Maximizing Customer Retention: Handling Complaints

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Businesses have goals to achieve, principles to observe, sales strategies to follow. Regardless of the nature of your business, it’s execution and strategies, there’s only one end point you’ll answer to –the receiver of the service –the customers. It is every company’s priority to deliver in accordance with the needs of consumers, always taking into consideration the importance of customer satisfaction in securing clientele.

However, it is no secret that dealing with different types of customers can sometimes (or always) be tricky; many consider BPO outsourcing the feasible solution, hiring personal trained for the task. No matter how careful and strict a company may be in running their business, complaints are unavoidable. The smallest or the most prominent business names aren’t spared from backlash. The complaint can be serious or trivial, but in order to keep a good relationship with clients, companies must deal with these problems as best as they can.

Handling complaints can be trying and time-consuming, and it’s also crucial for business owners to take immediate action in solving the problem – customers must be satisfied, and the company in good standing. While there’s no official manual on dealing with unhappy clients, following these steps may efficiently resolve the issue.

Identify What the Complaint Is All about

Knowing the nature of the complaint gives you insight on what went wrong with the service/s provided. Ask questions that would help you better understand the situation; you’ll know how to proceed in resolving the problem. It’s important you avoid arguments; be professional and polite in effort to work out amenable solution. Assure complainants they’ll receive proper compensation for the problem – sincerity always calms angry customers.

Propose Win-Win, Reasonable Solutions

After you hear out the customer’s side on the complaint, the appropriate action would be to offer a rational solution appealing to the client. Inquire about preferred resolution to the issue, evaluate and implement. Immediate resolution reflects a good image on the company, hopefully leaving no trace of the unfortunate incident. Ultimately, you should win back the trust and loyalty of your clients.

Complaints are smears on your company’s reputation, there is no getting away from it – entrepreneurs are fully aware of the consequences. Resolve issues for two reasons – to keep customers from switching to another brand, and to maintain good reputation. Complaints are often directed to customer service/support, so it it essential your support staff is qualified and trained for the task; this requires patience and empathy.

Clients want to feel that their concerns are valued, so it is wise to hire support who are rational and decisive. Customer support is one of the most important factors in a business, they’re front-liners to complaint management. Investing on a capable team through BPO outsourcing pays off, with a solid and growing customer base.

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Six Strategies to Maximize Your Business Profits

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Profit is primary reason in doing business, but it’s hardly the end-all of goal. Success is measured with various metrics, like healthy client relationship, employee satisfaction, liquid assets, etc. It can also be elusive, especially without planning and strategizing. If you want to maximize revenues as soon as feasible, you need to consider a handful of factors to make this happen.

Investing in business comes with risks, and only people with true grit are able to handle the pressure. If you have any intent of building a start-up, then you should be ready to invest your money, time and personal comforts to make it happen. Here are six strategies that ensure you get more mileage with your initial efforts:

1. Know Your Target Crowd

You have plenty to consider in putting up a business. If you’re starting a restaurant, you think of the best location and the best ingredients, hire the best crew to set your business apart from the rest. However: while thinking of the best elements to complete your business, you might forget the number one factor that is needed to succeed – your target market.

Your target market is the most important factor you should consider; without it, no one will purchase your products and avail of your services. It’s hard to develop a business if you’re clueless about the market. Consider the crowd covered by your products or services, what they want and need, and what they’re willing to pay for, as you go along improving your enterprise.

2. Make Your Business Stand Out

After examining your target market, determine how to highlight your product’s unique features, use these to develop brand identity. Make your product stand out so it’s unique to all the other offers on the market. It must be attractive enough so the market is encouraged to patronize your products and services. Get a grip on this technique if you want to find your sweet spot on the market.

3. Make Your Business Known

Investing heavily in business, keep in mind the best way to achieve success is to be visible to as many people as possible. Your products or services might be as good as your crowd demands, but if it is not known by the public, there’s less chance you’ll achieve what you really want. After developing the best product to market, start a buzz around it and maximize reach before launch. There are two ways to make your business known: by maximizing exposure online (social media), and through outreach marketing.

4. Deliver a Great Customer Experience

Once you are done introducing your products to the market, deliver to expectations in terms of service. First impressions last, so make sure your initial impact is positive, or at least satisfactory. Deliver what your market wants, and they will note your service for next time; you have potentially subsequent customers, repeat business. Customers who are secure in your business stay loyal, which is always good in the long-term.

