The fact that companies have started to give importance to customer relations, that retail channels in the market have increased, that the personal banking is developing and that new technologies are being integrated into business processes have, together, led to the development of the call center sector. Within this framework, the number of personnel working in call centers has significantly increased, and the customer relations field has become more professional, with the result that companies are focusing on their primary line of business by outsourcing their customer relations management activities.
The call center sector in Turkey has great potential for development in the years ahead thanks to the availability of its educated, qualified and young labor force, the high number of universities and schools providing vocational education, the accessibility of high value-added call center services and the existence of a large number of foreigners living in Turkey, as well as the fact that Turkish people do not speak foreign languages with a distinguishable accent, that the country is extremely attractive for foreign investors and that a great many investors designate Turkey as the center for carrying out their operations in other countries.
As of 2010, there are 1,019 call centers operating in Turkey.
- The call center sector employs approximately 50,000 persons, most of whom are young.
- The number of chairs used in call centers in Turkey increased by 19 percent to 41,000 in 2010, compared to the previous year.
- It is anticipated that the Turkish call center market will grow by 17 percent in 2011 (according to agent employment), and will continue to grow by 18 percent over the next five years.
- The call centers are used primarily for customer services and technical support.
-
In terms of distribution by sector, the wholesale/retail, finance, healthcare, electronics & IT, telecommunication technologies and transportation/logistics sectors are among the top sectors.
-
While most of the call centers are located in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, there are call centers in Antalya, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Erzincan, Gumushane, Malatya, Sivas, Usak, Kayseri, Bursa, Düzce, Afyon, Eskisehir and Yalova as well. |
 |
Sources:
“Turkish Call Center Market 2010 Report” by Karya Research and Consultancy Services for IMI Fuarcılık Ltd. Sti.
Data from the Call Centers Association
“Global and Turkish Call Centers Sector Report”
“Turkey’s Call Center Market 2008” IMI Conferences, J. Morton Institute, August 2008, Istanbul