Another example of the importance of using local service providers

I have already written a post on the importance of using local service providers instead of overseas providers but I would like to provide you with another example.

We have a number of managed servers spread across 3 local service providers. We always use local service providers for our critical systems for one reason only – customer support.

I will give you an example…

Last Friday we had an urgent request from a client that needed to be completed by COB that day. Same-day urgent client requests are not uncommon for us because we offer this as a service – fast turn around for critical jobs.

However to offer this level of service we need service providers who also “jump when we jump”.

When you use an overseas provider you run the risk of timezone issues meaning, when you are open for business they are not or if they are open there is still a time delay of possibly hours as out-of-hours staff are normally reduced in numbers.

The job we had required skills we did not have in-house so we contacted one of our service providers to assist us. Web Drive are a local service provider who we have been using for years now and they don’t let us down.

Web Drive support is just a phone call away but unlike most large overseas providers their customer support staff are not outsourced and are part of the core team. In less than an hour my request was processed and completed and I had direct contact with the techie completing the task.

This is where a lot of overseas providers collapse with their customer support. They outsource customer support to another business, normally in a country where the cost of labor is cheaper. They are provided with a set of template responses. Any deviation from the templates causes confusion on their part and different answers from different customer service reps each time you ring.

I think all of us have experienced the frustration of customer support centres setup like this.

Sometimes cheap service costs you more in time, effort and stress.

I recommend that all businesses look for local suppliers – not only are you supporting your country but I bet you will receive a better service.