Business Metrics: What Surveys Can Do For Your Business

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While it is often overlooked and its relevance not emphasized, surveys are important in all endeavors. It’s the key to answering specific questions needed in an organization. However, the process isn’t as simple as it seems. Every question is drafted to cover a diverse range of topics; when answered, this provides companies answers and solutions. At the very least, companies have better grasp of its next strategies.

In business, surveys help collect valuable data used to better understand the market. These include consumers, competitor, and market trends. The data helps business owners, potential investors see the organization from a different standpoint. Surveys are conducted to answer questions and obtain data, used to improve processes and systems in the organization.

Every survey process has three phases:

1. Formulate relevant questions that answer most or all of the company’s questions.
2. Extract the raw data, translate, organize, present.
3. Identify positive and negative results, strong and weak points; suggest courses of action.

Surveys are vital to an organization’s success. The data points you in the right direction, also helps you prepare for unforeseeable problems or challenges you may encounter. Projections are insightful in new, various ways. Once data is interpreted properly, you have enough to use on customer outreach: engagement, monitoring, and follow-ups.

Here are some points to address:

– What’s the running pulse of your customers, your market?
– What can you do to improve communication, increase positive feedback?
– How can you improve customer experience?

Surveys glean information by collecting data from a representative sample of your market. This requires extensive preparation, execution, evaluation. Most companies outsource this service to specialists, which is often the most feasible option. Your company could be doing great, plateaued, or at a crossroads, all these ideal scenarios to conduct surveys on your market. However, it’s important your surveyor is skilled and experienced in processes, able to draft the right set of questions, choose the best sample, apply the appropriate treatment, and interpret the data.

Companies in tune with their markets are able to beat the competition. Finally, there’s one compelling reason why you should seriously conduct surveys: your best competitors are doing it. Keep the competition at bay, find practical ways to get ahead, and roll with improvements.

Elsewhere on this blog:

Boost Your Business Without Going Bust – 4 Scaling Tips for Startups

Competitive Advantages of Offshore Staff Leasing

Business 101: How to Widen Customer Network Using Social Media

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!

Elsewhere on this blog:

Hiring Your First Offshore Employee – Outsourcing Tips for Beginners

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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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Essentials of Contact Center Management: Call Handling

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There are instances when call center agents get a rough time handling customer calls. With the variety of phone connectivity available, numerous troubles, concerns, and complaints need to be addressed accordingly. There’s always the option of contact center outsourcing, and there’s always room for improvement; here are some steps to implement with your teams. Let your teams work on these strategies, improving the overall call handling performance of the agents.

Answer Incoming Calls Immediately

If you want to convert customers, answer their calls. Even if you think it’s only a complaint, every call you receive is worth the company’s income. Through this fundamental gesture, your customers feel valued. If the roles were reversed, you don’t want to be on the other line, waiting for someone to pick up the call even though it has been ringing nonstop. Make sure that your agents answer the calls properly and on time. This is a great start to help you convert more calls into customers.

Ask for Contact Information

When the consumers call, it’s possible that they are considering doing business with you. In this case, you better train your team well and provide an effective system that helps them collect the name, email address, and contact number of each potential customer. This is an essential step in contact center outsourcing, knowing how to follow-up on consumers for possible leads or other special offers, even if you have multiple agents receiving the calls. After all, you don’t want to lose a lot of information in the shuffle of different people answering the phone.

The Art of Putting Calls on Hold

Remember that the longer you keep a caller on hold, the less likely that customer stays on the phone. With this in mind, train your agents to have a clear understanding of how to keep callers on hold for the shortest time possible. In fact, it can be observed that the average waiting time of most callers is more or less within the 50-second range. It is best to make the most of the customer’s time by moving with a comprehensive system of gathering information, providing solutions, and the like.

Developing dynamic, efficient contact center outsourcing involves equally effective methodologies. Stay on top of processes, and don’t hesitate to apply feasible ways of improvement. You’ll know the teams are doing well with significant decrease in complaints, and increased rate in customer satisfaction.

Visit our Solutions Page and tell us what you need!

