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Summary of our market study
The French call center market is growing by around 3% a year, and is estimated at over 3.3 billion euros
The global market is worth over $339 billion, with the United States holding a dominant position, with a worldwide market share of between 25% and 30%.
Dynamics of call center sectors
The call center sector, a crucial intermediary between companies and their customers, has undergone major changes in recent years due to the digitization of processes and the growing importance attached to customer relationship management (CRM).
These developments have led to a transition from the traditional "call center" model to a more global "contact center" approach.
French companies stand out on the world stage, with major players such as Teleperformance, Majorel, Sitel and Webhelp. More than half of all production for the French market takes place in France, although nearshore and offshore alternatives are gaining market share.
the telephone is used in nearly 80% of cases, but there is a trend towards omnichannel strategies, where a combination of various modes of communication, email, chat, social media .
Artificial intelligence and data science are helping to transform the service offering.
Industry players
- Webhelp French company and global player
- Teleperformance, a global giant based in France
- Concentrix, an American company and industry giant
- Atento
- Alorica
- Majorel
- Sitel
- Sykes
- Teletech
to understand this market
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
A call-center is an organization that combines human and technical resources to remotely manage the relationship between a company and its customers. The call flows managed are generally massive, and can be inbound (after-sales service, for example) or outbound (telephone prospecting). In reality, these call centers handle a wide variety of customer relations tasks , from technical assistance to complaints handling, not forgetting telemarketing.
However, with the impact of digitization and the rise of omnichannel customer relationship management (CRM), the terminology "call-center" is becoming increasingly inappropriate, and the term " contact center" is becoming more popular. Indeed, even if the telephone remains the most widely used medium, accounting for almost 80% of contacts in France, e-mails, SMS and social networks are gaining in importance. Call centers, or contact centers, are therefore no longer seen simply as huge "industrial" call centers, but increasingly as real experts in customer relations.
There are several call center models: either the company itself manages customer service, or it outsources this part to an external service provider. In the latter case, an independent company handles the various customer relations channels on behalf of major clients. In France and worldwide, 25% of call centers are currently outsourced to external service providers, but this proportion could well increase in the years to come. [National Assembly]. As an internal company department, the activities of internal contact centers are more difficult to analyze. An important part of our study will therefore focus on outsourced call-centers - which have, in fact, been enjoying considerable dynamism in recent years.
The major global players include market leader Téléperformance, followed by its American competitor Concentrix and others such as Atento and Alorica. The global market is growing fast, with the development of offshore and nearshore production zones driving down costs.
In France, the call center market - both internal and external - is expected to grow by 12% between 2020 and 2021. [Insee]. In the "outsourced customer relations" segment, France is the third-largest market in Europe, and one of the fastest-growing. More than half of all production for the French market is carried out in France. Nevertheless, the nearshore and, above all, offshore shares are growing fast and gaining ground. The market is concentrated around a few major players, such as Webhelp France and Majorel, although many smaller players are still present.
1.2 A growing global market
The global call center market is estimated at US$ ***.* billion in ****. This is a growing market, with an estimated CAGR of *.*% between **** and ****, reaching US$***.* billion in ****. In ****, the United States will dominate the market, with **.*% of the global total. [***] Growth will be driven by :
the growing importance of CRM, or ...
1.3 Growth in the French market
insee groups call center activities under NAF code **.**Z, distinguishing between :
inbound call center activities: the reception of calls from customers by human operators, automatic call distribution systems, telephone-computer integration, interactive voice response or similar methods of taking calls.or similar methods for taking orders, providing product information, handling support requests ...
1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis
As call center activity is dependent on the overall level of activity, the economic crisis had a negative impact on the sector's growth, particularly between May and June, as shown in the graph below.
However, the sectors most affected by the health crisis - notably healthcare and public services - made ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The customer experience: an increasingly important lever for building consumer loyalty
Call centers, or contact centers, are a relational marketing tool, which encompasses all actions designed to enrich the relationship with the customer. The aim is to build customer loyalty, thereby reducing the cost of acquiring new customers, and encouraging them to continue buying products or services. In this way, using a ...
2.2. The impact of digitalization on CRM
Better understanding customer journeys in the age of digitalization
Whereas in the past, customer relations were built around physical contact, the telephone and letters, the rise of digital channels has multiplied the possibilities for contact with customers. This is revolutionizing the services offered by call centers: the use of the Internet ...
2.3 Typology of outsourced contact center customers: towards greater diversification?
Sectoral breakdown of the call center market: long-established players and new, fast-growing sectors
The business of outsourced contact centers depends on the activity and needs of the sectors to which they offer their services. The graph below shows that over **% of contact center services are provided to the Telephony and Energy/Utilities ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Segmentation and player dynamics
Players in the internal and external call-center market
The graph below highlights that the number of companies operating in the call-center sector experienced strong growth between **** and ****, which is slowing down but remaining positive between **** and ****. However, the number of companies will contract twice in **** and **** , from *** to *** between **** and ****, and ...
