Outsourcing telemarketing to offshore call centers could be detrimental to maintaining customer loyalty, according to a call center study conducted by Purdue University’s Center for Customer Driven Quality in conjunction with researchers at BenchmarkPortal Inc.
The majority of U.S. consumers believe their inbound calls are being handled by domestic call centers, but 65% of consumers would alter their buying behavior towards a company if they knew or had the impression a company was using an offshore call center, the study found.
Consumers’ preference for dealing with U.S. based call centers holds up, regardless of the level of satisfaction the customer received from the call center and the type of call. Their feelings were consistent for calls for product information, making purchases or reservations, technical support and complaints.
The study found sentiments of nationalism and loyalty to America play strong and influential roles in purchasing decisions, particularly among older and non-college educated consumers. College educated consumers between 18 and 35 indicated their buying behavior was the least likely to be affected if their calls for technical support were routed outside the U.S.
Based on the study’s findings it would be prudent for companies to view call centers as crucial elements in customer strategy, akin to loyalty marketing programs, because the cost-benefits associated using offshore call centers could be negated by alienating consumers, according to Jon Acton, director of Benchmark Research.
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