Navigating today's globalized business landscape often involves making strategic decisions that create value and drive growth. One of the most common is call center outsourcing—handing over customer service operations to external vendors that specialize in communications.
This has numerous benefits, from cost savings and increased efficiency to access to global talent and round-the-clock support.
However, outsourcing is more than just delegating tasks. It's about building partnerships that enhance your brand experience. Selecting the right outsourcing location is pivotal to capturing this value. It impacts critical factors, such as language proficiency, cultural alignment, service quality, and operational costs.
In this article, we'll explore the best options to outsource your call center services, helping you make an informed and strategic choice.
Call center outsourcing can be a strategic move to optimize resources, but picking the right location for your agents is challenging. Choosing the best location for an outsourced call center comes with a lot of considerations and caveats you may need to deal with. However, several countries have been extremely popular for outsourcing, and for good reason.
These countries have made it extremely easy to set up and run an outsourced call center and offer plenty of great benefits compared to less popular locations. We’ll cover the most common aspects, but if you’re looking for a head start, check out our guide to the best contact center outsourcing companies first.
Most of these outsourcing countries have a significantly lower cost of living, allowing for massive cost savings compared to an in-house team. Naturally, they’ll have different wage and salary standards for their employees, which is a driving factor for many businesses to outsource in the first place.
However, they also come with lower infrastructure and operational costs while offering comparable service to your home base. Typical costs like rent, software prices, and networking can be far lower than in your local area.
Naturally, language is a huge factor in connecting with your customers. It’s the bridge that binds people together—and without solid communication, your call center won’t hold up. Many popular call center outsourcing countries have non-native English speakers with high proficiency levels, such as India, the Philippines, and South Africa.
For example, the Philippines ranks 20th in the world for English proficiency and is second in Asia overall.
This language proficiency, combined with an understanding of Western culture, helps such countries deliver exceptional customer service and satisfactory call resolution rates. On top of knowing your main language, call center outsourcing opens your business up to multilingual support, which has become increasingly meaningful to customers.
Outsourcing to a country that shares cultural similarities with your customer base can be a huge boon to your overall customer service. Every culture is unique and has its own communication styles or etiquette that can become roadblocks in some situations.
Some of the best countries for call center outsourcing understand Western culture exceptionally well and can easily adapt to communication styles to better serve your customers. Selecting countries with better cultural alignment with your customer base will eliminate potential misunderstandings and provide more effective customer service experiences.
Operating in different time zones can open your business to new markets, but you’ll still want to support customers closer to home. Customers are increasingly looking for instant help and they’re willing to pay, on average, 19% more for immediate service—so you must make yourself available whenever possible.
Many popular countries for call center outsourcing, such as India and the Philippines, fall into time zones that can cover 24/7 support regardless of the time. Or, if you’re still looking to maintain an in-house team, your outsourced call center can overlap some hours to provide constant support for your customers.
Hassle-free legal environments are essential for stress-free outsourcing. Many countries offer business-friendly legal frameworks, making it easy to set up call centers. Popular options already have sufficient data protection and privacy laws to keep your customers safe and have their own industry-specific standards to follow. Additionally, local copyright and trademark laws will still protect your intellectual property.
The top call center outsourcing countries already have robust technical infrastructure, so your customers won’t suffer due to a lesser technical support team. From reliable internet connectivity, modern phone systems, and the latest call center technology, to well-equipped office spaces, these countries come equipped with all the tools they need to support your customers and elevate your customer service without any hiccups.
What's better than having a larger talent pool at your disposal? Renowned outsourcing countries boast a rich pool of competent, educated, and professionally trained agents capable of handling various customer service demands. This also helps keep your outsourced call center staffed, reducing the risk of being short-handed or needing to scale up during busy periods.
As the outsourcing industry pioneer, India offers an unparalleled blend of cost-effectiveness and expertise. It’s a hub of well-educated, English-speaking professionals and a much lower cost of living compared to Western countries, with the average wages being $387 per month, a massive difference compared to the US.
