4 Traits Shared By the Best BPO Providers

Every great enterprise achieved its high-ranking status by focusing on the core of their business. Processes and roles only exist at these firms to drive results that directly impact the bottom line. Nowadays, the same goes for technology, as organizations rely on software and hardware more than ever to contribute to the productivity of the workforce, and therefore, the fulfillment of business objectives and the earning of revenue. In essence, operations matter the most, but they must be geared toward a single underlying goal.

However, with business becoming more digital with each passing year and consumers demanding better services than ever before, some enterprises have lost focus on what really matters in pursuit of shoring up inefficiencies and meeting modern commerce requirements. To prevent a loss of traction with respect to corporate objects, it is becoming increasingly common to turn to business process outsourcing. With a team of professionals for any task - call center services, customer services, tech support or even financial and accounting assistance - organizations can regain composure, stop needless spending and realign their sights on providing for their clients and customers.

While the need for BPO can often be perfectly clear, choosing the best partner isn't always easy. There is a wide market of vendors out there, and each offers something a bit different. That said, only a few can provide the best BPO services for any corporate requirements, and business leaders must identify the traits that define those organizations.

Here are four traits shared by the best BPO providers.

1. Experts in their fields
Nowadays, enterprises have too many trends to keep track of, and each of these - from bring your own device and mobile workforce support to omnichannel and customer experience consistency - poses a unique challenge, as they require new technologies and employees to leverage to their maximum potential.

Typically, businesses try to embrace new strategies and keep up with the market, but too often they fall short of goals - resources are devoted to correcting problems and taking advantage of trends instead of core competencies. As a result, the bottom line can suffer. So, there are two options - go all in with experts or don't keep up with trends at all.

However, writing for Money Management, Perpetual Private Client Executive Wayne Wilson explained that "access" is all organizations need to be successful. With a BPO provider that offers expertise and skilled professionals for call centers, customer service or tech support, enterprises can tackle the latest trends in their industry while still maintaining the focus on the core of their businesses.

2. Compliant and secure
Every industry has its own set of regulations, and with the nullification of Safe Harbor, potential judgments in a variety of sectors and a general upheaval of data privacy, enterprises have a lot of concerns with respect to private information. When it comes to finding a BPO provider, these businesses must identify partners that can comply with industry regulations, as well as ensure that customers' privacy needs are being met.

The best BPO providers understand the importance of maintaining high cybersecurity standards when offering IT services, and they can meet any compliance needs when providing tech support, customer service and other BPO solutions.

3. Culturally connected
Customer service experiences rely heavily on the culture of the individual providing the support. For example, if a BPO firm has staff from geographical areas that do not understand modern consumer culture, they will miss the mark when talking to employees and customers. Depending on what is being outsourced, enterprises need to ensure the partner they choose can provide employees with soft skills.

Simply put, not all countries have "service cultures" - ones that understand the importance of meeting customer needs - and more to the point, many support staff members fail to sympathize with individuals facing technological issues or experiencing difficulties with an order, for example. As CustomerThink contributor Jason Alley explained, customer-centricity requires a "perspective and protocols." BPO providers that offer call center services and other BPO solutions from countries that have that cultural perspective and follow established protocols are better than those that provide teams from countries that lack a service culture.

4. Scalable
As any operation's executives and IT leaders know, the digital era of business requires organizations to scale with demands more so than ever. Between seasonal rushes and unexplainable customer surges, today's enterprises must be ready for whatever happens. As such, BPO plays a critical role: A TechNavio report on the European BPO market noted that achieving "the optimum economy of scale" is a leading factor in the adoption of outsourcing services.

However, not all BPO providers offer the same level of scalability, making it crucial to choose a partner that offers a wide range of services as well as provides opportunities to expand operations on short notice. This is especially important in customer service-oriented sectors that experience frequent fluctuations in support demands or enterprise settings that have busy seasons.

At the end of the day, the best BPO providers will be forthcoming in their abilities, as they understand that BPO contributes to the bottom line - possessing the four aspects listed above is key to providing value.