The benefits of an outsourced call centre

Outsourcing your customer services is a strategic business decision that could help you to grow your business by freeing up valuable resources that could be used elsewhere. Hallmark Consumer Services highlights some of the benefits of an outsourced call centre and what to look for when choosing a service provider.

For trade businesses, the handling of customer calls, whether these are queries, complaints or orders, is an intrinsic part of your service offering to customers, and must be done professionally and efficiently, particularly in an age where customers can take to social media to leave reviews of their experiences of dealing with your business.

Opting to outsource your calls or customer support services can help to take the pressure off your business, protect your brand and allow you to stay focused on your company’s core competencies, particularly as your business grows.

Hallmark Consumer Services explains just a few of the benefits of outsourcing your customer calls to an external provider.

Reduced costs

Using an outsourced call centre can be a cost-effective solution for businesses. It reduces the costs and risks associated with hiring and employing people to field calls, as well as infrastructure and overhead costs, as providers have the required software, equipment and digital systems already in place, the cost of which is spread across many clients.

Not only this, but a good outsourced call centre can plan for peaks and troughs in call volumes and seamlessly adjust resources accordingly. For example, at Hallmark we produce a daily forecast of the number of staff required to ensure we are working efficiently for our clients, reducing the cost-per-call. This also allows us to scale up quickly in response to big campaigns or seasonal activity.

Improved customer service

Highly trained, knowledgeable and professional call centre staff are well placed to find solutions to problems and provide answers to customer queries, which is likely to significantly improve the quality of your customer service.

As representatives of your brand, your outsourced call centre team can add value to your business, and support customer retention and loyalty through providing a positive and consistent experience for the customer.

Hallmark’s call agents are trained to quickly adapt to different situations, and can use their skills and experience in delivering call centre services for various industries to provide valuable insights and the most appropriate strategies for your business.

Flexible support seven days a week

 One of the key benefits of an outsourced call centre is that it gives you the ability to extend your business hours. This reduces the chance of calls going unanswered and ensures that customers can get their calls handled at a time that is convenient for them which, in turn, can reduce call waiting times during busier periods in the day and caller abandonment rates.

Hallmark’s customer service agents work from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5.30pm every Saturday, from 10.30am until 4.30pm Sunday as standard and work outside of these hours (including Bank Holidays) as and when you need us.

We are open later than most businesses so that we are available for your UK customers to call after they finish work and for any overseas customers who may be just waking up. This also maximises the chances of reaching potential clients for outbound calling.

Valuable data insights

Outsourcing your calls also means you can access the latest customer service technology, which will benefit both your customers and your business.

At Hallmark, we understand the importance of capturing and analysing call information to gain valuable insights that will help to improve your processes, and our digital telephony system produces intelligent reports so that, together with our clients, we can monitor peak periods, operator efficiency and call statistics.

We also conduct quality control and monitoring using metrics such as call answer time and first call resolution, to ensure our service level agreements with clients are met.

Choosing the right outsourced call centre

A good outsourced call centre provider will take the time to fully understand your business and its objectives, be invested in your brand and have a client manager to oversee your account. Naturally, you need to be confident that all call agents have the necessary skills and are well trained and coached so that they are able to grasp a comprehensive knowledge of your products and become embedded in your business.

Case studies and client testimonials are a good way to help you make an informed decision about choosing the right partner for your business.

Whether you’re a new business looking to grow or have been established for some time and are looking to outsource your overflow calls, Hallmark’s customer contact centre provides a professional helpline, query handling, order processing and outbound calling solutions that complement our fulfilment services, but can also be used as a standalone service.

By outsourcing your customer services to Hallmark, you can rest assured knowing that your customers are in safe hands whilst you get your evenings and weekends back and can focus on growing your business!

Get in touch

For a chat with our friendly team on outsourcing your customer calls, drop us a line here or call 01664 485000.

You can also read our case studies to find out more about how we work with our clients.