Call Center Philippines

customer service tips

Kick-Ass Customer Service Tips That Will Support Your Business in 2020

Business, Call Center Philippines / By

Providing high-quality customer service will continue to be a significant trend in 2020. Businesses that don’t pay attention to poor customer service will, later on, struggle in maintaining their reputation. Now, here are some kick-ass customer service tips and examples to help your business flourish in 2020 and beyond.

According to a relevant study, 77% of customers are fed up with bad customer service while a whopping 91% of consumers only buy from brands they trust. So we can conclude that poor customer service will most likely lead to lost customers and revenue. To avoid this, here are some call center tips to assist your business in 2020.

1. Customers come first, the service issue is just secondary.

Customers like it when the support agent is empathetic and nice. A gentle and accommodating voice on the other line that sounds genuinely concerned can ease the unsettling feeling of customers.

Do not take things personally

Unhappy customers are a little brazen and irritable. They might make abrasive remarks from time to time, but do not take it personally because they aren’t attacking you. It is the situation that they are mad about.

Never engage in an argument with a client

One of the 5 most important skills that make a good customer service representative is to be extra patient. Dealing with different customers every day could be exhausting, however, getting all worked up every single day could bring you serious stress. So practising effective breathing exercises will help clear your head and be more composed when talking to customers.

2. Personalisation when talking to clients.

Personalisation goes far beyond just using the client’s first name when addressing them. As much as possible, do not call them “Sir”, “Ma’am” or “Madam”. Putting on a personal touch when communicating is the best way to let them know that they are a priority. It is also important to show the value of their time and to not hold them off for far too long.

3. Maintain a positive language and reaction.

A good example of this is when a customer is looking for an item that has already been out of stock and then their attitude suddenly changed. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry we are out of stocks today”, it is better to put it this way: “It will be available next week. What is the best way to contact you once it arrives?”

Do you see the difference? The first response is dismissive and a bit negative, however, the second is hopeful and keen on setting the expectations straight. It would only take little time to rephrase your response from negative to positive, so make sure to do so.

4. Do not underestimate the power of quick replies.

A customer’s complaint might not be your priority, but for them, it definitely is. So make sure that you provide quick replies to customers. Waiting for their issues to be resolved before responding will only make them more furious than they already are. So if you want to impress your customers, make sure to set their expectations straight and provide clear KPIs for their reference.

Conclusion

As the call center industry in the Philippines continues to skyrocket, different advice, and guidelines are published everywhere. The list is endless, so we listed the four most important customer service tips that are believed to help your business thrive in 2020.

To further share some of the best strategies that will aid your business growth for this year and beyond, contact DBOS today and get a free consultation with our CEO/Founder.

call center capital

Philippines as the Call Centre Capital of the World

Call Center Philippines / By

Globally recognised as the ‘call center capital’, the Philippines continuously impress business people from all around the world. According to some potential clients, the Filipinos are highly admired for their remarkable talents, personality, and character.

On the other hand, it is no secret that the Philippines offer a lower cost of living compared to other countries. But even with the lower cost, productivity remains outstanding. Also, talents such as proficiency in English, cultural affinity to Western countries, low labour costs, hard work, and kindness, impress several businessmen to engage in building more call centers in the country. These are a few reasons why the Philippines remains to be the ideal outsourcing destination for businesses around the world.

A brief history of the Philippine call center industry

In 1992, the first contact center in the Philippines was built by Frank Holz. Seeing the industry’s potential, the country’s Congress decided to pass the Special Economic Zone Act in 1995. It paved the way to the creation of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) which offered incentives and attracted foreign investors in the process too.

During the early 2000s, the BPO industry accumulated 0.075% of the country’s GDP. It was also in the same year that a US-based outsourcing center moved its operations to the Philippines. This offered at least 8,400 vacant jobs for the unemployed Filipinos. In 2013, the industry recorded 900,000 full-time Filipino employees which helped lessen the country’s unemployment rate.

For the next years, the Philippines continually gained a huge percentage on the global BPO market. As a result of this, the country was then declared as the world’s BPO capital.

The call center industry in 2020

Industry experts estimated a projected total revenue of $50 billion by 2020 which is more than half of the total revenue in 2016. With the growth of call center hubs in the metro, a lot of ‘Next Wave Cities’ outside the metropolis opened. Attractive factors such as cost competitiveness and dynamic talents have continually been the key ingredient in attracting more businesses.

In addition to the incessant growth of the BPO industry, emerging trends has become a huge ordeal. Some of which includes the following:

  • Robotic process automation.
    With the continued resurgence of advanced technologies and innovation, tedious business processes are expected to be automated in 2020. However, making sure that the nonrepeatable roles were strategically placed on the hands of humans.
  • Social media as customer service channel.
    As people become more inclined to using different social media channels, reaching the target audience has been easier. Popular social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter are proven to be a quicker way to answer queries from customers.
  • Cloud computing.
    With cloud computing, you can rent a professional IT infrastructure to accommodate your server, storage, or networking needs. This would allow you to store and back up your customer files rather than spending tons of money to own the technology in-house.
  • Upskilling.
    To be able to provide better services to customers, most BPO companies encourage upskilling for high-performing employees. Provided with intensive training sessions to upgrade their skill sets, the staff are then expected to be able to handle more responsibilities.

