BPO also enables businesses to react to the changing dynamics of the market faster and more efficiently. Investing in your own in-house servers is not something that you need to worry about if, for example, you don't use outdated tech.

You can expect better quality and performance.

There are specialized BPO service providers whom businesses can hire for different processes.

In addition to that, the quality of work completed by external service providers, such as web developers or content marketers, will be more specialized and, therefore, better. In addition, they will be more productive.

More Competitive Advantages

In general, companies typically outsource non-critical business processes, such as financial services, so they can devote their time and energy to processes that allow them to stand out from their competitors.

This leads to a higher diversity of skills within companies.

If one hires outside of their own city or country, there is a greater chance for a broader range of skills and specializations to be developed. With outsourcing, you are able to find a specialized candidate who is perfect for the job.

A Greater Global Presence

By providing BPO services, companies can offer services in multiple languages and across multiple time zones. It is important to mention that BPO has become a popular method of customer service for credit card companies such as MasterCard.

As a result of the availability of multiple language options, this not only enhances the customer experience and customer satisfaction, but it also significantly increases the company's global presence.

The disadvantages of BPO

The use of BPO can also result in risks that businesses should be aware of.

Possible Data Breach Incidents

There is a high likelihood that companies that outsource will need to share sensitive data and information with their service providers, thus creating the potential for a security breach.

Since information systems (IS) are increasingly prone to hacking, as well as the fact that foreign countries have varying security requirements, it is clear that the risk can be even greater.

Snowballing Expenses

Have we not said that outsourcing business processes reduces costs?

In spite of the low cost of business process outsourcing services, organizations run the risk of underestimating how much money they are spending on these services, since the costs of the services are so low. The low cost of these service offerings can add up quickly!

Businesses further underestimate the ongoing costs of outsourcing business processes, such as contract renegotiations, currency fluctuations, and internal transitions, which are all part of the running costs of outsourcing.

However, as long as you are tracking your expenses carefully, this should not pose a problem.

Issues related to quality control and communication

It can sometimes be challenging to assess quality assurance when a service provider is located thousands of miles away. As a result of language barriers, BPO processes are further complicated, since communication difficulties cause delays in productivity and feedback, resulting in wasted time and money.

What else would you like to know?

Differences in culture and perception of time can have a significant impact on the way service providers approach their business and view productivity.

Impact of unstable governments on the economy

Prior to choosing a BPO service provider, it is crucial that companies consider the political stability of a country. The stability of a country's political situation can affect a service provider's efficiency and freedom to provide services at an affordable price.

The lack of strategic alignment is a major concern

Managing strategic alignment can be a challenge when conducting business with people who reside all over the world.

How come?

There is a possibility that the service provider may have a different vision and business strategy than the business process vendor.

There may be a fair amount of training needed to get an outsourced service provider to complete a process using the same tactics as your company. As a business owner, you should make sure that the resources put toward outsourcing non-core processes are aligned with your business strategy.

The problem of overdependence on service providers

Over the course of time, companies can become overly dependent on their service providers. This overdependence becomes a problem when the cost of the services increases.

As a result, if the vendor experiences a significant lapse in productivity or shuts down operations, the hiring company can find themselves stranded.

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Types of BPO

In order to meet the needs of your business process management requirements, there are three types of BPOs depending on where your provider is located:

Offshore Outsourcing

Known by a related term called 'offshoring,' offshore vendors are located outside the United States. It is possible for a company in Canada to hire an offshore virtual assistant from the Philippines, for instance.

Onshore Outsourcing

As the name implies, onshore vendors are located within the same geographical borders of the company, but may be located in a different city or state. For example, a company in Denver, Colorado hires a provider in Seattle, Washington to handle non-core business processes.

Nearshore Outsourcing

In most cases, nearshore vendors are located in countries that are bordering or neighboring to those of the company. Business process outsourcing companies located in Canada and Mexico, for example, are often referred to as nearshore vendors to the United States.

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BPO Services

It has been said above that BPO has become an integral part of a variety of industries, including healthcare, retail and e-commerce, banking, asset management, supply chain management, and business services.

Several niche BPO specialties have blossomed as a result of BPO becoming so prevalent over the past few years.

Among the three main categories are:

KPO

An example of Knowledge Process Outsourcing is when a company outsources work to a service provider so they can take advantage of their expertise and specialization in a particular process. As part of this expertise, you may also have business and domain expertise, in addition to process expertise.

