Table of Contents
Introduction and Abbreviations
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- Rationale for the report
- Scope of the report
- Other reports
- Global information and research
- Definitions
- Consumer research
- ACORN
- Abbreviations
Executive Summary
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- Background considerations
- Industry issues
- Market size
- The consumer
- Future development
Defining the Market
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- Some basic definitions
- Call centre
- Contact centre
- Offshoring
- Outsourcing
- Distinguishing between purchasing and outsourcing
- The basic difference
- Cost is a driver
- Long contracts are the norm
- A useful perspective
- Relationship between call centres, offshoring and outsourcing
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- Figure 1: Relationship between call centres, offshoring and outsourcing
- Outsourcing the ‘boring bits’
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- Figure 2: Relationship between customers and offshored/outsourced functions
- The need for business processes and infrastructure
- Understanding business processes
- Business architecture
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- Figure 3: Generic business architecture
- Processes
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- Figure 4: Example process model fragment for mortgage processing
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- Figure 5: Example revised process model fragment for mortgage processing
- Value chains
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- Figure 6: Representation of typical financial services value chain, card issuing
- Understanding infrastructure
- More confusion
- Technology plays an important role
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- Figure 7: Generic technical architecture
- Application architecture
- Infrastructure
- Relationship between information technology and telecommunications
- Social architecture
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- Figure 8: Generic social system
International Context
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- The United States
- Continental Europe
- Offshoring centres
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- Figure 9: Overview of offshore call centre capacity, number of agent places, by selected countries, 2003 and 2004
- Figure 10: IT-enabled services, international competitors, by selected country, April 2005
Market Drivers
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- Cultural influences
- Business culture
- Fashion and American influence
- The growth of shared service centres
- The Zeitgeist
- Angst
- Long-term economic changes
- Shift to services
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- Figure 11: Growth of the UK economy and relative strength of the services sector, gross added value (£billion), 1989-99
- The growth of information content
- Balance of power moving to Asia
- Expensive labour and cheap goods
- Technological developments
- Speed and power of computers
- Functionality of components
- Networking
- Voice and the Internet – enabling the contact centre
- Competition and regulation
- Competition environment since 1971
- Deregulation of telecommunications
- Re-regulation
- Financial regulation
- Data protection
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- TUPE
- European regulation
- Distance Selling Directive
- Electronic Commerce Directive
- Safe Harbour Agreement
- European Union VAT Directive
Market Size and Trends
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- Market participation
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- Figure 12: Reference model for participation in call centre, offshoring and outsourcing markets
- Market governance
- Market size
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- Figure 13: Schematic for market size
- Call centres
- Continued growth expected
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- Figure 14: Growth in United Kingdom call centres, by numbers of centres and agent places, 2000-04
- Finance dominates
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- Figure 15: Call centre agent places, by market sector, 2000-04
- Market value
- Outsourcing
- Offshoring
Key Players
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- Financial services organisations
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- Figure 16: Financial services’ share of British contact centre industry, by number of agent positions, December 2003
- Figure 17: United Kingdom financial services providers cited as using domestic and offshore call centres, by type of provider and location of call centre, April 2005
- Suppliers
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- Figure 18: Outsourcing supplier ‘food chain’, March 2005
- Facilities management
- Infrastructure outsourcers
- Application service providers
- Shared service centres
- Specialist business services
- Call centre specialists
- Comprehensive outsourcing
- Consultants
- Interim management
The Consumer
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- Figure 19: Financial products owned, March 2005
- We love branches
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- Figure 20: Channel usage, by gender, age and socio-economic group, March 2005
- Implications
- Cockneys on the dog*
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- Figure 21: Channel usage, by TV region, March 2005
- Implications
- Busy urbanites on the blower
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- Figure 22: Channel usage, by Mintel’s Special Groups and ACORN group, March 2005
- Implications
- The upper classes expect service
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- Figure 23: Channel usage, by newspaper readership, technology usage and commercial TV viewing, March 2005
- Implications
- The usual stuff
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- Figure 24: Reasons for telephoning a current account provider, March 2005
- Lifestyle is the key
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- Figure 25: Reasons for telephoning overall, by gender, age and socio-economic group, March 2005
- Implications
- Other analyses
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Consumer Attitudes and Targeting Opportunities
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- Figure 26: Call centres, offshoring and outsourcing, causes of ill feeling, March 2005
- Youngsters suffer ‘hold rage’…
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- Figure 27: Causes of ill feeling, by gender, age and socio-economic group, March 2005
- Implications
- …and the middle-aged are weary of the rubbish…
- Implications
- …while the upper classes expect better treatment
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- Figure 28: Causes of ill feeling, by newspaper readership, March 2005
- Implications
- Confirmation from the soundbite culture
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- Figure 29: Causes of ill feeling, by commercial TV viewing, March 2005
- Implications
- Attitudes based on experience
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- Figure 30: Attitudes towards offshoring, by gender and socio-economic group, March 2005
- Implications
- Practical considerations are important
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- Figure 31: Attitudes towards offshoring, by TV region and ACORN group, March 2005
- Implications
- The voice of experience
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- Figure 32: Attitudes towards offshoring, by age and Mintel’s Special Groups, March 2005
- Implications
- The phone isn’t everything
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- Figure 33: Attitudes towards the telephone, by gender, March 2005
- Implications
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- Figure 34: Attitudes towards the telephone, by age and socio-economic group, March 2005
- Implications
- Londoners on the dog again
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- Figure 35: Attitudes towards offshoring, by TV region and ACORN group, March 2005
- Implications
- Busy lifestyles
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- Figure 36: Attitudes towards offshoring, by Mintel’s Special Groups, March 2005
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- Figure 37: Attitudes towards telephone security, by Mintel’s Special Groups, after numerical manipulation, March 2005
- Implications
- Class tells
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards offshoring, by commercial TV viewing and supermarkets used, March 2005
- Implications
- Further analysis
- Consistent parochialism
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- Figure 39: Attitudes towards offshoring, by channel usage, March 2005
- Implications
- The soothing voice
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- Figure 40: Attitudes towards the telephone, by channel usage, March 2005
- Implications
- Menu rage – the killer feature
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- Figure 41: Sources of ill feeling, by channel usage, March 2005
- Implications
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- Figure 42: Generic model for systems qualities
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Effect on Brand Management
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- Importance of brand philosophy
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- Figure 43: Reference model for brand construction philosophies
- Impact of call centres
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- Figure 44: Reference model for strategic marketing concepts
- Lovable Geordies?
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- Figure 45: Location of call centres in the United Kingdom, by region, December 2004
- Impact of outsourcing
- The executive view
Industry Views
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- Initial observations
- Offshoring developments
- Outsourcing development
- Call centres
- Future development of the industry
The Future of the Market
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- Change management
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- Figure 46: Generic areas of concern in business process re-engineering projects
- Whither the call centre, offshoring and outsourcing markets?
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- Figure 47: Call centres, offshoring and outsourcing, potential market lifecycles, 2005
- Call centres
- Outsourcing
- Offshoring
- Politics vs. Economics
- Brand influence
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