Call centers are part of the ever-changing BPO industry where technological advancements are inevitable. Changes in this industry are quite usual and following it is the only way to keep up with the trends.

Why huge foreign companies outsource their call centers in the Philippines

To be called the ‘call center capital of the world’, a country should at least be swarmed by hundreds of companies worldwide. And that is exactly why the Philippines has been dubbed as one.

Over 800 BPO companies from all over the world have currently been outsourcing their call centers in the country for years. Most of them are from Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, and so much more. What prompts them to outsource their call centers are determinants such as value services for a very low cost. But more than that, the Philippines is highly regarded for providing one of the best customer services from around the world.

Huge Australian-based companies such as Telstra, Optus, and Jetstar have experienced outsourcing their call centers in the Philippines. Doing so have helped them seized on the savings and allocating it to further expand their businesses.

Other American corporations such as Citibank, Safeway, Chevron and Aetna also outsource their call center services in the Philippines. Even businesses like Georgia medical collection agency and more have experienced outsourcing their customer concerns in the country.

These foreign companies believe that Filipinos are customer-centric and are easy to talk to. As English is the second language used in the country, well-trained agents are undoubtedly fluent compared to other countries.

Conclusion

As the fastest growing industry in the Philippines for over a decade, call centers in and out of the metropolis are continuously emerging. Ranging from startup companies with hundreds of staff, up to businesses with 1,000+ employees.

Nevertheless, the Philippines still holds the title of being the ‘call center capital of the world’. Up to this day, the developing call center industry in the country is not seen to be slowing down any time soon.

So if you’ve been contemplating about outsourcing your customer services, then better get a professional insight. Contact DBOS today and get a free consultation from our very own CEO/Founder!

customer service growth

8 Pointers to Fuel Customer Service Growth in 2020 and Beyond

Call Center Philippines, Customer Support Service Outsourcing / By

Today’s customer service growth goes beyond the traditional approach that we are extremely familiar with. As we have entered the age where many different channels of communication are made available, more effective customer support is expected to be implemented.

Customer service agents nowadays have full access to e-mail, live chat, social media, text messages and more. So companies that want to boost their sales and improve reputation has been conceptualizing the future of customer service growth.

See the infographic below and know the 8 lessons about customer service outsourcing to fuel growth in 2020 and beyond.

customer service growth

Customer support satisfaction

As customers highly value consistency, authenticity, and knowledge, gaining a better understanding of their expectations can boost their satisfaction. Ensuring it is the utmost priority of most businesses today. Check out our previous blog on how to improve the quality of your customer support services.

Customer support channels

The digital age enables customers to experience the omnichannel support that provides easier and faster service. This includes the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which they use on a daily basis.

Customer support agents

More than the know-how and professional experience, attitude is also a very important factor in picking the right customer support agents. While skills are learned and practised, friendliness, confidence, and a positive attitude are hard to teach. To be a great customer support agent, you have to have both.

Good customer experiences

Providing good customer service is what all companies aim to achieve, and so as their competitors. But, how would you get ahead of them? Making your customers happy is one thing, but providing a service that creates a huge impact on them could turn them into advocates.

Bad customer experiences

Unhappy customers only either complain or silently leave. And when they do, it’ll be hard to win their favour again. So it is always better to focus on providing a great service from the get-go to avoid the need for damage-control after.

Finances of support and service

According to a PWC survey, 86% of consumers are willing to pay up to 25% more for better customer experience. That means companies who invest in good customer support agents and was able to retain them has more chances of successful upsells and gain more new customers.

Customer self-service

Most customers nowadays enjoy discovering and exploring the answers themselves as they are also learning in the process. In the next years to come, the customers’ preference for chat support and messaging will only keep on growing. So adding self-service support can mean huge wins for your business in the future.

Future of Customer Experience

As technology continues to evolve, the quality of customer service also remains developing. The trends are changing and customer expectations keep on growing. Companies that continuously seek the trend and is never afraid of changes are most likely to go far in the business.

Located in the Philippines, DBOS is an Australian-owned offshore staffing company that caters to back-office services, digital marketing, IT outsourcing, and customer service outsourcing. Reduce your wage costs up to 70% and get a free consultation with our very own CEO/Founder!

customer service outsourcing

A Deeper Insight Into Customer Service Outsourcing

Call Center Philippines, Customer Support Service Outsourcing / By

When people mention about customer service outsourcing, the idea that comes to mind is a huge building packed with employees wearing headphones while simultaneously talking. Most often than not, they are generalized as people working on 12-hour shifts and are all fluent in English. But what if there’s more than just that?

Read on this blog and get a deeper insight into customer service outsourcing.

Outsourcing is not customer service outsourcing

Up until this day, a lot of people still confuse the whole concept of outsourcing to call centre agents. While a part of it, the idea of outsourcing does not exactly end with customer services alone.

