Outsourced Call Center Services for SMEs: Is it Beneficial?

Outsourced call center services for SMEs have become increasingly popular due to their cost-effective solutions and streamlined operations. If you’re a small or medium enterprise considering outsourcing your business processes, you might be wondering whether it’s truly beneficial. Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of outsourced call center services for SMEs.

In this article, let us look at outsourcing for small and medium enterprises in the Philippines.

What Contact Center Services Can SMEs Get?

Like the Fortune 500, SMEs also have needs that a BPO company can provide. Here are some services you can get from the call center in the Philippines.

Customer Service

This is one of the most popular call center services in the Philippines. Filipinos have excellent English-speaking skills. It is a great fit for any English-speaking business that wants to establish great customer service.

On top of their fluency in English, Filipinos are hospitable and emphatic to their clients. They can provide top-class customer care. This is perfect if you want to retain all your customers for future sales.

Information Technology Support

There are many professional IT graduates in the Philippines. More than 70,000 IT students graduate yearly, which means there is an unlimited supply of manpower for your tech support needs.  

These IT professionals can develop your website and maintain your software. BPO companies can also provide you with the latest software for your business.

Telemarketing Service

If you plan to expand your business rapidly, this service is perfect. BPO call centers in the Philippines provide agents to call your prospective customers. They can introduce your product or service and convert them into buyers.

This is great, especially for start-up businesses. It will help boost your sales and gain more profit. You can use the additional profit to improve your product. Your clients will also appreciate your proactive reminder about the service.

There are many BPO services that your business can use. Make sure to ask your partner call center what those are. There are some personnel available to assist you with this kind of inquiry.

10 Signs that your SME needs outsourced call center services

It is difficult to take risks in outsourcing, especially if you are starting a business. With this in mind, here are some signs you need to outsource your operations.

1. Understaffing

When you have many tasks but no one to do them, it might signal that you need help from a BPO company. Your employees can only do so much, and understaffing can result in a web of problems for your operations.

As mentioned, BPO companies provide an unlimited workforce. SMEs can take advantage of this feature. They can forward several tasks to the outsourcing firm, and your team can do more important tasks like managing operations and auditing expenses.

2. Spending Too Much Time on a Single Task

You take time for a single task when you have a few staff members. Few hands to work means more time to waste, reducing your business’s productivity and greatly affecting your operations.

When you have a third-party service provider, the turnaround time for any tasks is shorter. This means you can do a lot of work quickly, and finishing assignments is easier.

4. Tasks Are Overwhelming

Too much time spent on a single task means piling up work. It is overwhelming, and you may easily drain your energy. Exhaustion can result in subpar business performance. Though there is an option to take this slowly, it can halt the development of your operation.

That is why outsourcing will help boost your productivity level. You also have the luxury of taking things over before acting on them, which will help you provide better solutions to any problems you face.

5. Inability to Meet Deadlines

Deadlines are important to set your progress in your business. There is no sense in setting a target time and not hitting it. However, finishing promptly is almost impossible when you have so much on your plate.

With the help of a BPO company, it is easier to meet any deadline now. They have agents that can work for you 24/7. On top of that, they will provide training to their agents to ensure quality service for your operations.

6. No Fresh Ideas to Extract for Your Business

Since everyone is fixated on the piles of tasks, it is tough to think of new concepts for your business. As a result, your consumer will look for another company with a better and updated service. This is not good for a start-up company that is just building its identity for its clients.

Outsourcing gives your business a workforce and can help you conceptualize new ideas. It is better if there is someone who can think outside the box. In addition, they can also provide monthly insight reports, which you can use to create campaigns for your business.

7. Difficulty to Find a Local Professional to Hire

The competition is tight when looking for the best people to work for you. Some have higher demands than less skilled applicants. As a result, you tend to hire a less competitive applicant within your budget.

On the other hand, outsourcing will guarantee you an expert professional at an affordable price. It is also more convenient as the BPO company will work on your hiring process. You no longer have to exert effort in the application process. Once hired, they will undergo training provided by the call center firm.

8. Continuously Need for a Software Upgrade

If you spend money monthly on your software, it is time to outsource it. Outsourcing will help you reduce the monthly maintenance cost. In addition, you don’t need to spend time familiarizing yourself with the latest technologies.

BPO companies usually offer system upgrades as part of the package. Whenever you partner with a third-party service provider, ask them about the best software they can provide for your business. This will help you optimize your business operations. 

9. Budget Gets Tighter

This is the most critical sign that you need to outsource your business. After all, this is also the main reason why companies are using this practice. Budgeting is not something that you should overlook. It can ruin your company’s operation.

BPO pricing in the Philippines is very affordable. The BPO Philippine price per hour ranges between $6-$8. That is extremely low compared to any Western company’s $22 – $40 hourly rate.

10. Your Business is Up for Expansion

Not every sign is negative. Sometimes, if you need to expand, that is enough to outsource. Call center companies can help with your business expansion and guide you with strategies for improving your service.

BPO companies have dedicated people assisting partner businesses with their expansion. They can determine how many people you need. On top of that, they can also provide key performance indicators (KPI) for your business. This KPI will help you monitor the development of your business.

Is the In-house Call Center Philippines available to advise start-up businesses?

Some big corporations chose to create an in-house call center in the Philippines. One reason could be security issues. Some of these companies are holding sensitive information for their customers.

An example of this company is JP Morgan Chase and Co. They are one of the leading financial institutions in the USA. Despite their large annual profit, they created an outsourcing company in the Philippines. They avoid disclosing sensitive client information to third-party service providers.

With this in mind, is it advisable for SMEs to create an in-house call center in the Philippines? For starters, the whole point of outsourcing your business is to lessen the pile of tasks that you’re doing. It is not efficient to manage an offshore company and focus on operations.

In addition, building an offshore company may require a tremendous amount of money. You must apply for a legal business permit and build an establishment to house your offshore team. 

If you are worried about the security of your data, many BPO companies have certifications from different organizations. You can ask for their credentials first before outsourcing.

To summarize, in-house offshore call center companies work for Fortune 500 companies because they have many resources. However, it is advisable for SMEs that want to expand their business to outsource.

Can The Largest Call Center In The Philippines Accommodate SMEs?

As stated, most call center companies in the Philippines focus on the Fortune 500. These businesses give them more profit than partnering with SMEs. 

A common practice of the largest call center companies in the Philippines is setting minimum seats for each company. The minimum usually is 300 – 500 seats, which is too many for any SMEs planning to outsource.

BPO companies like Magellan offer affordable outsourced call center services for SMEs and startups. We have over a decade of experience servicing small and medium enterprises.

Magellan Solutions provides the best call center experience for all SMEs worldwide. We have a wide range of services to offer. In terms of cost, we have a guaranteed flexible pricing model.

We will base the pricing on the client’s requirements. Magellan Solutions understands that a start-up business has limited funds for outsourcing services. We will assist you in figuring out the best service for your budget.

We have a Full Force Implementations Department to guide you in determining the KPIs you want to track. You also don’t have to worry about the skills and experience of the staff as we can help you with it. 

Magellan Solutions also has an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Certification. It ensures your company’s sensitive data is safe in our system. Our expert team provides security measures against phishing and data breaches.

We take pride in helping SMEs grow. Contact us today and get a free 60-minute consultation.