How to Choose the Right Outsourced Call Center

Outsourcing customer support and interactions can make or break your business, depending on the service provider you choose. Either way, it’s one of those big-league moves you can pull to cut the costs of training and running an in-house customer support team, as long as you’re doing it right.

Sadly, not all services offering outsourced support are created equal, which begs the important question: how to choose the right outsourced call center​? As you can probably already tell, step one would be to focus on a company that can handle everything from Tier 1 to Tier 3 requests.

That means you’ll have to think outside of the standard BPO box. For instance, ShyftOff offers between 35% and 55% in cost cuts when compared to traditional BPOs, and that’s just one piece of the puzzle. This guide will point you in the right direction with the rest, so you can find the perfect fit for your business.

What Does an Outsourced Call Center Do?

Outsourced call centers are third-party services that handle all customer interactions on your behalf. Many successful businesses rely on the automated call center outsourcing model due to its convenience, because outsourcing, recruiting, training, and scheduling are handled externally, reducing the need for support from an internal team.

All you need to do is put your trust in the right agency. For instance, as an Agentic Workforce Delivery Platform, ShyftOff handles it all, from inbound support to product guidance and technical issues. 

Plus, with ShyftOff on your side, you'll easily manage overflow during peak demand periods. This way, your customers will still get the time, dedication, and expertise from the customer service team, and you will avoid paying top dollar for it.

On the flip side, it can be a rather intimidating topic for business owners who don’t easily put their trust in third-party contractors. Still, thanks to all the modern-day innovations, you don’t have to worry: trained AI algorithms will help you find call center operators familiar with your brand and area of expertise.

When Should You Consider Outsourcing Support?

Every businessperson knows that the key to success in the corporate world is keeping up with the demands and inquiries of the customers. That’ll be the only indicator you need when deciding whether to go from an in-house team to outsourced support.

If you notice that your team is taking too long to respond or even find out that customers are filing complaints regarding the service, it’s time to switch to an automated method. If the support ticket queue is getting too long, it only leads to worse situations down the road in a chain reaction of distrust.

On the other hand, it also depends on your corporate goals. Are you looking to expand to new markets, launch new products, or simply trying to relate to your customers on a personal level? Ticking any of these boxes will be enough of a sign that you should give outsourced support and customer interaction in general a try.

How to Choose the Right Outsourced Call Center?

Even if you’re familiar with everything we’ve discussed so far, choosing an outsourced call center can still go south. That’s why it’s crucial to follow a strict set of guidelines, like the one we've prepared for you below. Go through our checklist to find the perfect operator.

Step 1: Define Your Support Needs and Success Criteria

First, you’ll need to define exactly what you require from your new support team. The best way to start is by listing the channels you’ll need, including inbound phone calls, basic customer interactions, full phone support, and email tickets and responses.

You should also consider extended hours, time zones, and hourly coverage. Evaluating your product and corporate goals will give you all the answers to such burning questions and help you pick the right outsourced call center for your needs.

Step 2: Compare Outsourcing Models

Before you make up your mind, make sure to also consider different outsourcing models. Here are some of the most common options:

• Offshore outsourcing
• Onshore outsourcing
• Gig-based outsourcing
• Hybrid outsourcing

If you’re mainly selling your products domestically, going with onshore outsourcing may be the best choice, as some customers might see local support experts as more professional or friendly. Of course, there’s a trade-off to be made here, since it can be a much more expensive option.

On the other hand, offshore outsourcing can work well for simpler, well-defined interactions. In many regions, offshore agents are equipped to handle routine requests efficiently at a lower cost, making this approach suitable for high-volume, Tier 1 support.

Going completely offshore can be a good option for handling customer interactions outside of standard working hours or during periods of low internal coverage, such as holidays or unexpected spikes in demand. For teams that want similar flexibility while maintaining onshore support, platforms like ShyftOff make it possible to scale coverage using locally based agents without long-term commitments.

Finally, the hybrid method might work if you route escalations and complex customer interactions to onshore or nearshore agents while leaving Tier-1 tasks to offshore teams.

Step 3: Assess Tools, Integrations, and Tech Stack Compatibility

Moving on, you’ll need to consider how the call center will fit into your existing corporate ecosystem. Think about the available tools it offers for simpler visual overviews of the support data, as well as about compatibility and integration with leading SaaS support platforms like Zendesk or HubSpot.

Make sure to figure out if it already provides integration with your platforms or if a custom API needs to be built, which requires more time and money.

Step 4: Shortlist Vendors & Ask the Right Questions

Once you’ve got the grasp of the outsourced call center model you need, it’s time to do some research and shortlist potential vendors. You should have a set of questions ready for them for some quick checks, and here are some that we’ve found to be the most effective:

• How do you measure and report on CSAT and first response time? Make sure to first inquire about the CSAT and FRT measuring methods and possible dashboards you’d have access to for proper reporting.
• What’s your onboarding timeline? Up next, you’ll want to understand how they handle the onboarding process from training to assigning.
• How do you handle escalation and technical support? You should also try to understand average response-time expectations, especially in terms of escalation. Try to see if they’re comfortable rerouting complex requests to your internal team and discuss technical support capabilities.
• What type of training do your agents undergo before going live? Understanding the agent onboarding and training process is crucial to figuring out the quality of service you can expect. Make sure to also check average tenures, since frequently training new staff only leads to call center inconsistencies.
• Will agents work directly in our systems or use your internal tools? Some providers rely on transferring data between systems instead of integrating with your existing platforms, which can introduce complexity and increase the risk of errors depending on your workflows.
• How do you ensure service quality and consistency? This is a big one, as you’ll want to have adequate reports on your desk showcasing service consistency. To do that, discuss their general QA channels and reporting methods.
• What are your scaling methods? Lastly, you should inquire about potential scaling methods to see if you can lean on the outsourced team as your business continues to grow.