3.2 Map of outsourced contact center locations
Source: ****
Out of a total of ** sites counted among SP*C members responding to the survey, there is an asymmetrical distribution of outsourced call centers in France. In ****, the most represented regions will be Hauts-de-France (***).
The importance of nearshoring and offshoring: a threat to French production?
The French outsourced customer relations ...
3.3 Typology and dynamics of the main communication channels used
Typology and dynamics of the main channels used:
As the chart below shows, the telephone remains the dominant channel (***). Nevertheless, its share of total channels has been declining in recent years, notably with the breakthrough of new channels. Indeed, while telephone growth between **** and **** is **.*%, SMS, Chat and social networks enjoy ...
3.4 Internalize or outsource contact centers? A thorny question for companies
Today, **% of call centers are outsourced to external service providers. Most of these are grouped around the SP*C, which brings together French outsourced customer experience companies. Its recent report, published in **** and entitled Baromètre des impacts économiques, sociaux et territoriaux des centers de contact externalisés en France, is ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Contact center organization and types of services offered
Internal workings of a call center:
Guides Comparatifs offers specifications for setting up and managing a contact center.
There are two different, or complementary, rationales for setting up a contact center:
quantitative: to improve contact processing productivity, qualitative: to improve the quality of customer service.
Among the technical systems used in ...
4.2 Cost structure and price analysis
Prices vary according to location and the number of customer advisors and calls handled. Most of the industry leaders don't advertise their rates. However, according to Callcenter-guide, here are a few examples of the factors taken into account in all contact center rates:
Premises: prices vary according to location, rent, utilities ...
4.3 Prioritize customization and upmarket products over standardization and low-cost models
Standardizing processes and cutting costs: a strategy ill-suited to the new challenges of customer experience
In ****, Les Echos published an article following a mass layoff in Free's call centers. The strategy of lowering costs and standardizing certain call centers may have led to numerous relocations and increased multiskilling of certain call ...
4.4 The future of the contact center in the digital age
The spread of the "as-a-service" contact center: towards ever greater flexibility
According to Relationclientmag, the as-a-service contact center market will be the preferred option for **% of contact centers by ****, **% more than in ****. Among the advantages of this model, the use of the cloud enables all customer exchanges to be handled across ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulations
The Naegelen law: a new framework for telephone canvassing
Telephone canvassing in France is subject to increasingly stringent constraints in response to growing complaints from the French about intrusive calls. As of March *, ****, these restrictions include a ban on calling consumers on Saturdays, weekdays before ** a.m. and between * and * p.m., ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Teleperformance
- Armatis
- Comdata
- Intelcia Goup
- BlueLink
- Outsourcia
- SATEL
- Sérénis
- Convers Telemarketing
- SFR
- Bouygues Telecom
- Majorel
- Webhelp
- Acticall Sitel Group
- Immatech Groupe
- Intelsia
List of charts presented in this market study
- Total call center market sales
- Call center sales in France
- Which contact methods do you plan to use more frequently in your relationship with a site's customer service department?
- Market breakdown by sector
- Significant changes in the breakdown of the French market by sector
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Latest news
Bouygues Telecom rebounds - 07/11/2023
- Bouygues Telecom now has 15.4 million mobile customers, with a gain of 217,000 since the start of the year thanks to the professional market.
- The operator also has 3.4 million fiber subscribers, with a gain of 425,000 since January.
- Sales were up 3% year-on-year at the end of September.
- Operating income after rent (Ebitdaal) rose by 10.8% to 1.451 billion euros in the first nine months of the year.
- Bouygues Telecom was ranked as the best-performing operator for fixed Internet quality, and topped the last four barometers for Wi-Fi quality.
- Orange and SFR currently account for 80% of the business services market, while Bouygues Telecom holds less than 10%.
- Bouygues Telecom accounted for only 14% of its parent company's sales in the first nine months of the year, but generates almost 40% of its operating income.
Teleperformance extends its partnership with Microsoft - 20/06/2023
- Multi-year commitment of $185 million (around 170 million euros) between Teleperformance and Microsoft.
- Improved customer experience thanks to first pilot projects using TP GenAI.
- Call handling time reduced by 25%.
- Email response time reduced by 20%.
- Sales conversion rate increased by 35%.
With Webhelp, U.S.-based Concentrix creates a new global champion in customer relations - 31/03/2023
- French Webhelp Group acquired by US Concentrix
- New group worth $10 billion and employing 450,000 people
- Number of Webhelp employees: 130,000
- Webhelp valuation: $4.8 billion
- Webhelp sales: 2.6 billion euros
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the call centre market | France
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