Read Time: 20 Minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Is your business growing — or do you want it to? Either way, outsourcing your call center could be a smart move. A business process outsourcing (BPO) call center offers significant benefits, such as cost savings, increased efficiency, and more time for your internal team. In this article, we’ll explain what a BPO call center is, how it differs from other call centers, the pros and cons of outsourcing, and how to choose the right BPO partner for your business.
Key takeaways
- Cost efficiency: BPO call centers provide businesses with significant cost savings by outsourcing customer service operations, allowing them to focus on core activities.
- Scalability: These centers offer flexible scaling options, enabling companies to adjust support levels based on demand without extensive resource investment.
- Access to expertise: Partnering with BPO call centers gives businesses access to trained professionals skilled in customer service, which enhances the overall customer experience.
- Variety of services: BPO call centers handle various tasks, including inbound and outbound calls, technical support, and market research, allowing companies to streamline operations.
So, what is a BPO call center?
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is outsourcing one or many of your business operations to a third-party provider or service.
A BPO call center is a team of outsourced call center agents who can handle call center operations for other businesses.
Some BPO call centers focus on inbound calls and customer service, while others may serve as outbound BPO call centers and handle telemarketing, sales, and/or market research.
Remember, a BPO call center can handle more than simply calls.
BPO contact centers are expanded call centers for the modern customer experience.
As the customer journey is no longer as streamlined and siloed as it once was (and continues to evolve) the BPO contact center manages all kinds of customer communications, from answering calls and emails to resolving concerns via web chat or text, and even handling social media accounts and messages.
What does a BPO call center do?
A BPO call center is a common and effective way for companies to get help with processes and business functions that may be outside their expertise.
It’s also an easy way to free up internal resources for more pressing internal projects and to scale your team efficiently, at cost.
A call center is just one of the many business processes that can be outsourced.
For companies needing help to keep up with the volume of inbound or outbound calls, consider outsourcing.
How can a BPO call center help?
BPO call centers can be inbound, outbound, or hybrid, which combines inbound and outbound functions.
They may provide a variety of services, including:
Inbound and outbound calls
Customer support on many channels
Market research
Telemarketing
Help desk services
Technical support
Lead generation and sales
Do I need a BPO call center?
Many companies, from massive global corporations to small startups, could benefit from a BPO call center.
How could one solution work for so many different companies?
Easy:
It’s because BPO call centers provide a variety of services and solutions.
Here are just a few of the pain points BPO call centers can help solve:
- Struggling to keep up with the demand of customer service inquiries or complaints
- Needing to scale your team up or down based on seasonality
- Lack of internal resources to follow up on the amount of leads generated
- Wanting to free up internal resources to focus on big-picture projects
- Accessing top-of-the-line technology for CRM and customer support
- Providing quick and effective technical support that meets customer expectations
A BPO call center can provide superior customer support through flexible and scalable teams, efficient processes, access to top-of-the-line technology, and omnichannel customer support.
A BPO contact center also frees internal teams to work on bigger business projects.
If you need support with outbound calls and marketing — such as telemarketing, sales calls, market research, or lead generation — a BPO outbound call center can provide you with the support you need.
Remember that delivering an excellent customer service experience helps create loyal, repeat customers and gives you a competitive advantage over others in the market who are not providing this kind of experience.
The most effective way to deliver a consistent customer experience?
Outsource your call center to customer support experts. With a BPO call center, you can ensure superior customer service in every interaction without sacrificing time and resources on other important business objectives.
How does a BPO call center work?
BPO call centers are an extension of your business, handling tasks such as customer support, sales, technical assistance, and more.
After a consultation to understand your needs and goals, the BPO provider creates a customized plan and sets up the necessary technology and infrastructure.
Agents are trained according to your brand guidelines and can handle phone calls, live chats, emails, and social media interactions.
They can also integrate with your CRM systems, providing detailed insights and reports on customer interactions for data-driven decision-making.
The BPO call center can scale up or down as your business evolves to give the right level of support.
Want to scale your business?
Global Response has a long track record of success in outsourcing customer service and call center operations. See what our team can do for you!
What is a BPO example?
BPO services include customer support for tech companies and telemarketing for retail brands.
For example;
A BPO call center can handle software-related customer inquiries, troubleshooting, and user guidance for a software company, allowing the company to focus on product development.
Another example is a BPO call center conducting telemarketing to generate leads and sales for a retail brand.
