We have tried 3 call center outsource providers over the past 5 years, and none of them did a good job. They were great with their dog and pony show, but were wheels off when it came to actually servicing our customers. I’m starting to think the only way our customer service is going to get done right is if we do it ourselves.”
(Quote from an actual call center executive when talking about call center brokers)
In 1996, the great POP singer Paula Cole asked the question; “Where have all the cowboys gone?”. Today, we are hearing more and more customer service executives asking: “Where have all the good call centers gone?”. It’s a great and important question.
There are many, many very good call center outsource partners out there. These call center companies are passionate about delivering the highest level of service they can and always put their client’s customers FIRST. The problem that most customer service executives have is, the really good call center providers can be hard to find.
Due to their inability to easily answer this question, executives will default to the “Big 4” providers. However, what most people do not know, is there are hundreds of small to mid-tier call center outsource providers who have great technology, advanced service, and operational processes, phenomenal people with a passion for service and a solid track record of results.
Call Center Brokers Can Help
There are many reasons why finding a good call center is so difficult. We will list two of the most common scenarios:
First, there is an incredible number of call center outsourcers around the world. Literally, thousands of call center outsource companies. So many that going to Google and searching for call centers is not even effective anymore.
Second, when a customer service executive locates a couple of call center partners, it’s hard to know if those call center partners are right for their business. As the executive above showed, most companies do great when they come onsite and do the “dog and pony” show, but once the contract is signed and your project begins; they underperform and become a burden to your company and your customers. This scenario plays out every day at companies everywhere.
This is where a good Call Center Broker can be a BIG help. Generally, call center brokers have a great deal of experience with call center providers of all sizes and can help guide you through the sea of outsourcers out there. The good news is, most call center brokers are free to their clients. They are paid by the outsource partners. All of this sounds great on the surface but even when using call center brokers, you still have to be careful.
Broker commissions can be different depending on providers which could encourage a call center broker to steer a potential client to an outsource provider that is most lucrative for them but not necessarily best for their client. Also, brokers who work with large numbers of call center vendors likely have not fully vetted those partners to ensure they are capable of taking care of your customers and your brand.
At Call Center Power, we do not have a huge call center partner network. We currently work with approximately 40 partners who are active in our network. We could easily have hundreds of call center providers in our network, as we get requests every day to join, but we are extremely selective in who we work with. When we get a request to join our call center partner network, we score any potential partners on a number of factors ranging from pricing, value, technology, track record of performance with existing clients, quality of existing clients, site quality, security and compliance, attrition performance and more. We do everything we can to vet and maintain a quality call center partner network.
Another important and powerful aspect of Call Center Power’s call center brokerage model is we get paid the same commission by all of our providers. This ensures the integrity of our process and ensures that our customer’s interests are always served FIRST. We are very proud of this approach and our clients have told us over and over again, how much they appreciate it. It helps to build a high level of trust in a stressful situation.
Using a call center broker can be a great way to cut through all of the clutter and to find that perfect outsource provider for your business. You just have to know where to look. Our team at Call Center Power stands ready to help.
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