Countries involved with Offshore Outsourcing
Nowadays, when anyone hears that a company has sent their call centers offshore, the first country that comes to mind is India. Indeed, almost all technical support lines, information call centers, and outbound telemarketing are now outsourced to centers in India. Television documentaries regularly focus on offices in India, interviewing the people, asking about their training, and how they cope working nights to satisfy the western time zone. Despite the fact that India is the assumed leader for both inbound and outbound calls, today, there are many other countries involved with offshore outsourcing.
Not far behind India is the Philippines, a country whose people are internationally known for being friendly and helpful. Their attitudes and personalities are appealing to companies in North America, who want to be perceived as having employees who are willing and able. The Filipino culture is somewhat different and thus, it is better suited to functions of first-line contact. In other words, the person answering the telephone is often the one who represents the company. By having someone who is upbeat and friendly by nature, the company is perceived as looking after its customers. Filipinos are typically not confrontational people, so it is understandable that people in America relate to them. Ideally, issues should be resolved much quicker and easier. But, one of the real reasons companies have begun to outsource to the Philippines is that the minimum wage is even cheaper there than India.
Other up-and-coming countries involved with offshore outsourcing are Bulgaria and Russia. Both of these countries are known for their excellent computer programmers. Companies that require the development of scripts and back-end systems are finding programmers online and outsourcing this function. While some of these people's costs are on par with other programmers around the world, the key is to avoid benefits and guaranteed hours. Companies can circumvent providing forty hours of work, for instance. Another major reason for enlisting foreign programmers is they tend not to observe the structure of business hours. Programmers in an American office might only work nine-to-five, but, if the project is outsourced, and paid per project, there is a concrete incentive for the programmer to complete the project sooner, working on holidays and weekends.
Believe it or not Canada and the US are sometimes countries to which European companies outsource work. Although traditionally, both of these countries are cost-prohibitive for working conditions, many small business owners appeal to foreign companies that want to avoid the VAT system's reporting and paperwork. Some of the functions of offshore outsourcing being completed are marketing related assignments, design projects, copywriting and research work. The main benefit of using these two countries, especially for writing, is the fact that the people speak English, understanding the intricate nuances, and composing material with proper grammar and words that appeal to the American marketplace.
Furthermore, data entry jobs are being filled by workers in India, Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Uruguay, and many countries in Africa. Basically, if these people can keypunch with speed and accuracy, English is not even a requisite of the job. As long as the liaison or point-person can speak enough English to communicate with the hiring company, there is no need for the clerks to speak a word of English.
Finally, American companies are looking to countries like Russia for scientists and engineers. It has long been recognized that Russian trained scientists and engineers are among the best talents in the world.