Today, the requirements are much stricter and more diverse: clients expect an individual approach during an interaction. They expect convenience, efficiency, competence, and availability of various communication channels. And, of course, service availability in different languages ​​24/7 for global products.

To improve the customer experience, companies are introducing an omnichannel business and communication model. Omnichannel is when the client can start serving in the messenger, continue in the contact center, and finish in the mobile application. Instead, multilingualism is another important factor that helps companies expand and gain a foothold in new markets.

This is especially important for technology startups that provide b2c services, where communication with customers plays a key role in business support and development.

We had an opportunity to provide such services for a well-known US startup with global outreach. Our client, as a rapidly growing company, had to expand its staff and take into account the seasonal need for additional agents.

Customer request

Our client needed to organize a 24/7 support line in 9 languages. And at the same time, build a system for evaluating the QA, as well as implement company service standards to maintain a high quality of service.

Why did they choose offshore outsourcing in Ukraine?

This is because in recent years, Eastern Europe, namely Ukraine, has become an attractive region for outsourcing when it comes to not only IT but also customer support. Unlike the US or Europe, Ukrainian companies offer lower rates for services that at the same time do not compromise on quality. For example, companies with employees in Ukraine can save up to 60% compared to the costs of full-time staff in the US and Europe, and in some cases in Asia.

Main requirements

  • The ability to find an approach to each client, establish contact and ensure trust in the company, and in critical cases ensure the most positive client experience within the framework of the customer’s processes and procedures.
  • Specific goals range from 85%+ CSAT to 60/99 SL for phone calls.
  • Competent oral and written language and the ability to conduct a client-oriented dialogue.
  • Expert knowledge of all information about the company, its services, and procedures.
  • All agents, in addition to English, must be fluent in another foreign language.

Implementation and organization of the project: how we worked

We started working on the project in March 2021.

For 15 years of activity, A.R.C.E. we implemented more than 600 projects. Therefore, we know from our own experience that each of them is unique, that is, it requires an individual approach, therefore, various nuances appear in the process of work, which cannot always be predicted in advance for various reasons.

What challenges did we face? First, in 4 months, our managers selected, trained, and employed more than 150 agents.

Recruiting 9 groups of agents in which, in addition to English, the specialist needed to know French, Italian, Spanish, Polish or German is quite difficult, and when Korean or Hebrew is also required — the challenge is almost uncontested.

However, during this time we managed to find specialists with the necessary knowledge. Another advantage of why Ukraine is an important player in the outsourcing market is its experienced personnel. Almost 80% of young people get higher education. In particular, in universities with high ratings and reputations in large cities of Ukraine such as Lviv, Odesa, and Kyiv. And it is in the capital that higher educational institutions are considered the most prestigious. Graduates of higher education institutions there often have experience studying abroad. In addition, they are fluent in at least one Western European language in addition to Ukrainian, Russian, and English. All this became the reason why we decided to get a dedicated location in Kyiv, where we could conduct training and set up a workplace.

The training period for each batch of agents lasted 4 weeks: more than two weeks — theory, and one and a half weeks — practice, during which it was analyzed in detail how to process the requests of the company’s customers. Particular attention was paid to the resolution of conflict situations, which are determined by the regulations of a particular project. In total, in 4 months we had 10 training batches to rump up to 150 agents.

Secondly, we needed to construct an internal organizational work process.

One of the customer’s requirements is to build 9 support lines to help customers from 9 different countries. And this means that to create these groups, it is necessary to take into account the legislation of other countries, the cultural mentality, as well as the difference in time zones.

Another big challenge is a business continuity plan. So that in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as lack of electricity, interruptions with communication (internet), or other factors, the service would continue uninterrupted. In our case, even despite the beginning of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the specialists of A.R.C.E. it was possible to continue working and complete the project goals without obstacles and according to the planned deadlines. Since the perfect customer experience is the main business goal, ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of its contact center was a priority for the team.

Ideas for improving customer service

During the work on the project at each stage, we not only report to the customer but also offer our vision of how the partner’s activities/business processes can be improved, of course, in the case when the partner is ready for such proactivity. For this project, we also developed certain steps aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of work.

  • Implement the possibility of searching for products in the system by registration number.

Why is this important? Agents will spend less time explaining to customers the nuances of using the product.

  • Add a Bluetooth tracker, that is, a pendant with a built-in communication module, which is used to find things.
  • Expansion of the quality department.

Purpose: some agents will process only bad customer reviews and turn the company’s “critics” into its promoters.

  • Mobile application update.

Users will receive detailed information about different service updates.

  • Add the function of deleting an account to the application.
  • Customer segmentation.

The goal: to provide fast and comfortable service to regular customers.

Result

  • 24/7 service
  • 9 service languages
  • over 150 agents

The contact center industry is developing faster every year, which accordingly raises the expectations of users. In order not to lose the trust of customers, companies must follow the new possibilities of technological solutions and successfully use them following their own goals.

In this case, we organized a modern contact center that handled almost 200 000 requests every month and made the most of all the possibilities of available technological solutions.

If you want to improve your customer support process, contact us. Our manager will reply to discuss the details and help you.