Category: Customer Care

What does the service level agreement stand for in business? What is SLA in a call center? Those are common questions among many businesses and their clients today. On the whole, one should not underestimate the importance of this document.

SLA is an integral part of any IT vendor contract. It pulls together information about offered services and customer expectations in one document.

It is critical that both sides have the same vision and interpretation of the points listed in the agreement. Also, both parties should be held liable for breaking the rules mentioned in this document. 

To begin with, we would like to define SLA. Then, we will move to other critical points that everyone should understand whether you represent a business entity or customer sector.

What Is An SLA?

Perhaps, you already know that companies that provide services require a so-called service level agreement. Such a document assists in managing client expectations and determines when users are not responsible for outages or gaps in the work of the provider. Why is SLA important? To understand this, let’s define SLA abbreviation first.

SLA stands for the “service-level agreement.” It is an agreement between a party that offers some service(s) and users of those service(s). The contract includes the list of services and highlights the quality standards that the provider should follow to guarantee customer satisfaction.  The contract also recalls the ways to redress gaps and problems (e.g., using service credits).

What Should Service Level Agreement Include:

• Detailed service overview 
• Speed of service delivery
• Plan for performance monitoring
• Description of the reporting procedure
• List of penalties that will be applied in case of agreement violations
• Constraints 

What Is An SLA Model? 

To understand that, one may need to know the performance metrics that are usually involved: 

• Availability & uptime percentage
• Various performance benchmarks
• Response time (often associated with the work of customer service)
• Problem resolution time
• Usage statistics that will be provided

What Are The 3 Types Of SLA?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what SLA is let’s take a closer look at its structure and classification. SLA is usually divided into 3 categories. They are:

• Customer-based SLA

This type of SLA is intended for individual customers and includes all services they request. The document covers details about service quality to let customers know what level of service delivery they should expect. A good example could be telecommunication companies. Their services contain messaging, Internet connection, and voice calls. However, all of them fall under just one agreement.

• Service-oriented SLA

This document presents a single identical service for all clients. It is based on a single set of standards which makes this type of SLA the most convenient one. For instance,   users sign the service level agreement regarding information technologies helpdesk. That means that the same service is valid for all users.

• Multi-level SLA

This agreement is based on requests from end-user companies. It’s a customizable contract that makes it possible to play with various standards and conditions to make both sides benefit from the final version of the document. This type of SLA can be divided into subcategories.

1. Corporate: No frequent updates are needed for such an agreement. The points included in the contract usually remain unaltered. The document of this type is applicable to all customers of the company.
2. Client: Such an agreement covers all service aspects related to a certain category of customers. At the same time, the type of services is not considered.
3. Service: This document involves all factors attributed to a specific service regarding a certain group of customers.

The Main Components OfSLA

An SLA highlights what the client and the service provider want to achieve with their cooperation, as well as outlines the obligations of the participants, the expected performance level, and the results of cooperation/use of services. An SLA usually has a defined duration time that is clearly provided in the document. The services that the provider agrees to deliver are often described in detail to avoid misunderstanding, including procedures of performance monitoring, assessment, and troubleshooting.

What makes a good SLA?

A well thought out content. Here are six components necessary for a good agreement:

• Document overview

This involves checking main points listed in the agreement: individuals involved, start and expiration dates and other details.

• Strategic goals

Description of the agreement purpose and objectives.

• Shareholders

A list of all parties and individuals involved in the contract.

• Regular review and necessary changes

This section demonstrates a requirement for systematic review and conditions upon which modifications can be made. 

• Service agreement

This section covers customer and provider requirements, service scope and service assumptions.

• Service management

Includes information about service delivery and availability.

How To Set Metrics InSLA

An agreement should include SLA metrics that are used to evaluate the performance and results of the services delivered by a provider. Although it may be challenging to settle on the metrics that will meet the needs of both parties involved, it is crucial to agree on the terms that satisfy both the client and the service provider. 