LPO

Outsourcing legal services is a type of knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) that specializes in providing legal services for clients. Legal process outsourcing (LPO) includes a variety of services such as conducting legal research, drafting legal documents, and even providing legal advice to clients. Outsourcing the back office to LPO is excellent.

RPO

Outsourcing of research and analysis functions is another form of KPO that entails executing research and analysis processes. RPO is a model that is utilized by many organizations, including biotech companies, investment firms, and marketing firms.

Others

In the last few decades, a number of niche BPO specializations have emerged, but they have been less active.

ITES

IT-enabled services are a form of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) that enables the delivery of IT-related services over the internet or data network using information technology (IT). Some examples of IT outsourcing jobs include service desk analysts, IT analysts, production support analysts, and technical support analysts.

Travel

It is possible for a company to outsource the processes necessary for support of its travel logistics. As a result, outsourcing services such as ticket and hotel booking can save time and money while simultaneously increasing customer satisfaction. Airlines, for instance, use travel BPO services as a means of improving business productivity.

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Choosing a BPO Vendor - How to Do It

With so many BPO providers around the world, choosing the right one can sometimes be difficult because they have the option to choose from thousands of vendors around the world. In addition to price, there are many aspects to be considered that go beyond just price, such as cultural values, political stability, specialization, and the capability of creating a coherent vision.

The following four steps will help you make an informed decision when choosing a provider for your process outsourcing needs:

1. Review all potential vendors and identify your needs

Take into consideration your company's goals. In what ways will BPO provide benefits to your business? How will these decisions affect the people in your business?

The start-up phase of a business is one of the longest, and arguably the most crucial for a successful outsourcing venture. Take this opportunity to think about the goals, benefits, and risks of your business process outsourcing goals.

Does back office outsourcing interest you or would you prefer front office outsourcing? Would you like your vendors to assist you with particular business processes?

Be sure to involve stakeholders from the very beginning, including everyone from the CIO and CMO to investors. Consider the types of BPO that will work best for your company from the very beginning and establish stakeholder expectations early on.

In order to gain a clear understanding of what services your company needs, you need to go over all of the business functions your company conducts, including those that will not be outsourced. After that, begin researching potential vendors that can handle your processes outsourcing needs.

2. Establish a Request For Proposals and reach out to potential vendors

Prepare a request for proposal (RFP) based on the market research you have conducted so that you can begin sending it to potential suppliers. Ensure that you maintain communication with your stakeholders so that your business relationships are not disrupted.

Also, establish which service management model will be used at your organization.

3. Choose Your Vendor

Analyse carefully the pros and cons of each outsourcing partner that you have sourced and choose one that best fits the business's needs and the needs of its stakeholders.

4. Draw Up the Contract

At this point, you are ready to start negotiating a contract with the other party.

It is important to devote appropriate time, thought, and consideration to completing this process, as it will determine the future of your outsourced operations.

It is imperative that all stakeholders are on board and that you have successfully agreed with the provider on all terms of the contract.

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BPO Trends to Look Out For in 2022

During the past year, the industry has faced significant challenges such as insufficient skills, trade protectionism, and political gridlock.

It should be noted, however, that currently there is a strong indication of increased optimism regarding market growth and a reduction in regulations among the BPO industry.

The advantages gained through innovative technologies such as cloud computing and process automation are also encouraging for the success of businesses.

In order to effectively address market challenges, enhance product and service offerings, and manage talent shortages, global outsourcing service providers are expected to harness new technological innovations to help keep operating costs low while playing a major role in the development of new products and services.

What will the BPO industry look like in 2022?

The first trend is the emergence of new technologies

Throughout the years, the business process outsourcing industry has provided businesses with cost-effective solutions for their business processes.

In order to reduce costs and accelerate growth, BPOs are turning to emerging technologies such as cloud computing, social media, software, and automation.

In 2022, we are likely to see a continuation of this trend.

The following are three major BPO technology trends for the year 2022 that we expect to emerge.

1. A strong emphasis on process automation

Over the last few years new technologies have been developed, including robotic process automation (RPA), which has begun to have an impact on the BPO industry.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and how does it work?

Robotic process automation (RPA) uses bots and artificial intelligence on a user interface to perform work faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.

