Is outsource tech support services good or evil? The answer is no if you ask columnist Leo Notenboom.
The 30-year IT veteran who spent most of his career working for Microsoft as a Software Engineer believes most people don’t see anything wrong with hiring outsource tech support service providers, either. The issue is not where the clients’ outsource tech support service representatives is located, Notenboom said in his podcast. It is the quality of that outsource tech support service is what really matters.
These days when customers call the tech support lines for many major companies, they are not really sure if the person they are speaking to is located within their city or halfway across the world, Notenboom observed. Many companies avail of outsource tech support services, particularly in India, to cut down the cost of their operations.
Companies benefit from the lower-cost way of doing what they had been doing when they hire outsource tech support providers. Generally, outsource tech support providers are more efficient at doing those tasks.
The current state of technology allows us to communicate anywhere on the planet cheaply and instantaneously, so it does makes business sense to outsource tech support services, Notenboom explained. All else being equal, companies would be foolish not to consider the value of outsource tech support service providers.
For instance, TechTeam Global, Inc., a global outsource tech support provider launched a 24/7 help desk service for a major restaurant chain. The cost of such a service would be prohibitive had the restaurant chain decided to deliver around-the-clock help desk rather than rely on an outsource tech support service provider.
“In the food service industry, high quality, cost effective technology support is critical,” said Gary Cotshott, president and chief executive officer for TechTeam Global, Inc. said in a press statement. “The food service industry in general, and quick service restaurant operations in particular, have a much greater sensitivity to call duration and first call closure service levels than many other business environments. Technology issues must never hamper or slow down customer service at their registers.”
But some consumers may have the perception that they’re receiving a lower level of expertise when they realize that their call has been routed off shore to a company that provides outsource tech support services. Notenboom says the perception may be accurate in some cases involving outsource tech support providers. However, it is not where the outsource tech support company is located that is the problem but rather the quality of the services provided, he clarified.
“And incompetence knows no geographical boundaries,” he said in his podcast. “I truly and honestly don’t care if the person I’m speaking to on the phone is in my neighborhood, my country, or half way around the planet, as long as they can help me.” Notenboom identified two things he wanted from an outsource tech support services provider: can we communicate, and do they know what they’re talking about.
“You don’t have to be overseas to blow it,” he said. “I’ve nearly hung up the phone on U.S.-based support reps because their regional accent was so thick that I could barely understand them. I left my former ISP because their technical support staff was incompetent and could only follow the script that they had been given.”
“Don’t blame overseas outsourcing, per se. It’s part of what’s keeping your costs down,” Notenboom argued. “But do hold companies accountable for the quality of their service, regardless of where it’s coming from.”
And regardless of where they are located, outsource tech support service providers are proving that distance is not a barrier to quality. Over 93% of US clients said they were satisfied with their provider, according to a 2009 survey conducted by Black Book Outsourcing.