The Evolving Expectations of Customer Service

While a constant, 24/7 customer service presence may not be a universal expectation among your clientele currently, the desire for readily available support is undeniably growing.

However, how can a startup, often characterized by limited personnel, effectively deliver continuous customer assistance? Several avenues exist, and increasingly, outsourcing is proving to be a viable solution.

Determining the Right Time to Outsource

At what stage should a burgeoning startup contemplate delegating its customer care functions? Furthermore, what key attributes should be sought in a potential service provider?

Let's explore the capabilities of Customer Care as a Service (CCaaS) and examine how rapidly expanding startups are capitalizing on this emerging partnership model to enhance customer satisfaction.

Understanding Customer Care as a Service (CCaaS)

CCaaS offers a flexible approach to customer support. It allows businesses to access advanced support tools and a skilled workforce without the significant investment of building an in-house team.

Here are some benefits startups can gain from CCaaS:

• Scalability: Easily adjust support capacity based on fluctuating demand.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Reduce overhead costs associated with hiring, training, and infrastructure.
• Expertise: Leverage the specialized knowledge and experience of dedicated customer service professionals.
• Focus on Core Business: Allow your internal team to concentrate on key strategic initiatives.

How Startups are Utilizing CCaaS

Fast-growing startups are actively integrating CCaaS to manage increasing customer inquiries and maintain high service levels.

By partnering with CCaaS providers, these companies are able to provide prompt and efficient support, fostering stronger customer relationships and driving business growth.

Ultimately, strategic outsourcing can be a powerful enabler for startups aiming to deliver exceptional customer experiences, even with limited resources.

Resolving Challenges in Customer Support

Utilizing customer care as a service offers solutions to several common difficulties, notably the requirement for support availability beyond standard business times.

The shift in consumer behavior during lockdowns, where online shoppers became accustomed to making purchases outside of traditional store hours – particularly during evenings and weekends – has led to increased cart abandonment when immediate assistance isn't accessible. This expectation extends not only to prospective customers but also to existing ones.

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a substantial increase in the proportion of e-commerce within the overall retail sector, and the OECD highlighted in a recent report that these altered purchasing patterns are likely to persist. Consequently, many smaller retailers have encountered a reality long understood by e-commerce startups: the concept of fixed working hours becomes less relevant for online businesses.

This need for continuous support isn't limited to e-commerce; it's becoming increasingly vital across various startup sectors, including SaaS and mobility services. Onepilot, a French CCaaS provider, experienced this directly. Initially offering support from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. during its beta phase, the company is now transitioning to 24/7 coverage to meet growing client demands, as shared by co-founder Pierre Latscha with TechCrunch.

Pony, a French micromobility startup utilizing Onepilot’s services, required dependable customer support for its fleets of dockless bikes and scooters across multiple cities. However, the cost of a dedicated in-house employee wasn’t justifiable. As Pony explained to Les Échos, they lacked sufficient demand to warrant a full-time customer service representative.

In scenarios like these, partnering with a provider such as Onepilot can provide cost savings when demand fluctuates or isn't consistently high – a common situation for businesses experiencing seasonality or rapid growth.

This was the case for SPRiNG, a French subscription service specializing in eco-friendly laundry and cleaning products, which collaborated with Onepilot. Launched in the summer of 2020 and fueled by €2.1 million in seed funding, SPRiNG’s team expanded threefold. However, with “tens of thousands of clients,” the startup quickly recognized the need for increased support to manage the rising volume of inquiries, as co-founder Ben Guerville communicated via email.

Maintaining a response time of under 30 minutes for relevant inquiries was a key objective for SPRiNG, but achieving this in-house, seven days a week, would have been challenging with a single new hire. Guerville was also determined to avoid outsourcing to offshore locations. Therefore, what factors allowed Onepilot’s proposal to resonate with SPRiNG? Evidently, CCaaS providers possess compelling arguments to address initial reservations.

The Startup Approach to Outsourcing

Édouard de Ménibus of The Nest (a Webhelp program) recently explained to FrenchWeb that outsourcing isn't always a natural fit for startups. Typically, these companies prioritize operational control, require significant adaptability, and harbor reservations about delegating tasks externally.

De Ménibus’s role involves building trust and addressing common misconceptions among these startups. While initial skepticism towards large call centers – traditionally the core of “CCaaS” – is understandable, companies like Onepilot and The Nest are striving to demonstrate a deeper understanding of startup needs.

