Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a reliable solution for business expansion or enhancing efficiency at a low cost.
Over the years, various business functions have been delegated by many companies to outsourcing firms around the world. These functions range from helpdesk services and accounting to end-to-end recruitment processes and IT services.
Customer service is also among the most common functions that organizations offshore to service providers in the BPO industry. This article will focus on one aspect of customer service – tech support – and why tech support outsourcing is highly advantageous for any business organization.
What is tech support?
As mentioned above, tech support is a part of customer service that focuses on providing a more specific type of assistance. Tech support staff are tasked with helping a business’s clients resolve technical issues with products and services.
Tech support services are more reactive and proactive as technical issues arise only after a customer has used a company’s product or service.
Like other customer services, companies often host tech support through various channels for client convenience and better accessibility. These channels include live chat and calls, email, social media, and self-service portals.
The multi-channel approach with tech support also supports the tiered structure of tech support assistance.
The extent of support that customers need divides these tiers into five distinct levels.
5 tiers of tech support
Below are brief descriptions of the five levels of tech support.
Pre-support
The first level of tech support is nothing more than information found on search engine results pages (SERPs).
These results may include product reviews that tackle the same issues a customer is currently facing. It may also contain tried and tested solutions for resolving the said issue.
Self-service
Customers often go to self-help portals when pre-support level information isn’t enough to resolve an issue.
These portals are web pages containing FAQs and other pertinent data. One example is troubleshooting guides that can help customers solve issues without contacting a tech support staff.
1st level support
When FAQs and product databases fail to help resolve issues, clients initiate contact with a company’s first line of tech support providers.
This support level is typically handled via email exchanges between the customer and technical support staff. Here, the tech support provides additional help and information that prior levels may not have covered.
2nd level support
More complex issues that tech support can’t resolve at the first level are escalated to the 2nd tier.
On this level, more experienced and knowledgeable staff assist customers in resolving issues that require a more in-depth understanding of a product or service.
3rd level support
The third level is the highest support tier. Clients get in touch with managers or personnel from the business’s research and development department.
Tech support staff resolve issues with the most advanced technologies available to a company and coordinate with experts in the particular product or service.
Tech support outsourcing advantages
As with outsourcing other business functions, tech support outsourcing brings numerous advantages to a business organization.
Below are just a few of these benefits:
Cost-effective
Outsourcing tech support operations to an offshore service provider allows businesses to save on operating and labor costs.
Aside from the cheaper labor, companies are also spared from further expenses like:
- Renting additional facilities and office space
- Maintaining their own IT
- Other tech-related infrastructures
Convenient
Outsourcing tech support is more convenient than building an entire team from scratch. Businesses can skip the time-consuming recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and training processes by tapping into an outsourcing firm.
They only have to give the number of tech support staff they need, and their chosen outsourcing partner will provide them.
Scalability
Outsourcing tech support also provides a convenient method of scaling business operations.
Instead of going through the arduous recruitment process, companies can ramp up their staff by utilizing an outsourcing firm’s on-standby agents.
This presents an easier method of scaling up or down depending on business demand.
24/7 availability
Most outsourcing companies have 24/7 operations with tech support agents on rotating schedules.
For outsourcers, this means access to continuous and uninterrupted tech support available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Thus, no matter what time a customer calls or from what time zone they’re calling, they will never be left unattended.
Tech support outsourcing must-knows
While outsourcing brings plenty of advantages, firms must still choose their outsourcing partners carefully to ensure they’ll be getting their money’s worth.
Read on below to see the factors companies must consider before partnering with an outsourcing firm:
Company track record
An outsourcing firm’s track record provides insights into its work ethic and how well it delivers as a service provider. Businesses can check on their present and former clients to gauge their effectiveness.
Available technology
Access to the latest industry hardware and software significantly improves the performance of a tech support team. That’s why it’s essential to ensure that an outsourcing company can provide the equipment and infrastructure needed to operate them.
Securities in place
Tech support staff may handle sensitive customer information while resolving product or service issues.
Companies must check if an outsourcing firm has robust data security measures and confidentiality protocols in place. These procedures protect clients’ private information from unauthorized access and data breach.
