Customer support is the backbone of any business. A majority of business owners are considering the option of employing remote customer service representatives. There are many advantages in doing this. Listed below are a few of them.
Option to offer 24x7 support
A massive 95% of consumers say that they cannot be loyal to a brand that does not provide good customer service. According to statistics, 40% of people prefer talking to a real person to interacting with a machine. So, there’s no denying you need to provide customer service and have representatives ready to answer calls and solve problems – day and night. Unfortunately, in-house representatives can answer only so many calls per day. When your representatives fail to respond to angry customers, they will not hesitate to take their business elsewhere.
Hiring remote workers gives your customers access to multiple customer service representatives. Your remote customer service representatives have the benefit of choosing flexible work hours. So you can have someone ready to resolve problems and answer questions on behalf of your organization - day or night.
Customer support handled across multiple channels
If you think your customers are reaching out to you only via phone, think again. According to statistics, 31% of customers reach out to companies via Twitter, and 33% through Facebook. But that’s not all – over 60% of millennials get online for customer service interactions, while a third of customers use SMSs to reach out to companies for assistance. You need representatives to operate the phones, look after your customers on social media platforms, and talk to customers via online chat and SMS. In short, you need people with different skill sets. Hiring full-time employees can be expensive.
Hire multiple customer service representatives who can look after specific channels individually, so your customers’ needs are looked after 24x7.
It’s cost-effective
Small businesses and startups often can’t afford office space for employees. Then there is the cost of hiring full-time employees. Employees are expensive. They must be paid a salary, provided with paid sick leave and vacation, insurance, and any added costs. Plus, they need office space, a computer, a phone, and the internet.
When you hire remote customer service representatives, you only pay them for the services they offer and the number of hours they work. You can save significantly on overheads. Your remote workers work out of their homes, use their computer, phone, and electricity, and won’t expect you to foot any of those bills.
Another advantage is that during leaner months, you can condense your team of customer service representatives. That will bring down costs further.
Your remote workers are satisfied
Customer satisfaction is not the only thing you need to be concerned about. Employee satisfaction is equally important. Most representatives are happier working from the comfort of their own home, where they are free from the distractions of the office. When they work from home, they can concentrate on getting their job done.
Customer service reps work independently – very rarely is teamwork involved. So, it does not make sense to commute to an office every day.
Remote workers are satisfied employees – and happy employees are more productive.
Hire from a wider pool of talent
Finding suitable candidates to hire is a task that could take months. Unfortunately, you don’t have the luxury of waiting for the right candidate to fall in your lap.
When you hire remote workers, you shorten the hiring process. You don’t have to worry about going through long resumes, conducting lengthy interviews, or communicating multiple times to arrange meetings. Instead, you hire someone from anywhere around the world. You are more likely to find talented, skilled, and experienced remote workers you are satisfied with than a full-time employee who meets your requirements.
Solves the problem of language barrier
Acquiring talent is no longer limited to a geographical location. When you employ remote customer service representatives, you get access to a wider talent range, cutting across geographical barriers. This is especially good for business owners whose business is global as it solves the issue of language. When you hire and employ remote customer service from multiple locations across the globe, it will solve the language barrier problem. Thus, your team of customer support executives will be able to service a wider audience.
Ability to work from anywhere
One of the biggest advantages of employing remote customer service representatives is that the team of agents can work from almost anywhere. All that they need to get going is the basic infrastructure. The geographical location of work does not matter.
How to select and put together a team of remote customer service representatives who can work for your business?
There are no hard and fast rules when selecting a team of remote customer service representatives. However, as a business owner, you can have these few aspects in mind while putting tougher your team.
Make sure that every team member is aware of your business and brand
Ensure that every team member is aware of your business and brand. It is the responsibility of a team of remote customer service representatives to convey the right information to the customers who call in for support. Any misrepresentation will cost your business besides tarnishing the brand image.
Select candidates after putting them through several rounds of tests
Selecting the right candidates who can work for you can be a challenge. However, you must do so with caution. As a business owner, you can select the right candidates to work as part of your remote customer service representatives by putting them through tests and checking the quality they deliver. If candidates meet the standards, they can be included in the team of remote customer service representatives.
Do a background check of the candidates
One of the challenges when working with a team of remote customer service representatives is checking how authentic each and every member of the team is. As a business owner, you must ensure that the official data and information is in safe hands. Thus, it is advised to have multiple layers of security in place. Also at regular intervals, it is a good practice to run a security check on the infrastructure and equipment that is used.
If you wish to have a customer service team who will represent your business, you can get in touch with Wow Customer Support. The team of experts will offer the best customer support service. You can visit their website to know more of the services they offer and you can get in touch with the team at Wow Customer Support for a quote.
