In the times of yesteryear the term "outsourcing" was synonymous with "lowing the overhead" and "time to focus on innovation". Unfortunately as more organizations outsource to countries outside the US, the more the definition of "outsourcing" has changed. This is by no means a slight to the hardworking peoples of countries abroad, and how outsourcing does provide stable employment to millions.
The Definition of outsourcing has changed to "Customer Service is Not a Main priority" and "Retaining Profits over Retaining Customers". In the realm of customer service, paramount primary skills are Active Listening, Context Comprehension and Problem Solving.
Outsourced customer service can fall short of the first aforementioned skills by no fault of those in other countries, but if communication breakdown ensues during a phone call, then active listening and context comprehension will mitigate the service desk's ability to solve problems. Especially taking into consideration that when a customer calls, they're usually experiencing an issue that is the catalyst of the worst part of their day, and it is safe to assume they will not be as patient as normal.
Outsourcing in the US doesn't solve every problem, but it can expedite the problem's solution. Having the customer hear a familiar accent parroting colloquialisms and sharing a common culture can fortify a connection to the customer which in turn eases active listening engagement to understand context and solve the root of the problem. This leads to less time on the phone, and as we all know, a minute on the phone for a customer feels like five for them.
If the goal of an Organization is to deliver exemplary customer service and to serve US clients and end-users, then a fundamental first step would be to have a well-established US based team. One that is relatively local (due to the sheer size of the US) and understands that the keystone of customer service is communication.
General customer service is one thing but IT is another. Being able to understand a customer's network, their client's organizational structure and end-user's needs is a tall order even in the same language and culture, but techs can provide a faster resolution to the issues that arise from IT support calls. As we all know, a simple password reset or onboarding can jump off the rails fairly quickly if unprepared or uninformed. Sometimes that ad-hoc knowledge while talking to the end-user is what solves the issue in a second.
As mentioned previously, this is by no means a guarantee that everything will be fixed lickety-split, but it can lead to a faster resolution and better end-user experience if US organizations outsource to US based MSPs. After every call I think it is important for U.S. end-users to feel like they are understood, and the best possible path to accomplish this, would be to keep outsourcing state-side.
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