With Text messaging and other instant forms of communication becoming widespread throughout the globe, customers are seeking similar instantaneous communication as they browse websites. Hence, live online chat is rapidly becoming an essential customer-service tool for any website. However, most companies have neither the staff nor the means to provide 24/7 web chat customer support; this would be akin to suddenly increasing a brick and mortar store’s hours from 8-5 to 24/7. Yet websites never close, so having a website without 24/7 live chat would be akin to having a store open with no sales clerks. Outsourcing online chat to an offshore staffing firm such as Zylun Staffing provides many benefits. Below are some of the pros and cons of live chat outsourcing with a staff leasing firm:
Pros:
- Lower overhead costs – no need to acquire office space, computers, and live chat software for agents
- Reduced HR/Management effort – the staffing firm takes care of recruiting/hiring, and day-to-day management of employees. You work with the firm to train agents.
- Lower staffing costs – hire a team of college-educated employees for the same cost as one employee in the U.S.
- Scalability – potentially much easier and less, depending on the capabilities of the outsourcing provider
- Flexibility – if site traffic is low, agents can be shared with other clients to further reduce costs
- Simple to implement – can roll out on entire website or only on certain pages at first, then increase reach over time
Cons:
- Time Zone differences can make communication with offshore team less convenient
- Language barriers in some countries can also hamper communication
- Potentially less direct management of support reps
As live online chat continues to become more critical to a website’s effectiveness, companies must seek for low-cost solutions for effectively implementing live chat. Although outsourcing this service has both pros and cons, the benefits of live chat outsourcing far outweigh the cons, making live chat outsourcing a practical, low-cost solution for any company.
Source: http://www.zylun.com
