When we deal with call centers, the term call center consultant is not commonly used instead we basically refer to the people working in call centers as call agent or call center workers. But despite the common knowledge about call center agents as the call center workers, the question of what a call center consultant still continue to persist. This is due to the fact the term call center consultant is seldom heard.

According to some experts, a consultant in general referred to those professionals that provide expert advice in a particular field or domain of expertise such as the law, human resources, medicine, and other area of specialization. In the area of communication, particularly with call center consultants, the term is associated with the people working in call centers that provide expertise to customers or clients about something that the clients wanted to know or interested. Additionally, the term call center consultant may then also refer to a person that is only temporarily employed by a call center company and who is working under the call centers direction in a skill area that the call center already acquires. Oftentimes, a call center consultant is not an independent call center agent but is a partner or an employee of a consultancy that is a company that offers consultants to clients on a bigger scale of skill domains.

The call center consultants as a professional therefore has great skill in call center activities or something that demonstrates such skill. To consider oneself as a professional call center consultant would mean that the persons actions or behaviors must remain in accordance with the rules and standards of the profession. So as a call center consultant one must abide by the law implemented by the call center.

Moreover, in call centers the call center consultant is often considered as a senior team member of the call center. As such, the call center consultants produce a high quality telephone enquiry and data or information service to the customers and answer the more complex enquiries within the call center. The other duties of a call center consultant also include the investigation and resolution of the more complicated enquiries and complaints; the preparation of appropriate correspondence and maintenance of statistics to better ensure a good quality customer service; and providing inputs to call center improvements and maintenance programs.

A call center consultant, in addition, also acts as a supervisor, who assists the call center team leader with the important activities and management of the group to guarantee an effective operation of the team sections and to guarantee that the teams performance standards are met. Aside from that, a call center consultant also makes certain links to the mangers, sections and departments to guarantee that the issues are resolved and the objectives are met. Lastly, a call center consultant must participate in the review of services, policies and procedures to further ensure that the clients needs are being met and a call center consultant may also perform other duties as directed. So as a call center consultant, aside from being an excellent communicator, must also have enough experience in a call center or customer service environment and must therefore carry well-developed analytical and problem solving skills.

The buzz is all about customer service and call center outsourcing, also known as BPO (Business Process Outsourcing). According to Gartner, the outsourcing market in Europe has grown with over 6%, BPO with 10%. The market for offshore outsourcing (to low wage countries) is growing with a whopping 40% this year! However, the subject of outsourcing is not without controversy. So what’s it all about?

In the 90s, growth was the motto for organizations. Eat, or be eaten. Through the continual increase of stock value this could be easily financed. As a result, businesses were acquiring activities that are, on the surface anyway, only loosely related to the original business goals, and to each other. The demise of world economy and the burst of the Internet bubble changed all that.

In these days of tight budgets and heightened attention on ROI (Return on Investment) and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), companies are taking a good look at what they are in business for, and what they are best in. This focus on the core business has lead to the selling of complete branches of companies. Now, businesses go even further by taking a look inward, in search of generic processes to outsource. Finance, Human Resource and Customer Service are now the focus of outsourcing, which was more or less the playground for IT support in recent years.

Outsourcing, the utilization of resources outside an organization, is not a new thing. Barter trading, the oldest form of trading, was in fact just that. One person traded a skill (or a product made through that skill) to get access to another person’s abilities. In the old days, it made perfect sense to let an activity be done by the person most skilled. And old becomes new, as they say.

Benefits of Call Center Outsourcing

It makes sense that a company who’s core business it is to organize and execute a call center, is more likely to do a better job at it (although that’s not a given)! It’s like hiring someone to put a floorboard in your house. You may be able to do a decent job yourself, but they are a lot quicker at it! So efficiency is a clear benefit.

Being in the call center business, call center service providers are more likely to be able to hire skilled and experienced personnel. And, since a service provider (usually) services more than one company, there is more support personnel to go around. This helps continuity, as your service isn’t jeopardized if an employee decides to leave. Also, since the customer service reps are probably working for more than just your company, you can benefit of lessons learned from other contracts.

Ah, didn’t I mention the money? The #1 reason for outsourcing is, of course, to lower costs. Outsourcing companies can have lower rates because of the greater efficiency, but also through economies of scale, which actually means that fewer personnel is needed for servicing the combined contracts than when each company would organize it themselves. Plus, they can easier mix more junior and senior staff, which is a near to impossible feat if you have just two customer service reps!

The money question is getting even more interesting if we take the possibility of off shoring into account. Outsourcing to low wage countries like India is bringing extra financial benefits into the equation (but also some pitfalls, as you’ll see later!). The different work moral is also often viewed as a benefit. For example, in India, workers are very disciplined, and organizing a 24/7 service is easier than in Western countries.

Outsourcing Pitfalls

Outsourcing projects often fail on unclear expectations at both the customer and service provider. When considering outsourcing make sure you yourself have a clear image of what the level of service is that you are expecting. Be as specific as you possibly can. Pick out the elements that are most important to you and think about how this would best be managed. Measurable performance indicators are better.

Remember that outsourcing is a game of trust as well as money. If, when negotiating service levels, you feel that you have to stamp out every eventuality in a contract, I’d advice against outsourcing. I would, however, put an opt-out into the contract, in case trust is lost between the outsourcing partners. Believe me, no partner would want to get stuck in a contract between two distrusting partners. For the rest, focus on measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and a clear payment scheme to protect your bottom line.

Anxiety for outsourcing is often fed through the loss of operational control. Remember, you no longer handpick customer service personnel, and you are much more limited in directing the service. Also, you may have to fit in the standard approach of the service provider. But the trade-off for the loss of operational control is more managerial control. But this trade-off only happens if you negotiate your service levels properly, as mentioned earlier.

And then off shoring… With the advent of off shoring, a lot of vendors are now operating the market. But if you’re selecting a partner, dont rely on the reputation of the vendor alone, but do make sure that you deal with the people who will be managing your service. Take special attention to the level of experience of these people.

The cultural differences can be enormous, especially when outsourcing to India. Don’t make assumptions, but be very specific in your business needs. And India, although the buzz is all about it, is not the only low wage country in the world! You could consider outsourcing to low wage countries that are not so far away, for instance Spain or Mexico.

Another element to take into account is this: if your business is adding only minimal value or profit to the service provider, you risk receiving substandard service levels. If this is the case, it’s probably safer to steer clear of off shoring.

Conclusion

Looking at both the benefits and pitfalls of outsourcing call centers and customer service, it is clear that there are clear opportunities for reducing the level of costs for organizations. However, do not downplay the risks. If an organization is inexperienced in managing customer service, the risks for failing are very real, as tight management and KPI evaluation is very important. But in the end, it’s all a matter of trust. Ask yourself: do I trust a partner, this partner, with a piece of my business?

by: Erwin Steneker

About The Author

Erwin Steneker is a senior support consultant with over 12 years of experience in both sales and IT support. Check out www.customerservicepoint.com for articles on quality Customer Service, CRM, help desk software tests and more.