As your business grows, so do the calls.

Yet, while many SMEs in Singapore find themselves spending more time answering customer queries than actually running the business, they do not notice that having an outsourced call centre, like one that Outpost provides, can largely improve productivity.

What starts off manageable can quickly becomes a distraction; pulling valuable employees away from their core roles to handle phone lines.

By contracting a specialist provider to manage customer service calls, companies gain cost advantages, access to trained support staff, and often improved service quality for their customers.

Significant Cost Savings

One of the most compelling reasons to outsource call centre operations is the cost savings.

Hiring full-time customer service staff in Singapore is expensive when you factor in salaries, benefits, and infrastructure. By contrast, outsourcing allows you to tap into lower-cost talent elsewhere or pay a flat service fee without the extra overhead.

In fact, outsourcing your call centre can save up to 50–70% compared to hiring an in-house team in Singapore.

This is because you avoid expenses like recruitment, training, office space, equipment, Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, and other employee benefits that come with local hires. Instead, you pay an outsourcing provider for trained agents who are ready to work, often at a fraction of the local cost.

To put the cost difference in perspective, consider the wage gap: The average call centre agent in Singapore earns roughly S$38,000 per year (about S$3,200 per month) (Source: Salaryexpert.com) whereas outsourcing to a service like us, cost around $10 per hour (and $12 per hour for part-time positions).

Access to Trained Agents and Expertise

Beyond cost reductions, outsourcing gives you immediate access to trained customer service agents and industry best practices.

In Singapore, trained customer service agents are hard to come by and if they do, it is usually quite expensive.

However, when you outsource, you are tapping into a pool of agents who often have extensive experience handling customer inquiries, complaints, and technical support across various industries.

They are typically trained in communication skills, problem-solving, and using the latest contact center technologies.

For a growing SME, building such expertise in-house can be time-consuming and expensive.

By outsourcing to a call centre company like Outpost that focuses on serving Singapore’s SMEs needs, you skip the learning curve. The external team comes ready with the knowledge and training to represent your brand professionally from day one.

Improved Customer Service Quality

While some fear that outsourcing could harm service quality, in many cases it can improve it, especially if you choose a reputable provider.

Professional call centers often deliver high service standards because of their specialized expertise, technology, and training. They are able to offer features like 24/7 support, multilingual service, and faster response times that an in-house SME team might struggle to match.

For example, an outsourced contact centre can have agents working in shifts to cover after-hours or peak times, ensuring your customers in Singapore always reach a live person even outside normal office hours.

Potential Drawbacks of Outsourcing (and How to Mitigate Them)

Outsourcing a call centre is not without its challenges. It’s important to weigh some potential drawbacks:

• Language and Cultural Differences: The most commonly cited concern is communication quality. If you outsource to an overseas team, agents may speak English with a different accent or use different idioms, which could frustrate local customers. Subtle cultural differences might lead to misunderstandings in customer interactions.
  
  To avoid such issues, Outpost trains all its call center agents in Singlish and Singapore culture. Also, call centre staff undergo “accent neutralisation” training such that they are easily understood by Singaporean customers. We also work closely with clients to customise scripts and train agents on company-specific nuances, so your brand voice is preserved and your customers feel understood—no matter who picks up the call.

• Loss of Direct Control: When your call centre is out of house, you have less direct oversight day-to-day. You’re trusting a vendor to uphold your service standards and brand voice. This can lead to worries about inconsistent service quality or agents not having the same passion for your brand as an in-house team would. For this, Outpost’s model is to have most front-line agents in the Philippines (for cost efficiency and strong English skills) but managed by a Singapore-based team, ensuring agents are familiar with local context and company expectations

• Data Security and Privacy: Customer calls often involve sensitive information. Outsourcing means sharing customer data and call logs with a third party, which could pose data protection risks if not managed properly. Companies must ensure the outsourcing provider follows strict data security protocols and complies with laws like the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Singapore.

Choosing the Right Outsourcing Partner (What to Look For)

To maximise the benefits and minimize the downsides, selecting the right call centre outsourcing partner is crucial. Here are a few things Singapore businesses should consider when evaluating providers:

Local Understanding and Cultural Fit: If serving Singaporean customers, it helps if the agents or at least the management are attuned to local culture. A provider with a Singapore presence or experience with Singapore clients can ensure better alignment. As mentioned, some firms provide local supervisory teams to bridge any cultural or language gaps

Quality of Agents: Ask about the hiring and training processes. Do they hire experienced agents? What training do they provide initially and ongoing? You may request to interview or approve the agents assigned to your account. A quality-focused partner will be transparent about agent qualifications and may allow you input in selecting the team.

Scalability and Flexibility: Your business needs might change – ensure the provider can scale up quickly if call volumes spike, or adjust down if needed. Also check if they offer 24/7 service or after-hours support options if you need that. Flexibility in contract terms (such as month-to-month or project-based support) can be beneficial for SMEs. Many outsourcing services in Singapore offer seasonal or overflow support and the ability to ramp teams size up or down on demand

Technology and Reporting: A modern call centre should use up-to-date technology – cloud-based phone systems, CRM integration, call recording, and analytics dashboards. This not only ensures efficiency but also means you get good reporting. Look for partners who will provide you with regular performance reports (e.g., number of calls, wait times, customer satisfaction ratings) and perhaps even real-time access to monitor quality. This transparency indicates a mature operation.

Data Security and Compliance: As discussed, verify their data protection standards. In Singapore, PDPA compliance is a must. If the provider is handling credit card info or other sensitive data, do they have PCI-DSS certification or other relevant compliance measures? Don’t hesitate to ask for details on how they keep customer data secure.

Client References or Case Studies: It’s always useful to hear from other companies who have used the service. Good providers will have case studies or references – perhaps even in similar industries – demonstrating their track record. For example, if you’re an e-commerce SME, you might be interested in a provider who has helped another retailer successfully handle customer orders and returns calls.

A tip for SMEs is to treat initial engagements as a trial. You could start outsourcing a portion of your calls (for example, after-hours calls or a specific product line’s support) to see how the provider performs, before fully committing. This pilot approach allows you to evaluate service quality and working relationship on a smaller scale.

Conclusion

Outsourcing your call centre in Singapore can deliver substantial value – from dramatically lower operating costs to higher customer service quality and flexibility – especially for growing SMEs that need to do more with limited resources. By leveraging an external call centre, companies can tap into experienced talent and robust infrastructure without the hefty price tag of running an in-house team. Real-world cases have shown savings of 50% or more and even improved customer outcomes through outsourcing. Meanwhile, business owners free themselves to focus on core growth areas, trusting customer care to dedicated specialists.