8 Efficient Ways to Boost Tech Support Process Outsourcing Success in the Post-COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic sent us on a one-way flight to the digital transformation age. It also ushered us into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the line between technology and daily human activities is becoming more and more blurry. This reality is among the reasons why IT and tech support process outsourcing has been immense over the past few years.

Let’s take a look at how technology has simultaneously shaped and adapted to consumer behavior throughout the pandemic:

•  According to Statista, IT is among the biggest outsourced industries in 2021—with an $85.6 billion market.
• In July 2020, e-commerce sales amounted to 33% of the total retail sales in the U.S. 
• Amid the crisis, digital solutions have helped businesses increase productivity in the U.S., recording a 4.6% increase in the third quarter of 2020. 

And as employers start to embrace digital work solutions, competition in the digital era is expected to become even more demanding. Now is the time to enhance your business with intelligent solutions. 

If you want to propel your success in this area, consider technical support outsourcing. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of the process:

As with any project, you would want to approach tech support process outsourcing strategically. Begin with a systematic assessment of your business needs and limitations. The SWOT analysis model is a helpful tool for this process. 

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. List down your specific answers under these areas. It’s best to involve members of your team from different departments for this. 

Knowing where you stand in these four areas helps you leverage your clout (strengths), work on areas for improvement or needs (weaknesses), take advantage of available avenues to increase success (opportunities), and reduce known risks (threats). 

Once you have a clear picture of your business needs and the factors preventing you from fulfilling those, you can start exploring technical support outsourcing companies. Then, narrow your options to the ones capable of overcoming your limitations and fulfilling your needs.

To evaluate if tech support process outsourcing is worthwhile and feasible, perform a cost-benefit analysis. First, consider the costs associated with technical support outsourcing, from opportunity cost to the actual operating expenses. Consider both one-time and recurring charges in the analysis. 

Given the nature of the outsourcing industry, an exact forecast for all costs may not be possible. But you can minimize unexpected expenses through the application of the Total Cost Management framework. If you lack expertise in this area and opt to hire a contractor for strategic cost management, include the fee as part of the tech support process outsourcing cost.

Once you have identified the costs of technical support outsourcing, the next step is to analyze the potential rewards. Your goal at this stage is to answer this question: “Will the benefit of tech support process outsourcing outweigh its costs?” 

Here are some of the advantages of technical support outsourcing to help your evaluation:

• Increase focus on revenue-generating functions.
• Reduce costs on hiring, training, and onboarding new employees.
• Minimize overhead by eliminating property-related expenses.
• Have more resources to explore growth and innovation opportunities.
• Maximize the current workforce to increase productivity in core areas and encourage creativity and engagement.
• Gain access to a scalable global pool of talent and modern infrastructure.

As the role of outsourcing expands to other crucial aspects of business, it is imperative to be meticulous when choosing a tech support process outsourcing partner. Start your search on outsourcing destinations with a proven record of reducing costs while delivering excellent services and value.

For years, the Philippines remained the top outsourcing destination in the world. Among the reasons why the country remains one of the most sought-after countries for outsourcing include the following: 

• The country has a close resemblance to Western culture. 
• The Philippines has a high literacy rate. 
• More than 92% of the country’s population speaks English. 

Apart from having a first-rate workforce, the Philippines boasts state-of-the-art facilities, making it an ideal destination for IT and technical support outsourcing. Global advisory firm Tholons first recognized the country’s clout in this area in 2017. The Philippines ranked 3rd in Tholons’ Top 50 Digital Nations list, acknowledging the country’s competitiveness in new robotic and cloud-based technology adoption.

Today, the Philippines’s software development outsourcing industry drives $26 billion in revenue, contributing 10% to the country’s GDP. 

If you want to ensure the benefits of tech support outsourcing in the Philippines, look for a BPO partner with an established presence in the country. It is also a major advantage if the company has a location in any of the country’s leading cities.

Setting measurable goals is essential in gaining a sense of direction and maintaining control over the outcome of your technical support outsourcing project. Doing so allows you to see areas where you are thriving and where improvements are needed. It also helps you adhere to a schedule.

