Guide to customer contact center outsourcing

Customer contact centers are essential for most companies trying to establish a direct line of communication with their customers and develop a customer-centric brand identity. This article will explore the benefits of contact center outsourcing and guide you through setting up remote operations in emerging markets.

Why should you consider contact center outsourcing for your customer service?

Benefits of customer contact center outsourcing

Offering a more complete or thorough range of service options to your customers leads to a better brand identity, which can be a determining factor in many industries. Contact center outsourcing offers companies several advantages in terms of both efficiency and cost, as well as the quality of the overall customer service experience for your clients:

1. Reduced overhead costs: Emerging markets like the Philippines and Indonesia have primarily young and tech-savvy workforces combined with salaries that are up to 80% lower than Western markets like the US or Australia.
2. Larger range of service options: Through lower labor costs and increased access to specific skills, you can offer more contact center service options such as phone, email, live chats, social media, etc.)
3. Ease of scalability: Contact center outsourcing offers you more flexibility in scaling your operations based on demand, for example adding more agents in peak contact periods.
4. Faster and more thorough contact resolution: Outsourcing your call center also allows you to offer 24/7 service and hire case analysts to more effectively handle client requests.

RecruitGo has local recruitment advisors in key outsourcing locations in Southeast Asia. We can therefore assist you in optimizing your contact center outsourcing by identifying the key services you want to establish and helping you plan the necessary logistics in the most suitable job market.

Navigating common challenges for outsourced call centers

While setting up remote contact centers can open the door to many benefits, there are some common challenges that most overseas employers face when hiring international remote teams. RecruitGo can help you navigate through these challenges through our local resources and advisors:

1. Language barriers: It is common for international contact centers to face issues with finding candidates who have the right level of spoken or written English. Our international recruitment service ensures that you find candidates who meet all your criteria, even in terms of language ability.
2. Communication issues: Whether it’s dealing with different cultural workplace norms or navigating timezone differences with your remote teams, our local teams can ensure that communication runs smoothly. You can also manage important people operations through our App.
3. Data security and network speed: An important part of contact center outsourcing is ensuring that your agents have fast network speeds to ensure clear communication with international contacts, and strict data security to protect personal data and company assets. RecruitGo can help you with software and logistical setup.

How to outsource your contact center

Recruiting top talent for popular contact center roles

Contact center outsourcing allows you to hire more staff for your customer support operations, as well as diversify your range of services by sourcing candidates in specific fields that would not always be available in your local markets. Below you can find the most commonly outsourced contact center roles:

• Customer service representative
• Virtual Assistant
• Quality Analyst
• IT Support Specialist
• Sales Representative
• Accounting Advisor

While different markets have different strengths in terms of the availability of candidates, most contact center positions can be outsourced in emerging markets for typical monthly salaries ranging between USD 560 for entry-level customer service agent positions and USD 790 for support staff (AUD 810 and 1140).

Cloud-based contact center outsourcing vs setting up a remote working hub

As mentioned previously, an important concern for most entrepreneurs setting up a remote contact center is the lack of direct contact with their agents. RecruitGo can help you with setting up cloud-based contact centers so that your remote customer care agents can interact with your clients from virtually anywhere.  

Alternatively, we do recommend considering setting up a remote hub for your outsourced contact center. In this case, RecruitGo would help with logistics (finding a property, securing equipment, etc) so that your remote workers can physically work together in a different market. This also allows you to provide more hands-on training and supervision for your teams.

In both cases, our local teams will be on-site to ensure that your employees have the necessary tools for meeting your customer service needs. We can also provide advice and logistical support in different markets for ensuring data protection through industry-leading encryption software and network security tools adapted to your business model.

Ensuring local compliance for your remote employees

The final step for contact center outsourcing is ensuring compliance with labor laws and financial regulations relevant to the respective market where you are sourcing your candidates. RecruitGo can help you navigate some of the most common people management requirements in most emerging markets through our comprehensive range of services:

How an Employer of Record can help with contact center outsourcing

Before you set up a contact center in a new market, you will first need to register a company. This can be a time-consuming and expensive process. RecruitGo’s Employer of Record (EOR) service acts as the legal employer of your candidates in emerging markets, thus allowing you to bypass legal entity setup and start hiring virtually immediately.

We can onboard existing candidates or give you access to our extensive network of highly skilled professionals in Southeast Asia. Through our EOR, you still get the final say regarding all hiring and people management decisions. You can also manage your team’s payroll, benefits, and leave requests via our easy-to-use app.

By letting the Employer of Record manage day-to-day compliance for remote contact centers, you can better focus your resources on your core services. Our team will remain at your disposal anytime you want to scale your business in response to your current situation. Are you ready to set up a remote customer contact center? Contact us via the form below to get started!