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Call center outsourcing is a very important strategy that all types of companies can implement to reduce costs significantly, in addition to streamlining operations and cutting the time it takes to assist customer’s complaints and problems.

Costa Rica is a preferred destination for outsourcing, where multiple companies handle both service and support. However, what would the potential impact if unpaid workers infiltrated the country to assist customers? This was a topic of discussion in a recent article that highlighted how a large number of customers are beginning to help each other in tech support matters rather than contacting call centers.

According to the piece, “Instead of speaking with a faceless person thousands of miles away, customers’ problems are answered by individuals in the same country who have bought and used the same products. This happens either on the company’s own website or on social networks like Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert), and the helpers are generally not paid anything for their efforts.”

 Although change is sometimes not necessarily a bad thing, ‘unsourcing’ as it is being called, could benefit executives and operations managers. The Economist highlighted some recent examples including when GPS provider TomTom (News - Alert) reduced operational expenses by $150,000 as well as completed 20,000 tech support related problems in only two weeks after halting call center outsourcing and instead leveraged its social media channels and when a Logitech (News - Alert) customer closed 45,000 tech support tickets that pertained to webcams for free.

Companies are relocating their facilities to the rain forest ridden Costa Rica due to multiple factors including a highly skilled workforce. Near-shoring in the region is also a great option for American companies who wish to avoid dealing with complaints based on agents not fully comprehending the questions being asked of them.

If unsourcing and peer-to-peer customer support ramps up in growth, Costa Rica might be forced to look around for another way to employ its citizens.

Back in March, Aegis, a global call center outsourcing provider, expanded its footprint abroad by opening a new call center in the lush country of Costa Rica. With its new 900-seat center located in Rohrmoser, San Jose, Costa Rica, the company hopes to ramp up its outsourcing services.

With plans to cater to U.S.-based clients in multiple industries including healthcare, banking, travel and hospitality, retail, and technology, agents will provide services such as customer care, customer acquisition, reservations, technical support, and collections.

Costa Rica has played a vital part in our success. Aegis began operations in the country in 2006 and today we have nearly 900 employees," Sandip Sen, president of Aegis Global Customer Lifecycle Management Business stated.