Call center outsourcing has been around for quite some time now but it’s still something that most businesses don’t like to discuss.  Somehow, even though more and more businesses are compelled to use call center outsourcing in order to keep costs down, they seem to feel their customers will think less of them if they know that the company doesn’t use 100% ‘home-grown’ operators and service agents.

But make no mistake about it; call center outsourcing is the way business will have to be done in the future.  Everybody talks about the world becoming smaller but they often don’t stop to realize that there just isn’t that much difference between having someone answer a business phone line in the other side of your country versus the other side of the globe.

Sometimes business owners worry about the detectable accent of call center outsourcing service company operators.  But considering that even people from different parts of the same country can’t always understand each other, what could possibly be wrong with using call center outsourcing operators from another country as long as they speak passable English?

In the case of the Philippines, which is generally regarded as the Number One offshore call center outsourcing destination in the world, their culture is about as close to that of the US as possible.  They buy many of the same products, watch many of the same movies, adore many of the same movie stars, follow the same fashion trends and learn their English in a school system closely patterned after the US model.  It’s almost the same as talking to somebody from the US.

In fact, many Filipinos have been to the US, want to go to the US, have many friends who have been to the US or presently live there.

Point is, it should be pretty obvious that no matter where the call center outsourcing services agent is, it shouldn’t make any difference as long as they can do a good job.

One thing for sure, more and more companies are using call center outsourcing services and the ones that do are enjoying the benefits of great operator service at rates that seem more like 1950 than 2011.

As call center outsourcing becomes more an accepted business model for US companies, it’s valuable to bear in mind that there’s a right way and a ‘less-than-right’ way to approach such a move.  US companies who invest in call center outsourcing without doing their own due diligence of the process and the process providers stand a less chance of success than companies who ‘do their homework’ first.

US companies need to remember that they’re working with foreigners.  Nothing can be taken for granted.  Don’t assume that the call center outsourcing agency you’re talking to understands your businesses as well as you do.  If the process you want to use them for requires specialized language training or product knowledge, you’ve got to provide it.

If you’re dealing with a large, established call center outsourcing service provider, they’ll know what they need and they’ll ask you for it.  But be careful that you don’t get into a relationship with a company that looks good ‘on paper’ but blindly says they can do anything you want.  They’re only working with the value proposition and tools you give them.

For example, in the case of outbound telemarketing, don’t expect them to develop your script for you.  Even if they can, it’s going to cost you more to have them do it than for you than to develop one yourself and just give it to them.

Also don’t be surprised if they want you to pay weekly for a month or so at first until they develop a closer business relationship with you.  Because of the international nature of call center and client relationships, it’s not unheard of for clients to ‘skip’ on their bills for a month or so and only the largest international call center outsourcing providers have the legal resources to pursue collection of such relatively small amounts.

Before you sign any contracts, the most valuable thing you can do is to make a trip to their point of origin, meet their management and tour their facility.  You can learn a lot just by walking around a ‘healthy’ call center outsourcing facility.  If you see a lot of busy, focused, intent agents servicing clients, you can be reasonably assured you’ll get the same service.  On the other hand, if their facility seems old, underutilized and their staff isn’t professional and/or doesn’t speak good English themselves, it’s not reasonable to think their processes are going to go any better.

Luckily there are plenty of medium sized call center outsourcing providers who do give good service, at good rates and have good management and reporting procedures.