USA - English German - Deutsch Arabic - عربي Spanish Korean - 한국어 Australia - English New Zealand - English Singapore - English
Request a demo

What Is The Difference Between A Call Center And A BPO?

The Main Differences Between Call Centers And BPOs

What Is The Difference Between A Call Center And A BPO

A Call Center vs. a BPO: Which is Right for Your Business?

In the ebb and flow of business operations and customer service The words “call center” and “BPO” are often seen as essential elements of modern-day business strategies. While they have a few similarities in terms of communication and customer support however, they differ in their responsibilities as well as their roles and contributions to companies. To be able to navigate the ever-changing world of outsourcing and service providers solutions, it is essential to know what is the difference between a call center and a BPO?
In this article, we’ll examine the major distinctions between a call center and BPO. BPO and look at their contributions to different industries.

Table of Contents

Difference Between A Call Center And A BPO

What Is The Difference Between A Call Center And A BPO?

What Is The Difference Between A Call Center And A BPO? The primary distinction between a call center as well as the BPO is the nature of their services. Call centers are a particular kind of BPO that concentrates on handling customers’ inquiries and offering support by phone. A BPO however, by contrast is able to provide a wide array of services. These include:
  • Customer service
  • Technical Support
  • Marketing and sales
  • Human resources
  • Accounting and finance
  • Processing and entry of data
  • Legal and Compliance
  • Research and development
In general, call centers are part of BPO. BPO. However there are a few call centers that aren’t part of the BPO like those run by the business they support.

When to Choose a Call Center vs. a BPO

The decision to go with a call center, or a BPO is contingent on a range of variables such as the specific requirements of your company as well as your budget and the level of control you want to achieve.
Here are a few things to take into consideration when making your choice:
  • The scope of services you need: The type of service you require: If you just need support for customer service, a call center might be an ideal alternative. However, if you require more options, including sales, technical support, marketing or human resources, then the BPO might be the better option.

  • Your budget: Your budget is usually less costly than BPOs however they might not offer the similar level of service. BPOs are, on the contrary however, may be more costly, however they offer a greater variety of services as well as a greater level of expertise.

  • Your desired level of control: If you’d like to be more in control of the experience of your customers, then calling centers could be the better choice. If you’re willing to sacrifice some control in exchange for lower prices or a greater variety of services, BPO BPO might be the better option.
This table summarizes the elements to take into consideration when deciding between a contact center or BPO:
Factor Call Center BPO
Scope of services
Customer service
Customer service, technical support, sales and marketing, human resources, finance and accounting, data entry and processing, legal and compliance, research and development, etc.
Budget
Less expensive
More expensive
Desired level of control
More control
Less control
The best method to determine whether you should choose an office or BPO is to take a careful look at the specific requirements and needs of your business.
Here are a few additional suggestions for selecting the ideal contact center, or BPO for your company:
  1. Request quotes from several companies.
  2. Review customer reviews from previous customers.
  3. Check to see if the company has a great reputation in customer service.
  4. Find out about the security of the service provider and compliance policies.
  5. Be sure that the company is an appropriate fit with your corporate culture.

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing to a Call Center or BPO

Outsourcing to a call center or BPO can provide many benefits for the following reasons:
  • Cost savings: Outsourcing can help you reduce the cost of labor in addition to the cost of facilities and equipment.

  • Access to expertise: Outsourcing gives you access to experts and skilled workers that can offer an excellent level of service.

  • Improved efficiency: Outsourcing can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of business operations, making your internal resources to concentrate on other activities.

  • Increased flexibility: Outsourcing gives you greater flexibility in scaling your business operations up or down depending on the needs.

  • Improved customer service: Outsourcing can help enhance satisfaction with your customers by offering 24/7 support, and offering access to a greater variety of languages and cultures.
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing to a Call Center or BPO
But, there are certain potential disadvantages of outsourcing to an office or call center BPO for example:
  1. Loss of control: When outsourcing you are losing control over the experience of your customers.

  2. Communication challenges: Communication may be difficult when working with a third party provider.

  3. Security risks: There’s always the risk of data breaches as well as other security issues when you share sensitive data with a third party provider.

  4. Cultural differences: If you’re outsourcing to a business in an entirely different country, you might need to be aware of cultural differences.

