When Cutting Costs is Actually Losing You Money

The most-cited reason for outsourcing calls to an answering service or a virtual call center is probably cutting costs. Many businesses believe (and rightly so) that having someone else answer their clients’ calls will reduce payroll and overhead costs enough that the cost of contracting the service can be recouped. Yet for some, this doesn’t prove to be the reality.

Outsourcing calls to offshore non-native English speakers may be cheaper initially, but many businesses find that in the long run, cutting costs this way ends up losing them money in the long run. Now, many offshore call operations are excellent, but many employ staff members who have extreme difficulties communicating with clients. Communication difficulties decrease customer satisfaction, customer retention, and customer loyalty. And losing customers ends up costing the business more money in the long run.

So before contracting an answering service—especially a doctor’s answering service, which requires crystal clear communication in order to be effective—make sure that the level of communication is on par with your standards for customer service. If not, this cost-saving measure could turn into a costly nightmare.