The analyst firm surveyed almost 2,300 UK adults in July this
year and found that even many of those who had never used an
overseas call centre had a negative perception of them.
Outsourcing firms are aware of the perception and, according to
Harris Interactive, had hoped that customer concerns would be
allayed once they had experienced the service. But this is not the
case, apparently.
According to Harris Interactive, organisations that outsource
call centres overseas may have to contend with damage to their
brand and reputation.
The survey found that 47% of adults have less respect for
companies that outsource call centres overseas and 50% do not trust
giving their details, such as financial details, to overseas call
centres. This may harm productivity as well as reputation, says
Harris.
Only very small percentages said that overseas call centre staff
were more friendly (4%) or more helpful (2%) than UK call centre
staff.
Almost a third of respondents (31%) claimed that they have
either refused to give their business to or have switched away from
a company that outsources overseas, suggesting that short-term cost
savings could turn into long-term losses.
"Call centres have become part of every day life but outsourcing
call centres has caused some controversy. It represents the biggest
change in the industry since the introduction of ‘Interactive Voice
Response (IVR)’ menu-based systems," said Frances Green, research
director for Harris Interactive. “Companies need insight into the
impact of the decision to offshore on brand perception and
reputation, as well as the financial metrics.”
