Poland calling

The number of call centers in Poland is expected to double to 1,400 by the end of 2008, according to new research by the Datamonitor group. At the moment the industry employs around 30,000 people but analysts predict that this will rocket to around 50,000 over the next three years.

Only rising labor costs may disturb the sector's development in Poland, according to Datamonitor.

There are two significant incentives that are likely to boost Polish call centers. Primarily, financial institutions - mainly banks and insurance companies - are increasingly employing the services of call centers more frequently.

Secondly, credit-card sales over the phone are currently the most popular service among call-center clients, but demand for insurance policies is expected to rise too. In a bid to tap into the this market some call centers have already gained insurance broker licenses.

An increasing number of external orders is another anticipated growth area for call centers. "Poland has a lot of advantages, for example proximity to the European headquarters of many international groups. It has considerable facilitates for staff training, visiting and control. Moreover, there are plenty of young Poles who speak foreign languages without strange accents," says Peter Ryan, Datamonitor analyst.