This thesis focuses on call centers offering their services to companies, which choose to outsource customer contact. The goal of this study is to portray the industry and establish key success factors. Several environmental and organizational characteristics are depicted and the influence of two important aspects is outlined as they are the personnel and trust as a key factor governing the client relationship.
The results suggest that the outsourcing call center industry is driven by the need of flexibility, the strong connection with the clients and trust as a basic requirement. Companies operating in this business tend to show signs of maturity, pay much attention to the management of the human resources, and combine leveraging their core competences globally with adapting flexibly to the clients’ needs and wishes. When managing the workforce, the agency theory applies. Hiring, training and monitoring processes are therefore of crucial importance and need to be adjusted carefully to the services offered. Continuous observation and adaptation is vital to the call center’s success. Pinpointing and targeting the training needs and fine-tuning the monitoring system are imperative.
Surprisingly, when looking at the client relationship, the principal-agent problem does not exist, since the success of both partners it tied together very strongly. Trust and integration are therefore the main factors driving this success. Trust is assessed by using Numan’s (1998) framework, which focuses on balancing complexity, risk, control and uncertainty with trust, which in turn is shaped by beliefs. These relationships are found to hold true in this industry and the importance of trust reached the highest value available, when questioned. The main goal of a call center is to provide such an excellence service to the client that it becomes indispensable.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Introduction to the Call Center Industry
- Research Motivation
- Problem Statement
- Research Contribution
- Outsourcing
- Introduction
- Definition
- History and Evolution
- Trends
- Advantages and Limitations
- Challenges
- Trust
- Definition
- Trust and Outsourcing
- Related Concepts
- Relationship with the Client
- Conclusion
- Call Center
- Introduction
- Definition
- History and Evolution
- Cultural Dimension (Hofstede and Trompenaars)
- Competitive Environment (Porter)
- Trends
- Special Characteristics
- Personnel
- Relationship with the Client
- Conclusion
- Environment
- Research Goals
- Organization
- Type (Mintzberg)
- Strategic Global Orientation
- Nature
- Organizational Lifecycle
- Competitive Strategy (Porter)
- Organizational Structure
- Corporate Culture
- Personnel
- Labor Supply
- Training
- Monitoring
- Relationship with the Client
- Orientation towards the Client
- Trust
- Contract
- Project
- Data Security
- Conclusion
- Research Design
- Introduction
- Research Objective
- Research Method
- Sample Choice
- Research Execution
- Conclusion
- Findings
- Introduction
- Mondial Assistance Deutschland GmbH
- Harte-Hanks CRM Services Belgium N.V.
- eti Sales Support Europe B.V.
- PFSweb Europe B.V.
- cologne: callcenter gmbh
- Maincom Telemarketing Services GmbH
- Minacs Worldwide GmbH
- Synovate GmbH
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis examines the call center industry, focusing on companies that provide customer contact outsourcing services. The study aims to delineate the industry's landscape and identify key success factors. It explores the influence of environmental and organizational factors, particularly the role of personnel and trust in shaping client relationships.
- The evolution and dynamics of the outsourcing call center industry
- Key success factors in the call center industry
- The significance of trust in client relationships
- The impact of personnel management on call center success
- The influence of environmental and organizational characteristics on call center operations
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The thesis commences with an introduction to the call center industry and its key characteristics. Chapter 2 delves into the concept of outsourcing, its historical development, trends, and the significance of trust in outsourcing relationships. Chapter 3 focuses on call centers, examining their definition, history, cultural dimensions, competitive environment, and special characteristics. Chapter 4 explores the environmental and organizational factors influencing call centers, including personnel, client relationships, and the organizational structure. Chapter 5 outlines the research design and methodology, while Chapter 6 presents findings from case studies of various call center companies.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This thesis focuses on the outsourcing call center industry, exploring themes such as client relationship management, trust, personnel management, organizational structure, competitive advantage, and environmental factors. It leverages frameworks from agency theory, Hofstede, Trompenaars, and Porter to analyze the industry's dynamics and identify key success factors.
- Quote paper
- Maria Kimme (Author), 2004, Calling the Customer - An Industry Analysis of Call Center as Business Process Outsourcing Providers, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/34947