Also, these metrics should be realistic and actionable for the service provider. If the organization can’t guarantee a provision of service level outlined in the agreement, it will fail to meet primary customer expectations and, therefore, act as per the SLA terms. That’s why the contract should be carefully reviewed and evaluated by both parties for good performance and mutual satisfaction.

It should be easy to collect and process the data for the defined SLA metrics, and the most convenient solution is if it can be captured automatically. It’s better to have a few accurately measured metrics than a lot of indicators that are hard to analyze. 

Also, it is crucial to define a reasonable baseline for the metrics in the SLA. It can be adjusted later (during the SLA review) with enough data on the metrics collected. 

What Is The Difference Between KPI And SLA?

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a method used to evaluate how well employees and organizations perform. The criteria used to estimate that efficiency level are the strategic objectives. It makes sense that goals have to be set first. KPI assists in defining how soon the project will be accomplished or specific targets will be hit. By controlling progress using this business tool companies can achieve maximum efficiency level in their work.

We can say that a key performance indicator is somehow a navigation tool like a map. It is up to the team lead to use this instrument as an important piece of info. This way, it is possible to solve critical issues and make decisions that help to achieve the objectives. Now, what is the difference between KPI and SLA?

Let’s start with the service level agreement . It identifies and deals with the ways services are delivered to the clients. One can say that KPI has the same functions. However, there is a difference. An agreement determines the general service standards that providers should stick to when dealing with clients. KPI evaluates and controls performance quality. Those are critical metrics highlighted in the company SLA .

What makes a KPI efficient? A clear reflection of your business goals in it. If an organization adopts a KPI widely used within its industry it will struggle to deliver positive results. Before formulating a KPI a company should determine its objectives and compose a strategy on how to achieve them. This process should involve collecting information from different departments and an in-depth analysis of the company’s processes and capabilities. 

Service Level Management

Service level management is the process of managing SLAs that helps companies to define, document, monitor, measure, report, and review the performance of the provided services.

What professional SLA management services should include:

• Setting realistic conditions that a service provider can ensure;
• Meeting the needs and requirements of the clients;
• Establishing the right metrics for evaluating the performance of the services;
• Ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions agreed with the clients;
• Avoiding any violations of SLA terms and conditions. 

An SLA is a preventive means that allows establishing a transparent relationship between both parties involved and increases confidence in the cooperation. Such a document is fundamental to a successful collaboration between a client and a service provider.

Types Of SLA Penalties

A natural reply to any kind of violation is penalty. An SLA penalty depends on the industry and business. Let’s take a look at the two most common SLA penalty types.

1. Financial penalty 

This kind of penalty requires a vendor to pay the customer a compensation of damages equal to the one written in the agreement. The amount will depend on the extent of a violation and damage and may not be a full reimbursement of what a customer paid for the ecommerce service or ecommerce support. 

2. Service credit

In this case a service provider will reimburse the customer in the form of service credits which a client can use for future projects. In other words, a vendor will have to provide a customer with free services for a specific time period. 

To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding between the two parties in case of SLA violation such penalties must be clearly articulated in the agreement. Otherwise, they won’t be legitimate. The conditions of paying off the compensation should be stated explicitly and in details without leaving any room for discussion. 

Who Provides An SLA?

Most service providers have a few standard SLAs that include different sets of services at different prices. These SLAs can then be reviewed and adjusted according to the client’s requirements and expectations and are usually in favor of the supplier.

When providing an RFP, the client is expected to include the desired service levels within the request. This will influence the offer content and the price quote provided by the vendor. In some cases, it may even result in the rejection of the request, if the service provider can’t guarantee the expected performance or alternative solutions. But in most cases, a service provider can come up with a customized, robust solution in response to the RFP.

Is An SLA Transferable?

It depends on a specific case. For instance, if during the SLA period, the service provider is acquired by or merges with another organization, the SLA may have to be reviewed and negotiated. Although the SLA may still be in force, it’s crucial to check if the new business entity can provide the same level of performance. The chances are that the new owner will be eager to continue cooperation with the existing clients.

How Can I Verify Service Levels?