What does a BPO agent do?
BPO agents play a vital role in providing excellent service.
They use strong communication skills to meet customer needs effectively and are skilled at solving problems and handling complaints professionally.
Most are also proficient in using advanced technology and CRM systems to manage interactions and maintain records.
These BPO agents are adaptable and knowledgeable about products and company policies.
They follow protocols and performance metrics, significantly contributing to smooth customer experiences and achieving business goals.
BPO call center services
Inbound BPO services
Inbound BPO call centers manage customer inquiries, providing customer support, order processing, and complaint resolution services. They handle order tracking and e-commerce returns, assist with patient inquiries and appointment scheduling in healthcare, and offer account inquiries and transaction assistance for financial institutions. Overall, they serve as the primary point of contact to address customer needs promptly and professionally.
Outbound BPO services
Outbound BPO call center services involve reaching out to customers and prospects through telemarketing, market research, customer feedback surveys, and follow-up calls. These services also support lead generation and appointment setting for sales teams, helping them connect with high-quality prospects and boost brand awareness.
BPO call center benefits
Your company may—rightly―feel that you know your own customers best. So, shouldn’t it make sense to keep customer communications and service in-house?
The truth is, there’s so much to consider when it comes to outsourcing your call center—and a BPO call center comes with a lot of benefits, such as:
- More cost-effective than hiring in-house
- Aids in simplified global customer support
- Opportunity to provide 24/7 customer support
- Provides access to the best technology and processes
- Offers flexibility and scalable teams
- Lightens internal loads
Let’s take a look at some of these BPO call center benefits in detail to help you determine if a BPO call center is right for your team.
BPO call centers are more cost-effective
With a BPO call center, customer service becomes a lot more cost-effective.
You don’t have to worry about overhead costs, expensive technology, renting space, or any other concerns with hiring and maintaining an in-house team.
From onboarding and learning management systems (LMS) to the team’s advanced technology and management processes to background checks and office space, outsourcing your call center is more cost-effective than having it in-house.
All of these costs will be included as part of a BPO center’s services, allowing you to save money and predict your costs more accurately.
In addition, many businesses prefer to outsource their call centers to offshore or nearshore locations, reducing costs.
BPO call centers are more efficient and effective
Cost-effectiveness certainly matters. However, BPO call centers are also more efficient from a business perspective.
With a BPO call center, all of the team’s hiring, training, and management is handled for you.
Quality employees can be difficult to find — and developing training and management for all of them can be even more time-consuming.
This is especially true if you need to hire and onboard a large team all at once or if you need to support a large customer service team as part of a large global business.
With an outsourced call center, all of this is taken care of as part of your service package, leaving your internal team free to work on important business questions and processes like project management and product development.
Not to mention that BPO call centers give you access to experts in customer service, which often improves metrics and KPIs like CSTAT, handle time, first-contact resolution, and so on.
BPO call centers provide flexibility and scalable teams
With so much changing across the customer journey today, flexibility is more important than ever. Customers want to be able to contact your company across a variety of channels. Outsourcing an omnichannel contact center will help you reach your customers wherever they are.
Global corporations want the ability to connect with customers across time zones, languages, and at scale while still keeping costs down. A BPO call center can offer multilingual and even multinational agents the ability to provide global and local support 24/7.
Consumer products or retail brands may need to scale up or down customer support throughout the year based on seasonality, new product launches, or other considerations. Outsourcing your call center gives you the flexibility to scale as needed throughout the year or as your business grows.
BPO call centers also offer flexibility and scalability in aspects as basic as office space or technology. As your team grows or changes in response to your business needs and seasonality, you’ll also need to provide office space — or downscale your office space, as the case may be — and a BPO call center seamlessly takes care of this for your business.
BPO call centers provide access to high-quality technology
With so much necessary technology and systems out there for your business, accessing the best-of-the-best technology and systems can be expensive.
With a BPO call center, you’ll have access to the industry’s best technology — allowing you to optimize for important customer service KPIs and better understand customer data — without the expensive cost of financing it all yourself.
Even if you’re a well-established brand, outsourcing a team familiar with the best practices and processes within customer service allows your team to focus on doing what they do best while outsourcing ongoing processes (like customer service) to the pros.
Working with a BPO call center gives you the technology and processes, along with the expertise.
You can also leverage your partnership with the call center to learn from others in the portfolio and continue to optimize on best practices.
