Contact Center outsourcing: it is your brand that is at stake

The pandemic will pass, sooner or later, but not all companies will be there to tell the tale. To a large extent, the position you find yourself in when mobility is reactivated will depend on how well you care for your brand and customer attention now. Do you know what kind of issues we are currently managing? Believe it or not, outsourcing call services has a lot to contribute in this regard.

Inevitably, not all businesses will survive to tell the tale after the pandemic. The current state of your brand and customer service will significantly impact your starting position when mobility regains momentum. Curious about the issues we handle right now? Believe it or not, call center outsourcing has much to offer in this regard.

From one day to the next, we found ourselves on the front lines battling a global pandemic. All our KPIs were in check, our RMS algorithms were tuned, and the 2020 budgets were set. A perfect machinery to cruise on autopilot, watching the international tourist influx to our country grow, and witnessing the tourism sector's contribution to the national GDP rise.

We all know the story from here. And we know it well. If anything being in the epicenter of such a complex and challenging moment has taught us, it's that, like life, nothing is permanent. There's no perfect machinery or stable economic environment except for Swiss watches. Therefore, let's learn the lesson that life has offered us with an open hand and understand that either we adapt to change or disappear.

One observed change in the Contact Center sector is the increasing outsourcing of this service. Small and medium hotel chains, equipped with a more or less substantial staff for customer phone support, have found themselves in the dilemma of having their agents on temporary layoff.

Yet, the phone keeps ringing. What credibility does a brand have if attempts to contact it by phone go unanswered after several tries? None. Nowadays, a brand that neglects customer service is destined for negative reviews on social media and, consequently, an impact on its economic results. So, why is it crucial to care for phone support? We'll share with you various types of calls we manage:

• Requests for future events and group bookings: Numerous are the calls from clients seeking information for weddings, communions, events, and primarily Travel Agencies requesting group quotes for the future.


• Information about opening dates: Loyal clients eager to return to a hotel where they enjoyed a great experience want to repeat. For these clients, the opening date is the first step to initiate the booking process.


• One call, one customer: We use the call to gather customer data and add another lead to the hotel's database. A call gives us the opportunity for future contact through email, SMS, etc., where we communicate promotions or opening dates.


• On-site incidents: With many hotels closed, we receive calls from neighbors alerting us to incidents happening in the establishments: lights on, water leaks, etc.


• Modifications & Cancellations: Reservations are still active, and countless calls come from clients seeking information about modifications or possible refunds.


• Outbound campaigns about opening modification information: Unfortunately, we're gaining experience in calling our clients to inform them of a modification in the hotel's opening and, consequently, the cancellation of their reservation. It's a call that turns into a sales opportunity as we try to encourage them to modify it in the future with added value.

With the cliché "but my hotels are closed, and there are mobility restrictions; I'm sure no one is calling me" debunked, it's time to prioritize the careful attention to our customers and consider outsourcing call services if necessary.