It’s been said that life is a series of small decisions that weave together to tell a story. In a lot of ways, the same can be said for small business ownership, where big and small decisions can sway the pendulum of success. Fortune favors the bold, but the reality is that 20% of small businesses fail in the first year and about half won’t make it beyond five.

Some of the most important decisions for a small business involve customer service, beginning with whether to own it in-house or to contract it out for management elsewhere. If you’ve ever thought about outsourcing customer service for your small business, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few of the top pros and cons of outsourced customer service for small businesses.

Pros of outsourced customer service for small businesses

Increased level of sophistication and management – Just because a business is small doesn’t mean it can’t have sophisticated customer service practices, and outsourcing those efforts can help make that happen. Companies like ShyftOff bring big-business capabilities and expertise to small businesses, including setting up contact center systems, training agents for peak optimization, forecasting future customer needs and operating efficiently.

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Attracting and retaining top talent – ShyftOff deploys a GigCXmodel in which agents work in 30-minute microshifts that fit their schedule. We don’t have the same problems traditional contact centers have with staffing because our model facilitates the type of flexibility that qualified and educated people desire. In fact, around 80% of our agents are college-educated.

Integrated technology tools – Digital and telephonic tools of the trade for customer service agents can be pricey when purchased or leased individually. But if you go with outsourced customer service for small businesses, you’ll be working with a partner like ShyftOff who has access to the latest and greatest tools, including artificial intelligence, at scale.

Cons of outsourced customer service for small businesses

Loss of control – A lot of small business owners think of the business as their baby, so giving up something as essential as customer service may feel like they’re losing some control. We like to remind small business owners that this is our expertise, and it’s what we do best. We focus on customer service operations so the business owner can do what they do best—run the business.

Disconnect from the brand or mission – There’s also a fear among small business owners that outsourced customer service for small businesses could lead to a disconnect from the brand since the agents talking to customers aren’t actual employees. However, studies have consistently shown a clear connection between happy employees and happy customers. The agents that we use have more flexibility and receive higher wages than the average traditional contact center employee, two perks that go along way toward happiness for most people.

Perceived lack of knowledge – It’s understandable for someone to worry that outsourced customer service for small businesses would result in agents that lack knowledge about the business or its goods and services. But all of our agents undergo extensive training, either with the business, with us or both, before ever taking a call. We also only authorize certain agents for certain accounts and do our best to ensure a mutually beneficial fit.

The thought of outsourced customer service for small businesses may take some getting used to, but the benefits have never been clearer. Interested in learning more about how we connect GigCX customer service agents with small businesses just like yours? Contact us today.