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Always On Call? The Competitiveness of the UK's Call Centre Industry
If it's such a good idea, why aren't all firms trying it?
Taking a call centre operation and relocating the whole thing to a low cost country is not a simple task. There are many issues to be considered. These largely fall into the following categories:
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Economic:
Many firms that have successfully relocated overseas, especially from the USA say that it takes years of effort to get to the point where the organisation is making substantial savings from offshoring. All of this effort involves adding to the cost of the relocation; something that firms often fail to anticipate. -
Cultural:
It's a mistake to believe that business practices will be the same in India as they are in the UK. It is considered to be positive for Western workforces to come up with ideas and suggestions as to how processes can be improved; this may prove to be harder when working with staff elsewhere. -
Motivation:
Clearly, if staff in the UK feel that their employer is looking to cut costs by transferring work overseas, there could be a serious impact on motivation. Recognising the part that this fear of redundancy can play is vital. It's significant that when Lloyds TSB wanted to offshore some of its processes, it was keen to start talks with staff representatives and unions, in order to mitigate the problems associated with poor morale.