Any reliable service provider delivers detailed and transparent statistics, often in a digital form on their website. The client is welcome to check if the SLAs are met accordingly and if the client is entitled to service credits or penalties.

In many cases, such monitoring tasks are delegated to an outsourcing provider that identifies and ensures that all the processes support the SLA terms. Also, the client and the outsourcing support company can start working during the SLA negotiation to avoid any misunderstanding on the services and terms that will be provided. This allows setting up correct management and reporting methods right from the start.  

Alternatively, the client can use an automated third-party tool for monitoring and analyzing the performance metrics.

SLAs And Indemnification Clauses

Indemnification is a contractual obligation that the service provider (indemnitor) has to the client (indemnitee) if the client (or a third party) experiences any damages, losses, and liabilities caused by the contract breach. 

According to the SLA terms and conditions, the indemnification request requires the service provider to acknowledge that the client is not responsible for any losses coming from the violation of contract terms. The clause also requires the indemnitor to pay the client for any costs incurred from the contract violation.

For defining and limiting the number of indemnifications, a service provider may:

• Consult an attorney
• Limit the number of indemnitees
• Define monetary caps for the request
• Set time restrictions
• Stress the exact starting point of indemnification responsibility 

Revising And Changing An SLA

Since business requirements are subject to change it’s important to ensure that an SLA is revised regularly. This will help to always keep the agreement in line with business’s service level objectives. 

The SLA should be revised when changes of the following occur:

• A company’s requirements
• Workload volume
• Customer’s needs
• Processes and tools

The contract should have a detailed plan for its modification including change frequency, change procedures and change log. 

SLA Calculation

SLA assessment and calculation determine a level of compliance with the agreement. One may wonder how do you calculate SLA? There are many tools for SLA calculation available on the internet. The real question is what exactly should be calculated. 

SLA Uptime

An uptime is an amount of time the service is available. Depending on the type of a service a vendor should provide minimum uptime that is relevant to the average customer’s demand. Usually, a high uptime is critical for websites, online services or web based providers as their business relies on its accessibility. 

Incident And SLA Violations

This calculation helps determine the extent of an SLA breach and penalty level foreseen by the contract. The tools usually calculate a downtime period during which a service wasn’t available, compare it to SLA terms and identify an extent of the violation.

SLA Credit

If a service provider fails to meet customer’s expectations outlined in the SLA a service credit or other type of penalty must be given as a form of compensation. A percentage of credit depends directly on the downtime period which exceeded its norm indicated in a contract.

The table below demonstrates an example of SLA calculation, specifically a proportion of uptime and downtime.

Tips For Improving Your Service Level Agreements

So, how can you improve your service level agreement ? First of all, you should set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Out of all these letters, “A,” which stands for “attainable” is the most important one. In this contract, the business entity should only outline what it will and will not do for the clients. It is critical to use only clear and concise language that would be comprehended by both sides. Often, it is better to lower expectations instead of promising something your company cannot do (e.g., troubleshooting tools that you do not possess or have never tested before or extra fast support having not enough operators.)

Also, you should remain transparent and honest. Avoid elevator pitch language. Do not make your clients guess what you mean. Exclude any difficult terminology or replace it with more understandable words.

Next, you should hire the right staff. Each time you deal with any legal document, it is better to have competent professionals by your side that can understand the full scope of the issue and can warn you if necessary. You may need a special legal counselor or advanced translator. In this case, it is better to recruit a professional instead of using online translating tools. To cut costs and speed up the process, you should be ready to invest in the labor first. You might need to consult lawyers and IT experts before offering the agreement to your customers. Finally, you need to train your staff according to the created contract. This way, your agreements will always look realistic and fair.

From standard customer service responses to forms created when you receive no reaction to the follow-up letter – these are all important categories of business emails that may either save your reputation or destroy the image of your company completely. It all depends on how well you know your target audience as, while specific content will sound attractive to some customers, others may refuse to accept it.

In this article, you will find something that will help to increase your customer retention and satisfaction rates significantly! We offer the best email response templates as well as some valuable tips on creating powerful, professional messages for various purposes.

