The Real-Time Contact Center

12Navigating the Offshore Landscape

Offshore outsourcing is a hot topic for contact centers because—if done right—it can reduce operating expenses by 50 to 60 percent. It’s an option that most enterprises should explore when the service and support function does not need to be co-located with other company activities. But, while the economic benefits are great for companies that execute well, the risks are also significant.

Countries like India, with more than 270 offshore sites (as of February 2004), are confronting many of the same challenges that U.S. contact centers have been facing for years, including high agent attrition rates (up to 60 percent), the need to attract and retain valuable employees, increasing salaries, and the unending cycle ...