What Call Center Location is Right for You? (& Considerations)

Business owners often question what call center location is best for them, their business, and their customers. This isn’t always an easy question to answer. The main factors to consider when choosing the location are cost, company and client needs, time zone, and language barriers. 

What Call Center Location Terms Should You Know?

There are three primary terms to consider when researching the perfect call center location for your business:

Nearshore

A nearshore call center is located just outside of the United States. In many cases, nearshore locations for North America-based businesses are in South America, making for easy travel back and forth when necessary.

Offshore

An offshore call center is located outside the U.S. Offshore call centers are often not located within the same hemisphere, located in countries like India or the Phillipines.

Onshore

An onshore call center is one located within the boundaries of the United States or Canada. When seeking an onshore call center, they can either be located within the same state or elsewhere. For example, a company based in Illinois can partner with a call center located in Pennsylvania.

6 Call Center Location Considerations

When the time comes that you need to outsource to a call center, know that location does matter. Some of the following considerations may have a major impact on your final choice:

Comparing Cost of Service

While customer service is important, you might also want or need to look for an affordable call center. Labor costs vary depending on location and country. For example, call centers offshore are more affordable than call centers onshore because the economy and minimum wage differ from country to country.

Labor costs vary in the U.S. as well. If you’re looking to partner with a call center in California or New York, it’s going to be a little pricier than partnering with a call center in the heartland of the country because the cost of living is so different.

Depending on the needs of your company, this may weigh heavy on your decision.

Language Barriers

When choosing a telephone answering service, it’s important to think about the diversity of the agents and staff that will be working on your account. Depending on the location of your customers, you may need bilingual or multilingual support to efficiently help your customers.

To accommodate all languages of your clients, look for a location that has a diverse staff. For example, if your clientele reside primarily in Canada, you need a call center that has English and French-speaking agents. Additionally, knowledge of local colloquialisms go a long way in providing exceptional customer service.

Time Zone

One of the most important considerations is the time zone your ideal call center partner resides in. The location determines the hours that the staff are working. Think about where your clients are geographically located and when the majority of your calls come in. With that information in mind, select a location with a compatible time zone.

Client and Company Needs

When choosing the right answering service, you’ll need to find out which facility will provide the best customer service for your business and your clients. Additionally, assess the infrastructure of the call center before making any decisions. 

You want to be sure you choose a call center that can grow with your business and is able to meet the needs of your staff and customers. 

Choosing a Location in North America

When partnering with a North American answering service, you may be paying a little more, but the experience your caller gets will be different. In most cases, you get a live responder, improved communication, and higher productivity. Additionally, there are minimal language, cultural, and social differences.

If nothing else, it’s much easier to communicate and collaborate with a partner within your own time zone.

If you choose a call center partner in your state, the agents are aware of the challenges facing your community. When agents can empathize with your callers, you improve your customer service and overall customer happiness. Customer “58% of American consumers will switch companies because of poor customer service.” (Microsoft)

Benefits of Offshore and Nearshore Locations

Labor is more affordable, reducing your cost. You will have access to global, specialized talent and increased ability for market expansion. If you are looking to expand and grow to an international business, this may be the right choice for your company.

AnswerNet’s Call Center Locations Across the U.S. and Canada

AnswerNet has call center locations all across North America. Explore our facilities in both countries:

United States

Canada

Ontario Call Center

Toronto

Manitoba Call Center

Winnipeg 

Choose Your Ideal Call Center Location Today!

AnswerNet is part the GBA Global BPO Alliance (GBA). The GBA brings together independent BPO (business process outsourcing) providers from Asia, Europe, Africa to provide a single point of contact for clients to offer BPO services in many languages by native speakers with the same level of service quality and local prices of each country. 

AnswerNet offers a variety of call center solutions including inbound, outbound, and BPO services. We give you high-quality customer support services and support to keep you and your customers happy.

No matter your needs, AnswerNet has a solution. Contact us to find out more!