Professional Email Response: How To Craft And Templates

Many known ways exist to provide a professional email response. The style basically depends on the intention in the message. For instance, if the goal is to acknowledge the receipt of a message, the reply should be short and straightforward, with no excessive information. In other cases, the response should be more carefully crafted.

Most often, the responses to professional messages should stick to the common pattern of composing pro emails. Before you answer, you may want to study an email reply templateand recall the subject of the most recent message. Reply to every question or query in a separate paragraph to make it clear for the recipient.

This way, you will make sure that you have answered all of the questions as each of them is equally necessary. You may highlight the basic keywords while composing a reply so that it will be simpler for the user to find what he or she was looking for in the first turn.

You should always acknowledge the messages you get. This way, even if the user cannot expect the reply in the next 24 hours, they will at least know that you received it. The good idea is to find and save an IT support email template to minimize your efforts. Just make sure you get it from the professional website. Those who use Gmail find this function extremely convenient.

Perhaps, you are interested in some professional email response examples. This one may help you get an overall idea:

Mr. [Last Name],

Thank you for your application to become a senior SEO specialist on [Website Name]. Our team is complimented that you want to work for us, but we have some nuances to admit.

Your application and personal information will be retained in our storage for further cooperation. Unfortunately, we cannot offer you the position right now. All of the SEO specialists are occupied. We shall, however, contact you as soon as a new job opening pops up.

If you would like to cancel your application for any reason, we will do that immediately not to disturb you in the future.

Best regards,

[Name Last Name]

Here is another pro template with a different purpose:

Dear Mr. [Last Name],

I was flattered by your preposition to make me a senior marketing specialist in your software development company [Name]. Regrettably, I cannot accept this position right now as I move to another country for a while.

I wish you well in Los Angeles

Yours truly,

[Name Last Name]

Email Format For Customer Service: Importance And Templates

It is especially critical to reply to the emails of your clients, no matter whether they complain about something or wish to make you a compliment. You should show respect to each individual interested in your product or service. It is the best way to retain old customers and expand the existing client base. That is why you should know the proper email format for customer service.

It is possible to handle an angry customer with a good apologizing letter. He or she should feel that you’re really sorry and care about the problem, and you’ll do everything possible to fix the situation. Some choose to do it by phone, but writing an email is safer. At the same time, it is not that easy to bring the temperature down or steer the conversation by email. If you don’t want to face a fatal blow in the relationship with a client, you should have a time-tested, effective reply email format sample in front of your eyes all the time.

If the client has shared about your business with a friend, use this example:

Hi [Name Last Name],

Thank you so much for referring your friend [Name] to us. It was a pleasure to know them closer and share details about our business. Our team is very happy that you’ve been with us for a while, letting others learn more about our product.

We’re lucky to have you among our customers. Thanks for being a fantastic client!

Cheers,

[Name]

Now, what if you want to know more about the customer’s tastes and preferences?

Hey [Name],

Thanks for your last purchase with our company [Name]! We hope that you like your new product.

Would you be so kind to share a personal experience with us? Please fill out the questionnaire attached to this email. It is brief, and your replies will be anonymous.

I appreciate your attention and engagement.

Thanks,

[Your name]

[Questionnaire or link to the poll]

Templates Save Customer Support Time

Email templates are life-saving when it comes to fast responses to common inquiries, and by having templates, customer support can assist more clients within the same amount of time. Of course, it’s not possible to have a template for every request ever, but it’s absolutely okay to have canned responses for basic questions. This will allow support agents to optimize their time, help a larger number of customers, and dedicate their resources to more complex requests.

3 Ways Email Templates Can Damage Your Brand

Email templates can save a bunch of time and effort but also can damage the brand’s image if used in the wrong way. As templates are usually universal, it’s crucial to customize them as per each individual request to make sure they provide the exact answers the user needs. By using email templates carelessly, customer support can get backfired on. Here are the ways templates can do more harm than good:

1. No customization

Nothing is more frustrating than getting a canned response that barely answers the asked questions or has pre-filled fields that weren’t filled correctly. For example, there are usually some blank fields where support agents need to include some personalized information according to the requests. Such information makes email personalized and well-tailored to the customer’s needs. However, if the user gets a “Hi [NAME]” email, even if it contains a lot of useful information, it will spoil the experience. To avoid such situations, customer support should have checklists to stick to before sending a response to the customer.