5. Offer a variety of products and services.

Your product is already exposed on the market, and it is already patronized. Building a momentum is challenging enough, but you also need to sustain it. People who are easily satisfied eventually ask for more and better. If you offer products without variety, there is a possibility that you might lose your customers. Try something new and add some spice to your business. Innovation is always needed in the industry and you should conduct it for your business’ success. Innovation keeps the crowd satisfied with what you offer, leaving them to choose from your products’ varieties.

6. Encourage Word of Mouth

A good impression goes a long way, especially when you’re just starting your business. If your first customers aren’t satisfied with your services, you’re seriously risking repeat business, choking your revenue stream. These same customers might give share negative comments about your business, preventing conversion of potential customers. Reputation spread by word of mouth is indeed significant; to gain more customers, encourage your first crop to refer you to others, ensuring your business develops and grows.

It takes a lot of courage to enter the business industry. The successful make it look so easy to profit, but it actually involves hard work and perseverance, which are so often endured behind the scenes.

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Four Outsourcing Challenges Your Business Needs to Hurdle

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Is your business outsourcing projects to specialized teams? You’re on the right track in taking that first step; it’s cost-efficient and feasible. There are also fewer worries in entrusting processes to skilled, experienced teams. However, you need to overcome a handful of challenges before you invest; have you considered how the employees in the company will respond the changes, and are you clear on the expectations set with your service provider?

Outsourcing work as extension of your business is beneficial in the long run, but you need to cover all bases if you want to milk all of the benefits. Here are four challenges you need to consider before, during, and after you take the plunge:

1. Transitioning the Management

Outsourcing parts of your operations could mean you’ll have to let some people go. At the very least, you’ll restructure teams as necessary. You need to anticipate the disruptions, manage it so the change wouldn’t be a liability. Existing employees may resist with lack of support; some may also seek other opportunities. Nip this at the bud with proactive strategies that gradually, seamlessly transitions the change in management.

Develop a professionally made communication draft, sent to all stakeholders affected by the transition. It’s best if you can personalize each message to the recipient; sending unique messages to different employee levels will also work. You need to address everyone’s lingering thoughts, “What about me?” and “What’s in this for me?”

2. Cultural Differences

You’re coordinating with teams from different timezones, sharing tasks with different cultural and corporate mores. Your corporate culture may be opposite from your service provider; are you willing to adjust rigid policies to accommodate your provider’s casual approach? What works for you may not work for your provider, and a compromise can be your best solution to achieve synergy.

Factor in national cultures, which can be categorized into differences in language, work ethics, work hours, and religion. Asian cultures are less confrontational than their western counterparts, and your straightforward approach may be received as aggressive, threatening by your eastern counterparts. Your service provider will likely have awareness training resource on hand; coordinate and trade notes in effort to merge the cultures.

3. Unrealistic Expectations

They say great expectations come with great disappointments. You’re partially at fault if you don’t clarify expectations with your service provider at the outset. It is true some companies expect their providers to take care of everything, which is hardly the case (unless stipulated). Set the bar too high and you’ll end up overcritical on the output, worsened by a barrage of negative feedback.

Your executive team need to be aware outsourcing isn’t the end-all of solutions; expectations must be realistic and agreed upon by all parties. Employees and stakeholders must be kept up to speed on developments, including setbacks encountered as the project unfolds. Managing expectations ensures there’s goodwill between the company and clients moving forward.

4. Protecting Intellectual Property

IP is always at risk when you’re working with outside parties. Non-disclosure and non-competition clauses should be airtight, and strictly enforced. Mitigate risks in areas affected, including access to information, physical properties like buildings and offices; implement administrative safeguards that sanction employee conduct.

Keep in mind the safeguards must consider the corporate and cultural differences mentioned, draft policies that anticipate and cover for loopholes. You can’t be too careful with your intellectual property, and it must be said that once that precious trade secret is out, it is out.

All things considered, the benefits of outsourcing outweigh its disadvantages. It’s just a matter of ensuring you’re on the same page with your provider every step of the way. You have everything to gain with efficient coordination, since your business is heavily invested in the results.

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4 Smart Solutions When Your Capital Isn’t Enough

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It takes serious commitment to start a business. It also takes courage to persevere through the highs and lows of management, expanding operations by outsourcing jobs. Unless you’re set with a huge fortune to back your capital, you’ll need supplementing funds more often than you would admit. If you’re heavily invested in your business, then it’s likely you’re built to take on the risks, starting a business with capital insufficient to last the long haul.

Here are four smart solutions to tide your business over, in times you’re running low in capital:

1. Start Small

Startup businesses do not necessarily require massive capital, just enough to sustain about a year’s worth of expenses. Most large corporations start from small enterprises, others were acquired by other companies at hefty markup. You want your products or services to be known around the world, but you have to start local to achieve this goal. Take it easy and one step at a time; make the most out of whatever you have right now. With a feasible business plan, your company will grow through stingy and wise management.

