SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – November 7, 2013 – An interactive map has been launched to combat misconception about foreign accents in call centres around the world. The click-andplay audio map enables the user to listen to call samples from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Philippines, India, Fiji and Indonesia. The Call Centre Audio Map, a world-first initiative developed by Australian online matching site, Matchboard, is designed to help companies draw informed conclusions about accents when considering location options for their call centre services.
Matchboard Managing Director, Sharon Melamed, says the call samples are used by companies to support business cases and decision-making for onshore, near-shore and offshore call centres. “The map is not intended to push any particular country, nor is it intended to say onshore is ‘better’ than offshore or vice versa. There are of course many complex factors to be considered in deciding where to operate a call centre, and accent is just one – albeit an important and emotive one, as it directly affects customer experience.”
Melamed notes other factors which companies need to consider are: the volume of calls, type of calls and skills required, language requirements, physical proximity (if this is important), complexity of calls, value of customers (high-value v. low-value), brand implications, and of course cost.
An increasing array of countries are courting Australian businesses for call centre work: over the last decade, the Philippines has displaced India as the most popular destination, however there is also “near-shore” New Zealand (where the accent and culture and similar, but costs are at least 25% less), and newer entrants such as South Africa and Fiji (which offer 30-50% cost advantage over Australia).
Melamed stresses there is no one size fits all: “Some companies will always be willing to pay a premium price for a CBD location down the road, but others need to examine all the location options before jumping in. We hope the Call Centre Audio Map will be a tool they can use in this journey.” The Call Centre Audio Map was sponsored by language testing market leader, ETS, which is helping companies worldwide raise the standard of English-language in the contact centre setting.
About Matchboard
Matchboard is a free online matching service which helps companies find the right suppliers for their needs. Our powerful matching platform enables users to “cut through” the thousands of market offerings and quickly identify a shortlist of suppliers matching a specific business need. Whether it’s outsourcing a call centre or sales operation, finding reputable digital marketing agencies or sourcing technology vendors or consultants, Matchboard specialises in the supply chain around acquiring and servicing customers. We help everyone from executives at large enterprise, to business owners and Government agencies. Matchboard was founded by industry veteran, Sharon Melamed. Passionate about reducing the time people waste in looking for the right suppliers, and the frustration and cost of ill-informed purchasing decisions, Sharon launched Matchboard in 2012.
About ETS TOEIC
Educational Testing Services (ETS) is the world’s largest provider of educational and language assessment products. With 7 million tests a year, TOEIC is widely used to assess English language competency as a prerequisite for employment, academic certification, citizenship and migration. TOEIC testing is available in over 150 countries worldwide and is used by 15000 different organisations.
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Media inquiries:
Sharon Melamed
Managing Director
Matchboard
sharon@Matchboard.com.au
+61 458 957 907