PC World (one of the UK’s biggest computer stores) has decided that insourcing is a far better idea than outsourcing.
Back in 2004, PC World decided that outsourcing all of its technical support to Capita was a brave new money-saving idea. This didn’t sit well with a lot of customers though, as the outsourcing usually went to India, where language barriers caused many complaints from both sides.
The outsourcing agreement with Capita runs out in April, and rather than renewing it, PC World’s owners have decided that “by bringing the operation in-house we are taking back control of the customer experience, taking responsibility for and owning our relationship with the customer.”
There will be a transitional period of six months to help a “smooth transition” into insourcing, but this means that people ringing PC World’s tech support will be connected to an English switchboard.
PC World may be an ulterior motive for the deicsion, though: The combined might of Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy is threatening to damage PC World’s market share, and in the current economic climate, insourcing may be a far better financial model to adopt.
DSG International, the owners of PC World, will be creating 1,200 jobs in the UK from bringing call centers back into Sheffield and Nottingham. However, a lot of those jobs will be re-employed Capita workers.
Source: The Register
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