2. Curb Your Expenses

Creativity is crucial at the start of small business, especially when it comes to spending. Innovation in products and services is also important, a secret to streamlined operations. If you think you do not have enough capital to start up a business, at the very least minimize your expenses. You may not need to outsource jobs you can manage (not yet), especially if you can’t afford the service. Your priority should involve looking for resources. Don’t limit yourself to expensive tools when free or cheaper alternatives are available.

3. Partner with an Angel Investor

Angel investors throw money at startup businesses, allowing these to spend on development and improvement. This is first benefit of partnering with an angel investor, but you also gain experience from mentorship and coaching; years of hard-earned experiences imparted to your gain. Looking for angel investors can be a challenge, but easier if you’re well exposed and connected in the relevant industries.

4. Advertise for Free, Use Social Media

Social media is a free, effective promotional platform, and the accounts are easy enough to set up. Make sure you’re established on these free platforms before you invest TV commercials, multimedia, and printed advertisement. Take advantage of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and similar sites where you can introduce your products or services. How can you resist the appeal of free advertising?

According to Robert Kiyosaki, “It does not take money to make money.” Business is a step-by-step procedure, and you have a variety of resources at your disposal. Start small and let it grow, and then outsource jobs to keep operation costs feasible.

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Navigating Timezones: Three Strategies for Expanding Businesses

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Are you having trouble calculating the difference between EST and PST? Have you ever juggled one-hour discrepancies between states and cities? The tangle of time zones can twist your business into knots, especially if you’re involved in supply and customer service. Whether you’re dealing with clients or partners, it pays to be conscious of time zones. This inconvenience is necessary, but can be mitigated by outsourcing services to teams who can handle aspects of operations round the clock.

Toggling the timezones can be messy, but becomes second nature once you get the hang of it. Here are three strategies to start with:

1. Use Your Phone’s World Clock and Converter

It’s one of the most neglected features of smart phones, also one of the most useful. You’ll find this indispensable when you’re doing business in multiple locations. If you’re trying to schedule a meeting with clients from different countries, setting the best time to meet is easy when you have all the local clocks on hand for comparison.

Use this feature as a crutch until you know the conversions by heart. You can also rely on your smartphone’s world clock for every transaction. Either way, use this often enough and eventually you won’t need it.

2. Lay Down Timezone Rules with Clients

This is an awkward way to start, but must be settled so everyone’s clear on expectations. Which timezone will be used as basis in meetings, deliveries? This depends on your relationship to the other party. If you’re dealing with customers and clients, you’ll have to adjust. Otherwise you’ll have to compromise.

What’s the use of setting timezone ground rules? No one has an excuse for missing deadlines and deliverables if there’s a standard time set. You’re also displaying good business sense if you go out of your way and adopt a client’s local time as basis.

3. Keep Your 24-Hour Workday Feasible

Round-the-clock customer support is unavoidable when you’re serving customers in various timezones. It makes sense to have someone accommodating customers at the other end, responses customized and sent as soon as possible. This is crucial if you’re selling products worldwide; a feasible solution is to outsource services to contact centers, or dedicate teams to work in rotating shifts. You can also handpick sales reps based on locations you’re serving, working from home and on flexible hours.

Outsourcing pays off in customer service, if the response times complement the customer’s timezone. Being considerate of client’s time also increases chances of repeat service; you don’t want to annoy someone by replying on an ungodly hour. Personalize service by hiring someone local (or nearby) your clients to handle calls and queries.

Managing a business with global reach is a challenge, but it’s very doable with the right strategies. It also helps if you outsource services to reliable partners. Step up your game as you expand to new markets.

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3 Outsourcing Essentials for Better Business

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Business Process Outsourcing has become an all-in-one solution in today’s industries. This is evident in the Philippines, with the local outsourcing jobs exhibiting exponential growth. The country hit high margins of employment in August 2014; from 101,000 in 2004, the workforce increased to over 930,000. It’s evident why outsourcing is the byword in cost-efficiency across a variety of industries.

Outsourcing is only beneficial if you approach it with the right strategies. There are variable, essential factors to consider before adopting solutions for your business, and it’s important your decisions are backed by solid evaluations. Here are three essentials to consider before you commit:

1. Consider the Costs

It’s common knowledge outsourcing saves time and money, but this is only the case if the solutions complement the business’s needs. Yours must be realistic in terms of sales or savings, projected and actual. Anticipate problems in production / operation to preempt losses. Survey factors that can affect your income, pave a clear path for your prospects.

