The ever changing demands of the consumer sector are making it increasingly difficult to satisfy all needs with a traditional brick-and-mortar call center. As a result, companies are increasingly turning to the hosted call center to meet their customer service needs without having to invest heavily in a traditional business model.

Roughly 10 to 15 years ago, organizations throughout the United States took a big risk by moving their customer care centers and call center overseas. They were attracted to the lower overall cost of overseas operations and fighting a losing battle in increasingly competitive markets. And, while the move made sense on the balance sheet, many organizations did not anticipate the backlash they would receive from the customer base.

The onslaught of unhappy customers reverberated throughout multiple industries and those companies keeping their call centers on U.S. soil suddenly had a greater value proposition and market differentiation that mattered to customers. A number of customers throughout a variety of industries voiced their disdain for dealing with call center agents overseas and moved their business to companies who remained local.

For companies that had made that change to overseas call center operations, simply moving them back was not as easy as it sounded. They had already migrated to a business model that included a lower cost for call center operations and simply increasing that line item on the budget was not an option. Instead, they needed a plan of action that would sustain an unseen future and adhere to tight budget guidelines.

Today, organizations seeking to streamline their customer service initiatives and lower the cost of their call center operations have the option of the hosted call center. Such an environment promises a more efficient, cost-effective way to handle all customer interactions – whether they lead to sales and revenue generation or not.

The hosted call center relies on technology and software by proven providers to enable inbound calls to go through a data center run by a web-based device that will route calls to a predetermined destination. For instance, if a skilled agent handles engineering-related calls, he or she will receive all calls that pertain to engineering. Such technology often relies on a Virtual Private Network to secure the transfer of the call.

The best part about this process is that it does not matter where the call center agent is located, the hosted call center software will enable them to receive calls during their online scheduled time, or will route calls to another and equally qualified agent if they are unavailable or helping another caller.

From a business standpoint, the hosted call center makes sense for a number of reasons. Aside from the ability to eliminate the overseas stigma associated with eliminating the in-house call center, the hosted call center can also ensure that the organization need only pay for the technology it needs or uses for a given period of time.

One of the biggest expenses for the traditional call center was the hardware and other technology resources necessary to support all of the activities of the call center and its agents. Today, hosted call center solutions can be used on-demand, ensuring the organization can budget for only what it needs and eliminate the unnecessary fluff that can truly only complicate the call.