For a goal to be measurable, you have to set quantifiable criteria to gauge your progress. Specify the following:

• What do you want to achieve? (specifically, list each target)
• When do you want to achieve your goals? (Include precise amount or dates)
• How will you measure your progress or success? (Include accurate percentage or other quantitative units)

One of the widely used practices for measuring tech support process outsourcing performance is implementing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Make sure that your company of choice has a track record of meeting client targets. Check too if they facilitate performance management and continuous agent training to ensure constant improvement.

The pandemic has drastically transformed how consumers carry out their day-to-day lives. Almost all activities, from education to shopping (and even dating), can be done through various platforms online. People even link their accounts from different devices to create a seamless experience. 

It is not surprising that consumers expect the same when they reach out to businesses for technical support. Having omnichannel customer engagement strategies help companies retain about 89% of their customers. On the other hand, companies lacking strength in this area only have a customer retention rate of 33%.

However, designing and implementing an omnichannel technical support strategy requires substantial financial resources. Aside from investing in intelligent digital solutions, you have to hire, train, and align teams to execute the omnichannel strategy convincingly. Additional overhead must also be invested in managing a 24/7 operation. 

Technical support outsourcing gives you access to these benefits without the expenses associated with establishing omnichannel capabilities on your own. Additionally, since most outsourcing destinations are offshore, tech support process outsourcing can help you provide uninterrupted assistance to your customers.

We all must learn from the lessons of COVID-19. The pandemic illuminated the importance of having the flexibility to respond to unforeseen situations. A company that offers scalable technical support outsourcing solutions can help you in futureproofing your business.

Scalability means you only have to pay for the time, resources, or headcount that you use. This model allows you to have control over your expenses by adjusting your outsourcing requirements according to the demands of your business. Having the ability to scale staffing and services directly impacts your profitability.

To deliver scalable solutions effectively, a tech support process outsourcing vendor must possess the following capabilities:

• Equipped with automated technologies that facilitate scalable functions
• Utilizes tried-and-proven processes and customizes them to suit the needs of the clients
• Displays strong competency in workflow and process creation and experience in scaling various aspects of operations
• Has a wide range of service lines to which scalability is inherent

A knowledge base works as a centralized documentation or platform that answers common questions about your business, products, and services. The purpose of the knowledge base is to allow your customers to research independently. Some of the popular forms of knowledge bases are: 

• FAQs
• User guides 
• Product descriptions 
• Tutorial documents or videos 

A knowledge base is a valuable tool for enhancing customer experience. A study found that 90% of consumers want immediate answers to their questions. Additionally, 69% of consumers would initially try to solve issues by themselves. 

Having a knowledge base also saves your customer support team precious time by filtering repetitive inquiries. As a result, they can focus on resolving more complex issues and enhancing the customer experience. 

To build your knowledge base efficiently, collaborate with a tech support process outsourcing vendor that offers end-to-end solutions. Find one with a wide range of expertise and cover everything from technical writing to site maintenance. Doing so will save you significant time and money. It will also facilitate smoother coordination.

The role of tech support process outsourcing firms encompasses even crucial strategic business functions. In fact, forging strategic business partnerships with a vendor has become a trend in software outsourcing. For this reason, it is vital to ensure transparency and contract clarity with a technical support outsourcing partner. 

It is important to pick a contractor with a spotless reputation. Choose the one with clear transparency and confidentiality policies. Establish clear guidelines to avoid confusion and unnecessary friction. Document all agreements, including project scope, limitations, deliverables, and timeframe, and make sure to cascade details to all involved parties. 

Most importantly, cultivate mutual trust by maintaining an open line of communication throughout the partnership. We are in a time when tech support process outsourcing is as exciting and competitive as ever. Smooth, close collaboration will pave the way for fantastic innovation and mutual growth.

Ultimately, the success of your tech support process outsourcing strategy lies in your choice of a partner. SuperStaff BPO has met all the above requirements to ensure that you meet your IT and tech support outsourcing goals. Discover what else we can do for you today by sending us a message.