As business process outsourcing service providers are faced with the prospect of having to invest in RPA in order to keep up with the cost demands of business process outsourcers as well as the RPA service offerings, they are at risk. Additionally, BPO service providers face the possibility of being replaced by RPAs in the future.

There is a general consensus that the work that is outsourced to remote locations is the bottom of the pyramid work, and as automation capabilities advance, those processes are becoming ripe for being removed.

As technology advances, robotic process automation (RPA) is slowly making its way into all types of industries and businesses with its cost savings, speed, and efficiency.

RPA's growth will have a significant impact on how BPOs operate and will result in some job losses.

A growing enterprise does not want to employ thousands of people to manage small tasks such as processing insurance claims, data entry, etc., because computers can easily take care of these tasks for them.

In order to aid automation, companies and service providers are adopting a growing number of tools. It is clear that the low skill sectors of the BPO are at a high risk because of customized software, cloud-based tools, which promote automation.

However, automation can make way for more highly trained employees, which is a positive development. It is expected that by 2022, there will be around 700 thousand middle and high skilled jobs created in the Philippines.

In spite of the fact that many BPO service providers view it as an uphill task, the biggest players in the industry are already working toward incorporating robotic process automation into their standard client services portfolio.

The reason this is important is because those who use BPO services have access to automated processes. It is easy for vendors or third party advisors to support the creation of onsite shared service teams in order to establish internal capabilities for robotic process automation.

Due to this, if an outsourcing firm is not able to provide the cost efficiencies that can come from automation, then the client may decide to develop the process on its own.

As long as this trend continues, outsourcing companies will be able to automate more processes in order to deliver innovation to existing clients, improve productivity, and regain a competitive edge in labor costs.

2. Pay attention to the tools you can use to manage your social media accounts

A few years ago, the customer service industry was totally dependent on websites and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in order to transfer calls to the correct representatives.

At present, 79% of the U.S. population has at least one account on social media, which is resulting in a noticeable shift in consumer behavior. In the last few years, social media browsing has risen to be the third most popular activity online.

There is no doubt that social media has changed the way businesses do business. In the meantime, it provides a wealth of consumer data and feedback that can enhance an organization's ability to analyze upcoming trends, as well as to innovate.

Rather than investing in call center software programs, companies now want to invest in real-time customer engagement that will enable them to gain first-hand product insight and turn issues into new products or solutions that will be able to deal with future challenges.

According to Credo Consulting, consumers' demands for multi-channel communications (including social media, live chat, etc.) have grown exponentially in the last five years.

BPO companies have the opportunity to take advantage of this change in customer management. BPOs have been investing in the tools and capabilities they need to offer a wide range of social media management services over the past few years.

In addition to social media monitoring, these service offerings include business intelligence and actioning customer responses based on business intelligence and action.

Several BPO service providers are also investing in the creation of dedicated teams to handle social media enquiries and complaints. By working together, social media teams and customer service representatives can address customer complaints much faster, resulting in a better customer experience and higher customer satisfaction.

It is predicted that this trend of investing in technology, tools, and teams to provide better social media management for customers will continue in 2021.

3. The importance of investing in cloud computing

Many small and medium businesses have a limited budget which means that they are not able to afford state of the art office space and infrastructure.

What are the possible solutions to this problem? Virtual storage and systems are being embraced by more and more SMBs to overcome the lack of data centers, hardware, and software, as well as the personnel required to implement new technologies.

The Forbes magazine states that approximately 77% of enterprises have at least one app or part of their computing infrastructure that operates in the cloud. Cloud computing is now being used by small and medium-sized businesses to outsource a part of their work to other organizations.

There are a number of benefits that come with this trend, including:

Improved business collaboration between the BPO company and the client as a result of the standardized system.

Storage on the cloud can improve the organization's ability to maintain business continuity and resilience to risks related to data stored in a single location.

There is a higher level of data security due to the fact that cloud systems are impenetrable.

The data administration can be simplified, which can allow remote teams to have faster access to the company's resources.

The two advantages that cloud-based BPO offers to SMBs - flexibility and scalability - are going to be essential features for SMBs in 2021.

Therefore, we can expect that the adoption of cloud services and investments by top outsourcing companies in this technology will continue in 2021 as cloud computing becomes more mainstream, mature, and cost-effective.

The second trend is the utilization of multitasking to overcome skill shortages

There was a time when call centers were synonymous with BPO. Currently, this outdated notion has been replaced by internal business functions such as accounting, human resources, web design, coding, and other tasks.

