Call-Centre.com has carried out a survey of consumer perceptions of UK versus Offshore call centres. The chart shows the results. Clearly the UK consumer prefers UK call centres (hardly a surprise), but they are so much more expensive. So should you go offshore, it is an emotive question, who should decide?
There are two issues:
1. Can I make the service better? Can I train and retain the right staff? Can I provide the right systems and processes?
An Operations question, the answer is yes, you can always make it better.
2. What will consumers think of my brand? What is the impact on customer perception? Will it have an impact on my business?
A Marketing question, the answer depends on your business.
So whose decision? Your call centre is the voice of your company, as important as the colour of your logo.
It has to be a brand decision; doesn’t it?
Not sure I agree. I think it is an operations problem, sure. How good can you make it, now make it better.
But by the time the outsourced bill has added a 20% margin and a 20% VAT bill and still come in cheaper than doing it in house then I would be asking myself why an outsourced operation can be so much better run, and isn’t it time I got a new management team.
That makes it a Human Capital issue, not a marketing or operations one
Thanks for the comment Mike. I like (and take) your point.