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Four Easy Steps to Calming Angry Clients

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Spotting the Right PEO for Your Business: Efficient Offshore Staff Leasing

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Business owners seeking the aid of offshore staff leasing have to make sure they are on the right side. While it is proven that this type of platform is highly cost-effective on their part, it is also wise to evaluate what is best for the company. Offshore staff leasing sure has lots of advantages to offer, but sometimes this strategy may tend to backfire.
To secure your business’s future, here are some of the things that you should consider in looking for a professional employer organization (PEO) that would represent your ideals and goals.

 

The Right Combination of Services

 

In considering which PEO to deal with, it is important to know the services being offered first. Do they have what you are looking for? Do you think they will be able to give you the kind of service that your business needs in able to grow its market? Ask as many questions as you like. Be very specific with your criteria; if you think the PEO will benefit your company in the long run, then you can consider it as a green light.

 

Financial Stability

 

Considering the PEO’s financial strength also counts when it comes to securing a good business deal. As an entrepreneur, it is your responsibility to avoid scams, misfires and similar failures to prevent damage on your behalf. A PEO with a clean and impressive track record is the one that you want to transact with.
Look into every detail before deciding to give it a go, ask for advice and references from colleagues, and most especially, study the contract meticulously. Scams tend to provide contracts which delude clients. If you see even the slightest anomaly in the details, raise a red flag and inquire before signing.

 

Rapport

 

Another thing to look over when dealing with a PEO is the personal connection between you and the representative. It is easier to do business with someone whom you’re comfortable with than with someone whom you don’t truly trust. Developing a close bond with a PEO may determine the course of the relationship which you may have with them in the long run.

 

The PEO you’re partnered with affects the trajectory of your business. Offshore staff leasing comes with plenty of benefits, especially if the people you choose share your ideals. Details are easily sorted out once you’re in agreement with the big picture.

Partner with us! We customize Staff Leasing Solutions to meet your business needs.

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Four Easy Steps to Calming Angry Clients

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Customer complaints are expected even in thriving businesses, constant reminders that there will always be opportunities for growth. The question is how to handle these complaints in such a way that both you and your customer come out as winners.

Actually, there is no sure-fire formula to effectively handling disgruntled clients. In many large businesses, staff leasing is considered the solution; a complaints department or team is created to make sure that grievance calls are addressed promptly. Sadly, even this is sometimes ineffective. When dealing with an angry customer, only four things should be observed.

1. Listen.

Some people are simply fed up with the customer service and just need to release that pent-up emotion. The call that they make serves as their outlet and your role is to listen patiently to what they have to say, without judging them in any way. At some point during the call, your caller will calm down. That will be your cue to offer a solution, but make sure that you fully understand the problem.

2. Repeat.

Once you sense that the customer has let down his guard, repeat the problem back to him to make sure that you got it right. Getting corrected at this point should be expected because how you tell the problem may not be what your caller wants to hear. Continue this “parrot” technique of presenting the problem until the customer agrees to what you say.

3. Empathize.

With the two of you agreeing on the issue, offer an apology for what your customer has experienced. Saying sorry may have become too common in many complaints cases, but if you say it with a sincere heart, it will always have a calming effect on your caller. Follow this up with the appropriate solution and an explanation as to why the problem came up, but without putting the blame on others.

4. Assure.

A strong assurance that the issue is an isolated case and is not a normal procedure will inspire your customer to stay with the business. In some cases, making a follow-up call a few days after the problem was resolved comes highly recommended. Not only do you get to find out if your client is satisfied with your service, your call can help bring back that all-important customer trust.

Empathy should be the first thing on your mind when handling customer complaints. It’s an important element of frontline service, and it’s crucial to resolving complaints. Nothing spells service better than effective, personalized customer service.

We can help you build an amazing support staff, request a quote now!

Elsewhere on this blog:

Competitive Advantages of Offshore Staff Leasing

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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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Build Stronger Teams on an Infrastructure of Shared Services

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Adapt your business strategies to changing business trends. In a time corporate dynamics is more demanding, there’s always the need to look into ways to improve operations. With that, more and more companies are now built on infrastructure of shared services.

Shared service is a strategy of combining different resources into one operational entity. This is to streamline possible redundancies in the organization, and cutting operational costs. This model is an efficient and effective way of delivering services to both corporate functions and customers. Shared service is more than just a method of lowering costs, it is a dynamic strategy where the value of services is improved with focused operations.