It is a well known fact that a significant chunk of BPO organizations invest in new technologies in their countries of supply. In the BPO industry, 52% of the businesses are concerned about a skill shortage as a result of an increase in skilled workers.

There has also been a skill shortage among BPO powerhouses such as India and the Philippines during the past few years.

NASSCOM (The National Association of Software and Service Companies), has expressed its concerns related to the lack of a highly skilled workforce in the Indian BPO sector to tackle high-end services.

Among these services are digital technology, mobile applications, cloud computing, and more.

There is a growing need in the Philippines for experienced middle managers in finance and accounting, who will perform billing services, accounts payable, receivables, and other financial services.

To the frustration of the leaders of BPO companies, their only option is to hire middle managers with at least 5 years of experience.

Due to the industry's need to reduce prices for routine services, there is a high demand for high-skill operations. Due to high competition, BPOs have been forced to invest in low costing alternatives such as artificial intelligence and automation.

In response to the threat of automation displacing low skilled workers, governments and business leaders are taking measures to educate their workforce to adapt to these changes.

It is as a result of these circumstances that BPO companies like Capgemini have made it their mission to impart more skills to their current employees.

In order to avoid job losses due to automation, Capgemini is investing in training and development solutions as they intend to reskill 45,000 of their existing employees.

The third trend is startups becoming BPO customers

There has been an enormous growth in the number of startups over the past few years. Starting a business can be challenging in a short amount of time with limited resources, and startups have a lot of pressure to succeed.

As these small businesses usually have a small budget available to hire talent, they often look overseas to find the most cost-effective labor.

Companies such as Slack and AppSumo have relied on the talent outsourcing model to build their successful business concepts.

Startups and business process outsourcing companies are becoming increasingly interdependent, and this trend will become more pronounced in 2021.

As a startup, it is crucial to have access to talent at lower costs, completing tedious tasks such as recruitment and trading with the help of BPO.

As a result, outsourced businesses are able to improve the quality of their work, utilize the most up-to-date technologies, and produce a higher level of revenue.

The fourth trend is an increase in transparency

The BPO industry used to be dominated by large multinational companies which were involved in the process.

The process of getting information about the policies and contracts was quite challenging during this time period. On the client side, most of the employees were unaware of the technology stack, plans, challenges, and other processes of the company.

Despite the fact that the supplier side employees were not fully informed of their organizational structure, capabilities, investment areas, etc.

Due to the introduction of smaller businesses in the BPO industry, the industry is being asked to increase transparency and reveal their policies, contracts, and pricing.

To maintain trust between BPOs and vendors, there must be a high level of transparency.

Because of the highly competitive environment in which we live, many organizations are forced to adjust their policies in order to avoid losing their business to more trustworthy organizations.

Additionally, transparency leads to better partnerships between clients and suppliers, which in turn leads to business innovation and better investment options (because of the access to information).

It is the intervention of the government that has been the catalyst for the increased demand for transparency. The UK government has recently announced that steps will be taken to make sure that there is transparency regarding outsourced services in response to requests for information.

Over the next few years, other countries will also be expected to come up with more transparent policies for the outsourcing industry.

The trend number five is that politics will affect investments in the next few years

In the aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential election, many BPO companies watched with bated breath as the new government taking over would have a direct effect on trade, tax policies, visas, agreements, and regulations.

Due to President Trump's focus on the "Buy American, Hire American" slogan at the beginning of the year, experts were uncertain about how the outsourcing sector would be affected.

The Trump administration's "America First" policy has spurred the return to Congress of anti-outsourcing bills, despite the failed attempts to do so during the Obama administration.

It is likely that these proposed bills will cause a stir among the Filipinos, who received $25 billion in BPO revenue from the United States in 2017 alone.

Several companies are concerned over the safety in the Philippines as a result of President Duterte's drug war and anti-western stance.

There are concerns about safety that lead to longer negotiations between US companies and the government of the country, which has concerns about the country's political stability.

The delay in the introduction of new countries into the market also reflects on the process of creating new economic zones and infrastructure in the Philippines.

In spite of Trump's new policy claims, the Asian BPO Industry continues to expect unstoppable growth in the near future. The Philippines' Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.5% between 2018 and 2023, according to PR Newswire.

