Offshore Call Centers to Compete with Speech-enabled Technology

A new Datamonitor report presents the argument that speech-enabled self-service technology will compete with offshore call center agents. The research shows that speech automation provides a more cost effective approach than outsourcing for servicing low-level customer service transactions. Datamonitor estimates that over 95 percent of communication in call centers occur over the phone.

The report, “Voice Business in Regional Perspective: The Americas,” reveals that when compared to one handled in the domestic market, a call center in an offshore location, like India, saves a US company approximately 25% to 35% per transaction – significant savings. However, a call serviced through speech automation costs approximately 15% to 25% of the cost of a call handled by an agent in India.

Currently, offshore call center agents deal with low level transactions, while higher level transactions are typically handled by domestic agents. This has led to a sharpened focus among enterprises on improving and automating phone-based transactions through speech recognition technology.

Spend on speech-enabled self-service technology in North America will more than double from $480 million in 2004 to $1.2 billion by 2008.

For this complete story, please visit Offshore Call Centers to Compete with Speech-enabled Technology.