Shared Service Is Focused

It’s feasible to combine company resources like manpower and technology, especially if the goal is to consolidate an organization. United teams work well together, and unity is what shared service is all about.

Some companies combine their operational functions (legal, administrative, accounting, human resources, clerical, and the like) into a single unit. Through a collection of various resources, the resulting structure is a flexible unit. As the cost of shared services is based on the output delivered, better task delegation and financial management are always possible.

Shared Service Is Feasible

An infrastructure of shared services is designed to improve and deliver. Operations are efficient when downtime is reduced, or dedicated to other valuable services. Moreover, by cutting redundancies, services are delivered much faster. Shared services free and make room to the organization, improving the workflow along the way. Who else benefits from this dynamic system but the business, the employees, and the customers?

Shared service is not just a practical way to achieve organization goals, it’s also a proactive response to ever-changing business needs. Just like in budding plants, for a business to grow, cutting some parts within the whole is essential. And when that part blooms, the whole prospers. Shared service is just that – benefitting the whole business without sacrificing the quality of services.

Hire an awesome support staff without the hassle: we offer Staff Leasing Service that’s guaranteed to build your team. Request a quote now!

Elsewhere on this blog:

Competitive Advantages of Offshore Staff Leasing

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Boost Your Business Without Going Bust – 4 Scaling Tips for Startups

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Startups are now the norm in business, where risk-takers with big ideas flock. Launching a startup requires thrust to escape gravity, though. Yours may not be in league with Tesla or Uber, but who’s to say investors won’t like your special sauce? And while some attribute success to luck, yours should be about hard work, coupled with the knack to capitalize on every opportunity.

You’ve crunched the numbers and they’re solid, your business is primed to scale up. You’re even weighing the advantages of outsourcing development. But before you do, it pays to assess actual health with a handful of criteria. These four essentials are not exhaustive, but enough to ensure you have a good head start.

1. Focus on the Bigger Picture

If you think your business is now the big fish in your pond, then it makes sense to dream of open seas. You have to mind the transition, though, which means there are smaller, shallower waters to navigate before you’re really capable. Say you’ve valuated your business at $1 million, how high should you scale up? $100 million may be a stretch, how about $30 million?

Keep your goals realistic, and progress with doable margins. You’re likely aware many startups crash and burn because too much money was funneled into a flimsy business model that fell flat. Make sure yours is solid before you boost.

2. Your business deserves a face – like Apple and Microsoft

Many of the biggest brands are fronted by equally big personalities. Think Elon Musk, Oprah, and Donald Trump. While it is possible to build a brand separate from its founders, it’s in your best interest to couple personal brand with your business. For better or worse, stamp your seal of approval and front the business with a familiar face.

Building your public profile exposes you to the industry, opening tie-up opportunities. If eventually you’re big enough to spread out to related industries, your personal brand will tie these ventures together. Think Google, currently spread out into countless areas in tech.

3. Build, expand your network

This may seem an understatement, but have you considered there are connections you’re better off without? Some connections spark and sustain growth; others hamper, or worse, drag you down. Before you pursue potential tie-ups, do the legwork and research your investor. Confirm if your partners are financially sound before you commit.

It appears counter-intuitive to turn down opportunities for funding. It’s wise to think long-term, though, cut ties and preempt any potential damage.

4. Steer the ship, delegate the details

This is the pitfall of many start-ups, failing to focus on strategy and push with it. It’s true success is measured in small steps as much as milestones, but upper management is supposed to steer, even in small start-ups. If you find you’re knee-deep in routines you can delegate, pause and find someone to do the dirty work. Outsourcing development and processes to third parties lifts the burden, frees you to focus on the long view.

Hire specialists to take on tasks, prefer multi-taskers if you’re tight on finances. It’s important your head is clear preparing for investor meetings, setbacks, and other curve balls thrown your way.

Stepping up in business takes true grit, but it helps if you’re also equipped. Avoid the urge to gamble, though; businesses that went all-in and succeeded are the exceptions. Plenty more went bust and only had lessons to learn from the mistake.

We want to help you build better business! Visit our website and check out our staff leasing solutions.

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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.