According to the Philippine IT-BPM Roadmap 2022, the industry is expected to reach approximately $38.9 billion by 2022, continuing to be a major contributor to the global BPO sector.

Trend 6 - Continuation of the growth in the top outsourcing countries

Outsourcing destinations that are already well established like India, the Philippines, and Malaysia will continue to grow in 2021, but they will also face some challenges.

1. India

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), the body that represents the interests of IT and BPO companies in India, reported in 2017 that 1.1 million people were employed in the Indian BPO industry.

There are more than 500 companies in India that offer outsourcing services to over 66 countries. More than 200 multinational corporations are based in India.

As a result, the IT-BPO industry saw a growth rate of eight percent in 2017, which resulted in an aggregate revenue of $154 billion.

In addition, the BPO sector contributed 7.7 percent to India's GDP in 2017.

According to the Hindu Business Line, NASSCOM has forecasted a growth rate of between 7-9 percent for 2018-2019, and further expects exports to rise from $126 billion in 2017 to $137 billion during that time.

Future Investment Opportunities

Despite the growth of new job roles such as cybersecurity, mobile app development, social media, data science, mobile app development, and data science, the economy has become less dependent on call centers.

Currently, robotic process automation (RPA) has begun to take over many simple tasks. In anticipation of the rise of RPA, the BPO sector in India has prepared to reskill their workforce in preparation.

NASSCOM estimates up to 40 percent of India’s IT-BPO workforce would upgrade their skills over the next five years. Robotics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are some of the emerging skills that will be in high demand in the near future.

Predictions

With an expected growth rate of 7-8% for export revenues by 2019 and an additional 130,000 new jobs, digital adoption will be able to help increase the subsectors within BPO.

2. Malaysia

While Malaysia is a highly competitive location for global business services, it is still only responsible for 1.7% of the total market in the Asia-Pacific region.

There is no doubt that Malaysia is one of the most sought-after countries for BPO companies due to its stable business environment as compared to its counterparts - India and China.

Potential Business Opportunities

David Wong, chairman of Outsourcing Malaysia, believes that business process outsourcing will surpass information technology outsourcing (ITO) over the next few years.

According to him, investors are increasingly interested in Malaysia's share services market, and the local industry will have to adapt to this demand within a short period of time.

Predictions

The Malaysian market for business process outsourcing is predicted to reach 1.4 billion by 2021, and grow at a compound annual rate of 7.9%.

3. Philippines

The Philippines has overtaken India as the country with the largest call center industry. Approximately 10% of the country's GDP was generated by this subsector in 2015.

According to Entrepreneur, there are currently over 1.2 million people employed in the Philippines' BPO sector. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Philippines has a literacy rate of 96.3%.

Among the factors that contributed to the recent growth of the country were the expansion of BPO operations beyond the capital Manila to other provinces such as Cebu and Davao.

In spite of this, the reduction of tax holidays for the BPO industry may deter foreign companies from entering the Philippine market in the next few years.

Future Opportunities

In the years following the rise of BPO, the emergence of KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) sector can cater to new demands and offer more specialized roles, such as equity research, market research, web design, and development.

I believe this will be a sector to look out for in the Philippines in 2021.

Predictions

There is a prediction that Filipino BPO services will account for 15 percent of the total global outsourcing market by the end of 2022. In addition, the industry is expected to grow at a rate of 9% annually in the next five years.

The BPO industry is expected to create over 7 million new jobs and earn $40 billion in revenue in the next few years according to predictions.

New outsourced destinations are predicted to emerge in 2021, according to predictions.

The oversaturation and decline of business growth in the top 3 countries for outsourcing have led businesses to seek alternative, more cost-effective locations.

There will be 5 new outsourcing destinations in 2022 that will emerge as the most popular ones:

1. Bulgaria

Bulgaria was ranked 12th on the list of the world's most desirable outsourcing locations in 2017.

Its growth as a BPO nation can be attributed to:

With a salary of around 286.3 Euros per month, Cyprus has one of the lowest salaries amongst the EU nations.

It is possible to find workers who are able to converse in all major European languages.

One advantage is having access to a large talent pool of developers who have deep technical expertise.

Top BPO companies in Bulgaria - HP, IBM, Sutherland Global Services

2. Romania

With a growth rate of 5.7%, Romania was among the fastest growing economies in the EU in 2017. BPO companies have subsequently set their sights on Romania for their future expansion as a result of this.

