There’s a right way to outsource your Customer Experience (CX) and customer-facing roles, and then there’s a wrong way! The wrong way will get you unhappy customers, messy processes, and stressed-out employees. The right way will see your business grow in just a matter of months.
From years of working with Suppliers and Distributors in the Promo Industry, helping them outsource key CX tasks and roles, we’ve come up with our top tips and best practices to follow when you’re looking to outsource CX in your organization.
1 - CX Outsourcing – Getting Ready
You'll probably want to dive straight into the hiring process itself, but don’t – take a bit of time upfront to plan. We all know the phrase – fail to plan, plan to fail!
First up, you’ll need to identify the right tasks for CX outsourcing and formulate these into a proper delegation plan. Here at DCX, we follow the ‘DELEGATE & ELEVATE’ approach from the well-known EOS methodology. We find that using the EOS tool here really helps decide on the work you and your team need to be doing, versus the work that can be outsourced. Additionally, when looking at your complete org chart, you should decide if the support staff resources are sufficient to actually help your business to scale.
TOP TIP: Talk to your team - if people are frustrated with the amount of administrative work on their plates and saying they “don’t have enough time in the day”, then audit their workflow, and consider making those new hires.
Then, you’ll need to choose the right BPO partner for your outsourcing journey. Be sure to think big picture here and focus on your key goal – which should be finding the best people that will stay with you the longest! Yes, the cost savings you get with outsourced hires is great, but it’s not nearly as important as finding individuals that can truly become part of your team, move the needle for your business, and stay for the long term. So, find a BPO partner that will make that the priority, a partner who is working to put your team members in the best position possible and who understands your business and how to hire for it.
TOP TIP: Get specialized - some BPOs hire generally, others are focused on certain positions and industries. Find a partner that is knowledgeable about your business, and they’ll be better suited to find the right talent and get them prepared for success.
2 – CX Outsourcing – The Hiring Process
Next is all about getting out there and finding the right people. If you’ve found the right BPO partner to work with you, then this stage should be easy. Not only will they already understand your values, but they’ll also know what skills and experience to look out for in your new hires. So, trust the process to them and wait for the candidates to roll in!
TOP TIP: Do a deep dive on your core values with your BPO partner so they understand what to look out for in your next team member.
When it comes to the interview process itself, the single most important thing you can do is to ask the right questions. Many people miss the boat on this crucial step, but if you’ve selected the right BPO partner, then they’ll have this covered and also help you craft any additional questions you should be honing on.
As a general rule, your interviews should be focused on:
- Skill set
- Situational tasks
- Personality type
- How candidates will fit into your company culture and preferred workflow
TOP TIP: Take the time to get to know someone on an interview, instead of just verifying their experience!
Want to know more about how we hire here at DCX? Check out our video.
3 – CX Outsourcing – Onboarding Your New Team Member
The hiring process doesn’t stop after you’ve selected your best candidate. Onboarding your new team member or members is a critical part of the process to make sure they’re set up for success in your business.
Here at DCX, we follow a tried-and-tested, 6-step process for onboarding new hires:
- An introduction to a dedicated Customer Success Manager
- Introductory industry training (New Employee Orientation and a Promo Overview)
- Kick-off meeting
- Onboarding check-ins
- Onboarding wrap-up around day 65
- 90-day check-in
Find out more about the DCX Promo Academy – an additional training program we offer all our customers, so their team members know even more about Promo!
We also find that one or more of the following really helps make your new hire feel like a part of the team – they're simple things but they really help motivate!
- Introduce them to your team – how about even holding a remote ‘happy hour’?
- Send them some swag – what better way to make them feel like part of the team!
- Share all those training videos – everything from your CRM to your LMS.
- Hold regular check-ins – it’s important you build up a routine with them and cover off any questions.
- Call out good work – everyone loves to be recognized!
TOP TIP: When it comes to the work itself, start off simple – there's a lot to learn so start with the basics and those simple, repetitive tasks. Then, as they get more comfortable, you can up the game.
Your CX team members are an important part of your business – they’re dealing with your customers day-in, day-out, and are very often the ‘face’ of your brand. It’s therefore of paramount importance that you follow a thorough hiring process to find the right hires, a lot of which also comes down to finding the right BPO partner for your company and industry.
