VoIP usage in Call Centres

VoIP is continually increasing in popularity. This is especially the case in business, and particularly in call centres where significant savings can be made. Calls via VoIP are cheaper than the traditional telephone calls, so businesses who utilise this make obvious savings. A call centres business revolves around making and receiving calls, therefore cheaper calls can be extremely advantageous.

The quality of VoIP has improves noticeable over recent years. This has allowed business to use it. Previously the quality could be poor so not adequate for business use as this would seem unprofessional. Like all technology its quality is improving with time. Many VoIP providers are now able to offer quality calls that are undistinguishable with regular telephone calls. Some business do make the mistake of using poorer quality VoIP for very cheap calls, but it is no longer necessary to choose between cheaper prices and quality; both are possible.

Many call centres have moved abroad, with a particular trend towards UK companies relocating their call centres to Asia. In Asia labour is generally cheaper so staff do not have to be paid the same amounts. VoIP makes re-locating more profitable. For businesses using telephones the labour savings are often not enough to make the move cost effective. One of the reasons for this is that telephones calls are significantly more expensive when made internationally compared with nationally. This price difference is not so high when it comes to VoIP. The Labour savings can therefore outweigh the extra costs of international calls. Using VoIP makes this much more profitable.

Call centres (as well as other businesses) moving abroad has led to some criticism. One of these criticisms is the loss of local jobs. The other is that some customers prefer to be dealt with by somebody locally (or at least in the same country) as they believe any problems can be resolved more easily than if dealing with someone on the other side of the world. They believe they will be more likely to speak with someone who can affect the issue more directly. Whether or not this is true depends on the nature of the issue.

Some businesses have call centres both locally and internationally. Each call centre will be used for different purposes. For examples, some services will be handled in the UK and others in India. This means that situations that benefit from being managed locally can be, while still allowing businesses to save on calls regarding matters that can be dealt with just as efficiently elsewhere.

The migration towards Business VoIP has been gradually occurring over the last decade. The increasing quality means that it has been happening more steadily over the past three or four years. As more businesses realise the potential of VoIP and the cost savings it can produce it is likely to grow ever further.

Andrew Marshall ©