2. Partner with the Right People

Synergy is crucial to smooth operations, all the more important in outsourcing jobs. Ensuring a successful business requires partnership with the right team. You get to screen and choose the service, so bide your time and consider as many quotes as you can before you commit. Don’t give in to what’s most feasible until you’ve weighed all strengths and weaknesses.

Beware the pitfall of going for the cheapest offer, though; this sometimes comes with serious tradeoffs. It helps if you choose the best one as you contrast the qualities of the products and services being offered. Entertain quotes and proposals, conduct background checks, evaluate history of performance, and never, ever skip the fine print.

3. Draft a Solid, Airtight Contract

The terms of service will either ensure you get the best end of the deal, or it could leave you shortchanged. At the very least, there’s mutual benefit with the outsourced party. Closing on the contract is tricky if you haven’t fleshed out the essential details with your partner. The dynamics of your partnership hinges on the signed agreement – it’s your assurance of quality service, also your safety net in untoward incidents.

A cost-effective business involves taking advantage of every opportunity, and outsourcing jobs is proven an efficient, feasible alternative to in-house sourcing. Your business has everything to gain with the service, so long as you guard your interest, do your due diligence. In any case, outsourcing companies are well aware of these expectations, it’s just a matter of finding the right people to partner with.

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Choosing Your Business Model: Shared Services Over Centralization

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Regardless of industry, specialty, or region, business owners know there is always room for improvement within the company. In the fast-paced and highly-competitive markets of today, businesses have to adapt to the surges of demand and supply, adopt the proper business model that propels the company forward.

There’s a variety of possible models to adopt, but two common and popular models stand out above the rest. Your business needs to know: how is shared services model better than centralization?

Shared Service In A Nutshell

In a shared services model, processes are coordinated between independent units and a supervising entity. This relationship is dynamic, with each unit accountable to its own output and efficiency. There’s focus on service excellence, cost-efficiency, performance, and continuous improvement. Customers are treated as customers, with emphasis on service and feedback.

Centralization, Streamlining And Efficiency

Centralization dedicates leadership to an oversight party or headquarters. Consequently, this model benefits the company more than the end user (customer). Usual focus is on operations and management, instead of customer service. Centralization is a traditional business model, and it’s proven advantageous if the goal is to run the company like a well-oiled machine.

The Advantage Of Shared Services Model

To put it simply, shared services offers the business the chance to maximize a dedicated and expert team of specialists to handle a specific operation/project, at a cost-effective price. Meanwhile, centralization is the integration of services to one location, with a clear designation of decision-making to the higher ups of the management. While both models offer a range of benefits, they also have their own unique advantages to offer.

In the shared services model, businesses can expect a strong emphasis on the quality of performance/output from the provider. In centralization, a standard procedure must be strictly followed. The whole structure of the team under the shared services model also make for a way that leaders have a shared responsibility and accountability to deliver the efficient and effective functions required of them.

In contrast, the decisions in the centralized model are made for the benefit of the company rather than the customers. Because the shared services model offers a more flexible and service-oriented approach to accomplish a task/function, the advantage is evident in excellent results and feedback.

Searching for effective solutions to outsourcing? Consider shared services and staff leasing!

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Why Project Outsourcing (Still) Points East: Take Your Market Research Calls to the Philippines

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While the global economic climate has succumbed to caution and slower growth, the Philippines remains a lucrative destination for project outsourcing needs, including the expanding industry of market research. With enough decision-making work on your hands, it’s time you consider taking on the world’s largest outsourcing market, one of Asia’s most English-proficient countries—ultimately meeting your market research call needs in the process.

A Large English-Speaking Talent Pool

To effectively gauge your customers’ reactions towards your product or service, you must have a certain understanding of their daily routine and how it relates to what you offer to them. Filipinos themselves are highly Westernized, which makes their calls feel more authentic. No customer would feel comfortable talking about their products to a stiff-sounding robot, which is why Filipinos, with their first-hand experiences of Western products, can very much relate to the experiences of your customers. Perhaps they can even throw in a pop culture reference or two (when appropriate, of course), to make your business feel more human.

Lower Costs

Despite the abundance of qualified talent, the Philippines is still known for being a cost-efficient, project outsourcing destination. In the realm of market research calls, that simply means your expenditures for customer support take a nosedive, while the development of your business can finally take a huge chunk of the company budget. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Intense Competition, Higher Quality

Open a Filipino classified ad or job website and you’d be hard pressed not to find a BPO company. According to the Oxford Business Group, it’s even become an $18 billion-dollar industry in 2014. Competition, in turn, has become rife as an abundance of outsourcing companies vie to give the best contact services possible to their offshore clients. You can expect to avoid paying top dollar for quality.

