5 Reasons Why Non-voice Customer Service Outsourcing Shouldn’t be an Afterthought

Stop thinking of non-voice services as an afterthought in customer service outsourcing, because it is so much more.

The first thing that comes into people’s mind about call centers are voice based services. However, chat and writing support services are as equally important to businesses as its counterpart.

In truth, non-voice services can significantly elevate your company’s performance.

If you are interested to know more, in this article we’ll give you an insight how non-voice are leading the way in reshaping call centers as we know it.

Numbers Behind Non-voice Customer Care Outsource

Non-voice services usually take center stage when the telephone stops ringing. To say it simply, businesses see it only as a background service or fallback option support to customers. 

In fact, according to Dimension Data, only 33% of companies have webchat capability, 37% have SMS/instant messenger support, and only 43% have social media customer service. Looking at these numbers, it appears that businesses do not see non-voice support customer service as a very important part of their business process.

This is serious. 

Ignoring non-voice based services can limit a company’s chances for success. Failure to adapt to technology creates a huge problem, especially for small and midsize companies. The worst case situation that can happen for them is closure.

It is important to adapt to the changing times since customers and businesses interaction are now so diverse.

The California State University’s newspaper, The Collegian, said it better:

“Customers communicate through different ways. Some clients feel comfortable calling a business, while others prefer to send a Facebook message or text. This makes it necessary to create a single access to any channel, regardless of the method of communication is.”

They add that as technology continues to develop, the channels to reach clients wilhttps://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/?utm_source=magellan-solutions.coml also change.

In addition to this, social media usage is growing in numbers. Nearly 80% of adults 18 and older and 93% of teens in the US use the internet based on this Illinois Library research paper. And as expected, Facebook is the most downloaded application on iPhones, Blackberrys, and phones running Windows Mobile.

The research notes that: 

“The internet has become deeply embedded in group life and is affecting the way civic and social groups behave and the way they impact their communities.”

So in a sense, using social media is not a really bad option for businesses. More than that, it is a low cost marketing and customer service tool to help you expand your reach, build trust and create a community.

Live chat grows in numbers as well next to social media interaction.

Younger audiences prefer to use Live Chat support because of its response speed, convenience and personalization of questions. It also enables two-way communication.

However, classic written communication channels stay relevant. Emails are a good example. Did you know that in 2019 alone, 293.6 billion emails were sent and received each day. And by 2022,  there’s a good chance that it will reach 347.3 billion daily emails. Despite the introduction of many communication channels, the art of writing emails remains strong.

What all of these means is that,  in order to survive, they need to embrace writing channel services. Businesses should stop thinking of non-voice as a parenthesis or support to voice-based activities. They actually play a huge part in getting, converting and keeping customers.

Furthermore, we’ve listed down core reasons why you should invest in non-voice services.

5 Reasons Investing in Non-voice Customer Service Outsourcing is Not a Bad Idea

1. It makes marketing easy

There are 4 Billion email users in the whole world as of 2020 according to Statista. And by 2025, they expect that it will grow to 4.6 Billion. 

Also, there is a growing trend on mobile email. In December 2018, they found out that 43 percent of email opens were via mobile. Compared to other methods of opening emails such as webmails, the number is very high.

Considering that 62% of all emails are opened on mobile devices, marketing your brand will be easy.

What does it mean for Non-voice BPO? Simple, the demand on email support such as marketing and customer service will grow in numbers for the next few years. That is the reason why BPOs are starting to offer 24/7 email support to stay connected with customers.

By measuring the numbers, half of the population will have access to emails in 2023. Imagine all the opportunity, especially for SMEs, to expand and acquire leads.

2. It delivers a strong return on investment (ROI)

Digital email marketing delivers a better ROI for your company according to Wharton University. Even more so, according to professor Raghuram Iyengar, digital marketing not only attracts new customers, but it also plays a part in keeping them.

What’s more, as per Data & Marketing Association (DMA), the average return of investment of email marketing is $42 per $1. Although to make those numbers happen you will need people that can create engaging emails. 

BPOs have workers that can help you market your brand. They usually go through a series of training to quickly identify pain points and write compelling emails. So instead of spending time and resources training agents to do their job, why not invest it on a work-ready non-voice customer service team?

3. It drives customer acquisition and retention

In a study done by Business Wire, 60% of Gen Z folks are more likely than average people to hang up if their call isn’t answered in under 45 seconds. That’s less than a minute!

With the sudden rise of phone calls nowadays, it is important to maintain high-quality service. And to do that, you will need to branch out into different mediums.

In Commbox’s own analysis of their record, they found out that their customer’s most favorite communication channel is Chatbot. It ruled supreme with 44% favorability, closely topping Facebook with 42% and WhatsApp with 34%. In responding to customers, social media plays an important role. It is said that answering a social media complaint can increase customer advocacy by as much as 25%.

Anyway, these are channels you can use that can help you acquire customers and build a culture of trust. 

4. It is far more efficient than phone-based services

Think of this, if a customer contacts your business and you do not have enough personnel to take that call it forms a waiting line. How would you think waiting for help will affect the overall customer experience?

However in chat and writing customer service, you can provide your customers with options and immediate resolutions through AI. Customers no longer need to wait for more than 2-8 hours to get a proper phone conversation because they can just email or message the concerns to the BPO company.

Chabots Magazine highlights the importance of AI in customer service. In their 2018 report, they found out that 69% of people prefer chatbots because of their ability to provide quick replies to simple questions.

5. It is the future of BPO

In the Computer Generated Solutions report called “Business Process Outsourcing Trends 2019: A Look Ahead,” they discovered that “providing better customer experience” has risen to the top of the list of goals of over 30 industry leaders.

In the same report, they identified that 40% of businesses believe that providing their customers with “more current and effective IT capabilities” is a priority.

Meaning, BPOs are looking out for technology trends that will help them create seamless customer experience. 

Globe, the leading telecom provider in the Philippines, sees a 22% higher customer satisfaction rate than its call center because of chatbots. Not only did chatbots increase customer contentment, but it also resulted in a 350% hike in employee productivity.

The University of Akron published a paper supporting that AI will be the future of all businesses, not only BPOs. In their paper they noted that, AI will enable businesses to better integrate existing systems, assist with hiring, continue to turn big data into insights, provide customers with more effective customer service and will become more user friendly.

What’s more, they stressed that four out of five CEOs believe that AI would make material changes to their business in the next 2-3 years. In short, companies should embrace AI to stay competitive in the industry.

Although there is a bright future for non-voice communication in the BPO industry, the MIT Sloan Management Review still highlights the importance of collaboration between human and AI technology.

In their review, they said that AI-driven transformation of customer service is not about getting rid of workers — it’s about making them smarter. Bots can immediately help customers answer basic questions, but agents play a more important role in answering complex ones.

Chat and messaging services can help people be more productive, especially in customer service. By leaving most of the work to machines, agents can now focus on being the sympathetic ear and clever problem solver when buyers really need them.

The Best Non-voice Customer Support Outsourcing Company in the Philippines

Outsource Customer Support Services with us and let’s work together for a better future.

We are Magellan Solutions and we are the premier BPO service provider to SMEs.

The best results are achieved through our wide-range of services, steady focus on quality over quantity, the best technology, pool of talents and business honesty.

We have 18+ years of industry experience. And we are also an ISO 27001-certified, GDPR and HIPAA compliant firm. So at the heart of what we do is data protection.

If you want to experience a difference in your business, shoot us a message! Our business development team will be with you ASAP!

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