Step 5: Run a Pilot and Optimize Continuously

While hiring an outsourced call center team can be a risky move, a simple pilot can help you clear all your doubts. It allows for some performance benchmarking and gives you all the materials for proper risk assessment.

To do that, ensure you discuss the potential pilot duration and agree to it only if it’s 30 days or more. You’ll need multiple weeks or even months to properly evaluate outsourced support and call center teams.

You’re also the one who should define pilot success rates based on first response time, customer feedback, and CSAT ratings.

Pricing: How Much Does Outsourced Call Center Support Cost?

Besides all the quality assurance, you’ll also need to know the pricing details before hiring an outsourced call center. There are four main pricing models here:

• Pricing per agent/hour
• Pricing per ticket or successful customer interaction
• Pricing per performance outcome
• Pricing per area/region

On top of that, you should ask if they charge more for 24/7 availability and whether there is a possibility to align the pricing depending on the required technical complexity.

Also, onshore support might cost more than hiring an offshore call center, at least when it comes to US-based agents. The rates are typically way lower in the Philippines or India, for example. 

Finally, make sure to consider the complete package. You won’t have much use from the cheapest possible solution if a company that requires 20% to 30% more money offers much higher CSAT scores or requires less management on your end.

Best Practices for Selecting and Managing a Call Center Partner

Like every business decision, choosing the right outsourced call center requires a bit of skill and strategy. You have to understand the pros and cons of outsourcing customer support, and these practices will help you land a decent partner:

• Document workflows early: You should create and timely update customer support and interaction documentation to help the agents get a sense of your brand’s voice and desired output.
• Provide product knowledge and playbooks: Agents need your insights and training materials to get hands-on experience with the company. Creating videos, tutorials, and even playbooks greatly helps get them on the same page with your brand’s voice.
• Align SLAs and customer goals: You should also be vocal about your customer interaction goals and expectations. Set the bar high and define what proper support means for your company before the agents receive the first ticket.
• Maintain weekly/bi-weekly performance syncs: Keeping up with the KPIs and customer relation trends requires you to frequently monitor the call center’s performance. Weekly or bi-weekly reports work later on in the partnership, but you might want to start with even more frequent checkups.
• Treat outsourced agents like part of your team: Although using outsourced support and call center isn’t like running an in-house team, you should still consider the agents a part of your company. Fill them in on corporate goals and successes, as the more they understand your company and its mission, the faster they’ll relate to customers.
• Focus on collaboration and long-term alignment: For a successful long-term partnership, you should work with the selected vendor in sharing business goals and helping the support team sync with the latest changes.

Common Mistakes Teams Make and How to Avoid Them

Even the most experienced teams are prone to making mistakes when working with third-party call center operatives. These are the main ones, along with some tips on how to avoid them:

• Choosing only based on the cost: As we mentioned already, cheaper isn’t always better if the results you’ll be getting from the team are not satisfying enough. Focus on the value for money rather than saving.
• No structured onboarding or training documentation: Despite what a team might promise, it’s impossible for them to guide and help your customers without proper documentation and materials.
• Lack of KPI clarity: In the same way, a call center can’t know what you expect from them if you don’t set the desired CSAT scores clearly enough.
• Expecting instant results with no ramp period: Outsourced call center and support representatives will certainly need some time to level with your customers. That’s why it’s best to start with a pilot period and evaluate the first results only after 30 to 60 days.

Spotlight: How ShyftOff Helps Companies Scale Support

As an Agentic Workforce Delivery Platform, ShyftOff excels in offering flexible call center and support models to businesses. Unlike your standard BPO that’s probably in the numbers game and only in it for the pay, ShyftOff focuses on service and performance quality. 

Native, locally based service representatives familiar with your customer base will handle all the work you’d expect from an in-house team at a lower cost. 

With ShyftOff, you can say goodbye to long-term commitment periods and contracts: you can just pay for the service you get as you go. The pay-for-performance structure suits most businesses perfectly, and there’s always room for extra hands during peak hours or product launch and testing periods. 

Dedicated agents are first trained on your company, what it means in the field, and how your customers relate. It makes the transition period much smoother, and the GigCX model allows agents to choose their 30-minute shifts around their schedule, keeping you in safe hands with agents at the peak of their focus. 

Final Thoughts: The Right Call Center Is a Growth Lever

You don’t need to go deep into the numbers to figure out that outsourcing customer support and interactions significantly relieves your budget. It’s not just about saving money, either; it’s about providing your customers with the highest quality of service without going through the trouble of training in-house teams.

With top-tier options like ShyftOff offering motivated, locally based agents, you don’t have to choose between onshore and offshore teams. You get the best of both worlds with a single solution.