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Call centres have been the subject of much debate recently, with the media highlighting high levels of customer dissatisfaction regarding the service they receive from internationally outsourced facilities. But businesses shouldn’t write this criticism off as consumers merely being fearful of change. There is a wider social responsibility framework to be considered.
Current indications seem to show that consumers will vote with their feet when they feel an organisation is making a commercial decision to the detriment of the quality of customer service. So there is a business case to back up the arguments that outsourcing is socially undesirable.
A recent study commissioned for Alliance & Leicester by YouGov supports this, with over half (51 per cent) of customers believing quality of service had deteriorated since their facility moved overseas. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) would consider switching banks to one with a UK based call centre. However, concerns appear to go beyond service quality, with nearly two thirds of people (65 per cent) worried about the security of their personal information and 70 per cent concerned about the loss of British jobs.
The latter two statistics highlight that an outsourced call centre can have a deeper, underlying impact on consumer attitudes and business reputation. Trust and a belief that a company has a principled approach to business are key drivers in customer loyalty.
However, it is worth noting that the mere existence of a UK based call centre isn’t sufficient to gain trust and boost customer retention alone. Consumers are increasingly savvy when it comes to customer service and resent feeling commoditised as a result of businesses pushing staff to minimise individual call times and maximise call frequency. Encouragingly, many businesses are now allowing call centre staff to ‘ditch the scripts’ when dealing with customers for a more personal approach.
But it is possible to balance cost effective management techniques with customer satisfaction. At our Stevenage based call centre we do not incentivize employees solely on call frequency, and staff are also rewarded using customer satisfaction ratings. This proves successful for both staff and customers, with the dividend being seen through high levels of customer loyalty (85 per cent of UIA customers will renew policies) and low levels of staff churn within the call-centre.
As a marketer, I see how the call centre can play a significant role in company reputation. Businesses must look carefully when balancing the short term financial benefits that can be gained through outsourcing their call centre facilities against the broader impact this can have on its reputation. In addition, the costs associated with a properly managed and trained call centre staff will be outweighed against the increase in customer satisfaction, retention and low levels of employee churn.
Ian Cracknell is Marketing Director at UIA (Insurance) Ltd
Current indications seem to show that consumers will vote with their feet when they feel an organisation is making a commercial decision to the detriment of the quality of customer service. So there is a business case to back up the arguments that outsourcing is socially undesirable.
A recent study commissioned for Alliance & Leicester by YouGov supports this, with over half (51 per cent) of customers believing quality of service had deteriorated since their facility moved overseas. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) would consider switching banks to one with a UK based call centre. However, concerns appear to go beyond service quality, with nearly two thirds of people (65 per cent) worried about the security of their personal information and 70 per cent concerned about the loss of British jobs.
The latter two statistics highlight that an outsourced call centre can have a deeper, underlying impact on consumer attitudes and business reputation. Trust and a belief that a company has a principled approach to business are key drivers in customer loyalty.
However, it is worth noting that the mere existence of a UK based call centre isn’t sufficient to gain trust and boost customer retention alone. Consumers are increasingly savvy when it comes to customer service and resent feeling commoditised as a result of businesses pushing staff to minimise individual call times and maximise call frequency. Encouragingly, many businesses are now allowing call centre staff to ‘ditch the scripts’ when dealing with customers for a more personal approach.
But it is possible to balance cost effective management techniques with customer satisfaction. At our Stevenage based call centre we do not incentivize employees solely on call frequency, and staff are also rewarded using customer satisfaction ratings. This proves successful for both staff and customers, with the dividend being seen through high levels of customer loyalty (85 per cent of UIA customers will renew policies) and low levels of staff churn within the call-centre.
As a marketer, I see how the call centre can play a significant role in company reputation. Businesses must look carefully when balancing the short term financial benefits that can be gained through outsourcing their call centre facilities against the broader impact this can have on its reputation. In addition, the costs associated with a properly managed and trained call centre staff will be outweighed against the increase in customer satisfaction, retention and low levels of employee churn.
Ian Cracknell is Marketing Director at UIA (Insurance) Ltd
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