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Outsourcing Contact Centres in the Charity Sector Connaught Compliance Information Services looks at how charities can benefit from an outsourced offering and warns of the pitfalls of working with non-specialised and poorly briefed operations.

The contact centre is a necessity for any organisation running advice and awareness campaigns or ongoing fundraising activities. Some charities choose to setup their own in-house operation while others prefer to outsource the contract, which allows the flexibility to increase and decrease resource levels as and when required.

Those that choose to outsource are faced with a plethora of choices, from which company to use right down to the times of service the centre should operate.

Any reputable outsourcing organisation should be able to hand hold clients through this process, particularly those that are new to outsourcing, and advise on the best contact strategies for their particular objectives.

From setting up a contact centre to handle a large volume of in-bound helpline calls following a high-profile TV awareness campaign to calling regular supporters to encourage them to increase their donation, outsourced operators can deliver a tailor-made package.

Charities are a different entity to most other organisations that require the services of a contact centre and it is imperative that this is understood by both parties. The levels of service required by charities are usually higher and demand a greater understanding of the organisation. Put simply, the use of a pre-prepared script delivered in a robot-like fashion will not work in the vast majority of cases.

Where specialist outsourcers can provided added value is; through the skills of their operators. Staffs at more specialist operations tend to have more experience within the industry and undergo comprehensive training to ensure they remain at the top of their game.

The most important thing to consider and get right when working with contact centres is to ensure a clear brief is given at the outset of the project. Many organisations invite their clients, and this works particularly well in the case of charities, to personally brief and train the contact centre staff. It’s vital that the people working on a charity contract see themselves as representing the charity and it’s objectives, not just casual employees or going through the motions in a “stop-gap” job. Training should also attempt to instil a degree of empathy in staff for the causes for which they are working – otherwise exchanges won’t be as effective. These staff will be the front-line representatives of a charity’s brand and their engagement and credibility with service users is crucial. .

It can also be worthwhile getting service users themselves involved at the outset of a contract as they can often provide invaluable insights into what they expect from a charity’s contact channel as well as how they prefer to be addressed and spoken to.

The brief should also be as specific as possible. If you are planning a helpline targeting young people then the contact centre will require channels and hours of service to meet the specific needs of the audience demographic.

It makes sense for staff to be aware of the wider issues concerning the charity as well as specific details relating to a particular campaign. Operatives speaking to the public on behalf of a charity are far more likely to be asked for further information or about a related topic than operatives working on utility or commercial contracts.

Close client contact is therefore essential, as should the contact centre receive a question they are unable to answer they need to be able to reach someone at the charity that can – and quickly.

The costs to a charity of setting up a contact centre function can vary greatly depending on the size of the facility needed, the number of staff required to run the project, the number of lines needed and the level of technology involved but it’s worth noting that usually it’s often more economical to outsource the work for campaigns that tend to be favoured by a large number of charities. There are very few charities that have the in-house expertise and resources to run an effective contact centre so it’s often worth consulting the experts.

The job of managing a contact centre contract usually falls to the communications or marketing heads within an organisation and it’s important that the management of the contract is resourced properly to ensure the end result is mutually rewarding.

In order to achieve this the contract manager should ensure from the outset that the costs are clearly included in the contractual relationship so that they are not in danger of over-paying through a misunderstanding of the terms or failing to ensure the contract covers the amount of calls that will be required to meet the brief.

Contract managers should also be warned not to be dazzled by the technology on offer from contact centres. This has developed rapidly over recent years and the ability to capture information about callers, use voice recognition software to identify common problems or automatically add their details to specific databases is now available at the touch of the button. But when dealing with a charity a certain level of sensitivity is required in order to avoid spoiling the experience of the caller. If the technology will be genuinely useful to a campaign then it is worth considering, but it’s worth thinking carefully about its true relevance to each campaign and if it will really benefit both the results and the caller’s experience.

Common problems encountered by charities when they enter the contact centre market for the first time are often related to them feeling that their campaign is insignificant in comparison to the larger commercial contracts undertaken by the contact centres. Again, this is where specialist suppliers can really prove their worth by offering a dedicated service and utilising their expertise in dealing with highly specialised accounts.

The use of a specialist supplier also helps combat the problem of weak scripts that are commonly used when a contact centre does not clearly understand a client’s campaign objectives. Similarly, more specialist suppliers tend to have a lower staff turnover meaning that they are dealing with experienced operatives with genuine buy-in to a contract.

It’s clear that outsourcing to a contact centre can be extremely fruitful for organisations operating within the charity sector and well-run campaigns result in help and advice being delivered to make a real difference in people’s lives, along with increased donation and awareness levels. However, it is vital that these contracts are managed effectively from the outset both to help avoid the many pitfalls associated with contact centre contracts and deliver the required results.

Michael O’Toole is Business Development Director at Connaught Compliance Information Services. Michael has worked in the contact centre industry for more than 10 years and has substantial experience of servicing the charitable sector.


For more information contact Caroline Holmes at Working Word PR on 02920 488778 or email caroline.holmes@workingwordpr.com


NOTES TO EDITOR

• Connaught, a FTSE250 plc with a turnover in excess of £500M, is the UK’s leading integrated services provider operating in the social housing, public sector and compliance markets. Connaught’s service range includes planned and response maintenance; estate cleaning and grounds maintenance; gas, electrical, water and fire safety; health and safety consultancy and training.

• Connaught Information Services provides high quality, multi-channel outsourced advice and helpline services..

• For more information visit www.connaught.plc.uk.

 

 

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