Comparison Table Between Call Centers And BPOs

Factor Call Center BPO
Scope of services
Customer service over the phone
A wider range of services, including customer service, technical support, sales and marketing, human resources, finance and accounting, data entry and processing, legal and compliance, research and development, etc.
Ownership
Can be owned and operated by the company they support, or can be outsourced to a BPO company
Can be owned and operated by the company they support, or can be outsourced to a BPO company
Location
Can be located in-house, or can be outsourced to a call center facility
Can be located in-house, or can be outsourced to a BPO facility
Staffing
Can be staffed by employees of the company they support, or can be staffed by employees of the BPO company
Can be staffed by employees of the company they support, or can be staffed by employees of the BPO company

How to Choose the Right Call Center or BPO for Your Business

The choice of the right contact center, or BPO for your company can be a daunting process. There are a myriad of factors to think about and it’s difficult to decide which direction to take.
Here are a few tips to help you pick the best contact center, or BPO for your company:
  • Define your needs: The initial step is to define your requirements. What kind of services do you require? What kind of service can you anticipate? Is your spending budget reasonable?

  • Do your research: After you’ve identified what you require, begin researching possible providers. Request quotes from a variety of providers, and read testimonials from previous customers.

  • Consider your specific requirements: There are a variety of aspects to take into consideration when selecting an office or call center BPO including the place of the facility, the language spoken by agents, the timing of operations and the degree of expertise and training of the employees.

  • Meet with potential providers: Once you’ve narrowed your choices, schedule meetings with prospective providers. This gives you an opportunity to inquire about their services and gain an idea of their culture.

  • Make a decision: Once you’ve had a chance to meet with potential suppliers You can then make a choice on which is the best fit for your particular business.
Here are a few additional suggestions to consider when selecting a call center or BPO:
  1. Be sure that the service has a great reputation in customer service.
  2. Check out the security measures of the provider and compliance procedures.
  3. Check to see if the service is compatible with your corporate culture.
  4. Make sure everything is written down in writing, including the conditions that the agreement will be governed by, as well as the amount of service, as well as the cost.

The Future of Call Centers and BPOs

Call centers’ future and BPOs will likely be shaped by a range of factors, such as:
  • The rise of artificial intelligence (AI): AI is already being utilized by call centers for automating processes like answering basic questions and directing calls to the right agents. As AI technology develops it will likely play a larger part in the call center, allowing agents to perform more difficult tasks.

  • The growth of mobile and omnichannel customer service: Customers are increasingly using mobile devices to reach businesses and want to receive assistance from various channels like chat, email, phone and social media. BPOs and call centers BPOs are required to adjust to this change by providing an array of customer service channels, and making it simple for customers to change between different channels.

  • The increasing importance of customer experience: In today’s highly competitive market, companies are putting more focus on customer service. This means that call centers as well as BPOs will have to concentrate on delivering a superior quality of service that is able to meet the requirements of their clients.

  • The need for data-driven decision-making: Contact centers as well as BPOs are producing a wealth of data on their customers as well as their interactions with businesses. The information can be utilized to improve customer service as well as identify areas of improvement and to make better business decisions.

  • The growth of cloud-based call centers: Cloud-based phone centers are becoming increasingly popular since they provide a variety of advantages, including capacity and flexibility as well as cost-effectiveness.

  • The increasing use of analytics: Analytics are being utilized to enhance the performance of call centers through a variety of ways, including finding areas of improvement, anticipating customer requirements and improving the way that calls are routed.

  • The growing importance of social media: Social media is becoming an increasingly vital channel for customer service. call centers are adjusting by offering assistance via the social networks.

  • The increasing focus on employee engagement: The employees of call centers represent the face of business for many of their customers. Their engagement is vital to ensure the best service. Contact centers are now focused on employee engagement through providing opportunities for development and training and creating a pleasant working environment, and providing attractive compensation and benefits.
By gaining an understanding of these trends contact centers as well as BPOs can prepare themselves to be successful in the coming years.

Frequently Asked Questions

The two primary kinds of call centers are the inbound call centers that handle customer calls that are coming in as well as outbound call centers which send outgoing calls to prospective customers or clients for various reasons such as surveys or sales.

A disadvantage to having a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) arrangement is the possibility of losing direct oversight over specific customer interactions and business processes which could impact customer service as well as customer satisfaction.

BPO or Business Process Outsourcing is when the company employs a third party to manage certain processes or tasks, usually those that aren’t integral to their business. This is done to cut costs and improve efficiency.

The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business is a service provider who provides a variety of outsourced business processes like customer support and payroll, data entry or IT support, to other businesses that allow them to concentrate on their core activities and benefit from the savings in costs and experience gained from these processes.

The main difference between BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) is the nature of the outsourcing assignments: BPO handles routine operational procedures, whereas KPO is a specialized, know-intensive process that requires expertise and analysis.

In the case of a call center, BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) is the term used to describe the practice of outsourcing certain call center tasks or processes, like customer support, telemarketing or even telemarketing to outside service providers. The service providers, which are typically specialized BPO companies, perform these tasks on behalf of the client business and allow the client to concentrate on its primary business activities.

Request a Demo