Call centres abroad – good for business?

Would you rather have your business conducted here or abroad? More and more businesses are outsourcing their telemarketing business to companies outside of country of which they are based. Whichever way you look at it, it can be cheaper to hire English speaking staff in places like India or the Philippines. Some of the largest companies in the world have call centres in India in sectors such as finance, airlines, and telecoms. In some countries such as the USA and Austria call centres have even been established in prisons. The question here is do you pay more for a service where you have an established relationship with a UK based company that is familiar with your product or service? Or do you go for the cheaper option and outsource the work to India, the Philippines or even countries such as the USA?