The Dangers of Offshore Call Centers: Why You Should Think Twice Before Outsourcing

Problem: Your customers can’t reach anyone in your service drive and calls are going to voicemail. Your CSI continues to plummet as customers are frustrated with your appointment process. You’ve tried to hire an internal BDC team members, but are struggling to hire and retain the proper talent. 

Alternative: Many dealerships are considering outsourced business development vendors as a viable solution as an alternative to an internal BDC. Outsourced BDC solutions are offsite contact centers that act as a communication hub for your dealership and handle all of your customer interactions. 

Consider: When vetting an automotive outsourced BDC vendor there are many important factors to consider. However, the most important question you need to ask is where are their employees located. Most outsourced BDC solutions rely on offshore employees to help lower costs and maintain proper staffing levels. The dangers of using offshore call centers can be significant. First, there will be communication issues due to language barriers associated with using second language representatives. Second, the employees at these call centers may not be familiar with USA federal and state laws for contact centers, which could lead to legal problems for your dealership. Lastly, customers may have a negative experience due to the lack of product knowledge and training received at these offshore call centers. 

Solution: Do your homework. Find an outsourced BDC vendor that specializes in the automotive industry and doesn’t rely on offshore workforce. Ask to view their employees job descriptions and review employee ratings on recruiting websites like Indeed.com. If they aren’t hiring on US based recruiting platforms, it is often a good indicator that the company is using offshore workforce. Also, consider rating platforms like RateMyBDC.com that rate outsourced BDC vendors.