Introduction

An overview of the outsourced at-home agent phenomenon, looking at drivers, inhibitors and market size

Scope

DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
ANALYSIS 2
At-home APs will grow through the coming five years 2
Overall market size 2
Regional concentration and trends 3
At-home agents are a compelling option to potential and existing outsourcing clients 3
Added-value to end-user interactions 3
Alternative to offshoring 3
Lower cost than domestic agents 4
Positive publicity 5
Outsourcing vendors can profit from at-home agents 5
Vertical specialization 5
Business contingency planning 6
Reduced overheads 6
Facilities 6
Contractor model and agent empowerment 7
New pool of quality agents 7
Different demographic 7
Unlimited geographic pool 8
Stay-at-home parents 8
Senior citizens 8
Professional qualification 9
Individuals with reduced mobility 9
Lower rates of attrition 9
Different demographic 9
Entrepreneurial attitude 9
New regional opportunities 9
Established markets 10
Developing markets 10
Environmental positioning 10
However, vendors need to address ongoing home agent concerns 10
Agent monitoring 11
Data protection / fraud 11
Lack of team atmosphere 11
Home environment distractions 12
APPENDIX 13
Methodology 13
Further reading 13
Ask the analyst 13
Datamonitor consulting 13
Disclaimer 13
List of Tables
Table 1: Global at-home agent positions, 2006 - 2012 3
Table 2: At-home versus onshore bricks-and-mortar agent - characteristic differences 8
List of Figures
Figure 1: Global at-home agent position growth, 2006 - 2012 2
Figure 2: US in-bound agent comparison, facility versus at-home: 2006 4