Managing outsourced contact center functions during the economic slowdown (Strategic Focus)

Technology

Publication Date	March 2009
Publisher	Datamonitor
Product Type	Report
Pages	45
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	DAT14853

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Summary

Introduction

A strategic blueprint designed to help outsourced contact center players navigate their horizontal function mix through the current recessionary period.

Scope

A description of current market trends related to the delivery of customer service, marketing & sales, technical support and debt collection

Strategic recommendations on how outsourcers can best deliver different contact center services in the current economic slowdown
Expert analysis on how to position new and emerging business models across customer service, marketing & sales, technical support and debt collection

Highlights

Clients will be emphasizing horizontal expertise when they are looking to contract with an outsourced contact center.

End-user retention and cost savings will be very important in terms of marketing & sales delivery, as well as in customer service. Outsourcers must emphasize their capabilities in these areas if they are to win business in the economic slowdown.

Debt collection is likely to emerge as a focus for many outsourcers, especially with consumer credit fallbacks at an all time high. However, growth in this area could be mitigated by tight market conditions in addition to heavy regulation.

Reasons to Purchase

Understand what contact center managers are considering in terms of functions to outsource trough the recessionary period
Learn what strategies are available for each vertical in order to win business in one or more functions

Content

OVERVIEW
- Catalyst
- Summary
KEY MESSAGES
- Horizontal expertise will be an important consideration when clients choose an outsourcer
- End-user satisfaction derived through customer care means revenue opportunities
- Marketing and sales should focus on customer retention not telemarketing
- Technical support delivery is evolving to new channels
- Demand for debt collection will increase as the economy worsens
TABLE OF FIGURES
TABLE OF TABLES
CHAPTER 1 - MARKET OPPORTUNITY
- Horizontal contact center functions - market overview
- Customer service
- Marketing and sales
- Technical support
- Debt collection
- The importance of horizontal functions
- Market issues facing contact center functionality provision
- Managing service lines through economic uncertainty
- Potentially declining call volumes
- Managing interaction channels across functions
CHAPTER 2 - CUSTOMER SERVICE
- Customer service - market overview
- Outsourcing potential for customer service functions
- Current customer service outsourcing deployments
- Future customer service outsourcing opportunities
- Business issues facing customer service
- Generating loyalty through customer service
- First call resolution emphasis
- Effective service
- Cost containment
- Delivery methods
- Self service
- Knowing the customer
- Investment in analytics
- End-of-call surveys
- Long-term revenue opportunities
CHAPTER 3 - MARKETING AND SALES
- Marketing and sales - market overview
- Outsourcing potential for marketing and sales functions
- Current outsourced deployments
- Propensity to outsourced marketing and sales functions
- Business issues facing marketing and sales contact center services
- Strategies to profit from marketing and sales outsourcing
- Emphasize warm-calling and end-user retention
- Adopt technology to augment marketing and sales
- End-to-end sales and marketing offering
- Inbound marketing and sales excellence
CHAPTER 4 - TECHNICAL SUPPORT
- Technical support - market overview
- Outsourcing potential for technical support functions
- Current outsourced technical support deployments
- Propensity to outsource technical support
- Finding opportunity in technical support
- Possible threats to technical support outsourcing
- Potential technical support opportunities for outsourcers
- Profiting from technical support
- Focus on cost reduction
- Adding value to the technical support interaction
- Effective use of multichannel technologies for technical support
- Established channels
- Emerging channels
CHAPTER 5 - DEBT COLLECTION
- Debt collection - market overview
- Outsourcing potential for debt collection functions
- Current outsourced deployments in debt collection
- Propensity to outsource debt collection
- Market opportunity in debt collection
- Size of the global debt market
- Sizable margin opportunity
- Fractured market
- Potential obstacles to debt collection outsourcing
- Established competition
- Statutory regulation compliance
- Industry perceptions
- Complex debt collection models
- Difficulty in collecting debts
- Winning business in debt collection outsourcing
- Acquisition is key to market entry
- Increase margins through automation
- Start simple - first-party debt
- Conduct necessary due diligence on target jurisdictions
- Offer flexible payment terms
- Plan for full service account receivable management
CHAPTER 6 - STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
- During recession, concentrate capabilities on cost containment
- Emphasize customer retention
- Revenue-based functional capabilities crucial for long-term relationship
- Ensure horizontal experience is in place before embarking on new functional offering
- Vertical tailoring of functional strategies
APPENDIX
- Methodology
- Further reading
- Ask the analyst
- Datamonitor consulting
- Disclaimer
List of Tables
- Table 1: Outsourced contact center services global split, 2007 - 2013
- Table 2: Global GDP change forecast for selected global economies, 2008 - 2010 (%)
- Table 3: Global customer service function growth, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Table 4: Marketing and sales global market size, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Table 5: Technical support global market size, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Table 6: Global debt collection APs, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
List of Figures
- Figure 1: Outsourced contact center services global split, 2007 - 2013
- Figure 2: Whether you do or do not outsource, can you please rate the importance of the following criteria in choosing an outsourcer?
- Figure 3: Global customer service function growth, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Figure 4: Percentage of customer service functions currently outsourced - DPTC0048
- Figure 5: Likelihood of outsourcing specific customer service functions in the
- next year (1 - Least Likely; 4 - Most Likely) - DPTC0048
- Figure 6: Elements to customer service long-term value
- Figure 7: Marketing and sales global market size, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Figure 8: Percentage of marketing & sales functions currently outsourced - DPTC0048
- Figure 9: Likelihood of outsourcing specific marketing and sales functions in the
- next year (1 - Least Likely; 4 - Most Likely) - DPTC0048
- Figure 10: Technical support global market size, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Figure 11: Percentage of technical support functions currently outsourced - DPTC0048
- Figure 12: Likelihood of outsourcing specific technical support functions in the next year (1 - Least Likely; 4 - Most Likely) - DPTC0048
- Figure 13: Global debt collection APs, 2007 - 2013 (APs - 000s)
- Figure 14: Percentage of debt support currently outsourced - DPTC0048
- Figure 15: Likelihood of outsourcing debt collection in the next year (1 - Least Likely; 4 - Most Likely) - DPTC0048
- Figure 16: US outstanding consumer debt, 2004 - 2008
- Figure 17: UK outstanding consumer debt, 2007 - 2008
- Figure 18: Volume of Australian credit / charge card transactions, 2004 - 2008