2. Typos and grammar errors

Even if the support representative fills in blank fields, many typos can still ruin the user experience. What’s more, there can be typos in the email templates itself, so every customer that receives such a reply will stop over the grammar errors. When using templates, people always assume they are already perfect, but it’s crucial to double-check to avoid typos that look not professional at all.

Customer trust and loyalty can be lost if you type their name incorrectly. Therefore, a support agent needs to cross-check several times the customer’s name before clicking on “Send.” Otherwise, the brand may be perceived as sloppy, low-quality, and careless.

The best way to check templates is to handle them to a copywriter, marketer, or any other employee that can read them with fresh eyes and notice all the typos. Thus, they will be able to fix these mistakes and provide the support team with correct templates to use. 

3. Careless attitude

It’s not enough to just send a basic response, as you need to show that you really care about the customer and his request. If a customer support agent isn’t really eager to help users with their inquiries, this attitude will be seen through their replies, and the customers will feel unwanted. This, in return, will backfire on the brand.

To ensure that email templates do good and no harm, the checklist we’ve mentioned above will help ideally. It should include not only technical points but also friendly reminders on being kind and empathetic. If you utilize email templates accurately, they will bring only the benefits to the business.

Templates Ensure The Company Messaging Is Consistent With Your Brand

Email templates are also great for enduring consistent responses, no matter which customer support agent handles the request. So, common questions will be replied in the same manner, and each user will get a clear and helpful solution.

Embrace Omnichannel in Customer Service

Positive user experience is the main goal of marketing and other business activities these days. Many companies strive to achieve it, but not all succeed in it.

The point is to ensure a great customer experience not in one place but across all the platforms and places where the business is present. This will create the same look and feel of the brand, both offline and online. In terms of customer support, it will also ensure a consistent level of services the users receive. 

Also, it will be easy for them to get assistance from your organization no matter where they look for it. For instance, some users like email correspondence with brands, while others would prefer to get a callback. Just like you want to reach your target audience and make it loyal to your brand, you need to provide the customers with a possibility to reach you in any convenient manner.

Key To A Well-Received Email Response: Make It All About The Customer

No matter how frustrated the customer is, a support representative should aim to provide a positive and caring attitude to resolve the situation for good. Here are some basic rules for email responses for the successful outcome:

• Take responsibility – Show that you fully understand the situation and the mistake of the company.
• Emphasize the customer’s feelings – Show empathy to establish a connection and provide a “human” side of customer support.
• Be a hero – Inform the customer on what you’ve already done to resolve the situation in a positive and clear manner. Also, let them know what you are planning to do next to address the situation. Make sure to answer all the questions the customer has and provide all the helpful resources they may need for using your goods and services. This will show how you care and value each customer, and that you will always have their back. It’s also a nice step to offer the user some vouchers or discounts to improve user satisfaction.
• The final reply is on you – Always be the last who replies in the email thread, not the customer. Remind them that you value them and their feedback and suggest contacting you again if the customer needs any additional assistance.

Customer Service Email Example 1: Dissatisfied Purchase Experience

Dear [Name Last Name],

Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding the situation you’ve experienced at our store recently.

We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused you. We care about each feedback that allows us to become better and deliver greater services to our customers.

I have personally discussed the situation with our Sales Director and insisted on a complete refund in your case. Also, we would like to offer you a 10% discount on the next purchase as an apology. I hope that it will improve your experience with our brand. 

Your feedback allowed us to take a closer look at our assistant sales personnel, and we will conduct additional training for our employees regarding the level of services that needs to be provided.

Thank you for your understanding. Should you have any additional questions or need assistance with our goods and services, you can reach me directly at +12345678900.

