Why an American Based Call Center?

Major U.S. companies like AT&T, Walgreens, and Carnival Cruise are bringing call center jobs back to the United States. Why? There are three reasons.

1. The calls are getting harder. As companies post more and more information on the internet, people become more adept at using self-help tools and as community forums continue to expand, more and more of these easy questions get answered without the customer even making the first call. Gone are the days when a call center rep spent most of their day resetting passwords and looking up balances. Now call center representatives are working with customers through really tough issues. The graph below, completed by the CFI Group, shows that over the past five years there has been a slight increase in customer satisfaction in both American and offshore outsourcers. However, as the customer’s issues get tougher, the resolution gap steadily increases. The truth is that even the “successful” offshore outsourcers never did match the first call resolution model of the American based companies and the smart companies are starting to bring their work back home.

    

   

1. Offshore call centers never were as cheap as we thought. Sure the cost per hour or cost per call was significantly less. But you must ask yourself, at what cost? By the time companies added in the real costs of more call backs, additional transfers, lower customer satisfaction, and customer churn, the saving were never what was promised. The graph below expresses that first call resolution was over 20% lower offshore. Companies found that lower first call resolution rate, meant more call backs, more calls, and ultimately more cost. Companies are now taking a more holistic look at the interaction, beyond just the expense of the contract, and seeing that onshore support is the real value.

    

   

1. Companies are discovering that the best “next” customer is often your current customer. Who better to buy your new product or your upgrade than your current customer? Leading edge companies are turning tech and customer services calls into opportunities for additional sales. They do this with America representatives who understand the culture, can quickly build rapport and can offer a product in a way that provides value, not just another pitch. In a recent pilot done at Contact Centers of America, almost 25% of current customers contacted were interested in learning more about additional products.

Contact Centers of America specializes in providing American supports for American companies. CCA is part of a growing trend of business who realizes the true value of American Call Centers. The FCC is actively looking for new ways to bring jobs back to the U.S. As a member of this coalition, CCA wants to help stimulate the economy by offering employees careers, not jobs. We want Americans working American jobs!