Outsourcing Call Centers

An outsourcing call center is in business to provide call center services to other companies. At outsource call centers; processing calls is all they do. Therefore, they must do it well and cost-effectively if they are to remain viable. They also enjoy an economy-of-scale that is not feasible for the in-house operation. As such, their margins allow the client to save money and the outsource call center to make money.

Outsource call centers are very similar in design and function to their in-house counterparts. There are, however, a few important distinctions. First, while an in-house call center can be either a cost-center or a profit-center, the outsource call center is always a profit-center and often provides the company's only source of revenue. Second, the outsource call center must continually search for and find new clients, requiring an external sales and marketing aspect not needed at in-house call centers. Lastly, in-house call centers service their company’s customers, whereas at the outsource call center it is generally their clients’ customers who are served. Therefore the agents at an outsource call center are working for their client’s, but work with their clients’ customers or prospects.

Outsource call centers are increasing in number and importance as more and more companies look to outsourcing as a way to increase service levels or options, return to their core competencies, save money, or all three.