Based on the need of improving costumer service and satisfaction, the CRM (Consumer Relationship Management) concept also appeared. Positive experiences, as using a database and a communication channel with costumers, were responsible for the Brazilian call center market growth. Call center is one of the sectors which more creates jobs. The telemarketing sector is the greatest standout.

According to ABT (Brazilian Telemarketing Association), half of telemarketing companies in Brazil act in the so-called outbound telemarketing, in which the company calls the client. They also act in the inbound telemarketing. This kind of telemarketing is directed to customer service, as is the case of Customer Service Centers and the over-the-telephone sales stimulated by TV ads. The other half of the companies is composed basically by small-sized offices directed exclusively to outbound telemarketing.

One out of three customer attendance centers (PAs) in Brazil is currently operated by outsourcing companies, which are more specialized in this kind of service. According to IDC Brasil (International Data Corporation), the outsourcing call center services reached an invoicing of US$ 706.9 million per year in 2002, an increase of 24.2% as compared to 2001. And the outsourcing services growth tendency is strong, since a high percentage of the companies perform the call center service internally. In 1997, Brazil already counted on 18.8 million fixed telephone lines and on 4.6 million mobile phones, while it already had 40.5 million fixed telephone lines and 29.2 million cell phones in 2001. This significantly increased the consumer's access to customer service centers.

In accordance with E-Consulting, the perspectives are excellent for contact center companies. After increasing over 30% last year – increasing from R$ 1.96 billion to R$ 2.51 billion – the invoicing of the sector in Brazil must leap 20% this year to R$ 3.01 billion. Another point that confirms this success is the total number of customer attendance centers (PAs), which already increased 6.2% from 183 thousand PAs to 194.3 thousand ones in 2003 and they will evolve more and more in 2004. It’s foreseen that the number leaps from 12.4% to 218.4 thousand PAs.

The survey shows that the sector has already hired about 500 thousand people – it was 465 thousand people in 2002. 56.9 thousand jobs will be created until the end of 2004. Most of PAs is still inside the contact centers companies: there are 126.3 thousand PAs against 68 thousand PAs of the companies specialized in customer attendance. The tendency is, however, that the outsourcing services increase. The outsourcing service centers must grow 15% this year to 78.2 thousand ones, while the internal call center services will increase 11%. In the total, the outsourcing services index will jump from 32% to 36% between 2002 and 2004.

According to a survey made by the company Consultoria A.T. Kearney, Brazil ranks seventh between the countries that more attract installation of customer attendance centers and providing services of international companies at distance, in the system called business process outsourcing.

The report of the consulting company shows that the country is in the highest position among the Latin America countries in terms of qualified people and availability. The consulting company also says that the Brazil’s strong points are the advantageous costs and a great labor force with good experience in providing services at distance. Moreover, it is possible that, with the increasing sophistication of the local software industry and information and technology sector, the country attracts new businesses.

The installation market of customer attendance centers and centers for providing services at distance is evaluated in US$ 300 million and it can reach US$ 500 million in 2007. About 6 million jobs, especially in high technology sector, must be transferred from the United States and Europe to countries which more attract this area.

According to T. Kearney, the company directors mention greater productivity, improvement in the services and greater technician abilities, besides the labor force costs, as the main reasons for installing customer attendance centers and centers for providing services at distance.