A Tech-Savvy Generation

The Philippines is no stranger to the newest technologies, especially in its young workforce. Developments in consumer electronics and telecommunication are immediately adopted and applied. This is seen in all IT industries: transitioning in-house tasks offshore is easier if you’re working with teams that easily adapt. Technical and specialized processes are competently handled; couple this with English-proficient professionals and you have the ideal talent pool.

Project outsourcing is good for business because it reduces operation costs. If you’re partnered with the right teams, then you’re also guaranteed efficient processes. If you’re considering locations to expand, there’s no better place to start than the Philippines.

Did you like this post? Contact us now for inquiries!

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When West Meets East: Outsourcing Services and the Corporate Cultural Gap

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Corporations must anticipate team members who can’t see eye to eye, especially if this involves international teams in the BPO industry. Physical, social, and cultural barriers must be considered and managed when outsourcing services. Though the physical barriers are easily bridged through ever-evolving technologies, some social and cultural barriers within the workspace can just as easily be overlooked.

The corporate culture varies between locations, and with it comes differences in how goals are met, how company values are represented, and how employees interact. When you compare the West’s corporate culture to the East, the American and European cultures focus on end results, while Asian cultures are heavily influenced by local values and traditions (e.g. hospitality, loyalty, etc). This is why it’s important for both parties to understand each other’s corporate culture, mind the gaps that could hinder a project’s success.

Philippine Culture Primed for BPO Industries

For example, the Philippine BPO industry has grown significantly since its start in the ‘90s, because of certain social, cultural, and corporate values upheld. Their natural affinity to the Western culture helps them better understand cultural references, slang, and the like; with this comes their proficiency in the English language, both oral and written. It also helps that Filipinos have a strong sense of camaraderie, empathy, and diligence that enables them to meet their goals effectively and efficiently.

Gaining an understanding of these factors help parent companies plan for successful outsourcing services. Proper communication, then, plays a vital role in the success of a smooth and productive workforce. Expectations should be clearly laid out, roles (and expectations) must be properly understood, and measurements for productivity should also be clearly explained. It also helps to create positive interpersonal relationships between both parent and offshore teams to boost morale and to encourage smooth operations.

Outsourcing Services Improve Operations

Most internal operations can be improved with outsourcing services, so it’s important your company is synched to outsourced teams. Corporate cultures may differ, and embracing this is your best response. The bottom line of outsourcing is results, efficiently achieved.

Outsourcing business functions is the better way, and it’s easier once the gap between corporate cultures is bridged. There’s a reason why outsourcing service is concentrated on the east: cultures here are relational, yet professional. Your business benefits because it can focus on the big picture, while teams dedicated to deliver do the legwork.

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Staff Leasing 101: Is Cheaper Better?

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Cheaper might not always be the best choice but sometimes it is depending on the situation. For staff leasing, this general rule also applies. There are many service providers out there and they relentlessly compete with each other, and the main reaction to this is to offer cheaper services in order to attract clients.

Cheaper staff leasing services doesn’t always mean poor quality, but how do you determine if the cheap price being offered to you is a good deal? Here are a few tips to help you pin point what is a good deal and what’s not.

Ask for Proposals
Proposals are not just for formal purposes, it’s an opportunity for you to determine if the money you will be paying a staff leasing firm is worth the services they will be providing you. It would be best to look for a few service providers you like and ask a proposal from each one of them, so you can take a look and compare their pricings.

Research and Dig Deep
It can become too boring but definitely worth it. Would you want to be tied in a contract with a staff leasing firm that specializes in conning clients? It happens and is still happening today, so always be vigilant every time a service provider is offering you cheap services. Look for testimonials, press releases, articles and even comments on social media sites, you are likely to get a good grip on what’s happening with that service provider’s business when you research online.

Always Ask for a Portfolio
A staff leasing firm might send you their company portfolio, but it is best if you also ask for the professional portfolio of the staff who will be working under you. Request for a phone call or even a Skype interview so you’ll be able to see and assess the personality of the staff you’re considering to hire. This way, you can be assured that a dedicated staff will be working on your projects and not some random freelancer that the staff leasing firm is hiding from you.

Look At What They Specialize On
Staff leasing firms varies on their specialties, so if you’re looking to hire a team of data entry specialists it would be wise to look for a service provider that specializes in that field because they know it better than the others. Same goes for IT services; you can get a better programmer or designer from staff leasing firms that specialize in the IT field.

If the proposal is too good to be true, always think twice and never decide on the spot. It’s much better to keep searching for a reliable service provider than engage with the wrong one.