IDC predicts growth of 'homeshoring' in customer management

There has been a significant migration of the types of contact services companies are willing and ready to 'homeshore', according to research from IDC.

The new findings suggest that 'homeshoring' is challenging the traditional model of customer management outsourcing and is increasingly being used to address challenges such as the need for better agent quality, high turnover and to address the seasonal nature of many industries.

The use of home-based customer agents to field various types of customer care inquiries has traditionally focused on delivering support for basic customer care, infomercials, and direct response television, but IDC suggests that brand-conscious companies across numerous industries are increasingly turning to home-based agent service providers for high-touch customer care and expertise.

IDC goes on to predict that the new emphasis in customer care will be on meeting specific metrics while still providing high customer satisfaction, and picks out US-based VIPdesk, a provider of virtual contact center and loyalty solutions for national and international companies, as breaking from the pack by offering a highly customized, innovative and cost-effective model for customer service.

"More and more companies are harnessing the advantages of homeshoring, and that trend is only going to continue," said Stephen Loynd, program manager for contact center services research at IDC.