This is a major selling point for businesses that want to offer exceptional customer service, thanks to their educated and professional talent pool, while also being mindful of operational and staffing costs. However, there is a chance that cultural clashes could impact service quality.
Despite that, India’s vast pool of talent and growing infrastructure make it a strong option for many businesses. Their emphasis on IT and a growing technical infrastructure make it an excellent choice for call center outsourcing.
The Philippines, with its deep-rooted culture of hospitality and high English proficiency, is another fantastic destination for call center outsourcing. With a strong cultural alignment with the West and a well-educated, predominantly English-speaking workforce, it’s no wonder it’s become one of the top call center outsourcing countries.
Their biggest strength is their exceptional customer service and high English fluency rates. They’re in an ideal time zone that can cover most other countries. However, due to their location, there can be a risk of natural disasters, leading to service disruptions.
Over the years, The Philippines has become a leading contender in call center outsourcing. The future looks bright, with steady growth in the IT-BPO sector and investment in better infrastructure to propel the Philippines’ status in global outsourcing.
Known for its multilingual capabilities and superior infrastructure, Malaysia offers plenty of opportunities for call center outsourcing. Their talent pool offers professionals who are not only proficient in English, but also Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. However, compared to India and the Philippines, the costs of setting up an outsourced call center can be a little higher.
However, the advanced tech infrastructure and stringent cybersecurity laws easily offset the higher prices, providing high-end services that safeguard you and your customer’s data. With a steady stream of investment into R&D, its robust digital infrastructure, and a strong push towards AI and automation, Malaysia is a strong contender for one of the best places for call center outsourcing.
Countries in Eastern Europe offer a comprehensive blend of highly skilled, multilingual professionals who are adept at handling all sorts of complex issues. The cost of services may be marginally higher than other entries on this list, but it does come with the advantage of accessible time zones, English proficiency, and a broad range of skills.
Perhaps the biggest issue mainly comes from navigating the legal landscape across multiple countries, meaning you’ll need to do some research to ensure your call center runs smoothly.
The region’s cutting-edge tech environment and focus on building efficient labor practices have made Eastern Europe an increasingly attractive location for call center outsourcing. And with their ongoing investment in digital skills and their tech infrastructure, it makes it even more compelling for businesses.
Finally, Latin America rounds off our list with its robust infrastructure, deep cultural affinity for Western countries, and rapidly growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, making it a lucrative option for contact center outsourcing. It’s an ideal candidate for nearshore outsourcing, showing that top-quality service doesn’t need to be a world away.
A big plus for Latin America is their cultural compatibility and time zone alignment with the United States, helping them deliver high-quality customer service. However, security concerns and the risk of political volatility remain a challenge for companies looking to set up in this region.
Despite this, Latin America’s amazing progress in the BPO industry and its commitment to enhancing its digital infrastructure while fostering a tech-savvy workforce make it an excellent choice for the future.
As the world moves into 2024 with renewed efforts for political stability and better data security, Latin America promises to offer an even more attractive locale for call center outsourcing.
Deciding where to outsource your call center services can seem daunting, given the number of options available. To simplify your decision-making process and ensure you make the best choice for your business, follow these steps:
While this process requires time and effort, it ensures you make a well-informed decision tailored to your needs. Remember, the quality of your call center partners can significantly impact your customer satisfaction and bottom line.
Selecting the right location for outsourcing your call center is crucial for a seamless customer experience and overall business success. Remember, a well-chosen call center outsourcing location can positively impact customer satisfaction and propel your business forward.
Don't forget that quality assurance is an indispensable part of call center operations. To stay ahead of the curve, it's essential to leverage the power of call center QA software like Scorebuddy. Scorebuddy empowers you to drive customer satisfaction through quality monitoring, precise reporting, and actionable insights.
Ready to enhance your call center's performance and unleash its true potential? Try Scorebuddy today and experience the difference for yourself.
