Homeshoring will remain an attractive option for service providers and their employees, as the global economy slips into a recession, says IDC.

A new IDC study confirms that "Current economic ripples are buffeting American wage earners, including customer care agents, at a time when workers already face significant challenges to both their productivity and their wallets," said Stephen Loynd, program manager, Contact Center Services research. "I am convinced that when it comes to outsourced customer care, by the time we emerge from a possibly severe global recession, homeshoring will have developed into a more formidable sibling to offshoring than many would have expected just a few years ago."

Despite current economic indicators, IDC's new market forecast for U.S. home-based agents shows that the projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) remains robust at nearly 19%. IDC is seeing a high degree of interest in this model of service delivery. Indeed, the contact center industry is replete with players moving to adopt the home-based agent offering.

This IDC study, U.S. Home-Based Agent 2008–2012 Forecast: Homeshoring in an Underwater World is based on analysis of key trends and events in CY08 and their predicted impact on the home-based services market for the five-year period from 2008 to 2012. It includes a forecast specific to outsourced home-based agents in the United States. This study also examines particularly important trends that are impacting how, depending on requirements, customer care might best be delivered.