Call Centres : a Swedish Geographical Perspective exemplified by conditions in the West of Sweden

Abstract

The arrival of the Internet as well as that of cheap long-distance telecommunications mean that many activities that once required physical presence can now be conducted online. On the other hand, at transferring unstructured information which is often the case when work is carried out in the form of a project, proximity seems to be more needed than ever. In Sweden, sparsely populated, new telecomputer techniques are seen as means for regional development. Besides, ICT-use enables the location of functions to Sweden that may serve Scandinavia and the Baltic Region in an European context. Studies presented in this paper have been conducted in Western Sweden, that represents varying prerequisites for location of call centres. Environmental conditions such as infrastructure for transportation and communication and assistance by the state and/or EU are observed. Furthermore, the studies focus on what types of functions that are performed at different locations. This paper contributes to the understanding of what types of works that are performed in call centres located to varying geographical environments and to what extent the location of call centres may be used as a tool for regional development.