BPO call center cons
While outsourcing your call center is often convenient, cost-effective, and provides more effective customer support, there are a few limitations that you may want to keep in mind.
Outsourced call centers may need more training
BPO call centers, by nature, aren’t employees who are immediately familiar with your business.
As a result, there may be a higher level of company-specific training needed to get new call center agents up to speed with your company’s products, ways of doing customer service, customer needs, technical support, and so on.
However;
While this can be something to consider, keep in mind as well that call center agents are experienced at quickly getting up to speed with your business and company’s processes.
This is what they’re trained to do!
Plus, most BPO call centers have consistent internal processes and technology, which make the training and onboarding process easier.
Communication and language barriers
For some industries, outsourcing a call center can present communication and fluency issues that can negatively impact your customer’s experience and satisfaction.
While this is something to consider, there are also a number of ways to ensure that your call center agents connect with your audience as easily as possible.
While offshore and nearshore call center models can present challenges for linguistic or cultural barriers, working with an onshore or homeshore BPO call center likely will eliminate any communication barriers.
Security measures for outsourced call centers
Customer data and security are more important than ever.
Of course, while there are risks to handling customer data anywhere, whether in-house or outsourced, with an in-house call center, you have more control over (and responsibility for) any breaches.
Outsourced call centers need to be carefully screened to ensure that they meet your business’ standards for security and data privacy.
If you want to outsource your call center but need to take ample precautions with customer data, look for a company that has decades of experience and high-quality processes for complying with data privacy and customer security requirements, like Global Response.
At Global Response, we’re leaders in providing customer support for industries like healthcare, finance, and banking that require high-quality security and privacy.
We are laser-focused on compliance and policy adherence, data privacy, and client protection, so we can ensure you always have your customer’s back — and we always have yours.
Lack of internal brand knowledge and expertise
When a customer calls with a question about a product, a concern, or a complaint about a recent experience, they want to talk to a brand expert — and you want them to talk to someone who cares about your brand as much as they do.
Of course, outsourcing a call center means that the customer support agents your customers talk to aren’t actually employees of your company.
As a result, many companies fear that there will be confusion among agents who don’t know as much as internal team members, leading to increased handle times, more customer frustration, and fewer resolved concerns.
With Global Response, this is not a problem at all — we don’t like to think of our associates as “call center agents” but instead as “brand specialists.”
That’s because we train our employees to do more than just deliver an answer to a question over the phone — we’re training them to be specialists on your brand who can deliver an on-brand experience every time.
We train each of our brand specialists on a specific brand (avoiding the confusion of agents working across multiple companies!) and make sure they know and care about your brand almost as much as you do.
As a result?
We make sure to deliver superior customer care every time.
BPO vs KPO call centers
While similar, BPO and KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) call centers have some significant differences.
Both BPO and KPO call centers are types of outsourced call centers, which can free up valuable resources for your internal team and provide necessary support.
Before we look at which is right for your business, let’s quickly understand the definition of both BPO and KPO call centers.
BPO involves outsourcing the functions and/or processes of a call center to a third-party service or provider. BPO can also include other functions that may be outsourced, such as accounting, human resources, and so on.
KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) involves outsourcing knowledge-intensive, high-level tasks and projects to an outside company, team, or third-party provider.
These tasks and projects are usually data-driven, require specific expertise, and are outsourced with the intention of driving advanced business insights.
In short;
BPO involves outsourcing a specific process, while KPO involves outsourcing work to generate ideas, objective judgments, and decisions formed by expert knowledge.
KPO outsourcing might include things like:
Performing business research and data analysis to develop strategic direction
Writing and content development for a company blog
Getting legal advice for a new branch of your business
Doing market research ahead of a new product launch
Simply put, BPO call centers handle the functions, activities, and processes of a call center to a third-party agency, while a KPO call center handles information, knowledge, or data on behalf of a client company.
KPO call centers can increase your access to professionals and field experts, as well as increase your business competitiveness.
When you think of a call center that can handle processes like answering customer calls and communications, that’s a BPO call center.
If you need a high level of specialized expertise for high-level business development or market research, this is where a KPO call center can provide support.
How to select the right BPO call center company
BPO call centers can provide a long list of benefits for your company, offering support and relief for many current pain points. Keep in mind, though, that not all call centers are created equal.
When it comes to choosing the right BPO call center for your company, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
1. Quality
Quality is key.
