European call center market is quickly expanding due to new technological challenges in the market of the customer relationship. Furthermore, many companies externalize as the charges for digital channels are increasing and outsourcing customer relations remains a guarantee of quality and expertise.
In this context, service providers constantly adapt to their customers’ environment and field of activity. They are a source of suggestions for establishing new management processes or developing new tools, always at the service of high-quality customer service.
European Call Center Assets
In the European sector, companies of all types and sizes are increasingly turning to outsourcing the contact sector. To the point that the market in Europe was estimated at 20 billion euros in 2018 and is expected to grow furthermore in the next few years.
Attractiveness By Countries
Eastern Europe
Some European countries are more attractive than others. Eastern Europe is a relatively important region where outsourcing makes up a significant part of the gross domestic product. For example, Romania, which has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world, has become one of the most important outsourcing centers. Poland and Bulgaria are also very attractive in this regard.
Western Europe
Countries such as Germany, France and England represent the largest markets. England is still very attractive despite Brexit. Finance and banking are heavily involved in this matter. In addition, the English language is dominant in many countries and many ties from their colonial past, so it is an advantage in business relations.
France is also an important market due to French-speaking service providers in Africa. French is an official language in 29 countries. That makes the country a particularly attractive target market for African bidders such as Senegal.
Germany is the largest economy in Europe. It is also an interesting market, although companies are much less willing to outsource to countries other than the UK and the Netherlands, as companies prefer to do business in German rather than another language and tend to opt for nearshoring instead.
On the contrary, the Dutch are very comfortable with the English language, and historically Dutch companies have been relatively open to outsourcing. In addition, the GDP per capita in the Netherlands is the sixth highest in Europe.
Spain is another important European market area. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin and before English. Therefore, Spain is a very attractive market for Latin American companies.
Northern Europe
In the Nordic countries, even though the market is smaller, people are often ready to outsource their telephone service. They also have a strong and secure economy. External factors such as COVID-19 did not affect them as much as other European countries. English is also widely spoken. But as in other markets, speaking the local languages is an advantage if you are willing to do business with these countries.
The Characteristics Of European Call Center Market
European companies prefer to outsource services to providers in their own country. When they decided to do it abroad, they preferred nearby countries because of proximity. But also the short time difference, cultural similarities and of course the language.
In addition, the market prices of the nearshore countries, especially within the European Union, are rising. Cost savings are still an important reason for European companies to outsource contact center operations to service providers from other countries.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is also accelerating several general trends. Because of this, contact center services must invest in business continuity and strengthening customer relationships.
New Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused global business disruption in the European call center market, affecting numerous outsourcing providers. Companies in Europe have been relocating their contact centre services in-house or to domestic and nearshore providers.
The introduction of home jobs has accelerated the digital transformation of many contact center service providers, as agents demand remote access to the platforms. In addition, consumers have accelerated their use of digital channels. This was likely due to both the availability of channels such as chat and social media when phone lines were flooded, and a new familiarity with digital channels as consumers moved to e-commerce during the lockdowns.
The European telephone service market is therefore a strategic market. It offers not only many advantages but also great security and stability. In addition, it is a growing industry because it allows consumer companies to focus on their core competencies.
In addition, the telephone service industry has become one of the most symbolic sectors of the era of globalization. Related to the outsourcing of business operations (outsourcing is worth more than $100 billion a year and growing more than 5% according to Cushman & Wakefield’s BPO index), the development of new technologies, and an increasingly multilingual and multicultural environment. .
The boom of European call center is an example of how globalization works. That which crosses borders. Revitalizes economically stagnant areas. Encourages the free movement of people and services, and not least – creates jobs.