Outsourcing Call Centers

[MrSmith]

Hi

I was wondering on the Pros and Cons of outsourcing a Call Center. Specifically a UK/US based company outsourcing their Call Center needs to a South African based operation. Mostly in regards to Cost Effectiveness and infrastructure.

Any links to documentation or studies would be a great help. I tried searching for it myself, but I mostly found propaganda and no solid facts :P

Personal opinions are also welcome.

Thanks.

[Frank A. Engle]

Mr. Smith-

Being an outsourcing broker, I have a pretty good perspective on what types of projects work well via outsourcing and which do not. Feel free to email me with your specific information and I will be happy to provide my views.

Best regards-

[jconry]

I'm not immediately aware of a white paper or specific site for pro's and con's of outsourcing but as with everyone, have an opinion.

I can tell you there's no one single yes/no answer. There are variables. Your industry, seasonality, customer expectations, etc. along with a host of other items will drive your decision.

I'll use us as an example. We outsource roughly 20 - 30 % of our volume. We are in a location that doesn't work well for 24/7 coverage so that was a driver. We have a steep seasonality curve. Our outsource provider, while slightly higher on a cost per call basis, is an expense that goes away when demand goes away.

We're an inbound sales/catalog center and another factor is the sales/order effectiveness of our outsource provider. They perform very near and at our level which is another bonus to the bottom line.

I'll stop there but the bottom line is to make a list of what your needs/drivers are. It will become evident what your best choice is.

[eduardomartino]

Most outsourcers in my opinion seek to focus on their business. Running a call center of any side is another business alltogether. It requires large supervision, lots of tech support, and will be like running a company inside your company. Outsourcing will enable you to leave that business to the pros, where they will provide reporting, recording, monitoring and pretty much any info you may need for your core business. Also, you will probably save lots of money as well.