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A major study on call centres coordinnated by Cornell University challenges perceptions of call center management and employment http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/news/052307_GlobalCallCenterProject.html





Some of the study's key findings:

• Most call centers serving U.S. customers are operated in the U.S., not overseas.
  
• The large majority of centers in all countries – except India – serve their own domestic markets and consumers. There is no common global face to call centers, since they tend to take on the character of their respective countries and regions based on that country's or region's laws, customs, and norms.
  
• Most call centers are relatively new and have emerged in countries across the globe at about the same time, within the last five to 10 years.
  
• Two-thirds of all call centers are in-house operations, serving a firm’s own customers. Subcontractors operate the remaining one-third of centers. In-house centers across all countries have lower turnover rates and higher quality jobs.
  
• Staff turnover rates and costs are high. Turnover rates in the U.S. range from 25% to over 50%, depending on the sector. Taking lost productivity into account, replacing one worker equals between three and four months of an average worker's pay.
  
• While union coverage is quite low in the U.S., over 50% of centers in the international study have some form of collective representation. 

To read more about the study, go to http://www.globalcallcenter.org.