Wall Street Journal - November 29, 2005

Career Journal: Instead of Offshore, Call Centers Start to Move to U.S. Kitchens

“There are a lot of things Peggy Griffiths likes about her job as a virtual call agent. The former business analyst no longer worries about suits, traffic or overtime. She decides how long she is going to work and when. Ms. Griffiths usually spends a few hours a day handling calls for Teleflora, a unit of closely held Roll International. Customers don't know the master gardener is at home in Prescott, Ariz., rather than at their local florist.

“Ms. Griffiths is among a growing number of Americans now working as virtual call-center agents. While thousands of jobs have gone to offshore call centers, others are returning or moving from brick-and-mortar call centers to people's homes, thanks to new technology and a changing work force.

“’…There's a clear movement afoot to find alternatives to offshore, but offshore continues to grow,’ said Basil Bennett, chief executive and president of WillowCSN, a south Florida virtual call-center company. Willow uses nearly 3,000 virtual agents in 30 states for its clients, which include Fortune 500 companies.”