Best regards,

 

[YOUR NAME LAST NAME]

What Is A Canned Response? Definition And Examples

“What is a canned response?” That is quite a popular question. Simply said, those are the predetermined answer to frequently asked questions. Technical support canned responses serve as FAQ somehow. It is a fast and convenient way to get answers to the most disturbing questions immediately without wasting time on both user and support representatives. It is possible to input a canned reply triggered by keywords or drop-down menu.

There is no need to type the answer manually each time or copy-paste replies from similar sources. The requests may vary: from asking how the offered tool works to how to fix the elementary bugs that do not require special tech skills. The system usually works this way: a representative of the support simply picks one of the canned email templates from the list and sends it to the user. The communication is more productive this way. Many different tools were created to simplify the process of creating such emails. We have a couple of canned email response examples for you!

What if someone asks you for a meeting? Here is the reply:

Hello there, [Name]

Here’s a link to my work calendar. Feel free to pick a time that fits you best. Once you do that, please type in your contact details just to let me know.

[Calendly link]

Thanks!

[Your Name]

What if you do not want to waste your time sharing large pieces of information with someone?

Hello there, [Name]

Thanks for getting in touch!

I’ve put together a few articles and blog posts from our official website for you. That should help answer your questions about our services. Once you study the materials, let me know if I can help with something else.

[Links]

All the best,

[Your Name]

How To Respond To A Complaint Email Sample And Tips

One of the secrets to retaining customers is creating friendly and understanding complaint email responses. To do so, it is critical to feel the problems in-depth and serve as some kind of psychologist. If you want to achieve long-term success, you will have to find an effective how to respond to a complaint email sample. Here are some inspiring facts for you:

• It is 7 times more costly to attract a new client vs. retaining the one you have;
• Repeat client are worth up to ten times the value of the initial buy;
• It is 6 times simpler to make deals with customers you have than with newbies.

These facts all prove the necessity to learn the best way to respond to customer complaints. Such responses help businesses to dig deeper into the issues that their clients face and understand how to improve the existing goods or services. Even if you receive a small number of emails from angry customers, they still represent the majority when it comes to analyzing the company problems in general. If you have a look at any of the responding to complaints examples, you’ll discover the success formula for their creation:

• Reply specifically to the problem described by the user;
• Apologize for any inconvenience and errors from the side of your company;
• Specify what you intend to do to fix the problem (or, perhaps, what you’ve already done and the results);
• Offer the possible improvements of the client experience and ask them to share their suggestions if they do not mind.

Your customers will love working with you if you follow these easy steps. Also, you may need a good responding to a complaint letter template to follow. Are you late with the delivery?

Dear Mrs. [Last Name],

We feel very sorry about the late delivery of your recent order. Despite our best efforts to deliver it timely using [Service Name], it’s quite unfortunate that we didn’t meet up with the promised deadline.

Our team promises to do our best to ensure this never happens again. Currently, the responsible managers are discussing the opportunity of cooperation with other express courier services to exclude unpleasant situations in the future.

Please feel free to call us directly if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

[Name Last Name]

Having a customer who has a poor purchase experience?

Dear Ms. [Name],

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your impressions and leave feedback about our recently released product line. The greatest intention of our company is to make sure the satisfaction of every client who chooses us. We aim to fix any issues with delay, and that is why your opinion is so important.

Can we get back to you on the phone in a couple of days to let you know how we resolved the existing problem? Our Quality Assurance Dept. will keep on observing similar complaints and requests to make our product better.

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience once again. You are one of our most valued customers, and we’ll d our best to prove that our product quality is the highest.

Thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,

[Name]

Follow up email sample after no response

It is not very pleasant to stay without a reply to your email. You may keep on hesitating what went wrong, but the answer may be obvious. For instance, many fail to include a close in the first attempt. Also, the chance to receive any reaction is low if the text was copy-pasted, and some of its parts were confused. One more huge mistake is to submit a breakup email to early. You should keep these mistakes in mind if you want to learn how to write a follow up email after no response. Here are the basic rules that you should follow:

• Recall if you have added a closer in the first attempt;
• Make sure to create and send a fresh message each time;
• Don‘t follow up too fast – make some intervals;
• Adjust a close each time there is no reply;
• Avoid sending breakup emails;
• Study a good follow up email sample after no response;
• Do not turn to passive-aggressive mode;
• Do not insist too much;
• Never trick for the open.

