When the telephone emerged and became available for many people in 1876, the lives of many turned out to be easy, accessible, and convenient. Individuals acquire comfortable ways to reach each other. The phone call is the pioneer in outsourced customer service and was used by many businesses to reach their customers. As a result, call center jobs have a high percentage in Philippine employment when online outsourcing began in the middle of the ‘90s, became successful, and the country was proclaimed as the world’s BPO capital in the 2000s.
Outsourcing customer service turned out to be flexible, interesting, and attractive to many companies when the Internet and modern technology continue to flourish and make our lives easy. The emergence of different channels of communication helps not only businesses but customers as well in choosing the kind of method of interaction they think could be more comfortable to use.
Currently, aside from phone calls, several platforms have been discovered as a bridge of communication between brands and customers. Among them are email and chat support. Amidst our progressive modernization of technology, there are issues which are better to outsource their customer service needs and as a better alternative to phone call support. Many have said email and chat support are the best options for phone calls. Do you think it is reliable?
Phone calls are the most convenient and preferred channel for the majority of customers. However, the number of customers who are encouraged to use e-mail and chat support is increasing. Millennials and Gen Z customers share a large part of this number. Individuals from these generations are the most likely to use this platform because it has become a part of their growing years.
The use of email and chat support as the bridge between brands and consumers is already acceptable to many people worldwide. The reason is that outsourcing customer service is extensive. Email support is preferred by customers who are always occupied by work and have limited free time. They can send emails during their most convenient time, and the company will respond as quickly as possible. The customer no longer needs to wait for the call center agent. Email and chat support teams know that busy people have short patience to wait. They feel that they are wasting their time.
Email support also provides a “paper trail” that customers and companies would benefit from. It enables them to track the transaction history manually. Through this, it is easy to refer back to the previous conversation. Another thing, if one agent cannot resolve an issue, the email can be forwarded to another agent. Email support delivers instructions to help customers with instructions and details.
Chat support offers 24/7 outsourcing customer service to accommodate customers’ concerns and resolve problems immediately about the brands. Like phone calls, chat support provides unceasing support for the customers. If you provide for this channel, they can reach the brand anytime, anywhere. More consumers choose to communicate via live chat because they can explain and present their issues clearly. Unlike in phone calls where customers tend to forget other details that they want to inform. Chat support can also keep a conversation history that can be used as a reference for the succeeding transactions.
We could say that our generation is fortunate to have many communication platforms. They can help businesses provide their customers with the best support, especially in this pandemic where there are restrictions on going outside.
OnlineFactory, a growing BPO company in Manila, offers not only outsourcing customer service but also influencer marketing and content management.