February 15, 2023
Things to Ask Before Deciding to Outsource Your Business with a Call Center Company
If you’re considering outsourcing your business to a call center, the first thing to figure out is whether it’s worth it. If it doesn’t save money or make your business more efficient, then what good is it?Â
You might want to look into outsourcing if your call center is not getting enough calls, your employees are overworked, or you want to improve customer service by hiring people with better English skills.
Now that you’ve decided that outsourcing is for you and have found a company willing to do so, there are some things you should know before signing on the dotted line.Â
Do your research
Doing your research is the first step to optimizing a call center interview. You’ll need to ground your inquiries on the following topics:
- The company and its mission statement
- The industry in which it operates and its prospects for growth
- Competitors in the same industry, as well as those outside of it who may be able to provide insight into how yours stacks up against them
Get a list of the potential candidates' past clients and call them
Ask about their experience with the candidate, what they liked, what they didn’t like, and whether or not they’d hire that person again. It will present a concept of how well-liked the candidate is among their previous employers and colleagues, which can tell you a lot about how they’ll fit in at your company.
Ask about the company's process
Once those are complete, it’s time to ask about the company’s process. The most important thing to understand is how long it takes for new hires to get started and what training they require. You also want to know the performance expectations for employees and how often they’re evaluated.
Ask these questions:
- What is your onboarding process?
- How long does it take for new hires to start working in my department or team?
- What do you consider ‘average’ regarding a team member evaluation?
Don't forget the interview is a two-way street
It’s important to remember that the interview is a two-way street, and you must be prepared for questions about your experience and goals. If you’re interviewing with multiple BPO companies in the Philippines, it’s good practice to ask each one what they see in their employees and what career path they offer.Â
You can also ask about the culture of the workplace – do people work together well? Are they enthusiastic about coming to work every day? And if this company is hiring someone undergraduate, how long do they expect it would take for that person to move up in the ranks at this company?
It can be helpful during an interview if both sides come prepared with a list of questions, so everyone knows what topics are worth discussing further.
Ask the company questions to find out how they'll deal with customer complaints
This is an important question to ask. You want to know how the company handles customer complaints and how they will deal with yours when they come up. Be sure to ask about their complaint resolution process and their training process for customer service representatives.
You want a company that can handle complaints quickly and courteously and doesn’t make you feel like you’re being given lip service or brushed off by someone who doesn’t care about your issue.
Make sure that the company understands the value of punctuality
When interviewing call center companies in the Philippines, ensure they know how important it is for them to be on time for every shift. If you don’t feel like they take this seriously enough, it’s probably best not to hire them.
A good Philippines call center will ask you what kind of service you want from them
When interviewing a call center, they must understand what you want from them. If they don’t know how to provide the service that will meet your needs, then there’s no point in hiring them.
The good news is that most reputable call centers in the Philippines have done their homework and know precisely what kind of services they can provide. They’ll tell you about those when asked during an interview. Make sure the company understands why providing good customer service is so important.
Find out what kind of training the employees get at the call center
Ask about their educational requirements and how long it takes to become fully qualified. Find out if they have any special programs for new hires or prior experience in customer service and sales and how much time they spend on training.
If you’re considering hiring your staff members, ask if they’ll be willing to train them. A good company will always want to help its employees gain new skills so everyone can grow together, including teaching others how to do things right.
Make sure they have a solid understanding of all aspects of customer service
When you’re interviewing a call center company, they must have a solid understanding of all aspects of customer service. This includes:
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- Understanding the customer’s needs. A good call center knows its customers’ needs and how it can provide them.
- Knowing how to solve problems. A good call center knows how to solve problems for their customers, and whether those problems are technical or logistical, they should have an answer ready to help put your mind at ease.
- Understanding how to handle a customer complaint or request for more information from them directly. If there’s any way possible for you as an employer or client to get in touch with someone over the phone when something goes wrong with one of your orders or projects being done by this contractor/vendor, then do so.
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The best outsourcing companies provide ongoing training
You can’t expect your employees to be well-trained if they aren’t getting the proper training. The best outsourcing companies provide ongoing training through workshops, seminars, webinars, etc. They also offer a Learning Management System (LMS).Â
This is an online platform where you can access all your company’s resources in one place–including training materials for new hires and current employees. This type of system must be used by both parties to keep both sides up-to-date on current industry trends and best practices for handling customer calls.
Conclusion
The best call center in the Philippines understands your business’s needs and can adapt to them. You should be able to trust them, so they must have a solid foundation in customer service. Make sure they have trained employees who are prepared for any situation, whether an angry customer or someone who wants help finding something on their website.
About SPLACE
Splace is a business process outsourcing company composed of highly trained, top-rated, experienced, talented, and dedicated Filipino professionals whose mission is to bridge the gap between global companies and their need for exceptional Filipino talent.
If you are interested in Splace’s Business Process Outsourcing Solutions,
email: ceo@splacebpo.com or call us at +1 503 488-3540.
