subject: How Wise is Outsourcing to Offshore Call Center Companies? [print this page] Outsourcing to call center companies located in developing countries is universally accepted to be a good idea. The reasons are plenty, led by the price cuts. These call centers don't charge as much as their domestic counterparts in USA and Canada. But, are the business firms outsourcing BPO projects to these offshore destinations actually being wise? Are they doing the right thing by deciding only on the cost factor and not on the merit of the call center services? These are questions that business heads need to ask themselves. There is no doubt in the fact that the quality of BPO service in these countries have improved drastically, but can they still face up to the quality offered by a call center in Canada or one in USA? The answer is not easy.
The falling rate of employment in the domestic BPO sector has prompted many agents to be laid off. After being down in the unemployment slot for months, they have no other choice now but to work at lesser pay. Anything that comes their way by means of answering service is acceptable to them. This is the reason why the cost of getting call center services in the domestic circuit isn't so expensive a proposition anymore. The telemarketing agents are also willing to work from home. These are experienced and trained telemarketing services professionals. When the business firms in Canada and USA can hire their services, why would they look beyond and settle for a much inferior BPO service just for the sake of some bucks.
The quality and prices are not the only reasons why outsourcing to offshore call center companies is a bad idea these days. Take into consideration the fact that telemarketing services need to understand the psychology of the buyer. Call center agents can get into the buyer's mind only when they are well aware of the socio-political scenario of the place the consumers belong to. That's where the domestic telemarketing agents will score higher than their offshore brethren. Because they understand and feel the buyer's mentality, the agents are more comfortable in interacting with such consumers. They will also feel it easier to conduct lead generation campaigns. Knowing your demographics is important for any marketing business and it's no different for BPO units.
A good way to test whether you need offshore call center companies is to base the decision on what your product/service is. If you are doing something related to finance or insurance, you cannot do without domestic call center services. The reason is that when a consumer is looking for debt recovery and other financial help, they will find it easier to trust someone who speaks their language as it is, without the fake twang. Moreover, for projects like medical aid and healthcare, consumers will be downright paranoid if they knew that their data was being shared with obscure call centers in developing countries. It may also put the client up to be sued! Let the decision lie with the work that you are doing.
How Wise is Outsourcing to Offshore Call Center Companies?
