What is TPS? - Are UK call centres the best way forward?

Are UK call centres the best way forward?

The general perception from consumers across the UK is that overseas call centres are a bad idea, but why is that and what has gone fundamentally wrong?

Yes for all UK telemarketing agencies and call centre managers the news that overseas call centres are seen in a bad light by today's consumer can only be a good one, but surely what can work in the UK can also work overseas but at a fraction of the cost. So why doesn't it?

And if you are a company looking to set up a telemarketing campaign or call centre where should you choose UK or abroad?

Overseas

Generally speaking overseas call centres are seen in a bad light by the UK press. From individuals bank and credit card details being stolen to language and cultural barriers meaning that the call centre operator at the other side of the world has no concept of what a UK individual expects from the companies and banks they deal with.

But whose fault is it that these situations occur? The company in question, the overseas operator or is it the customers ignorance.

Well really at the centre of this problem must lie in education. The company in question that runs the call centre whether it is in the UK or abroad must be held responsible for the education and training of it staff as well as the educating of its business practices to its customers.

Far too often the decision to outsource overseas is done at such as pace that the organisation in question, its new recruits and even its customers are left to hit the ground running.

The new call centre and its staff want to deliver the same outbound calling or call centre services that its UK counterpart used to and the customers will expect the same level of service that they are used to. The problem is that this is often done at such a pace that neither part really knows what's going on and problems arise.

Far better if you are going to outsource to do it in a step by step process training the new staff correctly and making sure that the most talented and fluent members of the new telemarketing team shine through and are put in the right position.

Doing this in a step by step process making sure that you keep the most sensitive customer concerns until last to be moved over will give both your new staff and your customers the confidence that you aren't just looking to save money but you are looking to make sure you deliver customer satisfaction as well.

UK call centres & telemarketing

Now of course being The Guild of Telemarketing Professionals in the UK we will tend to be a little bias in favour of UK based telemarketing & call centres but we felt that we needed to state the argument as fairly as we could for our overseas colleagues as we are all professional and we all have our part to play.

For outbound telemarketing though it is definitely felt by most UK businesses that UK based telemarketers are the best and most crucial. For the simple reason is that to understand an UK based individual you really do need to be from the UK . Let's face it the British people are a funny lot we can be ironic, sarcastic, intuitive, dead pan and even down right eccentric and the rest of the world just doesn't seam to get it.

That is why when we get a call from someone outside the UK that is reading from a badly written script that they are not allowed to waiver from or when we call our local bank and get sent half way round the world to speak to someone who wouldn't understand the Friday night need for more cash for beer that we get annoyed.

Even telemarketing call centres in the UK that use fixed scripts are becoming a thing of the past. We are British which mean we are polite and like to have a conversation but we don't like the feeling we are talking to a robot or someone who just doesn't get our humour.

Even for inbound telemarketing surely the savings are marginal by sending it overseas when compared to the customers that get annoyed and the bad press you get for swapping from UK to overseas.

It is fast becoming more fashionable to keep your telemarketing and call centre activity British and home grown. After all if the British public and businesses are going to get annoyed by call centres they will feel less annoyed if they feel that they can complain to someone in Britain and not half way round the world.

So if you are looking to outsource your telemarketing either to the UK or overseas just think about it from your customer's point of view and either way UK or abroad make sure that the people representing your company do it fully trained in the way you would wish to be represented.

If you really want to know how your company is represented and how your brand is perceived do some market research and some mystery shopping it will truly open your eyes.

Samuel O'Prey

CEO The Guild of Telemarketing Professionals