How an Incompetent Call Center Outsourcing Company Can Hurt Your Business?

There is a fine line that separates good call centers from average call centers. This line is so thin that most businesses looking for a call center outsourcing company miss it. To spot this line, one has to not only look at the reputation of a company but also its agents, especially the mistakes they make. Call center metrics often do not do any real justice to how a project is actually handled and a lot of mistakes never come to light. This is the main reason why companies face customer wrath, even when everything seems to be going fine.

Common Agent Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Business Big Time

If you are employing the help of a call center outsourcing services, you should be aware of the mistakes their agents can make. Below are some hard-to-identify mistakes that can hurt your business prospects:

1. Exceptionally long hold times – Every one hears hold music once in a while, but when a customer hears it many times on the same call, it can become a major turn off for them. Especially when the correct hold procedure is not followed, customers remain in the dark about the ongoing procedure, which ultimately kills their interest in the service. According to many surveys done in the past, the flouting of hold protocol has been found accountable for a high percentage of customer turnovers.
2. Excessive use of the mute button – Mute button is provided on the VoIP phone for emergency situations. Like, if somebody suddenly has a cough or a sneeze or a yawn, it can be pressed momentarily to prevent customers from hearing these awkward sounds. But oftentimes, both newbies and experienced agents use it excessively without any compelling reasons. The actual reasons may range from chatting with fellow employees or just enjoying some relaxing time at the cost of the customer, which is definitely not justifiable.
3. Citing company policies to get out of situations – While there are many company policies that need to be followed at all cost e.g. adhering to the RMA protocol, there are many other policies that are used incorrectly by agents to get out of difficult situations. For example, an agent may deprive the customer from speaking to his manager at a time when he needs immediate help, and tell him to wait for a call back in the next 24 hours just because company policy allows for that timeframe. According to many surveys done in the past, the flouting of hold protocol has been found accountable for a high percentage of customer turnovers. Customer outsourcing services reps that follow such practices remain politically correct, but damage your company’s reputation in a bad way.

If you’re not well aware of call center processes, then you would be surprised to know that these neglects are often masked by spruced up call center records. Therefore, even when the SLA is maintained and everything seems to be going hunky dory, we see customer attrition due to agent insensitivity. Hence, you should always screen a call center outsourcing company thoroughly before you hand them over your work.  To spot this line, one has to not only look at the reputation of a company but also its agents, especially the mistakes they make. Call center metrics often do not do any real justice to how a project is actually handled and a lot of mistakes never come to light. Amongst the many companies that offer call center outsourcing, Vcare is a dependable name, which only hires agents with a proven track record and good recommendations. Therefore, the chances of such agent mistakes go down considerably when you employ their services.