How Call Center Location Impacts Customer Satisfaction and Business Performance
by King White, on Aug 18, 2025 7:00:00 AM
Mastering call center performance starts with geography: Location impacts accent clarity, labor quality, turnover and—ultimately—customer satisfaction.”
In today’s competitive landscape, call center geography matters more than ever. While cost savings often drive decisions toward offshore or nearshore operations, consumer expectations for clear communication, cultural familiarity, and data security are pushing many companies back onshore. This blog explores how call center location—onshore, nearshore, or offshore—affects customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. We’ll also illustrate why thoughtful site selection strategies can improve both experience and profitability.
Location and customer satisfaction: What the data shows
- A landmark CFI/Zendesk study found U.S.-based call centers score ~20 points higher on customer satisfaction than offshore teams, citing accent comprehension as a key factor.
- ICMI surveys reveal U.S. agents achieve ~79% satisfaction vs ~58% for foreign agents. First-call resolution is ~67% (U.S.) vs ~50% (non-U.S.).
- For offshore and onshore outsourcing, research generally shows that onshore outsourcing performs better than offshore outsourcing, suggesting that familiarity and integration matter more than physical location.
- Nearly half (48%) of consumers say a clear, friendly accent enhances service satisfaction, while voice barriers in offshore settings lead to lower trust and clarity.
- AI accent-neutralization tools (e.g., Sanas) are emerging in global call centers. Teleperformance reports neutralized accents boost clarity, reduce call durations, and enhance satisfaction, but raise cultural identity concerns.
The dialect dilemma: Onshore, nearshore, offshore
Geography |
Accent & Cultural Fit |
Labor Costs & Turnover |
Time Zones & Regulation |
Customer Impact Summary |
| Onshore (U.S.) | Native accent, cultural alignment | Highest costs, stable workforce | Full time zone alignment, strong data rules | Highest satisfaction and resolution rates |
| Nearshore | Bilingual, regional accents | Moderate cost, moderate turnover | Minimal time shift, regional privacy risks | Good compromise, some dialect friction |
| Offshore | Strong accents (India, Philippines, SA) | Lowest cost, high turnover | Large time differences, compliance complexity | Lowest satisfaction; accent bias needs addressing |
The role of accent neutralization technology
As companies adapt to hiring constraints and seek efficiencies through offshore and nearshore staffing, accent-related communication barriers continue to be a key challenge. New technologies, such as accent-neutralization software, are emerging to bridge that gap. A notable example is Sanas, which uses real-time voice modulation to adapt an agent’s accent to better match customer expectations.
Although still in development, such tools offer potential to improve comprehension and overall experience in call center environments where clarity is critical. However, they aren’t yet foolproof—challenges include latency, authenticity, and undermining agents’ linguistic identity. While accent-neutralization complements a site selection strategy, it doesn’t replace the foundational benefits of choosing the optimal location.
Bottom-line impacts
- Longer call handling times, repeated clarifications, and escalations from offshore centers directly hit loyalty, customer lifetime value, and cost per call.
- Accent misunderstandings raise training costs and agent burnout, fueling high turnover.
- Onshore or nearshore sites yield higher NPS and lower cost-to-serve, balancing increased wages with turnover savings and stronger service metrics.
- AI accent-neutralization tools can be helpful, but they should be paired with strategic site selection and language training.
Site Selection Group: Tailoring location for service excellence
- Accent and language analytics: Evaluate phonetic alignment between local agents and the customer base.
- Turnover and labor-rate models: Contrast markets on workforce availability, retention, wage trends, and call center saturation.
- Time-zone mapping: Align staffing with customer peak hours to maximize service responsiveness.
- Risk and compliance overlay: Match operational regulations and data standards (e.g., PCI, SOC, GDPR) with selected geographies.
Conclusion
Choosing where to locate your call center is more than a cost decision—it’s a performance decision. Accent clarity, cultural alignment, time-zone match, and labor stability all contribute to customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. By combining data-driven location analysis and strategic site selection, companies can minimize friction, improve metrics, and secure a competitive edge.
