Matching culture and language resolves customer needs faster
By Shelly Strom
When the trend of U.S. businesses offshoring their customer service began a couple of decades ago, the opportunity to cut costs was paramount. Savings in the form of reduced labor costs were significant. However, they came at the expense of deteriorating customer satisfaction.
Foreign-based agents, while often skilled and well-educated, present communication challenges which can hinder their ability to help callers in all the dynamic ways that come ingrained for local agents.
For instance, customers who reach a foreign agent, according to a study by CFI Group, are 52 percent more likely to have to speak to more than one representative, 10 percent less likely to resolve an inquiry and 25 percent less likely to do so on the first call.
In other words, to deliver a consistent customer experience, a U.S. based brand should have U.S. based customer care. In fact, having the right team of professionals onshore to support customer care operations is a powerful driver of customer experience, which is becoming the key differentiator among brands.
There’s a critical reason to staff sales and support in the states: Your customers expect it.
Customer care pros in the U.S. not only have an inherent understanding of the same culture as a U.S. customer but often also use the same products and services.
“When I’m taking calls, it’s a customer-to-customer conversation more than a salesperson-to-customer conversation. I’m able to use real stories to serve the customer because either I have and love the product myself, or I have strong interest in it or my family has it,” shared Sharon Meeks DeBouse, a Liveops agent who has worked in customer service for 20-plus years. Read more.