Outsourcing Customer Service: The Competitive Edge You Need
admin | Customer Service |
Outsourcing your dealership’s customer service has a lot of benefits including lower costs, increased bandwidth to focus on your core competencies, and around the clock availability. After all, missed calls and appointments are missed opportunities, and outsourcing customer service can fill those gaps. Partnering with a team of customer service professionals that already has the resources to go above and beyond can be one of the best moves you can make for your dealership or dealer group.
Outsourcing Can Cut Labor Costs
You can often hire a team for contract and a flat rate, which can pale in comparison to labor expenses of having an in-house customer service team. When you consider all the expenses beyond salary that come with each customer service agent, you see how much it actually costs to employ someone full-time. Taxes, insurance, and other benefits must be taken into account.
Not to mention, the required office space and the cost of their equipment—computers, telephones, desks, and other supplies that help make them successful. Vacations are a lost expense in terms of time and work output, and bonuses and other incentives really start to add up over time.
It all adds up! And, remember, you still have to recruit, train, and develop those employees. According to Boulo Solutions, the average cost of hiring a new employee is around $5,000. And with talent shortages across the country, positions are remaining unfilled up to six weeks or longer. (SHRM) Fortunately, outsourcing customer service can lead to more control of your overhead and budget.
Outsourcing Boosts Customer Retention
Customer retention efforts that an in-house customer service team doesn’t have time for, or cannot prioritize, can be more of a focus if you outsource your customer service team. They have the people and time to make outbound calls, as well as answer all the inbound calls. This eliminates dropped calls, wait times, and increases outreach and satisfaction. Research from MaritzCX found that by simply improving customer satisfaction by one point on a standard five-point scale, the average car dealer would see an extra $2.5 million in loyalty-generated revenue.
Focus on your Business
Outsourcing your customer service creates the bandwidth you need to focus on achieving dealership goals. Owners and managers alike can focus fully on running the business, making sales, or whatever their role entails. There can also be less distraction from phone calls and customer service chatter, which can help create a more positive and engaging work environment for everyone.
Higher Security and Fraud Prevention
Customer service companies already have incredible measures in place to prevent fraud and keep your and your customers’ information safe. Highly secure phones and programs provide critical peace of mind that your information is secure and your customers are being well taken care of.
24/7 Multi-channel Support
Something your customer service team can’t offer in-house is around-the-clock support. The restrictions of business hours can reflect negatively on your customer service by increasing wait times on hold, and even dropped calls. 24/7 Support allows your business to take advantage of those otherwise unscheduled times. An outsourced team can also have more resources and staff to manage multi-channel support across phones, emails, and social media all at once. A fast turn around time on multiple channels is key to customer satisfaction and following up on leads.
Seasonal Spikes in Call Volume
Certain times of the year have a spike in call volume, and require more coverage on phones and emails. An outsourced team makes these times much easier to manage because there’s no need to have employees work overtime, or hire more people for coverage. Organizations like Customer Traac are able to prioritize spikes in volume before they happen with simple shifts in staff.
Increase Efficiency and Improve Competitive Position
All of the benefits of outsourcing your customer service will lead to an increase in efficiency in your company, and improve your competitive position. Introducing more service specials and opportunities for the service team to upsell, can show upwards of 20% increase in service repair calls. No missed calls, means no missed opportunities.
The positive correlation Customer Traac has seen in dealerships we work with is astounding. We absolutely recommend outsourcing your customer service department, and we want to work with you every step of the way. We can ease your transition and help you capitalize on the opportunities you might be missing out on without an outsourced team. Reach out or call us anytime at 763-553-2989.