Outsourcing customer service offers numerous crucial benefits, yet many organizations still need to be convinced to press the button. To better understand the value of outsourcing, as well as its complexities and advantages, TaskUs launched Inside Out, an online series where leaders talk about the ins and outs of BPO customer service and customer experience management.
Outsourcing is a general term covering various topics such as customer and tech support, digital customer experience (digital CX), and many more. While the basic concept is pretty straightforward, successful outsourcing is dependent on many factors. Certain misconceptions surround it, perhaps due to the lack of understanding especially from people outside the industry. In the latest episode of Inside Out, TaskUs VP of HiTech, Aleks Bogdanovski, takes a closer look at common outsourcing myths and gives his expert take on each.
Myth 1: Outsourcing is all about cost savings
One misunderstanding people often have about outsourcing customer service is that it is all about cutting expenses such as labor and equipment costs. While it is true that outsourcing provides long-term cost savings, Aleks points out that it’s not the key decision point for companies when it comes to seeking the help of BPO customer service providers.
In fact, traditional customer support, technical support, and digital customer experience aren’t the only customer- and product-facing functions companies outsource. “There are multitudes of back-office and hidden functions that are required to operate a business, all of which require operational expertise and management oversight to run successfully,” Aleks said.
"Outsourcing allows clients to focus on their core competency, which is continuing to innovate, grow revenue, and improve their product or service."
Aleks also discusses another primary reason profitable companies recognize the value of outsourcing: the ability to scale quickly: “The time, resources, and access to talent to be able to recruit successfully, hire, train, coach, and ultimately retain frontline employees is a big undertaking. Being an employer of choice in the regions we operate in provides clients access to a large talent pool of skilled teammates across multiple geographies to meet the language and skills required based on the type of work they need. This is a huge benefit for companies to ramp quickly to meet expected and unexpected customer demands or project milestones.”
Myth 2: When you outsource, you lose your best employees
Contrary to what some might assume, outsourcing actually enables you to provide better growth opportunities to your employees. For example, a top-performing digital customer experience specialist can be promoted to a higher customer experience management role (e.g., trainer, subject matter expert, etc.) to lead or work with the outsourcer’s team.
When you outsource, you allow your people to focus on more complex and challenging roles that will eventually lead to them becoming deeper experts and better brand ambassadors. “Outsourcing presents your best employees with opportunities to gain new experiences, develop new skills, even get promoted into new departments and new roles, which, in my book, makes employees more loyal,” Alex explained.
Myth 3: Outsourcing is only for big companies
Outsourcing is often associated with large organizations that cater to large-scale markets, such as tech giants, who need the help of BPO customer service providers to answer customer inquiries. However, business drivers and the initial decision to outsource vary by company, industry, location, unforeseen demand, and more. Thus, outsourcing as a service can be broken down and adjusted according to a client's size and specific needs, whether big or small.
“Oftent, a company’s headquarters and business operations are onshore in high-cost and competitive markets from a talent standpoint, and outsourcing offsets operating expenses and provides a competitive advantage,” Aleks pointed out.
He emphasized TaskUs’ flexibility in terms of providing services not only for customer experience management and digital customer experience but also in many other areas: “We have solutions designed specifically for start-ups who need to start with a small team or need CX consulting to develop and build their CX operations from a people, process, and technology standpoint.”
Myth 4: Outsourcing delivers low-quality output
“Quality has more to do with an in-house issue than a decision to outsource. It has to do with the training and the recruitment of the teammates that will be providing the support.” Aleks added that having the proper training, clearly defined processes and expectations, and strong frontline leadership are all crucial for the best BPO customer service providers.
“Outsourcing, in fact, improves the likelihood of quality increasing when you have access to a global talent pool. With the right outsourcing partner who promotes a frontline-first mentality and ideology, you can find amazing talent that will help you make your customers enjoy being your customers.”
Aleks cited TaskUs’ people-first culture to further illustrate his point: “Our belief is that investing in our people and creating an inclusive, supportive, and positive working environment gets people invested in and excited about coming to work every day. They stay with us longer, and provide excellent support for our customers—which has a huge impact on quality given that contact centers have historically high turnover.”
Myth 5: Outsourcing is not a long-term solution
The most successful outsourcing partnerships are when both client and partner are committed and invested in the long-term success of the project. Having a dedicated team of frontline teammates, team leads, operations managers, and trainers who know your business and products by heart will provide the best customer experience.
“Outsourcing partnership lasts for many years and, in fact, many decades. A true partnership between a client and their outsourcing partner allows them to build a relationship of trust. They build the skills and continue to develop and harness that relationship to continuously improve the support they give their customers.”
Experience Outsourcing Redefined with Us
With these myths uncovered, you now have a better idea of what to expect from an outsourcing partnership. You also have a clearer understanding of what to look for in a BPO customer service partner. With the myriad of companies that offer outsourcing customer service, choosing a proven and reputable partner to grow with can be a tough task.
Fortunately, there’s a Ridiculously Good option.
Dubbed by the Everest Group as the World's Fastest Growing Business Process (outsourcing) Service Provider and quickly gaining popularity in Gartner Peer Insights Review, TaskUs continues to expand its customer experience management expertise through its wide range of outsourcing customer service solutions—from Digital CX, AI Services, Trust + Safety, to Risk + Response and Learning Experience.
Over the years, we have been recognized for our workplace culture, processes, and outcomes. From start-ups to industry disruptors, we continue to provide Ridiculously Good solutions to companies of all sizes.
