Although it was at one time cheaper for organizations to offshore their call centers, thanks to technologies like VoIP and other inexpensive communication solutions, there are now about five million call center jobs, representing about four percent of the work force. The industry is now picking up speed in as more and more call centers continue to hire more agents, helping to lower the unemployment rate that has burdened the U.S.
To highlight these achievements, U.S. call centers had a chance showcase their performance and be acknowledge by their peers by competing in the 2013 Top 100 Call Center Contest, sponsored by BenchmarkPortal (News - Alert). Here are the top winners from each of BenchmarkPortal’s three categories.
The highest ranking centers in the large-size center (250+ agents) category are:
Florida Power and Light Company (first place)
Alliance Data (News - Alert) (News - Alert) (second place)
American Electric Power (third place)
The highest ranking centers in the medium-size center (100 to 249 agents) category are:
United Concordia Companies (first place)
Regional Transit Authority- Chicago (second place)
Desjardins (third place)
The highest ranking centers in the small-size center (5 to 99 agents) category are:
Delta Dental of Wisconsin (first place)
City of Fort Wayne (second place)
Unicom Teleservices (third place)
The winners of today’s best contact centers are proof as to just how well the industry is doing, and these awards serve as an acknowledgment of their efforts. As the costs to operate in the U.S. decrease, new call monitoring and recording solutions are adding to the opportunities for citizens to work from home.
If industry experts could make one observation from this contest, it is that the morale and competitiveness of the call center industry is growing, and it is looking like a bright future.
Edited by Blaise McNamee