The proliferation of new contact centre delivery locations globally has done little to allay fears of wide-spread price and attrition increases for outsourcing vendors.

Among the key domestic markets from where contact centre outsourcing services are delivered, a new report estimates that the UK, the Netherlands and France rank among the most expensive in terms of fully-loaded price per agent per hour (including wages, benefits, telephony / technology, property, mark-up and other expenses).

It is clear that no matter whether in Western Europe or the USA, contact centre vendors are facing problems in terms of recruiting well-qualified contact centre agents. Many cite an inability to find contact centre agents of a high calibre and are frustrated at their unwillingness to stay in their role over an extended period of time.

While contact centre agent churn has been characteristic in all regions of the world, the report notes several examples in which local issues have been pronounced. In India and Mexico, the presence of opportunities in other industries has been paramount in prospective contact centre agents choosing non-contact centre careers. However, in other markets, such as the Philippines, the presence of multiple contact centre vendors has led to bidding wars for contact centre agents, and has resulted in their switching vendors at a rapid rate.

In order to retain staff and keep attrition a low as possible, contact centre vendors must be able to show their employees that over the long term, they will be able to glean career opportunities, as opposed to simply being continually stuck on the telephone. In addition, providing wage rates that are fair and reflective of the market is also important, as well as benefits that will derive long-term value for the agent. By taking these steps and others, vendors will soon realise less agent churn and more price stability.