A Shared Customer Support Model Can Help Your Money Go Further

Growing companies each face their own unique challenges and they have different resources available to deal with unexpected situations. Today we will talk about a very specific challenge, inbound customer support inquiries, and how companies can provide top-quality support if the budget is a big factor. This is very important because an increase in customer retention of merely 5% can equate to an increase in profit of 25%. This is because repeat customers are more likely to spend more with your brand — 300% more, to be exact — which then results in your business having to spend less on operating costs.

 If your company cannot justify hiring a dedicated support agent, hiring a shared customer support agent may be the right solution for you. Let’s take a closer look at this customer support model so you can decide whether or not it is right for you. 

What is a Shared Customer Support Agent? 

A shared customer support agent is somebody who splits their time between two or more projects. Usually, the way this works is that you will agree with the service provider regarding the times the agent will need to be available and the number of inquiries they will be able to handle. If the agent answers above the agreed level, this will cost extra and it may be a good sign that you need to consider hiring someone on a full-time basis. 

How Do You Know if a Shared Model is Right for You?

The first thing you should do is determine the call volume and inquiries coming from other channels. If you use a ticketing tool, this should give you some figures on your inquiry volumes. Try to look for patterns. Is there a certain part of the day or week that racks up the most volume? Also, determine the seasons where you get the highest volume spikes. Next, try to figure out the call types i.e. is it mostly people looking to place an order? Are customers looking for answers to simple questions? The reason behind this is that shared agents will usually be able to handle simple inquiries. Since they are working on several projects, they will not be able to learn about a particular product or service in-depth. 

Therefore, if you need your agents to have deep knowledge about a product or be available during most of the day, you may want to consider hiring a dedicated agent. 

What are the Benefits of Hiring a Shared Agent? 

The shared model will be a good fit for businesses whose call volume is lower or less predictable, as well as businesses that experience seasonality in regards to their call patterns. In these cases, the shared model can be a good money saver, since its services are normally billed for a time supporting customers, rather than fixed pay. In the event of an unanticipated or sudden increase in call volume, the help desk provider is able to immediately transfer these calls to additional agents, foregoing the hassle of having to maintain your own staffing levels, since the help desk provider takes on this burden.

It is also worth pointing out that, in certain situations, you may want to have a hybrid support model i.e. both dedicated agents and shared ones as well. How would such a model look in practice? Well, for example, you can use dedicated agents during standard business hours but go for the shared model for after-hours support. This ensures total coverage in regards to the client’s global workforce, while concurrently minimizing costs during after-hour periods.

Mindy Support Can Provide You With Comprehensive Customer Support Services

Regardless of whether you are looking to hire shared customer support agents or set up a dedicated offshore support team, Mindy Support can help you assemble a team that will meet your business needs. We are one of the largest BPO providers in Eastern Europe with more than 2,000 employees in eight locations all over Ukraine and in other geographies globally to cover all required language skills. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.