The European call centre market is rapidly expanding. Driven by rising digital service demands and the need for specialised customer relationship management, companies across the continent are increasingly turning to outsourcing.
As customer expectations grow and the complexity of digital interactions increases, call centres are becoming strategic assets—not just operational functions. Outsourcing customer contact allows businesses to scale efficiently while ensuring quality, multilingual support and technological expertise.
Why Is the European Market So Attractive?
Europe presents a unique blend of high demand, language diversity, and economic variation—making it an ideal hub for outsourced customer contact services. With a market estimated at €20 billion in 2018 and projected to grow steadily, it continues to attract global attention.
Outsourcing partners in Europe are not only adapting to clients’ technical needs but also proactively developing new customer service tools, workflows, and innovations tailored to different industries.
Regional Attractiveness: A Breakdown by Area
Eastern Europe: A Hub for Efficiency
Countries such as Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria are major outsourcing destinations. Romania, with one of the world’s fastest internet speeds, has become a top player. These countries offer competitive pricing, highly educated, multilingual talent, and strong tech infrastructure. Eastern Europe accounts for a significant share of GDP from outsourcing services.
Western Europe: Mature and Language-Driven
Germany, France, and the UK are the largest consumer markets. The UK remains strong despite Brexit, particularly in finance and banking. English remains a business lingua franca.
France benefits from its Francophone networks, with outsourcing partners in Africa (e.g., Senegal) gaining traction due to French being an official language in 29 countries.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, often prefers nearshoring within Europe due to linguistic preferences and cultural alignment. The Netherlands, on the other hand, is highly open to outsourcing and has a strong English-speaking workforce. Its high GDP per capita also signals strong outsourcing potential.
Southern Europe: Language as a Gateway
Spain is particularly attractive due to the global reach of Spanish, the second most spoken language in the world. This positions Spain as a gateway for outsourcing partnerships with Latin America and beyond.
Northern Europe: Stable and Open to Outsourcing
Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark represent smaller but high-value markets. These countries are generally open to outsourcing and are known for their economic resilience. English is widely spoken, but local language fluency is still important for strong customer engagement.
Key Characteristics of the European Call Centre Market
- Preference for nearshoring: European companies tend to outsource to culturally and geographically close regions.
- Rising labour costs: As prices increase in traditional outsourcing hubs, new regions are emerging.
- Multilingual demand: With 24 official languages across the EU, multilingual capability is essential.
- Emphasis on digital tools: Cloud platforms, CRMs, and omnichannel tech are now standard.
- Business continuity: The pandemic prompted companies to improve remote readiness and resilience.
Post-COVID Developments and Market Trends
The pandemic disrupted operations but also accelerated digital transformation. Many contact centres shifted to remote work models, implemented cloud-based platforms, and saw surging demand for chat and social media support. Companies reevaluated their outsourcing strategies, favouring more resilient and closer-to-home partners.
The European Call Centre Market as a Globalisation Driver
Call centres are now symbols of globalisation in action. They enable businesses to focus on core functions while creating jobs, revitalising local economies, and facilitating cross-border collaboration. Outsourcing generates over $100 billion annually and continues to grow by over 5% each year, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s BPO Index.
Thinking About Expanding into Europe?
Whether you’re looking to outsource your customer service or grow your presence in new markets, the European call centre landscape offers scalable, stable, and multilingual solutions tailored to your needs.
Book a free consultation with our CEO to explore how your business can benefit from the European market.
