OVERVIEW
● Having an in-house call center feels like having control, ownership, and customer-centric visibility. But look closer, and you’ll notice the flaws: increasing expenses, unscalability, restricted tech know-how, and intensified attrition.
● In this blog post, we deconstruct the top 5 challenges companies encounter in having an in-house call center—with actual data, expert opinion, and real-world takeaways to assist leaders in deciding between in-house & outsourcing inbound & call center services.
Introduction
Each customer call is more than a ring—it’s revenue waiting to be held or lost. Companies that establish in-house call centers tend to do so for the right reasons: more control, brand alignment, and closer monitoring.
But here’s the truth: what appears to be a strength in year one soon turns into a operational labyrinth. The expenses continue to rise, attrition cuts into training expenses, and customers have 24/7 expectations, while maintaining pace with next-gen CX tech feels like pursuing a runaway train.
More than 59% of organizations grapple with increasing What is a Call Center operating expenses, and turnover in in-house Indian centers runs at 30–35% per year (NASSCOM). That’s not dollars flying out the window—it’s losing customer trust.
This blog breaks down the five largest challenges businesses have with operating in-house call centers—and why so many are now turning to outsourced inbound & call center services as the intelligent, scalable solution.
Top 5 Challenges of Running an In-House Call Center
1. Skyrocketing Operational Costs
● Pay, training, hardware, compliance, IT support—it costs a lot quicker.
● Hidden expenses: software subscriptions, telephony integration, downtime costs.
Stat: Operating an in-house call center with 50 agents in India can cost ₹80 lakhs–₹1 crore a year, not including upgrades (NASSCOM).
Expert Take: Businesses lowball the recurring expense nature of call center expenses. In contrast to outsourcing, where expenditures are stable, in-house expenditures vary with each recruitment, upgrade, or regulation.
2. High Attrition & Burnout
● Call center work is stressful: heavy calls, tight KPIs, night shifts.
● It costs a lot to constantly train new hires.
Stat: Average attrition rate in Indian call centers is 34%, nearly double the IT industry average (Naukri Hiring Report, 2024).
Expert Take: Attrition isn’t an HR problem—it’s a customer problem. Each time there’s an agent loss, customer experience is impacted.
3. Technology Gaps & Slow Adoption
● AI bots, omnichannel, auto-tagging, speech analytics—customers expect it, but in-house teams usually don’t have the resources to adopt.
● Merging CRMs, cloud telephony, and compliance technology is complicated.
Stat: 61% of in-house Outsourced Call Centers say they are “lagging behind” in adopting AI-led CX tools (Deloitte Global Contact Center Survey, 2023).
Expert Take: In-house operations are reactive, not proactive. Tech adoption demands budgets, knowledge, and speed—outsource partners typically have this built-in.
4. Scalability Roadblocks
● Call volumes surge around holiday seasons, campaigns, or new product launches.
● In-house teams can’t scale quickly overnight. Recruiting, training, and infrastructure expansion takes months.
Stat: Companies forfeit as much as 20% of potential revenue during peak demand because of under-scaled in-house call centers (PwC CX Report, 2024).
Expert Take: Scalability is where most in-house call centers run into a wall. Flexibility is the greatest benefit of outsourcing.
5. Compliance & Security Pressures
● Data protection legislation (such as India’s DPDP Act 2023) makes compliance expensive.
● In-house arrangements tend not to have specialized compliance/legal oversight.
Stat: 42% of in-house Indian centers reported a minimum of one compliance violation in the previous two years (EY India CX Risk Report, 2023).
Expert Take: Non-compliance isn’t fines—it’s reputation loss. Compliance is a significant investment for outsourcing a Telecom Service Provider as a core competency.
In-House Call Center Challenges at a Glance
Thoughts to Ponder
● Is your in-house call center really creating long-term value, or is it a cost drain?
● What would the impact be if your next holiday rush didn’t overwhelm your CX delivery?
● If outsourcing gets you access to superior tech, lower rates, and 24/7 scalability—why wait?
Wrap Up
Operating an in-house Service Center Call Center provides control, but control is costly: increasing expenses, high turnover, tech holdups, scalability challenges, and compliance threats. In the current experience-driven economy, these issues can quietly erode revenue and brand loyalty.
Key Takeaways
● In House Call Center are capital-intensive and brittle in the modern, fast-paced market.
● Outsourced inbound & call center services provide the solution to cost, scalability, tech, and compliance.
● Leaders need to assess whether control is worth the unseen costs.
Conclusion
The call center is no longer an expense function—it’s a CX and revenue growth engine. But doing it in-house is like having a factory for every product you make—efficiency isn’t always a given. Outsourcing, when done properly, means no customer is ever left unheard, and no lead is ever lost.
At DialDesk, we don’t merely answer calls—we turn them into opportunities for growth. With 24/7 coverage, AI-driven insights, and collaborative CX models, we enable businesses to scale smarter without the burdens of hosting an in-house Outsourcing Call Center.
DialDesk is to CX what AC is to comfort—always working, never a burden.