Now, we want to share a couple of brief reply email samples for different situations.

Hi [NAME],

Last month, I sent through the proposal document that you have asked for as part of your company’s brochure localization. I hadn’t heard from you since that time. I wonder whether you have received that message.

Would it be okay to have a quick call or Skype meeting this week? Which day and time would you prefer?

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

You may also remind someone of the recent discussion.

Hi [NAME],

It was great to have a conversation with you last week and learn more about your current project.

To remind you about our discussion, I attach the link to our services that help to promote startups on social media platforms. I believe that you will find something useful for you based on your goals and challenges.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Cheers,

[YOUR NAME]

Verdict

To sum up, you can use a great variety of email response templates to retain your clients and partners. You should also follow the basic rules of writing business letters. By creating powerful emails, you can make your audience forget about the recent failures or unpleasant situations. Check out for more tips and examples online, but try to be original: come up with something unique based on those templates!

In additional check out 55 email templates for top-level customer support

At some stage of development and growth, every business identifies a need for building a support solution to address customer requests quickly and professionally, ensure customer satisfaction, and maintain a positive image of the company. Find the best resources you need to communicate with your customers on the highest level. Get the book with 55 email templates now.

What does CRM stand for in business? It is a strategy used to find out more about the needs of business clients and their behaviors to develop and support stronger relationships with them.

• The global usage of this approach has grown from 56% to almost 75%.
• Around 90% of all businesses with 11+ employees deal with this type of management.
• 74% of them admit the vital role of CRM software in their work.

A customer is always the heart, but many companies set their priorities in the wrong way. Sometimes, hiring outsourced customer support may solve issues with costs and resources to improve CRM. 

The goal of this article is to list the CRM advantages and disadvantages. After analyzing it, you can decide whether you would benefit from this practice or not.

What Are The Benefits Of Using CRM For Your Business?

Let’s start by listing 7 customer relationship management advantages.

1. Auto data entry

CRM outsourcing solutions include automatic data entry. Entering manually big amounts of data can be both time-consuming and tiring. One that can be delegated to outsourced staff ⎼ a great variety of top-of-field CRMs developed from existing on the web today. 

2. Increased profitability

CRM costs money. If you outsource CRM to specialists, you save money on labor and resources. Equipment and tools become the responsibility of the chosen outsourcing agency. According to the official statistics, a company gains something around $5-6 RoI for each dollar invested in this type of management.

3. Hurray for automation

Almost every secondary task and some core activities can be automated. For example, one can log phone calls, save message templates, respond to emails, schedule meetings and special events, and do more automatically. What is more important, the team can auto-prioritize leads.

4. Opportunity to scale

The fact remains the same: CRM is scalable and increases along with business development. The customer base keeps on expanding when implementing CRM. While in the game, this approach allows for adding new users/customers and opportunities.

5. Improved collaboration

Now, it is way simpler to keep in touch and up-to-date with everything happening in your company. Moreover, businesses may save various marketing data in a single library. It enables sales through quality content.

6. Effective dashboard streamlines sales

CRM helps to organize and monitor the order in which data shows up. The system will prioritize the information necessary for your business. It will point to the role of the sales representative in processing that data. CRM makes many assignments simpler and quicker to accomplish, thanks to reports, dashboards, and more. Consequently, it assists both sales reps and managers.

7. The faster conversion process

Nowadays, most clients prefer gathering as much information as possible about the company before becoming its customer. CRM simplifies the process of such research. As a result, a client already possesses 90% of the necessary info to make a positive or negative final decision.

Cons Of Implementing CRM Solutions

The importance of CRM in sales has no doubt, but there are 3 disadvantages of CRM a business should realize before selecting the right approach and implementing it.