Assessing Provider Alignment with Your Stage

A crucial initial question is whether a potential provider comprehends your company’s current development phase. The Nest, for example, generally engages with startups once they’ve reached a more established stage of growth, focusing on scaleups as well.

Their network features notable French tech companies like Zenpark and Lydia. Recently, they announced a European expansion, and with support for over 40 languages, they are actively targeting startups poised for international expansion.

Onepilot: Supporting Startups of All Sizes

Conversely, Onepilot caters to both small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and startups, regardless of their size. As a startup themselves, they are committed to fostering the growth of their clientele, as Latscha shared with TechCrunch.

The founding team at Onepilot, drawing on experience within the startup ecosystem, recognizes the paramount importance of flexibility for young companies.

Meeting the Unique Demands of Startups

When assessing a CCaaS provider, the level of flexibility offered by solutions like Onepilot is a crucial consideration. Clients retain the ability to choose the scope of outsourcing, whether it's limited to non-business hours or focused on specific request types.

Onepilot’s pricing structure facilitates this granular control. Beyond a base monthly fee of €149, charges are applied per ticket, and there are no minimum volume commitments.

This model allows SPRiNG to leverage Onepilot as a complement to its existing resources. According to Guerville, Onepilot manages inbound communications – including emails, mailbox inquiries, and social media comment moderation – during out-of-hours periods.

Furthermore, Onepilot can provide support during peak messaging times, ensuring consistently high service quality. “This enables us to deliver exceptional responsiveness, pertinent information, and maintain a consistent brand voice in all communications,” Guerville explained.

The Importance of Brand Voice and Agent Quality

Maintaining a consistent tone of voice is a central element of Onepilot’s service offering, and a key factor for startups to evaluate. Initially, the company highlighted its French-based agent pool.

However, with plans for international expansion following a €2.5 million seed funding round, broader quality standards are now prioritized. Latscha noted that agents, referred to as “support heroes,” undergo rigorous screening.

This assessment includes checks for grammar, conjugation, logical reasoning, and IT proficiency. Crucially, agents must demonstrate an ability to adapt to a client’s specific terminology, drawing on previous ticket data.

Transparency and Scalability

Onepilot provides customers with constant access to support tickets, aiding in quality assurance. However, this is just one aspect of the transparency startups should seek in an outsourcing partner.

Full access to analytics and the knowledge base is considerably more valuable. This access also helps to ensure that support ticket volume doesn’t outpace sales growth indefinitely.

Ultimately, most startups aim for a product that is inherently self-sufficient and capable of scaling efficiently. A transparent CCaaS partner can contribute significantly to achieving this goal.

Advantages of Outsourcing Customer Support

Engaging the appropriate partner for customer service outsourcing can lead to significant time efficiencies. This approach often proves more streamlined than managing individual freelancers or incurring the fixed expenses associated with an in-house team.

Another company, Guuru, a Swiss startup with $7.9 million in funding, also emphasizes cost savings as a key advantage. They focus on serving e-commerce businesses and highlight the potential for reducing “cost-per-contact” through their solution.

Guuru’s service specifically addresses “first-level customer interaction” – handling initial customer inquiries that don’t require escalation. Their website promotes the ability to fully automate initial responses with a SmartBot, and seamlessly transition to peer-to-peer support when human assistance is necessary, alongside a tool to estimate potential savings.

It’s noteworthy that even Guuru doesn’t position its bot as a complete solution. Despite the current enthusiasm surrounding chatbots, the general understanding is that they are not yet capable of resolving intricate issues. However, most CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) providers effectively utilize technology and are expected to become increasingly technologically advanced.

Beyond simply lowering expenses, these companies aim to positively influence financial performance. Guerville pointed to improvements in both conversion rates and customer retention experienced by SPRiNG after partnering with Onepilot for outsourcing.

Exceptional customer service can significantly shape a startup’s growth. The ability to provide rapid responses on platforms like Twitter, even during off-hours, or to connect customers with knowledgeable support staff, creates a positive impression.

This level of responsiveness is particularly crucial in a company’s early stages, as satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and advocate for the business.

If you're interested in evaluating the potential impact of CCaaS on your Net Promoter Score (NPS), many providers offer flexible arrangements and can integrate with your current systems within days.