Your customers expect a high level of customer service, and you want to be able to deliver.
When choosing a BPO call center company, it’s essential that you ensure their standards for quality and customer service align with your own.
Look at reviews from other customers and read white papers or case studies from your potential call center partner to see what kinds of results they’ve been able to deliver for other businesses (especially businesses within your sector or industry).
With Global Response, you get 40+ years of multi-industry experience and a call center that’s as unique as your brand.
From omnichannel customer support to Tier 2 tech support, the experts at Global Response have decades of experience helping businesses of all sizes across automotive, consumer products, healthcare, banking and finance, retail, and other industries to improve customer experience and satisfaction.
2. Consider your needs and their services
When considering a BPO call center, it’s important to focus on your specific pain points and needs while considering flexibility and scalability for future growth.
Look for a customer-focused contact center with omnichannel support, top technology, and a strong focus on privacy and data compliance, like Global Response.
3. Keep technology in mind
Gaining access to advanced technology to streamline customer communication and optimize internal processes is a major benefit of outsourcing your call center.
As a result, you’ll want to make sure that your call center outsourcing company of choice can actually provide the call center technology necessary to optimize processes and deliver on your key metrics.
In addition:
It’s important to ensure that their tech stack can integrate with your current capabilities and tools.
Some of the technological solutions you may want to look for in a BPO call center include:
- IVR (interactive voice response)
- automated outbound dialers
- omnichannel contact management
- cloud-based omnichannel contact solutions
- advanced data security
- robotic process automation
- WFM (workforce management) tools
- social media management platforms
- CRM software
- cloud computing services
Of course, not every business will need every technology available.
You may not need all of these, or you may need others not listed here.
If you’re looking for a customer-obsessed BPO call center with advanced technology that can integrate into a wide number of platforms and systems, Global Response offers all of the services and technologies listed above (and more!).
From cloud-based omnichannel contact management to advanced data security and WFM tools, Global Response can help take your customer experience to the next level.
4. Understand their reporting capabilities
Of course, having advanced technology and customer data management are most useful when you can have access to the learnings and outcomes.
Before selecting a BPO call center, make sure you understand what data, reporting, and analytics they can provide to you to optimize growth and processes.
Know which KPIs and metrics are most important to your business and goals, then find out which metrics and KPIs this call center tracks.
In addition, find out if your call center offers configurable reports and dashboards for you to use.
It’s important to make sure your call center can easily track, analyze, and implement learnings from the data most important for your goals.
If you’re considering a BPO contact center to supercharge your growth and scale up your customer support services, reach out to a customer service consultant at Global Response.
5. Vet providers thoroughly
Before entering into any agreements or contracts with a BPO call center, vet each potential partner thoroughly.
Look beyond their list of services and delve into their reputation, client retention rates, and proven success stories.
Consider asking for references or testimonials from current or past clients within your industry.
This will help you clearly understand the provider’s capabilities and any potential red flags.
While vetting providers may take additional time and resources, this step is necessary to make a well-informed decision that benefits your business in the long run.
6. Agree on a BPO contract
Once you’ve chosen a BPO call center, it’s crucial to solidify the relationship with a comprehensive contract.
This contract should outline key elements such as service level agreements (SLAs), performance expectations, and reporting structures.
Be specific about your expectations for service delivery, turnaround times, and quality standards.
Establish regular checkpoints to review progress and discuss any potential adjustments.
Remember;
A solid contract serves as the foundation for a successful partnership.
It provides both parties with clear expectations and accountability and ensures a smoother collaboration.
7. Have a transition plan
Shifting from in-house operations to a BPO call center requires careful planning and execution.
See to it that both your team and the call center partner have a detailed transition plan, which should include steps for knowledge transfer, training, data migration, and testing phases.
Identify potential bottlenecks or areas where extra support may be needed.
A well-structured transition plan will help minimize disruptions and set the stage for a successful launch of your new call center operations.
8. Analyze and monitor results
Once your BPO call center is up and running, regular monitoring and analysis of performance metrics are key to long-term success.
Schedule regular meetings with your call center partner to discuss results, identify areas for improvement, and align on future goals.
In addition to reviewing KPIs, conducting quarterly or annual business reviews helps evaluate the overall partnership and identify growth opportunities.
By closely monitoring results, you can continuously optimize your call center’s performance and ensure that you’re getting the most value from your BPO partner.
