Outsourcing: The solution to customer service staff shortages

Access to trained and available staff:

Recruiting internally can be difficult, especially in a situation of staff shortages. The customer service team can come under pressure, leading to staff turnover and/or absenteeism. By (partially) outsourcing customer service, staff shortages can be addressed. An external agency specialises in recruiting available staff and ensures that these employees are trained. As a result, you don't have to put in recruitment and training efforts yourself. You can offload your own internal team by using trained and available staff from a company that can provide (partial) customer service. Compared to staffing, external recruiters and secondment, you do not have to recruit and train the employees yourself.

Cost savings:

External agencies can often offer customer service services cheaper thanks to economies of scale. Hiring an external call centre is often no more expensive than hiring a temporary worker. In addition, an external customer service agency does not require you to provide a workplace or organise induction processes. When outsourcing customer service, there are often options for billing based on interaction or minutes, so you only pay for services actually consumed. This is a luxury you don't have internally.

Flexibility and scalability:

An external agency offers more flexibility and scalability, which is invaluable in the fight against staff shortages. You can scale up and down quickly, as an external call centre often has multiple customer contact projects. This makes it easier to adjust capacity. When things get busy internally, you may need to recruit and then induct staff first. An external call centre always has sufficient capacity and can therefore scale up more quickly when things get busier. It can also scale down more easily when demand decreases.

Focus on core business:

For most companies, customer service is not the core business. They are good at what they do, with customer service often being a part of it. By outsourcing customer service to a specialised company, you are handing this task over to an organisation that focuses entirely on handling customer contacts. With worry-free external customer service, the organisation can concentrate on what it does best. A good external partner will take care of all customer contacts and even help you improve your business processes.

Reducing recruitment risks:

Finding qualified staff is a challenge, especially in tight labour markets. Companies facing staff shortages are sometimes forced to settle for less qualified candidates or hire staff quickly without adequate screening. However, this carries risks such as reduced productivity and higher staff turnover. By outsourcing tasks to reliable external partners, you avoid these risks and can rely on the expertise of experienced professionals.

Conclusion: Staff shortages in customer service can be partly solved with outsourcing.

At a time when staff shortages are a challenge for many companies, outsourcing customer service can be an effective solution. It offers access to trained and available staff, cost savings, flexibility, focus on core activities and reduction of recruitment risks. By outsourcing tasks to reliable external partners, companies can continue their operations, even in times of staff shortages, and strengthen their competitive position. It is clear that outsourcing can be a strategic tool for companies facing staff shortages and wanting to achieve their growth objectives