Introduction
Business Process Outsourcing has been helping big companies and businesses in generating their products and services worldwide. The idea is that companies hire a BPO company to reach a wider and accurate set of potential customers in order to keep their business alive. The key for the success of any outsourcing company is the effectiveness of their customer service function. One of the biggest question these days is about who provides better outsourcing or customer services, is it the trained and flexible customer representatives or the advanced and convenient avatars, which are designed software or technology to deal with incoming calls from customers. The only thing avatars and agents have in common is their function or responsibility, which is to provide information to customers worldwide. The question is who or which is more effective of the two? This topic may seem a little unworthy for a research project, but the results to be concluded in the end will help present and future BPOs choose the better way to provide great customer services The success of a BPO will contribute to the growth of a certain country and provide millions of jobs, not only for individuals with a degree but for people who have not attended college but are hard-working and analytical.
The Agents
Call center agents or telemarketers undergo a tested training module with skilled individuals in order to enhance their ability to communicate and distribute all the information regarding their services or product to potential customers. Agents or representatives are adaptable in all kinds of situations, especially when dealing with an irritating or enraged customer. Call center agents can also work from their home to provide 24/7 service and reduced costs for facilities and equipment. However, effectiveness is not ensured because of the accumulated stress and anxiety in dealing with customers. “Dealing with mixed or contradictory messages presents a real challenge” (D’Ausilio 40). It is hard to find dedicated call center agents.
The Avatar
Initially, avatars are programmed and recorded software that function as a customer service representative operated by technology. The process is accurate and uniform; however, it does not have the same adaptability or flexibility of an agent. Now, brilliant minds decided to combine an agent and an avatar. Think of it this way, an agent monitors the conversation and selects the appropriate recorded audio to answer the customer’s concern or question. Avatar systems are programmed and compacted with all possible answers and rebuttals in order to provide accurate customer service. Avatars are also cost-effective. In addition, they can provide answers in different languages. Although an avatar system maybe flawless. it is still prone to errors. The effectiveness of avatars is not compatible to all kinds of the services and products provided by the company. However, avatars are also considered as the future of BPOs and telemarketers. There is an upside and downside to this. The upside is the accurate and convenient service provided. The downside is that job vacancies will decline since BPO companies will mostly rely on technology and selected employees or agents.
Conclusion
There are not many similarities between agents and avatars, except for their main purpose, which is to provide customer service, and that they both engage with customers. To sum it all up, agents are able to resolve all kinds of problems especially when the agent can think quickly on his/her feet and resolve whatever issue there is with the customer. On the other hand, avatars provide accuracy and uniformity but they are not flexible enough to answer all kinds of questions.
Works Cited
D’Ausilio, Rosanne. Wake up Your Call Center: Humanize Your Interaction Hub. 4th ed. West Lafayette: Purdue University, 2005. Print.
Works Cited
