Abstract
This paper explores the amount of ‘real’ internationalisation in the call centre industry and looks at its effects on work organisation from two angles. First, we analyse the data from the Global Call Center Industry Project, with regard to the amount of internationalisation and the profiles of call centres serving an international market. Then, these industrywide findings are confronted with a case study of the customer service operation of a US-based electronics multinational. Overall, while global business service providers exist and shape the perception of the industry to a considerable extent, internationalisation is chiefly limited to younger, larger subcontracting companies with standardised work, although national patterns vary. While some services in some segments have certainly been internationalised (for example airline travel reservations and IT helplines), language and cultural proximity continue to matter.
Highlights
Call centres are frequently cited as prime examples of a global restructuring of service work in which work may be shifted across locations and organisations in real time
The initial report on the Global Call Center Industry Project survey summarises the situation: ‘we find that the call-centre sector looks quite similar across countries in terms of its markets, service offerings, and organisational features
This paper has connected an analysis of the most comprehensive dataset on the callcentre industry that is currently available with an analysis of a case study that explores the transnational aspect of outsourcing
Summary
Call centres are frequently cited as prime examples of a global restructuring of service work in which work may be shifted across locations and organisations in real time. Call centres catering to an international market are concentrated among subcontractors with standardised and regimented work, there is some variation between countries. At a more local or regional level, small businesses, public sector and non-profit organisations have restructured customer services in many countries.
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