THE MARKET

Customer service outsourcing comes down to comfort: assurance that quality, security, and customer satisfaction won't be sacrificed. Some firms are providing comfort through work-at-home agents (WAHAs), who tend to have more customer care experience, says Michael DeSalles, strategic analyst at Frost & Sullivan. WAHAs tend to be more comfortable, which tends to make customer interactions more satisfying. Moreover, with rising "green" awareness, the elimination of commuting costs and air pollution achieved by having a WAHA doing the job is a win-win.

Going global is another way outsourcers are keeping ahead. Transatlantic vendors are starting to dominate, rather than players just focused on North America, says Suvradeep Bhattacharjee, principal analyst in the United Kingdom-based offices of analyst firm NelsonHall. A trend toward software-as-a-service (SaaS) within customer service outsourcing has also emerged. The fundamental value proposition of SaaS is that it should be easy to deploy and maintain, says Jeff Kaplan, managing director of consultancy THINKstrategies.