As a result, Romania is one of the most sought after outsourcing locations in the world today.

The reasons for Romania's growth as a BPO nation include:

Romania has the fastest internet connection among all EU countries.

54% of the graduates have a background in science and technology.

It also has the second lowest salary of around 300 Euros per month.

The top 3 BPO companies in Romania - Genpact, Accenture, Wipro

3. Egypt

Companies from Asia, Europe, and the United States have chosen to locate their BPO operations in Africa and the Middle East.

Egypt was ranked as the 16th most desirable outsourcing location in the world in 2017.

One of the main reasons for Egypt's growth as a BPO nation has been:

the government offers tax incentives to companies that outsource their work.

An expanding infrastructure, including Silicon Waha's technology parks.

Highly skilled labor which is fluent in several European languages such as French, German, English, etc.

The top BPO companies in Egypt are Satyam, Wipro, and Sutherland Global Services

4. Mexico

There has been an increase of 1644.3% in internet usage in Latin America over the last 15 years, thus creating a considerable talent pool for outsourcing.

In 2017, Mexico ranked as the 8th most desired outsourcing location in the world.

The growth of Mexico as a BPO nation can be attributed to the following factors:

Its proximity to Silicon Valley.

There is a large talent pool of around 500,000 IT professionals working in the BPO sector.

The country has a stable political and economic environment.

A list of the top BPO companies in Mexico - Sitel, PwC, Accenture

5. Colombia

Despite having the lowest number of bilingual professionals in Latin America, Colombia ranked 20th on the list of most desired outsourcing locations around the world in 2017.

In part, Colombia's growth as a BPO nation can be attributed to:

Government sponsored technical training.

Minor time zone differences between US/Mexico.

Investment growth due to the depreciation of the peso.

Top BPOs in Colombia – Sitel, Convergys, Atlantic International.

Final thoughts.

There are positive signs for the global outsourcing industry in the year 2021.

It will be the increasing competitiveness of new outsourcing destinations as well as the pressure on businesses to have a cost-effective operation that will drive the accelerated growth of the BPO industry.

Despite the fact that the industry will see cost-cutting by businesses, it is still expected to grow by six percent annually for the next six years, according to a report by global property firm Cushman & Wakefield.

The automation of the BPO industry will continue to be a significant threat to low skilled jobs in this sector. Many of the major outsourcing companies are planning to make major investments in robotic automation in the next two years.

There will be a focus on solutions such as improving education in the government of leading BPO nations in order to prepare themselves for the rising demands in the second half of 2021. Existing BPO employees will have to broaden their skill sets to be able to meet such needs.

Moreover, startup companies will also play an important role in the outsourcing sector from this year onwards, and this trend will continue into the upcoming years. In addition, the industry will benefit from increased transparency in global outsourcing policies.

Globally, it is predicted that the outsourcing industry will reach $332.4 billion in 2025.

by Costi

 Customer Support Technique #38

Probing Questions

This technique is the use of a series of questions to help clarify your customer’s needs, feelings, and wants. The probing questions will be simple ones that cover one issue at a time so as not to overwhelm the customer.

While most questions are designed to help the interviewer explore a topic in more detail, probing questions elicit further information from customers.

For example, "What brought you in today?" This is a question. An alternative may be to say, “I see you are browsing the plasma TV sets. Are you interested in more information about them?”

If a customer says yes to buying a television, the employee might ask them if they're interested in any particular size. The conversation can continue for example with the employee asking simple questions about the TV sizes to be based on what has been said before.

The question-and-answer process demonstrates your attentiveness and interest in specifics.

by Costi

Customer Support Technique #37

Privacy and Confidentiality

Concerned about keeping their business and conversations private, customers may want to take precautionary measures.

When dealing with personal information that you want to keep between the two of you, make sure it’s not overheard and make clear that you are taking steps to protect privacy.

Here is a tip. Privacy and confidentiality are top of mind concerns for some customers, even if the customer isn’t discussing personal information. Offer to safeguard privacy and promote confidentiality at all times.

by Costi

Customer Support Technique #36

Preemptive Strike

"Preemptive Strike" in customer service is anticipating a problem and addressing or acknowle- ding it before the customer brings it up.

For example, when a customer has been waiting a long time, you can make an apology or empathize to show that you understand how frustrated the customer is without them having to complain.

To avoid conflict, start by recognizing what the customer is feeling.

by Costi