Trust Your Gut...

The world of business can be a confusing place especially if you are looking for a BPO or Contact Centre to use. Over the past few years there has been a real resurgence in the use of contact centres, and it’s not just luck – it’s because of a convergence of tech, economic and experience trends which means that there are loads of us out there all pitching for your business and offering you what we think you want from us.

As I trawl through the multiple posts, on various Social Media platforms, I find myself bombarded by talk of Contact Centres, Customer Experience, CSAT, Technology, People, Wellbeing, 24/7 coverage, Gamification, Virtual Receptionists, Quality, Partnerships and about 100 other topics that tell me how great every call centre out there.  If I’m overwhelmed by them all (and I work in one) then how on earth can clients make sure that they get the right contact centre for them. 

Let’s be honest here for a moment. In this day and age, when you look for a contact centre, as we all offer pretty much the same thing (tech, hours, “personalisation” blah blah blah) so there are two main factors you look for – you want someone who can do what they say within your budgetary constraints, and you want someone you feel you can work with.  Commercially we’re competitive – there will be those out there who can do the work cheaper or who will match quotes etc to try and get you to choose them but we’ll give most others a run for their (or your) money. Ask yourself though, If they do it much cheaper, do you sacrifice quality?

This leaves the TRUE defining factor as finding someone who your “gut instinct” tells you feels right for you. There’s no logical evidence or conscious supporting reasoning – it’s just a strong inner knowing that comes from within and tells you “This feels right”.  That’s normally caused because you’re having an emotional response to something - you’ve picked up the cues (even if you’re not aware of them) and they all point to a specific partner.  That feeling of “feelings” (rather than fact) can be a strong indicator (so much so that it can even sometimes feel physical) and I would highly recommend going with them, even if it’s not towards us! 

A few years ago, in a previous role, I undertook a project with a company that was picked for me by another part of the organisation and from Day One things felt wrong. I just didn’t “feel it” and I knew that although I had to work with these people, I wasn’t going to have a fun time. Did I have a fun time? Absolutely Not. It still causes me anxiety to this day! So, for me, I now have to look into the whites of their eyes and let my gut tell me if I can work with people as one of the MOST important factors. This also applies to the contracts we take – I want to feel that I can work with our stakeholders and have open and transparent conversations – I don’t want any barriers. We NEED to collaborate in order to get the best outcomes for your clients/patients.

Yes, CallEEAST has several compelling reasons to use, such as operational excellence, our collaborative approach, expertise within the Healthcare sector, our patient-centric approach but the most compelling in this time of turbulence within the NHS surely has to be the specialised, public sector-aligned service model, which differentiates it from many commercial competitors, but if your GUT is telling you that you would like to have your contact centre hold social value and community impact then I’ll leave it with you to decide who to go with

If you’re still not sure, I’ll make you this offer….come and meet us (or we’ll come to you), look into the whites of our eyes and then make your choice.