Here’s a quick overview of what BPO means, alongside the key distinctions between voice and non-voice.
What is BPO?
BPO is an acronym for Business Process Outsourcing. It refers to a strategy that contact centres can use to scale their business, reduce operational costs, and streamline their processes by outsourcing to a third party. This allows them to better focus on their core functions.
BPOs started the boom of IT in the UK and, over the years, BPO business has matured in leaps and bounds. It’s currently a major contributor to the economy and provides a good variety of services. BPOs also extend to offshore corporations in India (for example).
BPOs are typically classified into two types: voice and non-voice. Both have paramount importance in customer service in supporting an omnichannel contact centre.
What is a Voice-Based BPO Process?
A voice-based BPO process refers to speaking directly to customers on the phone, which could be a job in the form of sales or support.
These interactions can be at any stage of the customer journey – from the first customer interaction, after-sales services, or troubleshooting and technical support.
Voice BPO processes can be further divided into the following two categories:
Inbound Calls
These are customer-initiated calls. For example, the result of a marketing campaign or an existing customer needing support.
BPO sales reps and service staff’s key role is to provide satisfactory answers to all types of customer queries, with a view to supporting long-term customer conversion and long-term retention.
Outbound Calls
These are calls to customers or prospects to support sales and marketing, or follow-up and surveys.
What is a Non-Voice Based BPO Process?
These are typically jobs that do not require direct interaction or voice, but rather lead with knowledge. These jobs may include admin, as well as email handling, chat support, and messages.
In addition to sales and service, non-voice services may include HR, hiring, tech support, appointment scheduling, notifications, technical support, back office processing, and other tasks for the outsourcing client.
Note: specialised skill sets may be necessary – in place of typical verbal or written communication – for back-office work.
