Advantages:

-Native Spanish-speaking agents provide for higher quality communication with callers
-Call center labor pools in Spanish-speaking countries are generally more ample than on-shore
-Lower costs per minute and per hour
-Offshore and near-shore centers are oftentimes more flexible in accommodating U.S.- based clients’ requirements compared to traditional U.S. based call centers
-Lower rotation of employees, which allows greater continuity and consistency
-Native Spanish-speaking agents in Spanish-speaking countries are generally more inclined to sell than those that work in U.S.-based centers

Disadvantages:

-Time consuming and more expensive to travel to offshore/near-shore locations for site inspection and training
-Time zone difficulties
-Risk and cost of telecommunications-related infrastructure located outside the U.S. can be higher
-Call centers in other countries don’t always understand U.S. business culture and demands of U.S.-based companies
-Lack of understanding of U.S. addresses and fulfillment requirements

Conclusion:

Most call centers outside the U.S. utilize VoIP telecommunications to reduce the cost of call transmission, which make the cost of long distance inexpensive. Training outside the U.S. can be a little bit more expensive and take more time to travel, but if the marketer has budget, on-site training and site inspection are always worthwhile. Labor costs outside the U.S. are almost always more attractive. Marketers should consider whom the management team is and if it has experience conducting business in the U.S. and is able to communicate effectively with and reports correctly to U.S. marketers. Marketers must consider their level of comfort with each of these items and also take into account their experience or ability in first, managing a call center and second, managing a call center operation outside the U.S.

Do you agree?

Neal Topf  is president of Callzilla, LLC, and a member of ERA’s U.S. Hispanic Council

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