1. Replaces the human element

As the activities become automatic, the demand for human labor goes down. It is bad for overall economics, but it is good for the company itself. Besides, people are still needed to manage the data. The lack of personalized help might be a problem, though.

2. Tech support dominates

Obtaining third-party support may come at a higher price than you’ve expected. Some businesses ignore the ongoing support expenses, but such investments are covered pretty fast.

3. Security problems

The info stored at a centralized location may create a certain risk for a company. If you deal with an outsourced company, it will guarantee encryption safeguards and take care of safety.

Top CRM Systems For Customer Support

You can choose one of the top-preferred outsourcing customer services or set up a CRM app to better deal with your sales and client service. We have analyzed some of them and created a list of the best CRM for customer support. Here is what you should try as an entrepreneur!

Hubspot: CRM for SupportNo. 1 in the Market

Hubspot is well-known as inbound marketing, sales, and service software developer. The team created a free solution for the sales teams and client support representatives that makes it possible to use the workflow without many changes.

• It helps to get started fast and easily.
• It maximizes the efficiency of the customer relationship management system. 
• It is entirely free of charge, so there is nothing you risk losing.
• It is connected with numerous places for the sales processes (social media platforms, phones, etc.).

It is definitely one of the top outsourcing CRM solutions that focus on core business activities.

Insightly: The Best CRM for Small Business

Starting at $29 per month, you can enjoy Insightly, one of the leading CRM tools for startups and small businesses.

• It boasts a simple-to-navigate interface.
• It enables customization and integration with multiple platforms and applications.
• It can do management, control, and data tracking.

The only gap today is the absence of the dashboard, but you can use other applications to have one.

PipeDrive to Lead Customer Relationships

Both software developers and experienced salespeople contributed to creating the PipeDrive solution. The application is perfect for CRM system development and lead generation.

• It assists in organizing leads to make you see and fully control sales. 
• It is easy to download, install, and use.
• It provides a fully optimized mobile version that integrates with Google Apps, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar.
• It gives 30-day usage free of charge to check all the features.

With this software in your arsenal, you can easily detect prospective leads and priority deals. The main features of PipeDrive include:

• Lead relationships maintenance.
• Negotiation of attractive deals.
• Brand promotion.
• Ability to switch on/off modules per your needs.

The application does not harm the service quality, so you should try it when selecting tools and the best CRM for SAAS companies.

Agile CRM: Excellent for Small Teams

If your business team consists of no more than 10 employees, you may benefit from using Agile for free. The starter package comes at $14.99 per user monthly if you have more people on the team.

This CRM suits for supports widgets, API-based integrations, a library of plugins, etc. However, a free version has limited access to exciting features like custom appointments, reports to be sent via email, and drag-and-drop auto-marketing.

TeamGate for Dedicated Teams of Enthusiasts

Small and medium-sized companies will significantly benefit from TeamGate if involved in the B2B model.

The software serves just as you would hire an outsourced customer service CRM and sales team: it covers lead and sales management features. Using intuitive evaluation, one can track personal performance and generate clear and simple predictions. 

You can easily integrate TeamGate with them:

• Zendesk
• MailChimp
• Xero
• Zapier

From client support to email marketing and finances & accounting, the tool offers multiple solutions for these branches. Online training is available for everyone involved in TeamGate.

FreshSales for Gurus of Sales and Marketing

FresSales developers created a solution helping to reach out to your leads by developing powerful call-to-actions (CTAs) and full context about your target audience. The app effectively sets priorities for leads based on their ranking.

With it, you will define the sales-ready clients and those who are still hesitating. The application will help to identify those reasons and offer solutions.

The software will assign the leads to the right person in a team based on the location to avoid wasting your time. You can set up reminders via email to manage your assignments, events, and meetings effectively.

How To Choose The Best Outsourced CRM For Small Businesses?

It must be your experience and final choice for the best CRM. If you pay the outsourcing agency to create a team of CRM experts for you, you automatically avoid most of the cons mentioned above and benefit greatly from the pros. Contact our live chat support service if you have a business that needs support and high-quality maintenance.