How Business Process Outsourcers Can Make the Holidays Merry for Retailers

The holiday rush offers retailers the opportunity to add some much-needed revenue to their books.

However, that much-increased traffic in such a short period can also add another complication to retailers’ plates: increased service demand. Whether you run a big box store, small boutique, regional grocer, or direct-to-consumer brand, increased sales means increased customer contacts. It’s just part of the business.

But looming economic concerns, labor shortages, and shipping delays have turned up the pressure on retailers already concerned about meeting increased demand. Luckily, these businesses don’t have to go it alone.

Partnering with a business process outsourcer (BPO) can help retailers cut costs, alleviate labor concerns, and provide better service this holiday season. Working with a BPO can:

Offer businesses flexibility: With an uncertain labor market and ongoing economic pressures, staffing service centers appropriately will be a significant challenge, especially as demand changes throughout the season. BPOs are structured to be agile and streamlined so clients can scale their teams up and down at the drop of a hat. BPOs can help retailers act when unexpected issues arise, ensuring there’s always the right number of people on hand to address customer needs.

Cut labor costs: Seasonal hiring is difficult for many retailers in any climate, but the U.S.’ low unemployment numbers and rising global inflation may make it even more difficult for American retailers this year. Wages are rising, and many retailers may be wondering how they’ll keep up.

BPOs can mitigate these issues by opening new regions to employers, which helps companies keep costs low. By using a BPO, businesses operating in high-cost cities can engage highly skilled service candidates in areas where the cost of living is lower, reducing labor spend while keeping teams staffed and efficient.

Remove risk: In today’s economic climate, retailers are hesitant to take on risk of any kind—and staffing a seasonal service team contains a significant amount of risk.

An experienced BPO will assume the risk related to staffing, managing teams, onboarding, office maintenance, and more for clients, alleviating some of that pressure. This reduced risk offers retailers peace of mind, allowing them to get back to running their businesses without the added stress.

Improve efficiency: BPOs invest in the newest technology and have a vast selection of skilled and trained representatives who are familiar with the nuances of retail and e-commerce. They are often able to deliver efficiencies well beyond the capabilities of individual brands.

Entrusting service operations and management to experienced partners can give brands of all sizes access to best-in-class talent, software, and processes. That means fewer mistakes, shorter call times, and more satisfied customers.

Many leaders worry that outsourcing customer experience programs to a third party will make them out of touch, but it’s quite the opposite. Allowing specialists to run the show behind the scenes can improve customer loyalty and offer new insights into what a brand’s customers want and need—and gives leaders the space to analyze those insights to deliver better solutions.

This holiday season, with so much on the line, choosing to work with a BPO could make the difference in delivering holiday cheer.