Overseas Customer Service Call Centers vs. US Based Customer Service Call Centers
An overseas call center can present both advantages and problems when compared to a similar US based call center. Without doubt, the cost of operating a homeland call center has escalated greatly in the previous decade-and especially in the last few years. In today`s uncertain market, the profits from call center performance generally cannot keep up with the costs of call center operations. In general, a telemarketing call center can be built and run at modest maintenance and equipment costs since such call center are usually furnished with basic office furniture and equipment. However, in our current universal economic state, all production costs are on the rise, and some are increasing quite rapidly. Although preset telephone and data base processing hardware can be purchased in bulk, at a discount by businesses, data telemarketing call center equipment is becoming more sophisticated every day, and may need replacing fairly often.
Because of rising costs and more slowly rising profits, many businesses which depend on the services of a telemarketing call center have dumped the US domestic call center for overseas call center operations. Whether in India, Malaysia or China, outsourcing call center operations has become a admired option for many US businesses, both large and modest in size. For, workers in many such countries are accustomed to receiving wages or hourly wages far below the minimum wage requirements in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Japan, parts of South America, and other innovative countries and regions throughout the world. Often, workers who are on average paid lower salaries will gladly work longer hours in order to increase the amount of their paychecks. Many of these underpaid workers may be quite young and inexperienced, and not prone to question the rate of their wages or to petition for more money. And, in many low income regions, there are plenty of unemployed people enthusiastic to find ongoing work or steady employment, whatever the payment, hours or working environment in a telemarketing call center may be.
Yet, many people in the US workforce are very concerned and upset by the rapid rate at which US business owners will close a cost effective and well operated domestic call center in support of opening one abroad. Although initial costs may be considerably less overseas, often the cost of ongoing training in another country as well as additional equipment and work hours necessary to manage call center operations abroad with American headquarters can lessen any financial and production savings of transferring business to the new location considerably. Frequently, too, extra technical staff members are needed round the clock to assure smooth, constant workflow communications, as well as computerized and telephone exchanges between the distant offices. Although some US businesses maintain two call centers-having both a domestic call center and an outsourcing call center-in nearly every such instance, many US workers pay the heavy cost of layoffs and even long term job loss.
Many Americans feel that the contemporary popularity and high incidence of outsourcing call center operations is very inequitable to US workers and even disadvantageous to the survival of the family structure as we know it. For, there are an escalating number of unemployed US workers who must leave their spouses and family to find work in other cities or towns, commuting when they can to spend what vacation they can spare with their families. In these cases, the cost of moving the entire family is too great, especially when one parent is not working. Often, a telemarketing call center is one haven for the unemployed; since training time is short and varied work schedules are usually available to enhance entire call center performance and profitability. Although those with sales, marketing or telephone experience may have an competitive edge, most call center operations are open to all workers who apply and can sell a product, support a service, or collect debts or payments by phone productively. Such domestic call centers can be a lifesaver for scholars, the elderly, or for young parents with small children, due to the many work hours available.
Most of all, many US people and residents feel strongly that, although providing jobs in other countries where needed is important, US businesses are obliged to provide first employment opportunities to US workers. It is also essential that salaries in the United States not be lowered to contend with lower wages now acceptable in less wealthy countries around the world. While use of an outsourcing call center may help create increased productivity and profits for US businesses, most citizens of the US feel that call centers overseas must be a source of support for the US domestic call center and workforce, rather than a substitution.
Tanya Wiseman writes articles for:
Call Centers
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