Insurance Networking News - August 1, 2006  

India Tightens Security

"There are three main reasons why it's cheaper to outsource work to WillowCSN Inc. than to do it in-house-even though Willow doesn't ship the work off to India, but keeps it in the Unites States.

"First: Willow's agents work from home as independent contractors, so there are no office costs or benefits expenses.

"Second: The Miramar, Fla.-based company's agents are paid by the call, not by the hour, so a company doesn't need to pay for downtime.

"Third: Willow's agents pay for their own training and equipment. This is a big departure from a traditional call center, where the insurance company pays for everything.

"The result: Costs that average 30 percent to 40 percent below typical in-house call center costs.

"'...We estimate there are 10 million people in the U.S. who would find working from home an attractive alternative to the job they have today-or to the fact that they don't have a job,' Angie Selden says.