Outsourced service desks include obtaining an external service provider that is located outside the company premises or location; a service provider who is responsible for the operation and management of the company’s service desk. The outsourced service desk is too responsible for hiring and training the service desk agents, maintenance of service desk software and infrastructure spanning to the management of the daily operations of the service desk (Cleveland & Mayben, 1997).

It is no surprise that one will hear a foreign ascent on the other end when asking for some help or making enquiries. Companies go to this extend for they well understand that the company’s pride greatly rests on the way they relate with customers and thus the first approach of the customer which happens at the service desk must have value and be customer satisfying to achieve that much needed customer loyalty (Butler, 2007).

From experience, most high trading companies have outsourced service desks and take a hands-off approach entrusting the service provider for the best functionality in creating a positive and healthy business link between the customer and the company. Outsourcing much saves the company the hustle and tussle of running a service desk affording the company significant savings. Though at times it sounds unique getting a different ascent, it gives the company more actualization. Outsourcing allows the company easy handling of call volume and too increases business continuity with round the clock service to customers for a lower cost.

However, outsourcing of the service desk have at times brought about that tight grip and control over business functions, and brings about cultural and linguistic barriers which may turn back to hurt the company functions and profits with less customer satisfaction and barred loyalty. Outsourcing the company service desk may to bring privacy and security issues with the service provider aware of some confidential company secrets and function weapons and  can easily constitute to divided agent focus and lack of collaboration and information sharing between departments and agents (Hughes, Ireland & West, 2004).

Selecting the location of a call center is such a crucial step in coining the efficiency and effectiveness of the call center. As the project manager I will consider some factors which include:

• The global reach and the type of customers for it is very important to understand where the company does business and where the call center will handle calls from.is it in the international realm or just locally? I will therefore seek to first understand the scope of operation of the company. This takes care of the ethnicity, linguistic barrier and the cultural barriers too (Hughes, Ireland & West, 2004).
• The size of the company too has direct relation with the size of the call center. The chosen location should therefore be able to accommodate the size of call center which should also be a perfect match of the company (Butler, 2007).
• The location should too be able to accommodate for future expansion should the business grow, and of course expansion is the undeniable goal of every company. The location must be able to accommodate the expected growth of the company (Hughes, Ireland & West, 2004).
• The relocation cost should not be such that to suffocate the company assets but should be matching otherwise liability relocation is discouraged. Accordingly I will seek to be cost effective and efficient by understanding the company’s investment not compromising the outselling standards of the company (Cleveland & Mayben, 1997).
• The staff for the call center again should be professional such that they won’t bring a difference in culture or language. If the company operates internationally then the staff must have the international relations skills and be able to handle international customers with ease (Butler, 2007).
• The hardware and software should be too sophisticated enough to match the expectations of the customers and too offer the company the best service as expected. The IT infrastructure must be one that will not fail the company and break customer loyalty (Hughes, Ireland & West, 2004).