Have you set up a new call center in North America in the last three years? Or do you plan one? Where...and why there?
Looking for trending on inbound call center siting, and reasons why some areas are hot and others not for this kind of operation.
Answers (11)
Look at Central Washington State. Costco is opening a call center in Yakima and Amazon has several in the Kennewick/Tri Cities area. Good labor pool, reasonable wages, good selection of site locations.
Ajay M
Senior Manager - Branch Head
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Hello Peter,
I think your question would go wasted here under this sub-category of "Customer Service", and you would be better off asking such 'business enterprise start up - related' questions under the sub-categories of "Starting Up" "Business Plans" "Incorporation", in order for you to get a better response rate.
This 'Customer Service' area does not denote the customer service of Linkedin.com, but instead the field/business/industry/profession/industry/occupation of customer service or customer satisfaction.
You could also look at contacting the LinkedIn customer service directly to seek support/troubleshooting... Go to the Customer Service link at the end of any LI site page and you'll reach your target there.
Have a nice day !
Thanks & regards,
Ajay Merchant.
No, but you may wish to look outside the US as it will be far cheaper and you can find good quality. Take NetSuite, for example: their call center and support operations are run out of the Phillipines. The support personnel are knowledgeable, they speak excellent English, and they are fast. I'd wager they are more cost effective than a US call center, as well.
Peter, the accurate answer to your question is NO. However, I am working with a call center outsourcing company to address their need for interim leadership (CIO) and a long term strategic plan for IT. They are using a "home agent" model and have grown from $20M to $100M in revenue in the last 3 years. Plans to grow to $500M in the next 3 to5 years. They are owned by Accretive Solutions. Once we get throught the contracting phase, I can introduce you if you like. The comapny is Arise Virtural Solutions. John Calia
Jackie N
Business Coach for Start-up, Development, Growth & Innovation
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Hi Peter,
Although I don't have any direct experience in setting up call centers, I do know that some companies (ING) are setting up call centers in North Dakota.
Cost of living is VERY affordable. They have a talented workforce that is courtesous by nature. The workforce has a strong work ethic and are reliable and dependable.
Talk to Russell STaiger at BMDA rstaiger@bmda.org
Good luck!
Jackie
Links:
Scott S
President & Marketing Copywriter | Novo Writing & Editing Solutions
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I know the BEST person for the job. He's a consultant and can provide you with advice that has more than 25 of years of experience behind it. I don't typically recommend people but, when I do, it's for a professional such as this.
I'll let him "fill you in," on the particulars. The "take away" on this is that Kevin knows call centers better than anyone you've likely ever talked to. I highly recommend that you at least speak with him.
Contact Kevin Fitzner here:
(303) 903-3824
kevin.fitzner@contactlabs.com
I can help you navigate this area as well.
Contact me here:
Scott Siders
President
Novo, Inc.
www.novowriting.com
Hi Peter, I worked for a company that set up an inbound call center in Wichita a couple of years ago. There are numerous factors we considered including labor penetration rate, i.e., what percentage of the population works in call centers. A rule of thumb is 3-4% should work in call centers. This is just a starting point. If the numbers are too low, it might be an indication of other demographic points not conducive to call centers (education levels, right to work states, etc.). If the penetration rate is too high, you could have high wages.
South Texas might be an area to look at.
Trammel Crowe specializes in this and can get you a short list pretty quickly based on your criteria.
Good luck. I know from first-hand experience how tough this is.
Lou G
Management Mentor
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Wow! Daring! as a Fencer should be.
I have not been in a position to actually 'set up' the call centers, but I have been in and around organizations, on the planning/receiving end when they have set up centers recently. And in almost every case, Off-Shore Near-Shore, have been the strategies...not on-shore (ie: North America)
I can tell you that one major financial services firm recently went to India, only to find that after two years, their costs had tripled for the same services they used to provide in the U.S.. Customer Service quality had dropped, and they are now trying to figure out how to correct the problem, since they have invested in a massive infrastructure overseas to do this.
Another international bank, has made the decision to bring back their Call Center to the North America, for similar quality purposes, but in their case Cost was not the question. They are restaffing I.T., approximately 300 strong, to do this.
I have personally been working with two companies in North America that help with outsourcing call, and service centers operations. One uses its own economies of scale, and existing call centers/staff across the country to squeeze space in for new tenants; leveraging existing infrastructures to do this economically. The other BUILDS, and staffs new sites for customers at astounding economies in South America, and to a lesser degree in Ireland.
In the end, I like the question because it smacks of a poll on a subject I am very interested in. I'm not sure what the macro-economics looks like, but I wonder if we trace the picture if Off-Shoring Call Centers whether that helps or hurts a company, in the end. (Maybe I'll post this question, eh?)
Thanks for the opportunity to reposte or disengage (as it were, depending on your perspective) :)
Sincerely,
Lou Gasco
MuTo Performance Corp.
Lou.Gasco@MuToPerformanceCorp.com
www.mutoperformancecorp.com
917-834-2402
Links:
I have set up call centers all over the world, in Canada from Toronto to Vancouver, in 7 cities in India, in Central America, more than 40 all told.
The hot trend is Central America, specifically the DR, where we gain the advantage of universally accepted Spanish combined with extremely good English and a true understanding of custoemr service and telesales.
Peter,
If you have to stay near-shore, I would suggest markets where unemployment is relatively higher than the norm, and/or in close proximity to a university or college. Typically, areas with a somewhat depressed economy will have large candidate pools to select from, lease costs will be cheap, and depending on the municipality and their desire to encourage business development, you may even score some tax benefits or other incentives. You will also want to focus on areas where multiple langauges are spoken.
I have been involved in start-ups in St. Catharines, Ontario and Oshawa, Ontario (Canada), which are markets where General Motors has done significant layoffs, providing for an ample-sized candidate pool, and for St. Catharines specifically, Brock University is very close by and there are always students looking for some extra coin. Leases are relatively cheap in both areas, although you will find a better bang for your buck in St. Catharines, especially if you focus on the south side near Niagara Falls.
In the United States, I have been involved with start-ups in Nebraska, South Texas, and Nevada.
My favorite near-shore option continues to be Costa Rica, though, as there is a highly-educated, young, driven, and very cheap workforce available. Costa Rican Spanish (from what I have been told) is one of the most accessible dialects of the language, and is therefore perfect for Spanish-speaking customers. We were paying agents the equivalent of $5.00USD/hour which is a king's ransom compared to other companies in the same industry, and as a result we experienced no more than a 2% attrition rate and never, ever had a problem ramping up for spikes during our busy seasons.
Let me know if you need more information. I hope what I have provided has been helpful.
Peter,
No one can accurately answer this question without first understanding your business needs. I have set up several call centers for companies in a variety of industries...and all ended up in different areas of the world. Bottom line, you should really contact someone who specializes in the site selection process. There is quite a bit of expense in setting up a center, so you want to make sure you get it right the first time!
I recommend the Site Selection Group out of Texas. I have worked with them and they are very professional and thorough.
Good luck,
Melissa Perales