On a closer look, outsourcing is anything. It could be delegating your non-core services to foreign countries or partnering with an offshore company to help your business get the best talent for cost-effective prices.

Now as a widely utilised business strategy, outsourcing entirely caters to different back-office services, IT solutions, digital marketing tasks and customer support. To simplify, customer service outsourcing is a popular service that falls under the general business strategy called outsourcing.

Why do foreign companies outsource their customer services?

Businesses from all over the world make use of outsourcing to lessen their labour costs, get access to international talents, improve output, tap the most skilled individuals, and a lot more. Out of all those benefits, most companies choose to outsource their customer services to free up time.

Numerous foreign companies prefer to outsource their customer support services also because countries such as the Philippines has a reputation of having good customer service skills. One proof is the neverending demand for call centre agents in the country. As of today, the outsourcing industry in the Philippines remains to be a huge contributor to the economy.

The on-demand economy

Nowadays, customer service outsourcing is a vital part of any business, regardless of the industry. And, the products or services a company offer is no longer the selling point for customers, rather the overall experience. So businesses today focus more on employing experienced, pro-active, and passionate customer-centric agents with absolute know-how.

Every day, outsourcing companies are dealing with a lot of competitors that pose a challenge to the efficiency of services that they provide. And though it has changed customer service in many ways, it still is one of the most effective ways.

Takeaway

The emergence of AI and automation was a threat to customer service outsourcing companies for a little while. However, it does not last for long as these companies thought of ways to increase their efficiency and further strengthen the level of services they provide.

One of these companies that kept on strengthening their customer services is DBOS. Located in the Philippines, DBOS is an Australian-owned offshore staffing company that caters to back-office services, digital marketing, IT outsourcing, and outsourced customer support services. Reduce your wage costs up to 70% and get a free consultation with our very own CEO/Founder!

customer support

Improve the Quality of Your Customer Support Services with These Tips

Call Center Philippines, Customer Support Service Outsourcing / By

The life of BPO companies is their call centre agents. Whether they are in customer support, sales,  or any other position, they are the ones who answer phone calls to represent an organisation.

Customer support services are most often outsourced to other countries. Some popular destinations for this type of services are the Philippines, India, Singapore, and most Asian nations.

Now, if you’re seeking to upgrade your customer support team, let this 5 tips help you.

1. Add a human touch

Communication is the most important human interaction. Not only we practise it on our daily living but it is also vital in providing great customer support services.

The standard step is to introduce yourself first and then get the customer’s name as a common courtesy. Next should be thanking them for getting in touch and that you are very much happy to be of great help. When the customer feels comfortable with the person on the other line, better communication will take place.

2. Learn to listen

Effective customer support doesn’t only have to be good at talking. One should also be a good listener to understand the customer’s concerns and provide an excellent solution. Although you’re familiar with the customer’s problem and you’ve already memorized the answer in your head, you still should wait until they finished talking. Not only it is the proper approach for two-way communication, but it also makes the customer feel like they are being heard.

3. Use a positive language

A negative language indicates doubt and is not ideal to use in customer-centric services such as customer support. In a customer’s perspective, it indicates that their query might not be resolved and that it’s a pointless call. To avoid situations like this, help your team practise using positive language only. Who knows? This could also help with the successful resolution of the client’s issue.

4. Provide a clear response

It is highly important to provide customers with clear and straightforward answers. Vague answers will only cause confusion and might be misinterpreted. Also, avoid using technical terms and jargons that could cause further misunderstanding.

Before the conversation ends, take time to ensure that you have been clearly understood and if there are other queries that you can help with.

5. Give your customers a way to provide feedback

The most important feedback that you should get is from your customers. So it would be best if you can provide an easier platform for them to leave their opinions and suggestions. Whether it is something good, bad, or neutral, this will help you improve your service even more. On top of that, their needs and expectations evolve with time so you should cope up. Always remember that a customer’s voice is priceless for your business.

Gain access to skilled outsourced customer support and save up to 70% on your labour and operational expenses when you choose DBOS – one of the fastest-growing Australian-owned offshore staffing company in the Philippines. Get a free consultation with us today!

offshore call centre

Offshore Call Centre Facts

Call Center Philippines, Offshoring in the Philippines / By

Offshore call centre services have long been a vital part of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. Long before other back-office offshore services was introduced in the Philippines, the call centre business was first.

For years, the BPO industry has hugely contributed to the economic growth of several struggling countries including India and the Philippines. These countries were two of those who keep on dominating the industry up until this day. Industry experts even called the Philippines as Asia’s outsourcing hub and the ideal destination for outsourcing.

Call centre hubs in the country focus on providing customer service and sales. Compared to in-house agents, outsourced customer support offers lower labour costs but produces higher productivity rates – a total win-win situation. And that is the major reason why foreign companies choose to outsource in other countries.

Learn more about the offshore call centre industry on the infographics below.

offshore call centre

So, if you’re looking for a reputable and trusted offshore staffing company who can handle all your call centre needs, just visit us at dbos.com.au. You can also check out the other offshore staffing services that we offer and get a free consultation from our very own CEO and founder!