Homeshoring, A Play On Offshoring Uses U.S. Employees

Posted April 15, 2007

Homeshoring can help companies that depend on call centers to cut costs and improve their customer care, with a U.S. work force. In many cases, he says, customers are unhappy dealing with call center agents from other parts of the globe. There can be language barriers, or foreign agents can simply lack knowledge about U.S. customs, things that can help interactions between callers and call center agents. Homeshoring also lowers overhead, as there is no cost for buildings or utilities, notes William Bierce of Bierce & Kenerson, a law firm focused on outsourcing issues. On the downside, many workers at home may feel isolated. They get no in-person feedback from colleagues. And it can be hard to manage such a distributed work force, Bierce says.