Study: Offshore Outsourcing Could Affect Consumer Behavior
Some 65 percent of consumers would change their buying behavior if they learned that a company with which they were doing business used an offshore call center, even if they were satisfied with its customer service, a Purdue University survey found.The study, conducted by Purdue's Center for Customer-Driven Quality, showed that the "vast majority" of consumers believed their telephone contacts were handled by domestic call centers. The survey of 721 U.S. consumers had an error rate of plus or minus 4 percent.
Patriotism affects American purchasing decisions, the study concluded. However, it also found that for technical support calls, college-educated respondents ages 18-35 were less likely to indicate that call center off-shoring would affect their buying behavior.
