Outsourcing specialist services is becoming more popular and around 30% of business owners plan to outsource parts of their business this year.
Outsourcing can achieve great results by accessing specialist skills or services that would be costly (or unavailable) to bring in-house.
Not that outsourcing is a new practice. Many businesses already outsource parts of their business.
Marketing, accounting and recruiting for example are regularly outsourced.
But one area of business that is often overlooked for outsourcing, is phone handling, and creating an outsourced switchboard in particular.
This isn’t something to be taken lightly and getting it wrong can create more problems than you’ll solve. But with the right research, and questions, you can generate great results for your business by outsourcing your switchboard.
In this guide, Andy MacGregor, Managing Director at outsourced switchboard provider Face For Business lays out the key questions to ask before outsourcing your switchboard systems.
Source: medium.com
Contents
1 – Why are you outsourcing?
This is the biggest reason outsourcing projects fail, because owners dive in without thinking about why they’re outsourcing in the first place.
Do you need to bring in specialist skills? Are you looking to free up staff to do other things? Are you looking for cost savings?
Whatever the reason, make sure you think strategically about your outsourcing goals.
2 – Is it a service that should be outsourced?
As an outsourced service provider we’re obviously advocates for using outside expertise, but you need to consider whether the function would benefit from outsourcing.
For example, is the cost to find a supplier and hire an external service lower than it would take to hire the service in-house?
Is it a service that needs to be flexible or scalable during the year?
Would it cost significantly more to bring the service in-house than it would to outsource it?
These are all considerations before committing.
Source: information-age.com
3 – Will it improve your call answering?
The whole point of investing in an outsourced switchboard is to improve the management of your calls. This includes the technology and systems you’ll incorporate through your outsourced partner.
One thing to consider is whether the way they work will improve the way you already do things.
If you’re investing in outsourcing you want to know the results will be better than if you invested in in-house resource.
If not, you might want to reconsider.
4 – Will you get a return on the bottom line?
How much you’ll have to invest in outsourcing is always going to be a consideration, but you should think more about the life-time value of the investment and whether it will provide better value overtime.
The best way to do this is to compare your investment against the cost of bringing the service in-house, including staff costs and on-going technology investment.
You’ll also need to consider the opportunity outsourcing your switchboard will provide other staff to focus more on their jobs and growing your business.
Source: proinsgroup.com
5 – How easy is the service to monitor and assess?
Outsourced services should continually be subject to review to ensure you’re always getting the best results from your investment.
With a switchboard, this is a simple process because you can run surveys of customers assessing your phone handling and customer service that’s dealt with by your provider.
You should also run internal audits from your team to ensure the provider is working well with your team or if improvements are needed on either side.
6 – How much capacity do you need?
If you have a small company or organization with only a few hundred employees, you may not need to outsource your switchboard management. However, if your company has more than a thousand employees, or if it has a global presence, outsourcing your switchboard management may be the best solution for you.
Source: signalscv.com
7 – What is your budget?
Outsourcing your switchboard management can be expensive, but it is worth it if you think it will save you time and money.
 8 – Do you have the time and resources to manage your own switchboard?
If you are not confident in your ability to manage a switchboard, then outsourcing may be the best option for you. An experienced third-party company can take care of all the logistics and ensure that all calls go through.
How to find the right outsourcing company
When you’re considering whether or not to outsource your switchboard management, there are a few things you need to know. First and foremost, you’ll want to make sure that the company you choose has experience managing switchboard systems. Additionally, be sure to ask about their turnaround time and customer service policies. Finally, be sure to review their pricing structure and contract terms carefully.
Source: articles.bplans.com
What are the challenges of outsourcing switchboard management?
There are several challenges that companies should be aware of before making a decision. Here are four key points to consider:
- Understanding the function of the switchboard: In order to effectively outsource switchboard management, it is important to understand the specific function of the switchboard. This will help ensure that the chosen company is capable of performing the task properly.
- Ensuring quality control: Quality control is a crucial part of any outsourcing project, and it is important to ensure that the company you choose is able to maintain high standards. If there are any problems with their switchboard management services, your customers will likely experience them first.
- Ensuring continuity of service: One of the key benefits of using an outsourced switchboard management service is continuity of service. If there is a problem with the contracted company, your customers will still be able to reach you via the switchboard. However, they may experience longer wait times or more frequent outages than usual.
- Coordinating with other departments: When outsourcing switchboard management services, it is important to coordinate with other departments within the company. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the project runs smoothly.
Ensure you benefit from outsourcing
Outsourcing elements of your business, especially your switchboard, can generate impressive results and provide a platform for your business to grow and improve.
But only if you do the right research and are selective with your process of what to outsource, and who to outsource to.
Without the proper research, you could quickly find yourself creating more problems than you had in the first place.
