There are a huge number of cool applications, bells/whistles, cloud-based tools, etc. that could be a part of a successful outsourcing program. This particular post will focus on 5 of the most critical and impactful tools that could come into play in your outsourced program. A couple of these tools may have more, or less, relevance in the case of an inbound customer service program versus an outbound lead gen program. However, in general, they will be good starting points to discuss your potential partner’s technical capabilities and toolset.
1. Custom reporting
(content, format, automated delivery to secure FTP, email)
Every program and company have a history of how they look at their information. The ability for a partner to deliver the information and data that you want to see, in a format that is easy for you to digest is step one.
Step two revolves around the evolution of a program. As the program and relationship matures, the ability for a partner to revise, edit, and add variables or format will be critical to the success of the program. Responsive and effective development tools and talent are the key to custom reporting.
Another key feature of custom reporting is how it’s delivered. A solid custom reporting system should be able to automate the delivery of your custom reports by any number of means, including posting to secure FTP, automatic send to your email or a distribution group, etc.
2. Live chat
2-way texting capability
Becoming more and more important in a world of omni-channel marketing and customer channel preference, the ability to handle and integrate Live Webchat support and have 2-way texting or SMS conversations, will be an important technical competency. Integrating with your website or current phone numbers for Chat and texting will allow you to communicate to your customers and prospects more effectively. The partner will either need to have a preferred platform that can pass/receive the information necessary for your program, or the ability to integrate with your preferred platform.
3. Skill-based routing
For scalable inbound or outbound programs, it is a huge benefit to have a dialer platform or telephony solution that can route calls based on the agents’ performance. This technological tool is a simple one to understand the benefit, but it is not a universally available or well-utilized tool. Discussing the capability of your partner’s systems and staffing scenarios can yield some great learnings about potential performance upside for your program.
4. Return info, your way
return files sent, api into your CRM, direct CRM access
At the end of each day, week, campaign, etc., you will most likely be getting back the dispositions and information gathered during that period. Your partner should be able to pass that information back to you in the method and format that makes the most sense for your business. That “return file” should not come back to you in a way that creates data entry, necessary manual manipulation, or any trouble for your CRM or data management platform. Passing the return info back through an API is becoming more and more prevalent, but uploading into an import wizard through your CRM platform is potentially another format. In some cases, your partner working directly in your CRM can be possible and the simplest solution, as well.
5. Call recording and delivery
With the relative accessibility and low cost of storage, recording every call taken or made has become a minimum standard. The technological tool that should go right along with recording every call, is the ability to get access to recorded calls from your program. Your partner should be able to present calls to you at your request. Also, posting a random sampling, or certain dispositions each day or week, can be a great way to build a calibration program and maintain quality checks.
Feel free to reach out to us with any specific questions on these, or other technological tools!