To save money, many companies outsource call and contact centers overseas, and though using 3rd party customer service providers like this can cut cost it can cause quality of service to sag. However a new survey is showing that at least in a limited capacity outsourced call centers may be making a comeback state side. Virtual call center options that eliminate high startup costs have certainly made stateside options more accessible, but other issues like regulation, quality and security are also making call center outsourcers reevaluate the need to send customer service and jobs overseas.
The research project was done by Datamonitor and revealed surprising results from those probed. First of these were a contact centers increasing concerns over regulatory incentives, which many believe will be coming to the United State in the near term. These tax incentives would promote the use of contact centers state side, while penalizing those who ship jobs abroad. Those who believe that this will happen have proactively moved there contact centers back to the states in hopes of avoiding any forthcoming issues.
Quality and security are also a major issue within the realm of outsourced customer service products. While many have sought to quell these concerns with a more transparent process, customers still have lingering concerns about the information they share with people they may never actually meet. Going along with this, the inability to see when or if agents are available or control attrition and turnover within the center.
Last but not least is exchange rate fluctuations that can make accounting difficult. The research notes that “while the USD has made some gains against other major currencies in recent months, its low value has somewhat reduced the ability of clients looking to do work offshore at a significantly lower price. By remaining onshore, concerns around exchange rates and their impact on margins can be avoided.”
While any of these issues alone would not be enough to make call center providers come back to the states the combination seems to have interests peaked at the prospect. Though the case study does not foresee any major migration the information gathered shows that people are taking a more stringent approach to who they let handle their customer service.
Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Chris DiMarco