Setting up an inbound call centre is an almost ‘instant growth’ tactic for many companies in Australia.  There are times in a companies growth when the need an inbound call centre but don’t have the resources, either financial or personnel, the make that leap.

For a fraction of the cost making that entire investment themselves they can outsource their inbound call centre processes offshore and instantly reap the rewards as if they had all the capital and personnel they needed.  Not to mention the fact that instantly their profits from that extra marketing ability start to come in.

Companies in the inbound call centre business, many of which are based in the Philippines, have already made considerable investment in inbound call centre technology, infrastructure and personnel. It’s possible to contract with them to use their capabilities and to do so at a very attractive price compared to doing it all ‘in-house.’  Companies not only like the price but they certainly enjoy the operational flexibility it gives them.

Although there are offshore inbound call centres which do not require long term contracts, even those that do have reasonable terms in the event a company wants to terminate the relationship.  This gives the client company the option of basically ‘trying it’ once they have reached a point where they have an idea in mind that requires having an inbound call centre.  If it works out well for them, that’s great.  If not, at least, they can go back to the drawing board and figure out how to do it better next time.

Australian companies also benefit from having the extra human resources at their disposal without having to go through all the hassle of hiring, training and supervision.  By outsourcing their inbound call centre to the Philippines they can simply establish goals, set priorities and policies and monitor the results.  This is management at its best.

Philippine inbound call centre contractors are very comfortable with this relationship too.  In fact, it’s the way they prefer it.  They’re very comfortable letting other companies do the creative idea planning, idea development and market selection.  Their forte is handling the inbound processes with courtesy and efficiency at 30-60% of the cost of sourcing that labor ‘in house’ somewhere in Australia.

Offshore outsourcing of their inbound call centre is definitely a win-win-win partnership between inbound call centres in the Philippines, their Australian client companies and the consumers they serve in their respective markets.

Australian businesses are learning that have their own inbound call centre lets them sleep a lot easier at night for more reasons than one.

First of all, having an inbound call centre means that Australian businesses can let all or most of their employees go home at a normal hour without having to worry about missing any kind of important call into their business.  Inbound call centres can work, if the client requests, 24/7.  Those kinds of hours are, of course, totally appropriate for companies with worldwide customers or potential customers.

The other reason that Australian business benefit from have their own dedicated inbound call centre operation is because having any form of ‘on-line’ customer service, especially 24/7, is always a good idea.  Consumers in today’s world have come to highly regard and even expect top-notch customer service and frankly don’t care about the hours they want it.  If they’re ‘up’ using a company’s product and encounter a problem…they want service.

An inbound call centre can also be used to generate sales too.  Many companies integrate their advertising in other media, such as radio, TV or the internet, to funnel calls into an inbound contact centre whose purpose is to take orders and close sales.  This means that the inbound call centre can be generating revenue for the company not only during normal working hours but even during the hours when everybody else is home asleep.

Companies which sell equipment or software upon which other companies depend upon for the running of their business know that they need an inbound call centre to support their products and/or services 24/7 or people won’t buy them.  This is another reason why setting up an independent, inbound call centre makes sense.

It’s also the reason why in places like the Philippines where a large segment of the economy, especially in Manila, revolves around the call centre industry, you see young Filipinos walking around at all times during the day and night.  Many of them are inbound call centre employees getting off work or going to work.  They’re working while you’re sleeping.

Needing an inbound call centre is a sign of growth but having the wisdom to outsource your inbound call centre is a sign of wisdom.  Many businesses in Australia are finding that the outsourced, inbound call centre is a move in the right direction toward greater market focus and profitability.

As Australian businesses struggle to maintain profitability in today’s turbulent economy, they’re discovering that outsourcing of as much of their front and back office business processes makes a lot of sense.  The wage differential between on-shore labor rates and offshore rates is so substantial that offshore outsourcing of inbound call centre processes makes perfect dollars and sense.  This is true even notwithstanding the extra added benefit of the excellent service experiences most companies get by offshore outsourcing their inbound call centre work.

The types of tasks that an inbound call centre performs could be sales oriented or could be more in the realm of customer service.  Both are important and both are well within the capabilities of most inbound call centre service providers.  The advantage of employing an inbound call centre is that it releases key company assets (both human and financial resources) for other more culturally sensitive tasks.

Using an inbound call centre does make a lot of sense and, in its own way, is good for sales.  When existing customers get good service ‘after the sale’, they tend to remember and are much more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend that company to their friends.  Smart business strategists know it’s a lot easier to increase sales through existing clients and/or referrals.

On the other side of the coin, inbound sales programs which utilize an inbound call centre, if set up correctly, are a very cost effective type of sales process.  When companies can eliminate or at least minimize some of the costs associated with outside sales people (e.g. travel costs) substantial money can be saved.  This money can be put back into other critical areas of the company budget such as product development, advertising, local publicity, etc.

On a purely administrative level, outsourcing the company inbound call centre process eliminates a lot of boring, labor intensive paperwork for company personnel.  And to some extent it even minimizes legal compliance issues in the sense that it reduces personnel staffing levels.

No doubt about it, offshore outsourcing the inbound call centre part of company operations is a smart move.