Outsourcing your customer support call handling can be a smart way to handle rapid growth or to save money. Most call centers offer several types of services, so consider all the areas that your business could benefit from:

• Customer support services
• Order handling
• Technical support
• Qualifying inbound leads
• Answering service/messages

When choosing a customer support services provider, make sure you choose a vendor who can provide an overall level of support sufficient to your needs. Start with the account managers who handle your case. They should understand your industry and your business, since they will be your day-to-day points of contact. They should also help you understand the full range of  customer support services that you can benefit from.

If you need script development help, ask to see sample scripts the firm has developed for other customers.

Reporting is another important aspect of the provider's services. Without detailed, accurate reporting, judging results becomes next to impossible. Before discussing reporting in detail with potential vendors, gather input from your staff regarding the statistics that are important to them and how often they will be needed. You should also decide if getting finished reports is sufficient for your needs, or if you want the provider to provide data in a common format (comma separated, Excel format, etc.) so you can run your own analyses.

Some metrics you may want to track to evaluate customer support services:

• call duration
• average speed of answer
• handling time
• calls per time
• revenue
• upsell results

The ability to monitor calls is another area where providers differ. Some require that you call one of their managers, who will then "piggyback" you onto an agent's call so you can hear how effective they are. Others let you dial in to their phone system directly and listen in without any assistance or even notification.

Learn which call center outsourcing options different companies can offer by using our free vendor comparison tool.