Call Centre Expo: Germany a Hotspot for Call Center Investment

09/18/2009

Birmingham - The customer care and business process outsourcing segment continues to grow worldwide. In Germany, this sector has posted an average of ten percent revenue growth over the last ten years. At this year's Call Centre Expo 2009 in Birmingham, UK, taking place on September 22 - 23, Germany Trade & Invest will introduce the advantages of investing in Germany and highlight the region of Saxony as a prime location for call centers in Europe.

The German-speaking market has 98 million customers and is by far Europe's largest. Germany's qualified and multilingual workforce, state-of-the-art infrastructure, affordable and available real estate, and investment incentives make it the natural choice for companies looking to enter the European market. One reason for Germany's preferred location status is the high standard set by the country's workforce in the call center industry. High productivity and a customized knowledge base are available to meet the needs of new investors.

The establishment of an educational training track "Dialogue Marketing and Sales" in Germany has raised the profile of the call-center profession and helped improve the caliber of employees entering this field. 67 percent of Germans can speak at least one foreign language - 59 percent of the population is able to converse in English - bolstering the country's advantages as a call center location.

Real estate prices are another factor impacting investors' decisions. In relation to other major locations in eastern and western Europe, rents in Germany are relatively low and very stable. Office rental prices here are lower than almost in all other countries in Europe. Companies are also attracted by incentive packages that can cover up to 50 percent of initial investment costs in certain parts of the country, including Saxony.

The strength of the workforce plus attractive real estate prices are just some of the reasons that global players such as Sitel and Teleperformance have made further investments in Germany recently. "These companies and many others see Germany as the place not only to speak to 98 million German-language customers, but also to place customer service operations for the entire European continent," notes Richard Offermann, Director of Service Industries at Germany Trade & Invest.

Germany Trade & Invest, together with the Saxony Economic Development Corporation, can be found at booth H27 at this year's Call Centre Expo. One highlight of the fair will be a session with Manfred Stockmann, President of the German Call Center Association, which will take place on September 23rd. This event will focus on the growth regions of Berlin-Brandenburg and Saxony and will be followed by a reception at the Berlin Partner stand, hosted by be Berlin, the city marketing campaign launched by the Berlin Senate.