Offshoring call centres can make customers jump ship

Companies
that offshore their call centre operations could be damaging their reputation,
with three out of four people feeling negative about companies who route their
enquiries abroad.

New
research by customer relations company, ContactBabel, also showed that one out
seven people disliked offshoring so much they changed their supplier; usually
insurers or phone companies.

The
survey of 1,800 people said this meant customers who were put through to
offshore call centres were four times more likely to change their service
provider than those who were not.

Steve
Babel, principal research analyst at ContactBabel, said that huge financial
savings could be made by using Indian workers, but businesses should be wary of
the impact on customers.

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"Too
many companies are using offshore contact centres in an unimaginative and
cost-obsessed way, which is alienating their customers," he said.

By Michael Millar